Facing (Apparent?) Failure

By Charles Sarvan -August 8, 2014 

Prof. Charles Sarvan

“As for me and some other Sri Lankans, both within and outside the Island,we have failed, again and again.”

The above observation was made by a friend, a Sinhalese Buddhist, whom I’ve met only through the written word. She is one who has fearlessly stood up for abstractions such as justice, equality and decency. (For “decency”, see Sarvan in The Sunday Leader of 08.08.2010 on Avishai Margalit’s The Decent Society). She and others like her, be they Burgher (Pieter Kenueman comes to my mind), Tamil, Sinhalese or Muslim, have stood up for such ideals because the absence of these abstractions has a real, physical, impact both on individual human beings and on society in general. In their absence, ideals do not remain ideals but translate to a (negative), and very real, reality.

Viewing Sri Lanka immediately prior to, and ever since independence in 1948, one feels compelled to agree with my friend’s sad conclusion of failure. (If there’s a note of self-reproach in her message, it is undeserved.) The typical attributes of racism, such as hegemony and exclusion; cruelty and violence have triumphed and now hold sway.  Justice (John Rawls states in his classic work, A Theory of Justice, that it is the notion of “fairness” that leads to principles of justice) and equality which make for a country beautiful in far more important terms than natural, geographic, features have been defeated The emotive and mass-mobilising forces of vertical division – ‘race’, language and religion – have proved much stronger and more lethal than the vision of a common humanity.  Flowers, though beautiful, happiness-making and life-enhancing lose against weeds. “How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea / Whose action is no stronger than a flower?” (Shakespeare’s Sonnet 65)

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How Do You Know You Are Sri 

Lankan ?

| by Pearl Thevanayagam

(August 08, 2014, Bradford UK, Sri Lanka Guardian) You cover the settee with polythene and sit on chairs. You put away microwave oven, liquidiser, food processor and grinder which were kindly donated by relatives toiling in Middle East or Europe inside the showcase with ceramic plates and china tea set which you have not taken out since you got married and was presented with as wedding gifts.
How Do You Know You Are Sri by Thavam

PSNI organised meeting with Sri Lanka military adviser after Tamil massacre

FOI request confirms talks but lawyers say no minutes exist of meeting as campaigners blast 'being kept in the dark'

Duncan McCausland was called on to advise Sri Lankans. Photograph: PA Archive

Henry McDonald, Ireland correspondent

Friday 8 August 2014 

Police in Northern Ireland organised a meeting between British officials and a Sri Lankan military adviser a month after the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, it has emerged – but no minutes were taken about what was discussed.
PSNI Organised Meeting With Sri Lanka Military Adviser After Tamil Massacre by Thavam

Suppression of Dissent in Sri Lanka:June report

INFORM–

07/08/2014 

June 2014 will be remembered in Sri Lanka for the communal violence in the towns of Aluthgama and Beruwala in Southern Sri Lanka, that resulted in 4 persons (three Muslims and one Tamil) being killed, more than 80 injured and widespread damage to property, mainly of Muslims. The widely held belief, including by the Minister of Justice and several other Government Ministers is that the Buddhist extremist group, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS – meaning Buddhist Power Force) was primarily responsible for the rioting, particularly through an inflammatory speech by it’s leader, Ven. Galabodaatthe Gnanasara Thero, who said “In this country we still have a Sinhala Police; we still have a Sinhala Army. After today if a single Marakkalaya (derogatory term for Muslims) or some other paraya (alien) touches a single Sinhalese…..it will be their end.” Police had allowed the rally in which this speech was made to go ahead, despite appeals by Muslim religious and political leaders that it may lead to violence. The BBS and some government officials have claimed that the origins of the riots was an alleged attack by Muslim youth on a Buddhist Monk few days earlier. Others have reported that the Buddhist Monk in question was not attacked, but there was an incident involving Muslim youth and a Sinhalese – Buddhist driver of a Buddhist Monk. Three Muslim youth have been arrested for this incident. However, the Police and government institutions have been accused of inaction by those affected by the riots and the violence and eyewitnesses.

An opposition Parliamentarian and several journalists who went to cover the communal violence were attacked and threatened. A leading Sri Lankan journalist and a prominent citizen journalist website were accused of being “twitter/social media murderers” by the editor of a leading state controlled newspaper.  This was after they exposed facts about the communal violence, in the absence of independent coverage in mainstream newspapers. The Defence Ministry was accused by the Leader of the Opposition of attempting to censor media institutions.

A training workshop for Tamil journalists organized by a leading Sri Lankan NGO had to be cancelled for the second time due to protests by an unknown group and refusal of the Police to provide protection. Participating journalists were evacuated and housed in a leading Colombo hotel for safety, only to be driven out of the hotel rooms in the middle of the night by the hotel management following alleged threats by a “powerful” group. Media reports appeared about proposals by the Ministry of External Affairs to control events organized by NGOs, by demanding detailed information in advance and controlling visas for foreign visitors through the Ministry of Defence and other governmental authorities. The Military and Police also tried to stifle a protest by Tamil politicians and Families of Disappeared persons in the North.

Academics critical of the government received death threats. Repression of University students continued, with arrests, protests attacked and student activists being called lunatics, fools and foxes by the Minister of Higher Education in a speech publicized by mainstream TV in Sri Lanka. Even teachers and parents agitating about conditions in a school in Colombo were attacked. A report from “Students for Human Rights” claimed that a Magistrate has recommended to break necks of student activists while another Magistrate had advised female student activists to refrain from political activism.

Police protection was suddenly withdrawn for a Buddhist Monk who had been subjected to several attacks, threats and intimidation, and he was later found on roadside with injuries. The Police later arrested the Monk and accused him of having staged the abduction and inflicted the injuries on himself.

Overall, June was another month where minorities and those critical of the government faced numerous attacks and threats with impunity.

Read the full report on the SRI LANKA HR REPORTS page

[ Photo: Al Jazeera Colombo correspondent, standing in front of the damaged vehicle, explains how their media team came under attack from an unruly mob while covering the aftermaths of communal violence in Aluthgama, Sri Lanka ( Photo: Al Jazeera video)]

Aviation minister blames opposition criticism for Mattala failure!

 Friday, 08 August 2014 

The Mattala Rajapaksa international airport, built inside a sanctuary without any feasibility study with the sole intention of pocketing commissions, has proven to be a total failure by now, but minister of civil aviation Priyankara Jayaratne has said at the parliament lobby that it has become a failed project due to the false propaganda carried out against it by opposition MPs and the pro-opposition media.

Several journalists have overheard him telling several government backbenchers, “The boss is furious over Harsha’s talk. Who would not, if said that people who sell milk in Hambantota earn more than the Mattala airport? The boss lectured me for not giving a proper reply. When the UNPers point out with figures, what can we do?  The boss lectures us. He fakes that he did not hear when the speaker, his elder brother, laughs at it. I have got a funny ministry.”

And, saying, “When an international level project like this is done, the opposition has an obligation to support us to get it through. What they do is talk about the wrongdoings and complain. It would have been better had it been given to the Chinese,” the minister has left.

Passenger boards at Mattala to round of applause!

Friday, 08 August 2014 

Fellow passengers welcomed with a round of applause a passenger who had boarded the UL 405 SriLankan flight at Mattala Rajapaksa airport which was en route to Katunayake from Bangkok yesterday morning (07).

That was because he was the first passenger after a long time to board a plane from Mattala airport. The daily flight from Bangkok lands at Mattala airport, but not a single passenger boards or alights there. However, planes still come routinely and according to the orders of the royals, all SriLankan flights should land at 

Mattala. The only international airline to have flights to Mattala, Fly Dubai, too has suspended its flights to Mattala.

When fellow passengers inquired from him, the passenger who had boarded the plane from Mattala has said that it was cheaper to fly to Katunayake rather than going by bus. Asked how much he has paid for the ticket, he said it was Rs. 2,500. Then, fellow passengers calculated the expenses for a flight to land and to stay at Mattala airport for one year and wondered among themselves that god may protect Sri Lanka.

Hagel, Indian Leaders Discuss Deepening 

Cooperation

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met in New Delhi today with top leaders in India’s new government to discuss deepening the cooperation between the world’s largest democracy and the world’s oldest democracy.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel meets in New Delhi with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, Aug. 8, 2014. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean Hurt   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

In statements summarizing Hagel’s meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said Hagel and the Indian leaders discussed the importance of continuing robust defense cooperation, particularly in terms of co-development and co-production, and through military education and training exchanges.

Modi's forward-looking agenda for his summit with President Barack Obama in the fall was part of Hagel’s discussion with Modi, Kirby said, as well as new ways for the United States and India to deepen strategic ties while addressing a range of global issues.

“Topics covered in the discussion included Iraq, Afghanistan, the threat of terrorism in the Middle East, as well as security issues in the areas comprised by the Indian and Pacific oceans,” the press secretary said.

Hagel’s meeting with Swaraj was the first conversation between the two leaders, Kirby noted.

“Secretary Hagel expressed his strong desire to strengthen and deepen the relationship, especially in the defense sector,” he said. “The two leaders discussed strategic geopolitical issues, to include Iraq, Afghanistan and increasing cooperation in the Indian Ocean and Pacific regions.”

Hagel and Swaraj reaffirmed their commitment to strong bilateral relations, and both expressed the desire for a robust and energetic summit between Obama and Modi in the fall.

For up-to-the-minute coverage of the secretary’s overseas trip, follow the Defense Department’s official Twitter account, @DeptofDefense.

Ranil asks govt. how much is being paid to foreign legal experts

by Saman Indrajith-August 7, 2014

UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday in Parliament demanded to know from the government how much was being paid to the three member panel appointed to advise and assist the presidential commission on disappearances and missing persons.

Making a special statement Wickremesinghe said the President had appointed a three Member Panel of Experts to advise and assist Presidential Commission into Disappearance and Missing Persons chaired by Maxwell Paranagama.

"The Panel comprises Sir Desmond de Silva, QC, Sir Geoffrey Nice and Prof. D. Crane. A few more are to be appointed to the Panel.

"This Panel has been appointed subsequent to Human Rights Council – twenty fifth sessions Resolution A/HRC/25/L1/Rev1 of 26 March 2014, which states: ‘to monitor the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and to continue to assess progress on relevant national processes."  Under this resolution the appointment of the  panel is being commented in the media as a means of satisfying the requirements laid down in the above mentioned resolution.

"Therefore will the government make a statement to this House, the reasons for appointing the Panel? Will the government also inform this House: What was the process followed by the Government in selecting this panel? Which agency was responsible for negotiating with them? The basis for appointing these members?  Period of engagement? Whether they are paid, and if so how much? Where are the funds for the expenses for the panel, drawn from?"

"The Commissions of Inquiry Act clearly states that if the Commission has an issue they can seek the advice of public officials or the Attorney General, they cannot hire experts from outside to do their work. If they are incapable of completing the task, they should resign. Payments for experts are not authorized under the Act."

Wickremesinghe also asked whether the government had lost confidence in the Attorney General and his ability to advise the government on legal issues. "Is this why you have hired international experts?" he queried.

Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G.L. Peiris said there was no legal impediment with regard to the appointment of the three members to the Commission. The members had been appointed at the request of the Commission, to aid them in various legal issues that had cropped up.

"The Commission was appointed on 15 August 2013 and in June of this year the Commission informed the President that they had interviewed 16,000 people. They told the President that various legal issues had come up and that they needed expert help in order to speed things up. It is the government’s responsibility to strengthen the Commission so as to not allow room for external parties to intervene."

Prof. Peiris said the government had not lost confidence in the Attorney General but hired the experts as the Attorney General did not specialise in the particular field of law needed for the purpose of the Commission. There was no process involved in the selection of the members and that they had been selected on the basis of their ability and qualifications to do the job. The office of the President had made the appointments, Prof. Peiris said.

Soldier abducts girl!

 Friday, 08 August 2014 

Madampe police have caught a soldier of the Army in the act of abducting an underage girl.

The arrest was made at Medagama in Madampe yesterday (07).

The girl, aged 15 years, had been returning home at Wellarawa, Bingiriya, from a tuition class, when she was abducted.

The arrest was made on a complaint by her parents to police.

The girl has told police that she had been having an affair with the suspect for around two years and that she had gone with him at his request.

The suspect is attached to the Kankesanthurai Army camp, police say.

Police are conducting further investigations.

1 dead after SL military hit and run in Mullaitivu

07 August 2014

One man has been killed and another injured during a hit and run incident near a Sri Lankan navy base in Mullaitivu, when a Sri Lankan military tractor crashed into a motorcycle on 2 August.

The military personnel driving the tractor ran away from the scene immediately after the crash, reported the Uthayan newspaper.

The deceased, a 24 year old father named Arugmugam Sivakumar, was found unconscious, trapped between the wheel of the tractor. He was admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital however succumbed to his injuries.

The other man, also a 24 year old father named Parameswaran Sujeevan, has been admitted to hospital with a fracture of his leg.

Occupied Palestinian Territory: Gaza Emergency 

Situation Report (as of 7 August 2014, 0800 hrs)

Timeline Photos

Full Story>>>

PALESTINIAN MEDIA DEATH TOLL REACHES 13

TUESDAY 5 AUGUST 2014.

As Israel announces the withdrawal of its troops from the Gaza Strip, Reporters Without Borders reports that 12 Palestinian journalists and one media worker have been killed since the start of Operation Protective Edge on 8 July, seven of them in connection with their work. This is the highest toll since Israel withdrew in 2005.

More than 1,800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 67 Israelis (including three civilians) have so far been killed in this operation, to which a political solution seems more distant by the day.
Palestinian Media Death Toll Reaches 13 by Thavam

1,200 Spanish University professors and researchers demand to break academic relationships with Israel

More than 1,000 professionals have signed a manifesto, released by the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) academic campaign for Palestine, demanding to end all institutional relations with the Israeli academic world, until it stops supporting occupation and apartheid in Palestine.

1.200 Spanish University professors and researchers with the Academic Boycott campaign. / AFP. M Abed.

6 AGOSTO, 2014

The campaign, which started two years ago, asks for support from professionals from the academic and scientific field, and also from associations linked to this field, such as student’s and worker’s unions, research centres, professional associations, etc. From the 1,400 people who have signed the manifesto, 150 are professors, 850 are teachers and 200 are researchers. More than 52 associations linked to the academic field have also signed; among them there are research groups and University departments.

This initiative is part of an international campaign: Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) to Israel. This international calling is a non-violent strategy driven by the Palestinian Society in 2005. It is growing as an effective pressure strategy towards Israel, so that it respects Human Rights and International Law. Last year, the physician Stephen Hawking, the Nobel Peace Prize Desmond Tutu and four American academic associations adhered to the boycott. It’s important to emphasize that this demand is at an institutional level and not at an individual one. On the same line, the European Union has established a de facto boycott to all collaboration with Israeli research centres and Universities placed in the Occupied Territories.

The campaign will keep collecting signatures and foresees to support specific campaigns which will develop in different Spanish universities, such as the University of Vic and the University of Malaga, where the aim is to break ties with the Haifa University and the Tel Aviv University, respectively.

In Catalonia, activists from the above mentioned campaign, occupied on May 15th the Secretary of Universities and Research asking for transparency in all of the agreements signed last November when a delegation of businessmen, councillors and directors of research centres lead by Artur Mar travelled to Israel to tighten economic and academic ties with Israeli institutions.

As a result, a meeting was achieved with the Secretary of Universities, Antoni Castellà, where the campaign’s demands were exposed. He delivered the agreements signed
during that trip. Even though he assured that no Catalan Universities collaborate with universities which are involved in the Occupation of Palestine, these Israeli universities do actively participate in military research projects and in the Palestinian occupation. This is documented in Alejandro Pozo’s report: Defensa, Seguretat i Ocupació com a Negoci. Relacions Militars, Armamentístiques i de Seguretat entre Espanya i Israel.

The Spanish campaign, has achieved a special echo in Catalonia, where 40% of the total signatures are from: more than 550. The Universities which have participated the most are the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universitat de Barcelona. This is specially significant since the Generalitat is clearly trying to transform Israel into a priority partner, with a specific emphasis when it comes to University ties.

For more information and to contact with members of the campaign send an e-mail to bdspbai@gmail.com.

Red de Solidaridad contra la Ocupación de Palestina (RESCOP)

US begins air strikes against Isis targets in Iraq, Pentagon says

Barack Obama authorised targeted air strikes against militant jihadists on Thursday to assist in protection of civilians

Dan Roberts in Washington and Spencer Ackerman in New York-Friday 8 August 2014 

Kurdish peshmerga troops participate in an intensive security deployment against Islamic State militants in Makhmur, on the outskirts of the province of Nineveh August 7, 2014 Photograph: Reuters

American warplanes began bombing Islamic militant targets outside the Kurdish city of Irbil on Friday, in the first offensive action by the US in Iraq since it withdrew ground troops in 2011.

US Begins Air Strikes Against Isis Targets in Iraq, Pentagon Says by Thavam

Ukraine troops break out of encirclement, 15 troops killed

1 OF 2. An armed pro-Russian separatist stands in front of damaged buildings following what locals say was shelling by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk August 7, 2014. 

2 OF 2. Bullets are placed on a stone at a checkpoint controlled by the Ukrainian army near the town of Debaltseve, Donetsk Region August 6, 2014. 

KIEV Fri Aug 8, 2014

(Reuters) - Ukrainian army units which had been trapped by separatists on the border with Russia broke out of the blockade on Friday and rejoined government forces, but 15 soldiers and border guards were killed in the operation, the Ukrainian military said.

Military sources quoted by Ukrainian media said Ukrainian units had been effectively encircled by the rebels on a section of the border with Russia south of the town of Luhansk and east of the main regional city of Donetsk.

After government forces opened up an escape corridor, the trapped units were able to force their way out, military sources quoted by the media said.

"Seven service staff and eight border guards were killed and 79 injured," military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists.

Government forces say they are gradually tightening the noose around the heavily armed pro-Russian separatists whom they have been battling since mid-April in a conflict which the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights says has cost the lives of more than 1,100 people in all, including government forces, rebels and civilians.

The latest military deaths from the fighting in the Russian-speaking east of Ukraine push the death toll among government forces alone to more than 400.

The Kiev government and its Western allies accuse Russia of seeking to destabilize Ukraineand arming the rebels, who have declared independent "people's republics" in the two main industrial regions. Moscow denies involvement.

In the biggest Russia-West confrontation since the end of the Cold War, the United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia. Moscow has retaliated with a sweeping ban on imports of many Western foodstuffs.

Fighting has intensified since the shooting down of flight MH17 on July 17, killing all 298 passengers and crew, an act which the West laid at the door of the rebels. Russia and the rebels blame the disaster on Kiev's military offensive.

An international crew of experts retrieving debris and victims' belongings from the crash site which is spread over a wide area in the conflict zone halted their work on Wednesday because of dangers to their safety from fighting.

The Kiev government on Friday announced it would continue to observe a ceasefire in the area, contradicting an earlier announcement on Thursday.

(Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Toby Chopra)

In Afghanistan, rivals pledge to work together to speed audit of presidential vote

U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, right, speaks next to Afghan presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani, center, and Abdullah Abdullah during Friday’s news conference in Kabul. (Omar Sobhani/Reuters)

By Anne Gearan and Pamela Constable August 8 at 11:10 AM

KABUL — The rivals to become Afghanistan’s next leader pledged Friday to work together to speed an audit of the disputed election and accept its results after weeks of delays and partisan squabbling.
In Afghanistan, Rivals Pledge to Work Together to Speed Audit of Presidential Vote by Thavam