Wigneswaran briefs Tamil journalists on meeting South African Envoy Ramaphosa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 July 2014, 14:08 GMT]
A South African delegation, comprising South Africa's Special Envoy to Sri Lanka and South Sudan, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Nomaindia Mfeketo, the deputy minister of South African International Relations and Cooperation, visited Jaffna on Tuesday and spent one hour with Northern Provincial Council (NPC) Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran. Addressing the press following his meeting with the South African delegation, Mr Wigneswaran said Mr Ramaphosa assured him that the 'South African involvement' would not be contradictory to the 'political initiatives' by New Delhi and to the Geneva-based war-crime process supported by the Western countries. 

The meeting with Mr Wigneswaran comes after the visiting envoy had met Mr Sampanthan in Colombo.

"At first, we were wondering on the motive of their visit," Mr. Wigneswaran told the press. 

Wigneswaran has been given the task of 'briefing' the public on the South African delegation's engagement with TNA by its Parliamentary Group leader Mr Sampanthan and the nominated parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran, informed TNA sources told TamilNet Tuesday. 



After the Commonwealth Summit last year, Colombo had requested South Africa to assist with a truth and reconciliation process, Mr Wigneswaran was told by the visiting South African delegation. 

“We asked the visiting South African delegation whether their engagement would not be contradictory to what India is trying to achieve and the war-crimes investigation process, which the Western countries have been favorable to. And the response was that South African process would be complementary to these processes,” Mr Wigneswaran told reporters. 

Cyril Ramaphosa was appointed Special Envoy to Sri Lanka and South Sudan by South African President Jacob Zuma in February. 

"We are going to listen to the Sri Lankans. We have already met them a few times in South Africa, but this time around we are going to go to Colombo and meet the government, the President of Sri Lanka and a number of other government ministers," South African media quoted him as saying before his visit. 

"We will discuss with people in the community. We will also try to help the Sri Lankans with the Truth and Reconciliation process, their own constitutional reform and make sure Sri Lanka does indeed become a stable country where they will enjoy human rights,” he went further on record. 

"Only time will tell whether Ramaphosa would get a lesson on the impossible nature of resolving the chronic national question of Eezham Tamils within the Sri Lankan unitary constitution or whether he would end up like Norway's failed peace-broker Erik Solheim, who is now confined to social media and authoring literature defending his failures in the past," a senior journalist in Jaffna commented after listening to Mr Wigneswaran.

"However, if this is brokering on behalf of the Unitary State of Sri Lanka, the process wouldn't last that long," he added.

This Is Not The Rajapaksa Regime Anymore, This Is The Gotabaya Regime

By Nimalka Fernando -July 9, 2014

Dr. Nimalka Fernando

The MOD & The NGO Surveillance Secretariat, Keep Your Letter In Your Archives As A Document To Remind You Of Your Collective Shame!

The Rajapakse regime has either become completely retarded or imbued with a deep sense of paraplegic paranoia. It seems as though the Defense Secretary has become so “high and mighty” that he has once again forgotten that his motherland has citizens like us with a strong backbone. 

I was totally baffled to see the letter signed by a “Mr. D.M.S Dissanayake” who is supposed to be the Director/Registrar of the National Secretariat for Non Governmental Organizations on a Ministry of Defence and Urban Development letterhead addressed to all Non-Governmental Organizations. The main part of this letter focuses on ‘Non-Governmental Organizations acting beyond their mandate’  with emphasis on “It has been revealed that certain Non Government Organisations conduct press conferences, workshops, training for journalists and dissemination of press releases which is beyond their mandate.  We reiterate that all Non Government Organisations should prevent from such unauthorized activities with immediate effect”. I can only laugh at this document since while trying to take away our freedom of expression I do not think the person who signed this letter understood what he was writing or expressing.

The activities of the NGOs are defined and conducted under the statutes developed by members of an organization. In simple language this is what we call “a Constitution”. The Constitution in most NGOs will encompass a vision and mission statement in very general terms. The NGO’s objectives and activities are broadly drawn up and an action plan is evolved in consultation with the people that the NGO works with.  A work plan is then drawn up by the members of an NGO and approved at relevant meetings. All of this is based on the vision and mission of an NGO. The vision and mission is our mandate. Among the many strategies adopted by NGOs holding workshops, press briefings, training and disseminating information about our activities through press releases form the core of action. It is through such activities we share our vision our mission and our ideas. As an example of implementing our vision we can even walk around on the streets along the beautified gardens of Colombo or hold a workshop somewhere  promoting our vision for peace and against religious extremism. We do this to raise awareness on serious issues. This is an activity we implement within the mandate given to us by our constituency from all over Sri Lanka. It is our constituency that gives us this mandate and not the State, the ruling class or a political party as popularly believed by archaic political buffoons frozen in the 1970’s and 80’s. I’m sure they haven’t even read Chapter 3 of Sri Lanka’s present constitution. When Mahinda Rajapakse went to Geneva with files tucked  inside his brief case did the then regime ever asked him whether he had a mandate to do so. He went to Geneva remember wearing an INGO badge. Inside that building he was representing an INGO.

                                                               Read More   

Ranil, Hakeem shed more light on gruesome Aluthgama deaths

 July 9, 2014 

• Questionable post-mortem report and cause of deathAttorney General not present for inquest
• Government Analyst not summoned prior to debris removal
• Investigations continued by Police

By Ashwin Hemmathagama 
Our Lobby Correspondent
Suspicious procedures followed in investigating the deaths of two people in Welipitiya during the recent ethnic clashes, lead to “aspersions” yesterday in Parliament. Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem was also unsure about the findings in the post-mortem report, which is now at stake.
However, justifying some of the other questionable deviations authorities made instead of following the routine procedure, Minister of Justice Rauf Hakeem outlined three important components – speculation on cause of death, absence of the Attorney General at the inquest proceeding, and the Government analyst not being summoned before the debris was removed from the destroyed properties.
“The controversy arises with the post-mortem report filed at the Magistrates Court. The Magistrate concerned clarified the sittings held a few days ago and the counsel appearing on behalf of the aggrieved parties was allowed to examine this post-mortem report. According to this report, one death occurred due to shooting. The other is somewhat unclear and the Magistrate has ordered the Judicial Medical Officer to help ascertain the causes of death. It is also a fact that next of kin of the deceased, because of the trauma of exhumation, will not always want an exhumation to take place. A matter of public importance is now pending in courts.
“Non-summoning of the Attorney General to appear is the second issue. The Attorney General is not summoned for every inquest where police officials think that they can assist the Magistrate to conduct the investigation. The other pertinent issue pertains to the removal of the debris before the Government Analyst was summoned. I must say that the Deputy Inspector General of Police of the area told me he has collected necessary material and a report from the Government Analyst will only be called if there is a doubt about the cause of fire. In all statements recorded from eyewitnesses, there is no contradiction of the fire that took place as a result of certain mobs setting fire to residence and business places,” said the Minister in response to Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe’s questions raised under section 23 (2) of the standing orders.
According to the Leader of the Opposition there are many eyewitnesses who state that the deaths occurred due to gunfire although the post mortem states that the deaths were caused by lethal cut wounds.
“These contradictory statements bring about many misgivings, which are further confounded by the interview given by Minister Rauff Hakeem to a Sunday newspaper recently. He has stated that although two people were shot dead in Welipitiya, its inquiry and the post-mortem are strange where two died due to lethal cut wounds. He found it a very serious matter if even the medical reports are prepared fraudulently. As the Minister of Justice himself states, it is a very serious matter if even the medical reports are prepared fraudulently,” said Wickremesinghe.
Draw attention to the Magistrate’s inquiry conducted for the killings, where no representation from the Attorney General’s Department was present, Wickremesinghe said: “Counsels appearing for the affected party drew the attention of the Court on an important matter where they stated that the Government Analyst had not yet been called to the destroyed locations. In particular, it is a methodology followed worldwide to summon the analysts to the locations destroyed by fire and explore its cause. However, at this instance, not only the Department of Government Analysts had not been called, but also the armed forces had been deployed to remove all the debris and renovate all such spots that caught fire so that all proof that would support such an inquiry would be rubbed out. Therefore, the Magistrate has issued an order banning removal of debris around the spot concerning this case and the related renovations. However, I would like to bring to the notice of this House that the process of concealing proof is underway everywhere else.”
Against this backdrop, the Opposition Leader asked for the evidence available that bullets were used, and to explain the steps Minister took against the officer who did not prepare the post mortem report properly. “Is not the state of the officers who perform their duties under your Ministry subject to influence and pressure from outside amount to a disparagement of the judicial system of this country? What are the steps you intend to take to prevent recurrence of such a situation in future? What was the reason for the Attorney General’s Department to distance itself from the magisterial inquiry? When the process of removing debris without an inquiry by the Department of Government Analysts was started, why did the Ministry of Justice not intervene to prevent it and summon the Government Analysts?”

Event Invitation: Amirthalingam Remembrance Day

July 9, 2014

TULF UK Branch Cordially invite you to the Memorial lecture to mark the late Leader A. Amirthalingam’s 25th Remembrance Day.

On

Saturday 12th July 2014 at 4.30pm

At

Bonus Pastor Catholic College

Winlaton Rd. Bromley BR1 5PZ

Keynote speaker :

Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne

(Director, Institute of Constitutional Studies ) Please RSVP: By 10th July 2014 to

tulf.london@gmail.com

A Rajapaksa Front Company Investment US$ 7.0 billion

 Wednesday, 09 July 2014 

The growth of Rajapaksa’s family wealth is about to reach astounding proportions. Reliable Government sources indicated that at least 15 projects are being discussed for implementation through Chelina Corp, a front company of Rajapaksas, worth nearly US$ 7.0 billion. Of the total at least 12 projects worth over US$ 6.0 billion are to be funded by China mainly through high interest loans.

A Rajapaksa Front Company Investment US$ 7.0 billion by Maria Anderson

Keys To Modi’s Success In Gujarat And Lessons For Sri Lanka

By Rajasingham Narendran -July 9, 2014

Dr. Rajasingham Narendran

While trying to  locating a rendering of Carnatic music on the YOUTUBE, I stumbled upon Narendra Modi’s  tele-link address to the Global Forum on ’ Evolving Markets’  held in Washington DC. Narendra Modi was yet the Chief Minister of Gujarat, though the Prime Ministerial candidate.

Gujarat (196,204 sq.km) is three times bigger than Sri Lanka (65,610 sq.km).  It has a multi-religious population and had seen extremely violent communal strife preceding and following India’s independence. Mahatma Gandhi was born in this state.  Under four successive terms  of Narendra Modi’s Chief Ministership, the state has been a relative oasis of peace and is the fastest growing  (10+% annually) within India.  A people who have been renowned through the ages as excellent tradesmen. have become also leading entrepreneurs. A state with limited agricultural capabilities has been transformed into a leading agricultural producer. Exports of industrial goods are growing by leaps and bounds.  Electricity and water are no longer the bug bears they were.

                                                           Read More

Open Letter To All Leaders Of The Opposition; Come Together Or Perish, One By One!

By Vishwamithra1984 -July 9, 2014 

“The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.” ~Ernest Hemingway

This missive or column, whatever you may call it, is intended for all those who claim to represent the broad masses of the land: Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and all others. In a context of political parties, it is directed at the United National Party (UNP), Democratic Party (DM), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (CBK wing), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and any other political entity identified with resistance to ‘Familiocracy’, nepotism, corruption, racism, religious disharmony, financial bungling, wasteful State-sponsored carnivals, economic amateurism, ill-planned infrastructure building and all other anti-societal mechanisms and election gimmickry and  to their leaders who are at present embroiled in a distressing dilemma as to how to displace the current governing coalition led by the Rajapaksas.                                      Read More

Sri Lanka moves to silence NGOs, press groups

By Bob Dietz/CPJ Asia Program Coordinator

The Sri Lankan government has taken yet another step to silence critical media coverage, banning non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from holding press conferences and issuing press releases, as well as running workshops or training sessions. The action, announced Sunday by Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defense, left the country's many press groups wondering whether they are even allowed to issue a statement criticizing the decision.

Sri Lankan NGOs were put on notice about the new step on July 1, with a warning letter that declared media-related activities "unauthorized" and "beyond their mandate." The letter was signed by D.M.S. Dissanayake, director and registrar of the National Secretariat for NGOs, which comes under the Ministry of Defense. It is worth noting that Secretary of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksa is President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother.

Speaking to the English-language daily Ceylon Today, Dissanayake said, "We have merely taken a precautionary measure in reminding them of the limits." If the groups do not obey the directive they will be fined, he said. Given the lack of government action to curtail a history of attacks, harassment, and threats aimed at journalists in Sri Lanka, the use of the term "precautionary" by a government official becomes a threatening term.

Sunday's directive left the country's NGOs scrambling, including those that represent the media community. Despite the government pressure on its press, Sri Lanka has historically had several media groups, some organized along ethnic lines, including the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, the Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, and the Federation of Media Employees Trade Union. Together, they operate the umbrella Free Media Movement. Immediately after Sunday's announcement, there was no indication any of them had protested.

What precipitated the government's move, and why now? I checked in with a few sources in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. They're not all in agreement, and some of their reasoning is clearly speculative, but they concurred that this was something the government had wanted to do for a while and probably had more than just one cause. The order comes against a backdrop of other government efforts to control media coverage and disrupt workshops and seminars for journalists organized by NGOs.

One source said in an email message that the Ministry of Defense does not have legal authority under any statute to control freedom of speech and association of citizens, who act collectively through civil society organizations. But then, he added, when did legal issues matter?

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka's government finds itself in difficulty both internally and externally. Internationally, the country has a growing reputation as an outlier. The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to begin a 10-month investigation into human rights violations by the Sri Lankan Army and Tamil secessionists during the last years of the conflict that ended in 2009--despite strong efforts by Sri Lanka to head off the probe. More recently, Sri Lanka took heat over its treatment of media during anti-Muslim riots in June, with condemnation from a broad spectrum of civil society groups. The government's image in Muslim nations has been severely damaged.

Internally, Sri Lanka has not resolved the ire of the Tamil or Muslim communities, and increasingly seems intent on suppressing them rather than addressing their complaints. So Sunday's gag order--as some in Colombo called the notice--came from a government that finds itself a tad shaky as the country prepares forpresidential elections. (The date of the next presidential election will be announced on November 15.)

For all its efforts to silence its critics, the government, with its new move to stifle NGOs, may have instead moved one more step toward irrelevance.

Sri Lanka muzzles NGOs and bans media-related activities

09/07/2014

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) and Free Media Movement (FMM) in condemning the decision of the Sri Lankan government to ban civil society non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from having any dealings with the media, including organising and conducting legitimate and necessary media-training activities.

On July 7 2014, the National Secretariat for NGOs, under the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, issued a circular to all NGOs preventing them from “conducting press conferences, workshops, journalism training and dissemination of press releases”. The authority claimed such activities are beyond the mandate of NGOs.

To date in 2014, three training workshops for Tamil journalists have had to be abandoned:

• On June 7, a three-day workshop for Tamil-language media in north-eastern Sri Lanka was cancelled after outsiders threatened to disrupt it. The workshop was to provide training on investigative reporting. It was organised in Gampaha by the Sri Lanka office of Transparency International – a Berlin-headquartered, highly-respected global NGO that monitors and publicises corporate and political corruption in international development.
  
• In May the same workshop, being conducted in Giritale in the Polnnaruwa district of North Central Province, had to be abandoned due to intimidation by the military.
  
• In January 2014, a two-day training workshop for Tamil journalists was abandoned after a group of Buddhist monks disrupted proceedings. The workshop was organised by the Search for Common Ground – a Washington DC-headquartered, international non-profit organisation operating in 30 countries whose mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict away from adversarial approaches toward cooperative solutions.

The SLWJA said: “The latest directive is ludicrous at its best and dangerous at its worst. It is a clear attack on freedom of expression enshrined in the country’s constitution and highlights Sri Lanka’s slide towards authoritarianism. Arbitrariness with which it was announced vindicates the government’s contempt towards the fundamental rights of the citizens. A free discourse among all stakeholders is imperative for a democratic and healthy society. The government’s latest directive is a sinister move that is aimed at silencing some of those voices.”

The FMM said: “This is a gross violation of human rights, and the Sri Lankan constitution as well as its international obligations of the Sri Lankan government.”

The IFJ, the SLWJA and the FMM call upon the government to withdraw the directive.

The IFJ said: “The decision undermines the important role NGOs and the media play for development of a nation. To muzzle NGOs and civil society organisations, and bar them from having legitimate dialogue and engagements with media outlets and journalists, is clearly contrary to freedom of expression.

This decision will hamper the development of Sri Lanka’s media by discouraging dialogues and the development of journalism skills. We urge the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately refrain from activities that undermine the fundamental human rights, and to allow civil society to engage and work with the media as would be expected and encouraged in a democracy.”

“Let NGOs Operate Freely” US Tells Sri Lanka

July 9, 2014

The United States is concerned by reports that the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence has ordered registered Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups to cease their media engagements and activities.

Jen Psaki

Issuing a statement the US department of state spokesperson Jen Psaki, has today said; “This order undermines Sri Lanka’s longstanding and proud democratic traditions, including freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.  We strongly urge the Government of Sri Lanka to allow civil society organizations and NGOs, which play a vital role in supporting Sri Lanka’s democratic values, to operate freely.”

Floor By GO (4 Minus 1 Is 3)

By Udan Fernando -July 9, 2014

The foodie in me often takes me to places where people meet, chat, drink and eat. One of those hip places is ‘Floor by O’, a bar-restaurant located down Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7. ‘Floor by O’ offers some 1,000 cocktails as well as a variety of bites, some of which are slightly political. One such bite is ‘Grease Yakaa‘, an extra-devilled dish served with your choice of meat. 

There’s another Floor in Colombo which offers a different culinary experience: the Fourth Floor.  You cannot get in on your own reservation, though. Instead, the experience is only offered by invitation. The Fourth Floor is known for its gourmet cuisine of which the standard is consistently maintained irrespective of the changing regimes and Chefs.

Former Beauty Queen and Sri Lanka’s pride in Bollywood, Jacqueline Fernandez will fly in this weekend to Colombo for the opening of her restaurant, ‘Kaema Sutra‘ on the ground floor of the Independence Arcade. ‘Kaema Sutra‘ is a collaboration between the Beauty and the Chef, Darshan.   Jacqueline will take a few days off her super busy schedule in the wake of  the upcoming release ‘Kick’ where she has been paired opposite Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. Jacqueline told a Bollywood news website about ‘Kaema Sutra‘:  ”The place is quaint with a homely vibe. A few items on the menu are from my grandmother’s recipe book. I have fond memories of her kitchen.”                                                                Read More   

Why the Defence Ministry's shadow intrudes into every aspect of civilian life? -Statement issues by Karu

(Lanka-e-News-09.July.2014, 8.30PM) Striking a chilling blow to civil society and the freedom of assembly and free expression in Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Defence has issued a circular to Non Governmental Organisations virtually banning them from expressing views to the public. 

The circular that has been sent out to over 1000 NGOs from the National NGO Secretariat, that strangely functions under the Ministry of Defence, even five years after the war ended, has banned the organisations from holding press conferences, workshops and even issuing a simple media release.

Under the Sri Lankan Constitution, any citizen, irrespective of whether they belong to an association, is guaranteed the right of free expression. They are guaranteed the right to peacefully assemble. The Ministry of Defence that has stamped out civil liberties in unprecedented ways in the post war era, is well on the way to creating a military state in Sri Lanka. It is in such an autocratic set up that the Defence Establishment dictates the limits of an individual or collective right to speech and assembly. It is the Rajapaksa Government's greatest ruse, to keep telling the public and the world that Sri Lanka is a functioning democracy, while the Defence Ministry runs a parallel administration that is adamant to curb freedoms and build surveillance systems to oppress the citizenry and stamp out dissent against the regime. 

It is the argument of the Defence Ministry, completely unsupported in the law books of this country, that these activities would be tantamount to NGOs going beyond their mandate. 
Even if the Defence Ministry was basing its proscription in law, it would be laughable in its hypocrisy. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence is one of the most versatile in the world, engaging in activities beyond its mandate in ways that boggle the mind. The military is involved in horticulture, tourism, aviation, dengue prevention. It operates boat rides and barber shops. The Defence Ministry has become the place to resolve every national issue, from economic crisises to religious conflict, because the citizenry is increasingly aware that it is in that building that the true power of this regime resides. The civil administration is losing grip, as the military facet of the regime gains in strength, stature and brutality with each passing day. 

The circular clipping the wings of NGOs in the country therefore, is about a much bigger issue. 
The time has come for Sri Lankans to question why the Defence Ministry's shadow intrudes into every aspect of civilian life and governance in this country. As citizens, we must question why we are forced to rely on the military to perform the most perfunctory of tasks, such as collect our garbage or cut our grass. We must open our eyes as to which branch of this Government is creating the perception that it is only the military establishment that is the only functioning system - and why it is necessary to entrench that impression in the minds of the public. 

As the country's main opposition we demand that the Government recognise and uphold civil society and its contribution of civil society to the broader democrtaic framework that it claims commitment to. The Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa demonises every individual and institution that stands in its way to consolidating power and establishing an autocracy. The NGO sector has long been in its cross-hairs. 

The UNP demands that the Government and its Ministry of Defence relinquishes its stranglehold on civil society. As Chair of the Commonwealth, which only months ago hosted the Commonwealth Peoples' Forum and recognised the role of civil society in a democracy, the Government has a moral obligation to keep its hands off peoples movements and NGOs.

Club de Madrid calls to stop clashes between Muslims and Sinhalese in Aluthgama & Beruwala

June 30, 2014

The Club de Madrid has been following with deep preoccupation the recent clashes between Muslims and Sinhalese in Aluthgama & Beruwala as part of what seems to be another manifestation of religious intolerance. Photo Credit: The Hindu Times/AP

The Club de Madrid has been warning for many years of the dangers of ignoring the build up of intergroup tension and even its encouragement by some in leadership positions in some parts of the world, and it is saddening the lesson has not been learnt and situations like this continue to arise.
The Shared Societies Project of the Club de Madrid has highlighted the approaches and policies which can prevent the escalation of tension and the rebuilding of social harmony and mutual respect after intergroup violence. We call these the Ten Commitments that nations and governments need to make to ensure a peaceful and prosperous shared society.
As an organization of former Presidents and Prime Ministers, the Club de Madrid knows that good leadership is vital in preventing and responding to ethnic and religious tension by showing positive inclusive leadership and respect to all citizens and the communities to which they belong. We do not say that national leaders are solely responsible, but it is incumbent on leadership to take firm action against those provoke tension and inter-group hatred and to create by word and deed an enabling environment in which local people are supported in overcoming hate speech and building positive understanding and respect between communities.

We welcome the calls for restraint and regret that have been made by leaders from all communities but this is not sufficient at a time of heightened fear and tension.

• It requires a formal statement from the government stating unequivocally its condemnation of those who use language that incite violence against people on account of their religion and acts perpetrated against individuals, communities and property on account of their religion.
• It requires resolute action to restore order and protect lives and property.
• It requires a clear commitment to apprehend and hold accountable both the instigators and perpetrators of violence.  Sadly we believe that this has not happened following previous violent episodes and therefore there is a greater onus on government to demonstrate its commitment to firm action on this occasion.
• And it requires greater efforts to build positive relationships and understanding between the difference faith communities living Sri Lanka - at all levels from religious leaders to disaffected youth who are too easily drawn into violence. 

We know that there are many people in Sri Lanka working to build positive inter-community relations and to restore Sri Lanka to its place as a jewel in the Indian Ocean. We call on all leaders to demonstrate their commitment to support these efforts.

SRI LANKA: The Defence Ministry’s Warning to all Non-Governmental Organisations

July 8, 2014

A National Secretariat functioning under Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence and Urban Development has issued a curious letter on 1 July 2014. The following is the letter in full:

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

National Secretariat for Non Governmental Organizations

To All Non Governmental Organizations

Non Governmental Organizations acting beyond their mandate

It has been revealed that certain Non Governmental Organizations conduct press conferences, workshops, training for journalists, and dissemination of press releases which is beyond their mandate.

We reiterate that all Non Governmental Organizations should prevent from such unauthorized activities with immediate effect.

D.M.S. Dissanayake
Director/Registrar

The letter comes as no surprise. It is, however, rather funny.

Perhaps the next such letter will include the following text:

It has been revealed that certain Non-Governmental Organisations have members who are breathing and still moving. We hereby call upon all of them to cease from such unauthorized activities with immediate effect.

This Ministry sees Sri Lanka as a country of the dead. Such is the mentality of the so-called Ministry of Defence and the pawns acting on behalf of the Secretary to this Ministry. That the Sri Lankan people should not think, should not speak, should not even dream of expressing any view critical of the government, is the ideal in the imagination of the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence.

The way this Ministry is handling affairs in Sri Lanka, there is nothing unconscionable about shedding the blood of anyone who dares to think or oppose the government in any manner. Anyone who takes the trouble to make a list of those whose blood has been shed in recent years, for no other reason than expressing their protest against government policies, would know that this Ministry means business when it issues such letters. What the Ministry of Defence is trying to tell NGOs that dare to express themselves –by conducting conferences, workshops, training of journalists, and disseminating press releases – is not only that the gates of prison are open for them, but something more: that they face dangers similar to what many other Sri Lankans have faced already.

Holding a press conference, conducting a workshop, training journalists (or anybody else for that matter), and disseminating press releases are actions available by right to any citizen of Sri Lanka. Members of non-governmental organisations have the same rights as anybody else.

The Ministry of Defence may retort by stating that no such rights exist for anybody save those undertaking such activities on behalf of the government. The message of their vision – that of a country where people enjoy rights only in their dreams – is what the Ministry of Defence has been trying hard communicate for a while now.

The problem for the Ministry is that there are still those who believe in such dreams, those who struggle in their own ways to turn this dream into reality, and those who still wish to call a spade a spade, i.e. a dictatorship a dictatorship.

The Director that signed the letter in question may want to say that he has done something kind by sending a warning before going on to do something worse.

Every corner of Sri Lanka reverberates with such dark warnings.

The privilege of organizing public meetings is a privilege that belongs only to those organisations that have the patronage of the Ministry of Defence. Organizations patronized so even have the privilege of using such meetings to provoke public violence. It is for organisations such as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) – where the leading monk can yell out calls for vengeance against those he views as opponents – that the privilege of free speech and assembly is granted by this Ministry.

There was once a time when one could ask the Director who signed this letter what law gave him the authorisation to issue it. It was possible to call him before a court of law to answer how he had the impertinence to issue such an order. Alas, such possibilities, of asserting the authority of the law against the perversity of the government, are luxuries no longer available for Sri Lankans.

When a mad dog circles the neighbourhood, everyone has a reasonable fear of catching rabies. When authorities in charge of law enforcement agencies lose their sanity, every citizen has a reasonable fear of the arbitrary use of violence. When a government ministry goes to the extent of issuing such a letter, it is a warning to one and all about how deep the government has sunk into disorder. Now is the time for all forces opposing the government to call for an end to such arbitrariness, to this insanity.

“Ban National Shoora Council” BBS Tells Government

July 9, 2014

The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has called on the government to ban the National Shoora Council (NSC) that released a statement earlier this week holding the BBS responsible for the anti-Muslim clashes that erupted in Southern Sri Lanka. The hardline group has justified their demand stating they perceive the NSC as an initial step in a conspiracy to transform Sri Lanka into an Islamic state.

Issuing a statement, the BBS has also urged the Presidential Secretariat to probe into the legal rights that have been exercised by the NSC to identify themselves as a ‘The National Consultative Council’, since the title can only be legally used by a Council that has been appointed by the President.

They claim that a ‘Shoora Council’ is a phrase used to identify the administrative branch of an Islamic state. The BBS therefore claims, the NSC assuming the title of ‘The National Consultative Council’ gives those outside of Sri Lanka the impression that the ‘administrative branch in the Islamic state of Sri Lanka has held the BBS responsible for the violence that broke out in Aluthgama and Beruwala’.

The BBS has gone on to state that they believe the NSC is being funded by a group of foreign states whose larger plan is to absorb Sri Lanka into their map of Islamic states worldwide.

“Therefore, we urge the government to probe into any foreign relations that are being maintained by this NSC as well as to investigate into any funds they receive from foreign countries. . .”

Furthermore, the statement has called upon the government to ensure that laws are drawn up immediately to curb the misuse of official titles to name bogus establishments as it could bring detrimental harm upon the country.

The hardline group has also alleged that extremist Islamic groups and politicians have disrupted a program they recently implemented named ‘Wishwasa Parama Gnathi’ (Trust is the greatest relative) in order to build on communal harmony between Sinhala and Muslim communities in the grassroots level.

“Statements by groups such as the NSC that have held us responsible for the Aluthgama violence needs to be probed in order to check whether they are being promoted through the influence of foreign powers,” the statement reads.

Expressing their anger and objection to the allegations, they have gone on to question the NSC. “On what grounds are they holding us responsible for the attacks? If they value democracy, what right do they have to taint our image through such damaging statements and how ethical are these allegations? Moreover what legal entitlement do they bear to proclaim us guilty for the chaos that erupted in Aluthgama?”

Thereafter the BBS has gone on to condemn the groups that accuse them, stating they are certain that the ‘gates of hell will be open to such groups for the lies they have spoken’ and while adding, “We can only hope that their God will give them a chance to be forgiven through a confession about the lies they have uttered.”