India’s position on UN team for Sri Lanka clear: MEA

Prof. G.L. Peiris Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka calling on Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on Friday. Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

Reconciliation in Sri Lanka discussed

MAHIM PRATAP SINGHJuly 12, 2014

On his third visit to India this year and his first under the Narendra Modi government, Sri Lankan foreign minister G.L. Peiris, discussed with External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, the measures Sri Lanka was taking about accountability and reconciliation on the island.

“There was a fairly detailed presentation by Prof. Peiris about the initiatives they are taking for reconciliation and accountability,” said ministry of external affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

About India’s position on the UN sending an investigation team to the Island nation, Mr. Akbaruddin said India had abstained on voting on the matter in the United Nations Human Rights Council in March this year.

“It’s not a country specific issue but a matter of principle which we have always held…we feel international bodies need to address human rights through a cooperative framework not (through) a punitive approach,” he said.

In June this year, the UNHRC had appointed a three-member investigation panel to probe alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

The panel comprises Nobel laureate and former president of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, former governor-general of New Zealand Silvia Cartwright, and Asma Jahangir, former president of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association.

Sri Lankan Muslims at the cross roads – 7

By Izeth Hussain-July 11, 2014

The focus of the present article and of the previous one is on what the Aluthgama/Beruwela outrages really signify, and what action can be taken by our Muslims to safeguard their lives and their legitimate interests. I concluded my last one by pointing out that the anti-Muslim campaign does not have the backing of the mass of the Sinhalese people. Indeed, the indications are that the majority of the Sinhalese Buddhists view the BBS and other extremist groups with utter disgust. The anti-Muslim campaign has the apparent backing of a segment of the Government, including the President and his brother the Defense Secretary, the most influential segments of the Sangha, and presumably of a group or groups within the armed forces.

If the anti-Muslim campaign does not have the backing of the majority of the Sinhalese people, where does the evident power of the BBS come from? It has been shown over the last two years that the BBS is above the rule of law. It is now shown that it can cause deaths and arson, and bring to the SL Government the utter contempt of the international community, with the possible exception of Myanmar, and even so the Government dare not take punitive action against the BBS. Its power does not come from the Sinhalese people. It can come only from the gun. I concluded my last article by drawing an analogy with the Kennedy assassination. That was the result of a conspiracy, not of action by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy wanted to withdraw from Vietnam, which would have meant a loss of billions of dollars for the military-industrial complex, against whose power Eisenhower had warned the American people in his valedictory speech. The reasonable hypothesis, which has wide currency in the US, is that the assassination was the result of a conspiracy to prevent that withdrawal. Kennedy was very popular, and his assassination therefore meant that the will of the people in the most powerful democracy on earth was subverted by a small group within the American power elite, which had the power of assassination. In a parallel case, what has really counted in the anti-Muslim campaign over the last two years has not been the will of the Buddhist majority. What has counted is the power of assassination.

Before proceeding further I must emphasize that I don’t want to underestimate the extent of anti-Muslim racism among segments of the Sinhalese people. It is not just a question of BBS racism. Before the BBS campaign which began about two years ago, there were the anti-Muslim tirades of Rev. Soma Thera in the latter part of the last decade. Earlier, from 1976 to 2002, there were a series of anti-Muslim ructions, part of which I covered in my articles after 1989. Before that also there were anti-Muslim ructions, for instance around Beruwela as mentioned recently by Rajitha Senaratne, one of our enlightened politicians. The important point is that successive Governments refused to take corrective action over anti-Muslim racism, in fact to even recognize the problem, because in their view there was no need to build a multi-ethnic nation: this is the land of the Lion Race, the minorities must accept its dictates, and if they don’t like it they can go back to Arabia or wherever it was that they came from. Unfortunately, the Sinhalese intellectual elite also refused to recognize the problem of anti-Muslim racism, Basically, as I see it, they wished to be left undisturbed to savour the serene joys to which they were entitled on their well-earned incomes, in anticipation of the supreme serene joy that would be theirs in the next life. The result of the failure, over many decades, to address the problem is that we now have on our hands a second major ethnic problem in addition to the Tamil one. Worse horrors than at Aluthgama/Beruwela can follow.

The above is my analysis of what the Aluthgama/Beruwela outrages really signify. I must clarify before proceeding further that I have been concerned here only with their local significance, not with their external dimension. I am now practically convinced that the BBS’ anti-Muslim campaign has behind it a foreign conspiracy. I don’t think that it is aimed at destroying Buddhism, as some political analysts believe. I suspect that it is aimed at destabilizing this country and destroying the present Government. Alas, the Government has walked right into the trap with its egregious anti-Muslim project. President MR should change track. Alternatively, he and his Government could face electoral doom next year.

I come now to the question of what options might be available to the Muslims to safeguard their legitimate interests. The prerequisite for effective action is the jettisoning of the traditional political strategies of the Muslims. Those strategies amounted to polishing the boots of the Sinhalese power elite, in exchange mainly for the personal benefit of Muslim politicians. That seemed sufficient when the Muslim elite were concerned mainly with safeguarding the religious and business interests of the community. But with the spread of mass education among the Muslims, there was clearly a need for a new politics, the harbinger of which was Ashraff and the SLMC. Today there are several Muslim politicians who speak out bravely, not in a foolhardy fashion but responsibly, in a way that would have been unimaginable some time ago. I mention the names – with Bravos for each – of Rauf Hakeem, Azath Sally, Rishad Bathiudeen, and Segu Dawood. At the civil society level the Muslim Council is performing very creditably, and the other day the newly emergent Shoora Council made a superb statement on behalf of Muslim interests. All these details betoken the emergence of a new Muslim politics.

How should the Muslims relate to the Government? Obviously it would be dishonorable for Muslims to support a Government that has been backing an anti-Muslim campaign. But we must take into account the inescapable facts of Sri Lanka’s degraded politics. For a long time Sri Lanka’s politics have had no ideology, no ideals, no principles, but only interests, and the only moral question is whether or not the interests being pursued are legitimate. We have no multi-ethnic nation in Sri Lanka – an idea which the Sinhalese racists reject with horror in favour of a monoethnic Sinhala nation – and consequently in Sri Lanka there are only ethnic parties, no national parties except in name. These inescapable facts dictate that Muslim politicians should serve primarily, or even exclusively, Muslim interests. How best can that be done? Obviously by working together with the Government. It seems paradoxical, but it is a conclusion that is both logical and practical.

The Muslims can now have recourse to the civil society in Sri Lanka in a way that was not possible for the Tamils in 1983. At that time there was no civil society worth talking about, and the Tamils had no one to turn to within Sri Lanka. After Aluthgama/Beruwela, a wide array of civil society groups has spoken out, without any equivocation, against the anti-Muslim campaign. We can take it, I believe, that the most politically conscious, the most advanced, the most modernizing segment of Sri Lanka is against both the BBS and the Government on the anti-Muslim campaign. How has this come about – something that would have been unthinkable in 1983? It is probably the consequence of the very considerable widening of the middle class following on phenomenal economic growth after 1977. This could have a crucial impact on our ethnic problems. I have to think about this more than is possible just now, but my basic idea is this. There are two ways of looking at the economy. In one, resources are seen as limited, and therefore economic gains are seen as possible only for some at the expense of others in a zero-sum game – a notion that can lead to ethnic disharmony and conflict. In the other way of looking at the economy, wealth is seen as something that can be created and that can keep on growing – notion that can obviously conduce to ethnic accommodation and harmony. I believe that it is a consciousness of what can be done for Sri Lanka through economic growth – and the beneficial impact that can have on ethnic relations – that is at the bottom of the impressive performance of our civil society over the anti-Muslim campaign.

(To be continued)

izethhussain@gmail.com

Muslims Condemn Gnanasara’s Call For Pope To Apologise Sri Lankan Buddhists

July 12, 2014

Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary, Galagoda atte Gnanasara demanding Pope Francis to apologize to Sri Lankan Buddhists is extremely offensive and reflects intentions of alienating the Catholic community in Sri Lanka, the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) states.

Gnanasara

The MCSL releasing a statement with reference to the media reports that quoted Gnanasara’s demands to Pope Francis states such claims are made with plans of fuelling division in Sri Lanka by alienating the Catholic community.

“Venerable Gnansara’s verbal tirade as reported mirrors the increasing intolerance, hate speech and violence that have gripped Sri Lanka,” MCSL Vice President Hilmy Ahamed states in the media release.

Furthermore they have expressed serious concerns over the persistence of groups such as the BBS, infamous for promoting ideologies that incite religious and racial hatred that could lead the country towards religious conflicts.

“Venerable Gnanasara and the BBS’s continued attack on religious minorities in the country have been a cause for serious concern to all communities, including the majority community who live in peace,” the statement reads while urging the government to contain such organisations in order to pave way for all religious communities to live in harmony as Sri Lankans.

Gnanasara’s demand for the Pope to apologize to all Sri Lankan Buddhists for the atrocities and murders that were committed by colonialists, has come under heavy criticism by various parties including Kithu Handa(Voice of the Catholics) that has claimed such statements are made to undermine and disrupt Pope Francis’s visit to Sri Lanka in January 2015.

University Vice Chancellors are political henchmen in SL : Minister Nimal Siripala bemoans
(Lanka-e-News-12.July.7.30AM) Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva declared, last day, the Unversities are being administered not by Vice Chancellors but by political stooges and henchmen. The Minister when addressing a function at the opening of the Badulla University research center made this comment directly and boldly. He stated the sufferings and impediments faced by the students movements are due to the insensible and incompetent conduct of the administrators.

The University should be an open forum of discussion. What the Universities movements are doing now are turning out political henchmen. University students mean a freethinking independent deep seated youth environment. Hence they should not be political henchmen. In the circumstances , it is the responsibility of the University chancellors to rescue the students from these extremists and terrorists. But unfortunately the Universities are today not run by the Vice Chancellors, but rather by a few political henchmen, the Minister regretted.

As in Western countries so in Russia and China , teaching is being done for money in Universities. In Australia those who are indigent , and therefore cannot enter Universities are provided with bonds to enter .On the other hand if we do that , allegations are mounted that we are selling the free education and ruining it., Minister stated.

Let us reveal the British system of basic and University education.

In Britain from the commencement until the GCE advanced level the education is free. The transport of the students is free. To children of low income , nourishing foods are provided free in Schools. Even to the malnourished children , Schools provide adequate quota of meals. Pencils , colored pencils and erasers , and all stationeries are provided free. In addition there are also private schools that provide money to children if necessary.

Yet , students can only sit the GCE O/L and A/L exams that are conducted by two recognized educational Institutions. Thereafter, the fixed fees are charged for University education. The fees charged are much higher for foreign students than for local students. In accordance with the University degrees , fixed fees are charged. But those don’t differ much from University to University. 

Pertaining to local students who are unable to pay , they are granted a interest free loan repayable in 20 years when they are employed. That loan covers not only the education fees , but also the hostel expenses and boarding including meals , as well as charges of health Institutions. Moreover , the repayments are deducted from the salaries only when the student is permanently employed and is settled in a job that accords with his degree , not when he is doing part time /temporary jobs.

Nevertheless, these loans are not granted for post graduate studies. Although these loans are oriented towards higher education , loans have been so arranged that they are not a burden on the students or the parents. Since the scheme is so balanced neither the borrower nor the lending Institution is driven into difficulties. The Institutions don’t become bankrupt. All in all everything is so planned and programmed that finally they turn out to be to the benefit of the country.

“Where are the Sri Lankan Female Scientists?” A Case of Democratizing Science

• by Dr. Dilshani Sarathchandra 
• - on 07/11/2014

In recent decades, many researchers, education specialists and policy advocates have paid increasing attention to the issue of gender bias in science. While several successful attempts have been made to increase female participation in science, a dearth of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields still remains around the world. A 2013 UNESCO study found that only 30% of the world’s researchers are women. According to this study, just one in five countries has achieved gender parity, where 45% to 55% of researchers are women. Around the world, there are stark differences in female participation in science. For instance, in Bolivia, women account for 63% of researchers, compared to France with a rate of 26% and Ethiopia at 8%. In South and West Asia, the average percentage of female scientists lag behind at 20%, ranging from 8% in Nepal to 37% in Sri Lanka.

“Where Are the Sri Lankan Female Scientists” a Case of Democratizing Science by Maria Anderson

Memo To Scott Morrison: Sri Lanka For Dummies

| by Tess Lawrence
Courtesy:Independent  Australia 

( July 12, 2014, Canberra, Sri Lanka Guardian) Friendly advice to Scott Morrison, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection on his trip to Sri Lanka from contributing editor-at-large, Tess Lawrence.

BEAM ME UP SCOTTY, I’ve prepared a diplomatic aide-memoire on Sri Lanka for you to read on the plane today. Sort of ‘Sri Lanka for Dummies’.

Here we go.

First up, don’t forget that Sri Lanka’s correct moniker is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Got that? The name covers all contingencies. Except one. It is run by an uncrowned monarchy.

Secondly, on no account get into any white vans. Especially if there is one waiting for you on the tarmac.

It’s a bit of a fad by the government – called ‘white vanning’. Sort of like planking or water boarding.

Next, everyone in Sri Lanka has the same surname – Rajapaksa. Including all the elephants in and out of the room and all the leopards and the rest of the fauna and flora. Remember that. It will come in very handy.

That includes the President and Cabinet Members, MPs and big businesses. Think the Obeid clan.’

Here’s a list I prepared for you earlier.

POSL

President – Mahinda RAJAPAKSA

FOSL

First Lady — Shiranthi RAJAPAKSA nee WIKREMASINGHE (Miss Sri Lanka, 1973)

Speaker of the Parliament – Chamal RAJAPAKSA

Minister for Defence and Urban Development – Mahinda RAJAPAKSA

Secretary for Defence – Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA

Secretary for Urban Development – Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA

Minister for Finance and Planning – Mahinda RAJAPAKSA

Private Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Planning – Shameendra RAJAPAKSA

Minister for Ports and Highways – Mahinda RAJAPAKSA

Minister for Law and Order – Mahinda RAJAPAKSA

Deputy Minister for Water Supply and Drainage – Nirupama RAJAPAKSA

Minister for Economic Development – Basil RAJAPAKSA

Member of Parliament for Hambantota District – Namal RAJAPAKSA

Member of Parliament for Gampaha District – Basil RAJAPAKSA

Chief Minister of Uva Provincial Council – Shashindra RAJAKPAKSA

National Organiser of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party – Basil RAJAPAKSA

Chairman of Lanka Hospitals – Gotabaya RAJAKPAKSA

Carlton Sports Network TV Channel – owned by brothers Namal and Yoshitha RAJAPAKSA

Board of Sri Lankan Telecom PLC – Shameendra RAJAKPAKSA

Director of SLT Publications Pty Ltd and SLT Hong Kong Ltd – Shameendra RAJAKPAKSA

Director of Sri Lankan Airlines Ltd – Shameendra RAJAKPAKSA

Okay, that’s enough, you get the picture. It’s getting late and I’m tired of typing the same name all the time.

And I haven’t included the appointments of wives, girlfriends, mistresses, boyfriends, lovers, nieces, nephews, aunties, uncles, cousins, in-laws, outlaws, et al to Government and the Rajapaksa’s dynastic business interests.

Anyhow, even if Ministers do have another surname and even if Sri Lanka big business CEOs are not called Rajapaksa, behind the scene, there is likely to be a family member pulling the strings.

One more tip, make sure you don’t let anyone else pack your suitcase on the way back

. I’m not talking about any gifts from the President, but those sneaky refugees will do anything to get to Australia and you need to be on the lookout in case they hide one or two of their kids in your suitcase.

And I’m not even going to brief you on Sri Lanka’s complicated caste system. All you need to know, for the purposes of your visit, is that the Rajapaksas are right up there.

Let me know if they like your pressies. Those old customs and border protection patrol vessels will come up a treat with a lick of paint.

After all, they’re of no use to us. We’ve excised the whole of Oz from the migration zone. What a class Act.

Wouldn’t it be a scream if those refugees used the boats to flee to Australia? Thank goodness they’re not sea worthy. The boats I mean.

Bon Voyage Scotty. Take some time out for yourself. Get away from High Court challenges and The Great Unwashed.

You’ll find the Rajapaksas are your sort of people.

Missing you already.

NGOs put on Procrustean bed?

Editorial-July 11, 2014 

The government has drawn heavy flak for a host of restrictions imposed on the NGO sector. The UNP has condemned them as part of a sinister campaign to stifle democracy. The US has also frowned on them. NGO activists have let out a howl of protest and even vowed to resist the government move.

NGOs are multiplying like rabbits in this country. Everyone seems to want to form an NGO, prepare some project reports, obtain funds from foreign governments and live in clover while seeing the world at the expense of the taxpayers in the developed countries. NGO bosses draw as much as corporate fat cats or even more, monthly. Some of them flee the country when their corrupt deals get exposed. The public perception of NGOs, especially INGOs (International Non Government Organisations) is not favourable perhaps due to adverse publicity they have received all these years.

But, one should not make the mistake of lumping all NGOs together and tarring them with the same brush. There are good and bad ones.

The fact that there are some NGOs which want to run parallel governments in the developing countries at the behest of their foreign masters who seek to further their geo-strategic interests through such well-funded outfits cannot be used to justify collective punishment. NGOs need to be regulated, but regulation should not mean harassment or suppression.

States cannot look after all needs of their citizens. Hence the emergence of NGOs or community based organisations in the democratic world. There is also a pressing need for some robust outfits to help people champion democracy and human rights because politicians’ dictatorial tendencies get the better of them if they are allowed to run governments according to their whims and fancies. However, these organisations are no substitutes for democratic Opposition parties as they are without popular mandates to play that role. Problems do occur when NGOs overstep their limits and advance hidden agendas, especially in conflict situations as we saw during the war years here. There were some NGOs which helped further the LTTE’s interest on the pretext of doing social work and protecting human rights. Some of them even raised funds for the LTTE.

This country is called a democratic, socialist republic. So, NGO activists, too, should be able to enjoy the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression and other democratic rights if they have not been found to be on the wrong side of the law. They must be able to communicate with the media without let or hindrance unless it could be proved without a reasonable doubt that they pose a threat to national security or their operations are detrimental to the country’s interests in some other way. If there is irrefutable evidence that they do so, they must be dealt with according to the law and nobody will fault the government for doing that. But, no NGOs must be harassed because they have become irritants to the powers that be or are promoting democratic dissent. NGOs cannot be expected to be pliable tools in the hands of the rulers.

Trying to curb the freedom of expression in this technologically driven world dominated by the electronic grapevine aka social media is, on the other hand, an exercise in futility just like, as a local saying goes, ‘blocking the wind with a net’. Information flows rapidly across the globe whether one likes it or not as could be seen from the predicament of the US vis-à-vis Wikileaks revelations and former NSA operative Snowden’s disclosure of classified Pentagon info.

NGOs are not above the law and their operations must be legal and transparent. They, we repeat, may be monitored, regulated, and even dealt with if they are at fault. But, let there be no witch hunt.

MFA Gives Ideological Justification 

For NGO Restrictions

| by Laksiri Fernando 

( July 12, 2014, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in its own volition perhaps has come forward to give justification for the NGO restrictions announced by the Director/Registrar of the National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organizations (NS-NGO). Anyone can guess who is behind this despicable effort. 

After the issue of the restrictive circular, even the Defense Ministry spokesman was shy in defending the circular. But there was no shame on the part of the MFA to do so. What I can surmise from this and other evidence available is that it is not the military per se that wants to step into politics. But it is the bankrupt politicians who want to drag the military into politics, perhaps for their survival. The wrath of the people are growing against the corrupt, sinister and opportunist politicians. 

The statement issued on 10 July 2014 titled “Government Action in Conformity with Universal Legal Framework” (Daily News, 11 July 2014) is a lie from the beginning. What universal legal framework that the Ministry or the Minister is talking about? The only valid legal framework is in the Universal Declaration (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). That framework assures the independent existence and functioning of the NGOs under ‘freedom of assembly and association.’

There is only one regional convention on NGOs directly and that is in Europe called “European Convention on the Recognition of the Legal Personality of International Non-Governmental Organizations” (1986). 

That is completely in agreement with the UDHR and the ICCPR and the title itself shows the purpose is to ‘recognize the legal personality’ of NGOs and not to restrict them. It is obvious that activities of any association should not contravene national security or public safety. Those limitations are there even in the UDHR and the ICCPR.

The MFA has quoted four documents which purported to cover the ‘powers’ or the ‘mandate’ of the Director/Registrar of the NS-NGO to issue such a circular but it is very clear that only the initial Act (1980) and the Amendment (1989) that covers the ‘mandate’ or the ‘powers’ of the said official. The regulations issued or a circular letter by another authority cannot enhance the mandate or the authority of the Director/Registrar. Leaving those for further contemplation of the legal luminaries, let me turn to what is politically dangerous in the MFA statement. 

It may be true that the NGOs are supposed to submit Action Plans to the Secretariat under the Regulations issued in 1989 but enhancement of such activities or the Action Plan is a matte for the membership of that organization and not to the Director or the Registrar. In any Action Plan there is always room for flexibility. It is absurd for the Director/Registrar to check whether all activities are according to the action plans. It is not the business of a government official regarding the activities of non-governmental organizations. The distinction and the distance should be kept clearly for the sake of democracy and independence of the latter while the rules of law should govern both. 

It is in such a predicament of government encroachment on people’s rights that Bertolt Brecht sarcastically asked in a poetic manner

Would it not be easier then

For the government

To dissolve people

And elect an-other?

It should be noted that this is the first time, to the best of my knowledge, such a circular was issued by the Registrar. Why at this juncture? The MFA statement says that the circular was issued “Unfortunately, having found some NGOs had exceeded their mandates.” If only some NGOs have exceeded the mandate, why then the circular was issued to all NGOs? 

Why the government is so obsessed with NGOs conducting ‘press conferences, workshops, training for journalists and dissemination of press releases’? 

The MFA also grumbles about the non-registration of some NGOs required by law emphasising that Sri Lanka is a ‘sovereign and an independent State.’ This appears as an overreaction to some of the valid concerns expressed by the international community, particularly the USA. The MFA is obviously preparing the background for another onslaught on the NGOs. 

The essence of the MFA statement is to claim that the NGOs should be accountable to the State, meaning the present Government. When the MFA states, that the government action is in conformity with the ‘universal legal framework’ it has some ironical resonance with some of the trends going in some countries, particularly Russia, in the Middle East (Egypt in particular), in North Africa and even in our region, like Pakistan. 

It was not long time ago (2012) that Putin brought what is called the “Foreign Agent Law” to control NGOs in Russia. The Egypt’s new law on NGOs is considered to be worse than the Hosni Mubarak period. Egypt recently arrested 27 NGO representatives. Pakistan’s draft ‘Foreign Contributions Act’ is also on the same lines. According to some experts, however, China on the contrarily, liberalizing NGO activities. Therefore, the trends are not one sided. 

Many have been asking what the NGOs or the people in Sri Lanka could do against the NS-NGO or MoD circular. One action would be for the NGOs to have “Press Conferences, Workshops, Training for Journalists and Dissemination of Press Releases” against the Circular.

“Sri Lanka Transforming Into A ‘Crypto Military And Authoritarian State’” Says BASL

July 12, 2014

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has condemned the circular issued by the National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organisations that has already come under heavy criticisms due to the restrictions it has imposed on civil society groups active in Sri Lanka.

Upul Jayasuriya -BASL President

In a media release issued last night following the Executive Committee meeting, the BASL has asserted the communiqué issued by the Secretariat for NGOs that operates under the purview of the Ministry of Defense, as a ‘gross violation of the fundamental rights of the polity’ and has urged the authorities to revoke the circular immediately.

Pointing out the circular may have far reaching impacts on a free and democratic society; the BASL has stated that it is another extension of Sri Lanka’s transformation into a ‘crypto military and authoritarian state’.

The statement quoting the Global Military Index statistics issued by the Bonn International Center points out that Sri Lanka has been ranked as the most militarised country in the region at 36, following by Pakistan (47) and Afghanistan (58).

The BASL Executive Committee meeting has gone on to say the situation has been further deteriorated due to a regulation imposed under section 12 of the Public Security Ordinances that transferred Police powers to the Army, Navy and Air Forces, covering the entire country.

They state the deteriorating levels of right to dissent, freedom of expression, freedom of association and media freedom in Sri Lanka have been reflected in the Worldwide Governance Indicators in which Sri Lanka’s position has dropped from 0.15 negative in 2002 up to 0.60 negative by 2012.

The following facts were also listed to further underpin their concerns over the shrinking democratic space in Sri Lanka:                                                             Read More

GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO WITHDRAW 

NGO CIRCULAR 

12 July 2014

The NGO Secretariat of the government which is placed under the Ministry of Defence has issued a circular to all NGOs directing them to act within their mandate. The circular states “It has been revealed that certain Non Governmental Organisations conduct press conferences, workshops, trainings for journalists and press releases which is beyond their mandate. We reiterate that Non Governmental Organisations should prevent from such unauthorized activities with immediate effect.”

The National Peace Council is very concerned about this directive. According to our knowledge there is no law under which an NGO can be prosecuted for going beyond its mandate. Any action beyond an organisation’s mandate merely renders such action ultra vires and not valid in law unless the Memorandum of Association is amended which is a domestic procedure of the NGO. So NGOs wonder whether this directive is to intimidate them, create uncertainty, and silence dissent and exposure of the truth. If an NGO violates the criminal law or other statutory law it can be prosecuted under the existing laws.

As an organization we work within our mandate. It is important for the government to clarify its position without ambiguity as these types of circulars would bring misunderstandings and tensions between civil society and the government. This one violates the right to freedom of expression and freedom of association that is guaranteed under the Constitution and contravenes the several international covenants that Sri Lanka has signed. If Sri Lanka is to be respected as a democracy, the government needs to recognize that majority rule, or having a majority in Parliament, does not foreclose other opinions that exist in the society at large.

Those who govern a country need to hear the opinions of the people and not have it filtered for them by those who are around them and have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are. This requires a free flow of information, which is what NGOs provide as they work directly with the people at all levels of society and gather information which they analyse and disseminate. Therefore we ask the government to withdraw this circular and take action under the existing laws where an NGO violates them.

Ranil takes up cudgels for NGOs, tears into MoD

By Saman Indrajith-July 11, 2014

Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe accused the government of ‘attempting to tear up the Constitution’ of the country by preventing non-governmental organisations from holding press conferences, workshops, training for journalists and distributing press releases.

Making a special statement Wickremesinghe said that it was a blatant attempt by the government to control all non-governmental organisations.

Wickremesinghe said that former LTTE arms procurer KP had been permitted to form an NGO and operate in the North and East. He challenged the government to stop him, too, if possible.

The full text of the statement made by Wickremesinghe: The Director/Registrar of the National Secretariat for Non-Government Organisations, under the Ministry of Defence & Urban Development had issued a circular No. MOD/NGO/mon/4 dated 1.7.2014 requiring NGOs not to conduct press conferences, workshops, training for journalists, and dissemination of press releases.

At the very outset we wish to point out that neither the Ministry nor any organisation operating under it has the power or authority to issue such directions to NGOs.

In 1980 the Government passed the Voluntary Social Service Organisations (Registration and Supervision) Act to regulate and supervise enterprises commonly called Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Section 15 of the Act required promulgation of regulations and accordingly regulations were promulgated on 15 October, 1999 (Gazette No. 1101/14).

These regulations dealt mostly with the setting up of a "Board of Inquiry" to inquire into complaints in respect of any allegations of fraud or misappropriation of funds.

It is clear therefore the regulation of NGO’s has to be within the four corners of the Voluntary Social Service Organisations (Registration and Supervision) Act and the Regulations made thereunder.

No authority outside these parameters has the right, power or authority to exercise any form of regulation or supervision of NGOs.

Furthermore, this action of the National Secretariat for Non-Government Organisations is a blatant violation of the Constitution more particularly Article 14 thereof which guarantees to all citizens – freedom of speech, expression, publication, assembly and association.  The 1980 Act has not placed any restrictions on the operation of Article 14 of the Constitution of the Republic.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also incorporates the rights of association, opinion and expression including the right to impart any ideas through any medium and the Right of Peaceful Assembly and Association (Article 19 and 20).  Workshops and Training are a part of the freedom of association while the holding of media conferences came under the freedom of expression.

This is a blatant attempt by the Government to control all non-governmental organisations.  An attempt to negate the rights conferred under the Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Will the Hon. Prime Minister explain to this House the reason that has led the Government to act in violation of the Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and why the Government attempting to tear up the Constitution."

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne said that the government had not taken any action to control the NGOs but reminded them to adhere to certain principles which those organisations had agreed to follow when they had been formed. These NGOs were bound to act within the guidelines they had agreed when they were registered. The circular issued by Director/Registrar of the National Secretariat for Non-Government Organizations, under the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development was not an order but a circular of instruction. The circular just requested the NGOs to act within the framework of guidelines they had been expected.

The Prime Minister said such circulars were issued by other countries as well. It is a well-known fact that certain NGOs operating in Sri Lanka had acted beyond their aims and objectives. Some of them were found procuring arms for the LTTE. Instructing the NGOs to act within the mandate they had been given at the time of their registration should not be interpreted as an attempt to tear up the Constitution and violating the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human rights, he added.

UNP claims nexus between Sri Lanka and Seychelles over Swiss accounts

By Dharisha Bastians-July 12, 2014

•  MP Harsha de Silva asks ‘Why did BOC open a branch in Seychelles?’

• Alleges Central Bank refusing to investigate  previous list of Lankan depositors

UNP MP Harsha de Silva shows off a document connected to Swiss banking during a media briefing at Sirikotha yesterday – Pic by Pradeep Pathirana

Sri Lankan deposits in Swiss bank accounts are now being listed under residential addresses in offshore havens like Seychelles, as Switzerland tightens financial regulations in line with European banking standards, United National Party Parliamentarian and Economist Dr. Harsha De Silva revealed yesterday.
According to the UNP Legislator, the most recent report from the Swiss Central Bank reveals that deposits by Sri Lankan citizens amounted to 83 million Swiss Francs in 2013, down from 87 million in 2010.  De Silva said that in 2013, 65 million Swiss francs were in the form of indirect deposits.
“After the names of some individuals with Swiss bank accounts were revealed a few years ago by an international journalists’ group, Sri Lankans are now afraid of having their names exposed again. So many of these deposits now have addresses based in the Seychelles,” De Silva charged.
Seychelles, a country with a population of less than 100,000 people was gaining notoriety in the world as a major offshore haven and sanctuary for large scale money launderers, the opposition Legislator told a press briefing at Sirikotha yesterday.

Deposits from Seychelles in Swiss bank accounts have increased exponentially from 1.7 billion Swiss francs in 2010 to over 3 billion Swiss francs in 2013.
The Sri Lankan Government has been strengthening ties with the South East African island nation, with President Mahinda Rajapaksa undertaking a State visit there last month and the country’s largest State bank opening a branch on the island. Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines also commenced direct flights to Seychelles late last year.
“Isn’t it strange that the Bank of Ceylon recently opened a branch in Seychelles, where only 90,000 people live, where there are barely any Sri Lankans to serve? Wouldn’t a branch have been more useful in a Middle Eastern country where thousands of Sri Lankans live and work?” he remarked.
De Silva said that a recent investigative report in the Economist magazine had revealed Seychelles links with powerful criminal mafias in other parts of the world and companies within companies within companies. “The country that has less than 100,000 people have 140,000 foreign companies. It’s virtually impossible to tell who owns the corporate entities,” the UNP MP explained.
The UNP Legislator explained that the Seychelles Government had recently granted what has been described as the greatest gift to money launderers, by promising refuge to any criminal elements provided they could deposit $ 10 million in a bank on the island.
“Among those who have availed themselves of the opportunity is Tunisian dictator Ben Ali’s son,” De Silva charged.  He said that countries like Belarus and Belize were also invested in Seychelles.
It was ironic, the UNP MP said that when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was demanding a list of Indian citizens who hold secret accounts in Switzerland, that the Sri Lankan Central Bank is flatly refusing to investigate the list of Sri Lankans already in the public domain.

Matara-Beliatta rail track most pricey in the world: Harsha The proposed 27 kilometre railway track connecting Matara to Beliatta in the Hambantota District to be built using a Chinese loan facility will be one of the most expensive in the world at $ 14.7 million per kilometre, the main opposition UNP charged yesterday. Quoting an estimation made by former State Engineering Corporation General Manager Tudor Wijenayake, UNP MP Harsha De Silva said that the Government cost estimate for the 27km railway track included bridges that had already been built. “Two of those kilometres were already constructed during President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s administration. So in truth there is only 25 kilometres of track to build,” the UNP Lawmaker charged. Citing an Iowa University report on cost estimation for railway construction in the US, De Silva said that even in the most mountainous regions, the cost per kilometre of track was $ 5.3 million. “Are there mountains in Beliatta? Are there rocks and tunnels to cut through in the area?” De Silva charged. The UNP MP said it was ironic that a railway track that was going to be one of the most expensive in the world is cutting through one of the country’s poorest areas, where farmers were struggling for water to cultivate their farms.

JVP and Rathana Thera differ 

BY DILHAN WIMALKA- July 12, 2014 

Differences of opinion have surfaced in the discussion the JVP had with JHU Parliamentary Group Leader Ven. Rathana Thera about the 'Way forward for the country' set of proposals drafted by the Thera.
 
 
K.D. Lal Kantha, JVP Politburo Member, said they were at present carefully studying the set of proposals made by Rathana Thera to determine whether the proposals incorporated...
 
measures for a complete overhauling of the Executive Presidential system or if they would exert a deterrent influence on such changes to it.
 
He added, as apparent from a preliminary study of the proposals it seems that they do not provide for wide and extensive changes in the presidential system of government. Wider sections of the country are seeking improvement of economic political and social conditions. In an in-depth study they are planning to carry out as regards the proposals, if they find adequate measures for abolition of Executive Presidency, they would support it. He emphasized that their Party is more concerned about people's wish to change the dictatorial powers given to the President through the Constitution. If Ven. Rathana Thera makes a set of proposals incorporating wide ranging changes to the Constitution as desired by the people their Party will take a favourable position regarding them, he said.
He added they would be discussing the proposals in depth, and as at present, they have not accepted or rejected them.

Who fooled Army Commandos to torture mother nature….?

 Saturday, 12 July 2014 

Army Commandos, who rendered a yeoman service to protect the country are now about to take a devastating turn under the patronage of bunch of rich fools, the Four Wheel Drive Club of Sri Lanka (4x4 Club), who thinks this beautiful island’s natural eco systems and landscapes are playing things for their heavy machines.

The Commando 4x4 Expedition which is to be worked off from August 3 to 9 covering a distance of 775 km from Point Pedro to Uva Kuda Oya including some of country’s finest beaches, lagoons, jungles and mountains in the Eastern coastal belt will enter the list of greatest man-made environmental destructions of Sri Lanka, if the event will take place as scheduled.

Causing many environment hazards under the cover of ‘Sports Tourism’ banner has become a common phenomenon In Sri Lanka during recent times. citizens of Sri Lanka must raise their voice against these disastrous deeds as the short-term money country or organizations will earn from these events is no match for the  price we pay in the long run by jeopardizing country’s natural assets.

Tourism Promotion badly need a country-wide policy which assured the protection of island’s limited natural ecosystems. Environmental Authority must be firm on their policies, not compromising with money, political or military powers of these event organizers.

Surprisingly  Commandos has obtained the approval from Environment Authority to conduct the event. The event’s press release clearly stated the fun-ride will run through sand dunes of Manalkadu and the vehicles will cross the lagoons in Kokkuthuduwai, Challai and Dehiwatta to reach Thoppigala mountain. They will climb rocky mountains of Thoppigala to take an inland rout through the jungles of East to drive on the sandy beach in Arugambay before they reach Uva Kudaoya Commando Training Centre to run the extreme event.

Had the Environment Authority considered the true environment impact of all this event..? How long it will take to re-build the sand dunes naturally after 50 or more high powered automobiles run on them…..? What will happen to lagoon habitat once a parade of four wheels cross them killing many of its fish and water creatures….? What effect will cause by the vehicle gases and noise to the wilderness of Eastern jungles and its livelihood ….?
On their previous attempt to conduct a 4x4 event in potuvill and Arugambay, 4x4 Club received a bold reaction from the fishing community of the area and had to cancel the event. As their only passion is for their sport, even at the cost of country’s environment, they came back with the foolish idea of ‘ruin the nature for fun’ with the military power in a bigger scale this time.    

It is wise to conduct 4x4 events on prepared tracks or facilities as they have been conducted before and Sri Lanka can not offer its limited natural assets for the fun and thrill of very little potion of the population who seek thrill on torturing mother nature.
To much surprise environmentalists and nature lovers too have turned a blind eye to this imminent mass environment hazard and if not the citizens unite to stop this destruction, the organizers are eager to conduct the event annually.

Army Commandos always stood for the betterment of motherland and Defence Secretary Ghotabaya Rajapaksa and Commando Regiment chief Maj. Gen. Prasanna Silva must take immediate action to preserve the good name of the regiment by making amendments to the event despite be a prey for bunch of 4x4 enthusiasts.