Police launch homicide investigation over container death

Police launch a homicide investigation as a man dies after 35 suspected immigrants are found in a shipping container at the Port of Tilbury in Essex.

SATURDAY 16 AUGUST 2014

Superintendent Trevor Rowe said the stowaways, both adults and children, were found in a container that arrived on a P&O ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium at about 6.30am.

One man died and the others were taken to three hospitals.
Police Launch Homicide Investigation Over Container Death by Thavam

Sewol tragedy families seek Pope’s support in search for justice

South Koreans shout slogans during a rally demanding the adoption of a special law for the sunken ferry Sewol in Seoul, South Korea, Friday. Pic: AP.

DAEJEON, South Korea – Pope Francis said his first Mass in South Korea Friday in front of tens of thousands of people.

By Joseph Kim Aug 15, 2014

Marking his first public appearance before Korean Catholics since his arrival Thursday, the pope celebrated Mass on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, one of the most important religious holidays for the faith.

Held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium, which seats approximately 50,000 people, the venue was filled to capacity at dawn, more than four hours prior to the Pope’s arrival. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be here. I am truly inspired by his visit,” said Park In-soo, who was lucky enough to get a seat.

Reowned South Korean pop singer In Sooni and Grammy-winning soprano Sumi Jo kept the crowd entertained before the start of the Mass. Other celebrities, including actor Lee Philip, came to see the Pope, patiently observing from seats on the second-floor.

When the Pope arrived, the stadium broke out into the chant they had rehearsed all morning, “Viva Papa! Viva Papa!”

The Pope greeted members of the crowd as he circled the stadium. One of those was Kim Joon-hun, whose two-year-old son was blessed by the Pope. “When I was [my son’s] age, my parents brought me to see Pope John Paul II,” said an emotional Kim. “Being so young, I don’t remember meeting him, but it is incredible that I am here with my son meeting Pope Francis. My whole family is here. It is a special moment.”

Before the start of Mass Pope Francis met with survivors and families of the victims’ of the Sewol ferry disaster, which claimed more than than 300 lives in March, most of whom were high school students. Kim Byung-gwan, a father of one of the victims, told reporters that the parents gave letters to the Pope requesting assistance in passing the special Sewol law, which aims to find the cause of the ferry sinking.

The Pope also dedicated part of his Angelus Message to the Sewol victims, asking for peace for the dead and consolation for those who mourn while calling for solidarity for the common good in light of this national disaster.

In his homily, Pope Francis warned of the “despair” that affects outwardly affluent societies “like cancer”.

South Korea is a unique example of a country where Catholicism has grown alongside economic prosperity. Since the 1980s, the Catholic Church has grown four-fold, with more than 5 million followers of the faith.

One of the Pope’s reasons for visiting South Korea includes the reconciliation of the division on the Korean Peninsula. August 15 also marks Korean Liberation Day, celebrating Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II. According to North Korean state media, Pyongyang fired five missiles into the sea in remembrance of this day. North Korean citizens were also invited to attend the Mass for Peace and Reconciliation set for Monday next week, but the offer was turned down.

Pope Francis’ trip to South Korea is the first papal visit since Pope John Paul II in 1989. Francis will attend the Asia Youth Rally and the beatifications of 124 Korean Martyrs during the remainder of his visit.

Pakistan protesters vow no let-up until PM Sharif steps down

Supporters of cricketer-turned-opposition politician Imran Khan sit on the roof of a car as they wait with others to welcome Khan's Freedom March in Islamabad August 15, 2014.

BY KATHARINE HOURELD AND SYED RAZA HASSAN-ISLAMABAD Sat Aug 16, 2014 

(Reuters) - More than 20,000 anti-government protesters flooded the centre of Pakistan's capital on Saturday, vowing to stay in the streets until Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigns.

The numbers were far below what protest organizers expected, but the power of protesters to paralyse the central business district has presented the biggest challenge yet to the 15-month-old civilian government.

The unrest has raised questions about Pakistan's stability, at a time when the nuclear-armed nation of 180 million is waging an offensive against Pakistani Taliban militants and when the influence of anti-Western and sectarian groups is growing.

Riot police cordoned off two streets in downtown Islamabad with shipping containers and barbed wire for the protests. Protest organisers say they are peaceful but determined.

"We want Pakistan to be a peaceful state through our democratic revolution," populist cleric Tahir ul-Qadri told his followers in a short speech.

His supporters were adamant they would not leave until Qadri told them to. Most of the men carried stout sticks a few feet long. Brigades of men and women in fluorescent jackets had gas masks, swimming goggles and bottles of water.

"We are here to disarm the gas shells," explained one.

Qadri, a cleric and political activist who usually lives in Canada, controls a network of schools and Islamic charities.

He wants the prime minister to resign and a new government of technocrats installed. He promises his supporters he will crack down on corruption, and generate enough funds to pay for homes, jobs, cheap energy and water.

"Once corruption is eradicated, the country can move forward. It is the only thing holding us back," said 15-year-old Umme Habiba, a vivacious student with dimples and long black robes who said she came with her whole family.

IMRAN KHAN

Former cricket star Imran Khan, who heads the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, was also holding a smaller protest sit-in on an adjacent street.

The crowds - mostly young men - danced to music blasting from speakers or swapped T-shirts with Khan's face on them.

"Imran Khan is not a corrupt person. He's loyal to people and the country," said Aqsa Ijaz, a 25-year-old student sitting on top of a shipping container with her cousin, a banker.

Khan also wants Sharif to step down, accusing him of rigging last year's elections. Sharif won by a landslide, taking 190 out of 342 seats. Khan also did well in the elections, coming from political obscurity to take 34 seats, the third largest bloc in the legislature. But he says he should have had many more.

"I will not leave here until I have got real freedom for the country," Khan told thousands of supporters in the early hours of Saturday.

Like Qadri, Khan also commands intense personal loyalty from his followers. Pakistanis remember he led them to victory in the 1992 World Cup.

But on Friday a stone-throwing mob of ruling party loyalists attacked a convoy of Khan's supporters in the eastern city of Gujranwala. Khan was not injured, his spokeswoman said.

Some members of Sharif's party have suggested the protests are secretly backed by elements in the military, which has had an uneasy relationship with Sharif. To what extent Khan and Qadri can destabilise the government is likely to depend on the stance taken by the armed forces, which has a long history of mounting coups.

Few people fear a coup, but many officials think the threat of unrest will increase the military's hold over the government.

The military has been frustrated with the government, in particular over the prosecution of former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf for treason.

There has been disagreement, too, between the government and the army on how to handle the Taliban. The government insisted on peace talks but eventually the army launched an offensive.

The government is also struggling to overcome power shortages, high unemployment and spiralling crime.

"This government has failed the poor people," said farmer Razwan Baloch. "Everyone is here because life is so hard."

(Writing by John Chalmers and Katharine Houreld; Editing by Richard Borsuk and Stephen Powell)

Sri Lanka : Non-compliance of UNHRC resolutions could pave the way sanctions – Friday Forum

Sri Lankan National Freedom Front activists burn an effigy of UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon during a protest rally in Colombo on July 6, 2010. (Credit: AFP)

By Friday Forum--15/08/2014

A UN investigation into allegations of violations of human rights in Sri Lanka is about to commence. As an aid to public discussion, Friday Forum sets out below information to help the general public understand the legal basis, origin, nature and scope of this inquiry

Frequently Asked Questions on the UN Human Rights Council Resolution (2014) on Sri Lanka

1. WHAT is the Human Rights Council?

Sri Lanka Non-compliance of UNHRC Resolutions Could Pave the Way Sanctions – Friday Forum by Thavam

වටරැක හිමියන්ගෙන් දුක්බර කතාවක්

ප්‍රසාද් පූර්ණිමාල් ජයමාන්න

අවසාන යාවත්කාලීන කිරීම :  2014 අගෝස්තු 14 බ්‍රහස්පතින්දා

ශ්‍රව්‍ය දෘශ්‍ය වාදනය

Post by BBC Sinhala - සංදේශය.

Windows player යොදාගෙන වාදනය කරන්න

ජන බල සේනා සංවිධානයේ නායක වටරැක විජිත හිමියෝ හලාවත රෝහලේ ප්‍රතිකාර ලබමින් සිටිති.

උන්වහන්සේ ශල්‍ය කර්මයකට භාජනය කරනු ලැබ ඇති බවයි රෝහල් ආරංචි මාර්ගවලින් පැවසෙන්නේ.

පසුගිය ජුනි මාසයේ දහනව වෙනි දින පහර දී තුවාල සිදු කොට අතපය ගැට ගසනු ලැබ පානදුර, හිරණ ප්‍රදේශයේ මහමග දමා ගොස් සිටිය දී සොයා ගනු ලැබුණ විජිත හිමියන්ට එරෙහිව පොලිසිය නඩු පැවරුවේ එය උන්වහන්සේ විසින් ම සිදු කර ගත් දෙයක් යයි චෝදනා කරමිණි.

බොදු බල සේනා භීතිය

බොදුබල සේනා සංවිධානය තමනට පහළොස් වතාවක් පහරදුන් බව කියා සිටින වටරැක විජිත හිමියෝ කොළඹ, නුවර, මහියංගනය යන අධිකරණ වල ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් නඩු විභාග වන බව පවසති.

තම තත්වය සැලකිල්ලට ගනිමින් මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ ජනාධිපතිවරයා තමන්ට ලබාදුන් පොලිස් ආරක්ෂාව මේ වනවිට ඉවත් කරනු ලැබ ඇති බවයි උන්වහන්සේ පෙන්වා දෙන්නේ.

බොදු බල සේනා සංවිධානයෙන් තමන්ට තවමත් මරණ තර්ජන ඇති බවත් විජිත හිමියෝ කියා සිටිති.

එහෙත් බොදු බල සේනා සංවිධානය එම ප්‍රකාශන දිගින් දිගටම බැහැර කරනු ලැබ ඇත.

ඉල්ලුවේ සාමය

“මම කුරා කුහුඹුවකුටවත් වරදක් කරලා නැහැ. මම හැමදාම කිව්වේ මේ රටේ සාමය සමගිය තිබිය යුතු බවයි. දැන් මට ඉතිරි වී තිබෙන්නේ මගේ හුස්ම ටික විතරයි” විජිත හිමියෝ හලාවත රෝහල් සයනයේ සිට කියා සිටියේ දුක්මුසු හඬකිනි.

උන්වහන්සේ ඉතා දුෂ්කර සහ දුක්බරවයි, උන්වහන්සේගේ අද තත්වය විස්තර කරන්නේ.

வட்டரக்க விஜித தேரோ : ஒரு எச்சரிக்கை! - என்.சரவணன்

வட்டரக்க விஜித தேரோ : ஒரு எச்சரிக்கை! - என்.சரவணன்

நமது மலையகம்

"நல்லிணக்கத்தின் பக்கம் எப்போதும் இருந்த நான் இன்னும் சற்று நேரங்களில் கைதுசெய்யப்படப் போகிறேன்." வட்டரக்க விஜித்த தேரர் ஜூன் 25 அன்று கைதுசெய்யப்படுவதற்கு சற்று சில நிமிடங்களுக்கு முன்னர் வைத்தியசாலையில் வைத்து கூறியது இது.

மிகவும் பயந்த நிலையில் பீதியுடன் அங்கும் இங்குமாக தலையைத் திருப்பி அவதானித்தபடி ஊடகங்களுடன் உரையாற்றினார். பயந்த சுபாவமுள்ள அவர் இலகுவாக பயமுறுத்தலுக்கு உள்ளாகக்கூடியவர் என்பது ஏப்ரலில் நிப்பொன் ஹோட்டலில் நடந்த சம்பவம் நமக்கு உறுதிப்படுத்தியது.

வட்டரக்க விஜித தேரோ ஒரு எச்சரிக்கை! - என்.சரவணன் by Thavam

The great Indian sellout

16-Aug-2014By Sam Rajappa 

Posted 14 Aug 2014

There has been a reset on India’s Sri Lanka policy which is at variance with what Narendra Modi and Sushma Swaraj had stated in public in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

Addressing an election rally in Chennai on 13 April and another in Ramanathapuram on 17 April, Modi said that just as the Sri Lankan Navy targeted Tamil Nadu fishermen, Pakistan’s Navy attacked fishermen from Gujarat.

Sushma Swaraj and Narendra Modi appear to have changed their position on Sri Lanka after winning the elections (Photo: Indian Photo Agency)

The Great Indian Sellout by Thavam

Alcohol becomes genocide weapon deployed by occupying Sinhala State

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2014, 05:13 GMT]
Thriving alcohol business ‘licensed’ by genocidal Sri Lanka in the occupied country of Eezham Tamils, especially after the end of the LTTE-run civil administration, is conceived as a potential ‘counterinsurgency’ and structural genocide weapon, besides sucking money of a war-torn people, commented social activists in Batticaloa district. Responding to an incident that took place in the district this week, in which a poor, female-headed family, brewing country liquor was shot by raiding Sinhala police of a State that promotes its alcohol business, the social activists were coming out with the larger dimensions of the alcohol crisis in the district. 

On a monthly average, 414 million rupees are being spent by the Eezham Tamils in the district to buy alcoholic drinks from 60 pubs that operate with SL government license to sell alcoholic drinks. 

There are 29 bars in Ma’nmunai North division alone, according to Ms Selvi Manohar, who is the chairperson of the Rural Development Society of Women in that division. 

The women rights groups have recently reacted against the unusual number of licenced pubs that are allowed operate in the district. 

While the official allocation for pub licenses in the entire Eastern Province are limited to a total of 84, how could the SL authorities provide licences to 60 pubs in one district alone and that too only among the Eezham Tamils, the activists further question. 

6,700,000 bottles of Lion Lager, the high selling beer, is sold every month in Batticaloa district. 

Excluding the Muslim families in the district, there are 115,555 family units in the district. The average spending on alcohol is around 3,580 rupees per family among the Eezham Tamils, the women rights groups say. They have been demanding the SL authorities to close down the pubs situated near schools, temples, main junctions and in the residential areas. 

While the average poverty rate in the entire island is reportedly around 8.5 per cent, the poverty rate prevailing in the Batticaloa district stands at a shocking 21.6 per cent. 

Along with poverty, the number of young students committing suicide is also on the increase in the district. 

Tamil activists concerned in the welfare of the Eezham Tamils in future should come forward to create social movements at grass root level to counter the destructive trend in the occupied country of Eezham Tamils, the activists told TamilNet on Wednesday. 

When the LTTE-run civil administration was ended in the Batticaloa district in 2007, it was projected as ‘liberation’ of people from ‘international terrorism’.

The USA and India were in the forefront in welcoming the Sinhala military occupation of the region. The then US ambassador, Robert Blake was one of the first to run to the district. Currently India is actively engaged in the region.

All the process ultimately ends in psychologically breaking a people, depriving them of their land and power, degrading them to poverty level and making them alcoholics – this is what called ‘genocide and development,’ the actual practice of the ‘culture and development’ theory hatched in the universities of the imperialist Establishments, commented Tamil activists for alternative politics in the island.

"Free" but no freedom

"Free" but no freedom

Posted by ajohnstone at 1:53 am

ARUNDATHI ROY, Indian writer 

Today, August 15th, India and Pakistan marks their 68th anniversary of independence from Britain yet there is for the vast majority no freedom from poverty. According to the Global Hunger Index for 2013, India ranks 63, out of the 78 worst countries in terms of hunger. Pakistan 57th and Bangladesh 58th.

The Food and Agricultural Organisation indicate that 17% of the Indian population is undernourished to lead a productive life. In fact, India alone accounts for 25% of undernourished people of the world, more than in entire Sub-Saharan Africa. Child malnutrition is even worse. One in every three malnourished children of the world lives in India. According to Unicef, 47% of Indian children are underweight, 46% below the age of three are too small for their age and nearly 50% of all childhood deaths could be attributed to malnutrition.

This, despite, farm outputs in India in recent years have been setting new records.  It has gone up from 208 million tonnes (mt) in 2005-06 to an estimated 263 mt in 2013-14. Even accounting for population growth during this period, the country would need probably around 225 to 230 mt to feed its people. Thus, food production is not a real issue to reduce India’s hunger problem. India is producing enough food to feed its people.

 40% of total production is lost by waste. India wastes more food than China.  It is estimated that each year around 21 mt of wheat, equivalent to the entire production of Australia, rots or is eaten by insects because of inappropriate storage and inadequate management practices of the government-run Food Corporation of India.  The FCI was set up primarily to facilitate price support systems, distribution of food grains over the country and maintain buffer stocks. Mismanagement, poor oversight and rampant corruption have made this institution a part of the problem rather than a solution.

 For perishable food, the major reasons for wastage have been the absence of modern supply chains that can efficiently take the food grown by farmers to consumers, lack of cold storages and refrigerated trucks, poor transportation facilities, erratic electricity supply.  The Indian Institute of Management in Kolkata has estimated that cold storage facilities are available only for about 10% perishable food products. The country needs cold storage facilities for another 370 mt of perishable products.

 In contrast to the low priority of food production, India has emerged as the world’s largest arms buyer in recent years, but hopes to reverse this by strengthening its domestic defense industry. The United States was India’s largest arms supplier in recent years, dislodging Russia as New Delhi’s principal source of weapons.  India bought arms worth nearly $5.5 billion from the United States in the last three years, surpassing purchases from Russia worth about $4 billion during the same period. The government last week raised foreign investment in the defense sector from 26 percent to 49 percent, hoping to woo foreign arms manufacturers. 

The Police Investigation Into The Vijaya Kumaratunge Murder

By Rajan Hoole -August 16, 2014

Rajan Hoole

Political Murders, the Commissions and the Unfinished Task – 11

Any suggestion that the investigation into the Vijaya Kumaratunge (VK) murder was ‘lacklustre’ (KPJ, see Sect.19.8.1) during the Jayewardene presidency is probably unfair. Until about the end of 1988, as the Commission has also recorded, the CID and CDB had regular conferences in which the progress on the VK investigation was among the subjects discussed. According to a senior official, these conferences may have lapsed for a number of reasons. They were waiting to see the intentions of the new government and foreign trips of senior officials too may have intervened. It is a fact that photographs and descriptions of Lionel and Tarzan were circulated, and it is these that helped Dias and Basil of the CDB to apprehend Lionel in March 1989. If there was interference, it started after Premadasa was made presidential candidate, besides being prime minister, so that the defence officials were bound to listen to him.

Lionel Ranasinghe alias Gamini upon arrest on 14th March 1989 was taken to VK’s area, questioned about the murder and the locations. SP Gamini Perera was immediately convinced that they got the right man. Lionel gave them a long list of persons whom he had killed – nearly 50. He also led them to an Uzi sub-machine gun, which he had apparently stolen from STF men travelling in a bus and hidden at Punchi (Small) Borella. The CDB was also convinced that Lionel was a straight JVP killer – an extra-ordinary marksman, but with no political sense. According to an officer then in the CDB, “When we take in a criminal element, we normally give him a beating. But with Gamini [Lionel] we did not so much as pinch him. He came out with everything quite spontaneously.”

This officer also deemed the transfer of the investigation to the CID quite legitimate, since the case was an important one, and because while the CDB is confined to the Colombo metropolis, the CID has greater resources and an island-wide coverage. As to the Commission’s charge that the CID conducted no serious inquiry, this too is defended by the CDB officer on the grounds that JVP names like Asoka and Jayantha (given by Lionel) are simply names which offer no further leads than LTTE names like Kumar and Visu.

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Sri Lankan Muslims at the crossroads - 12 

by Izeth Hussain-August 15, 2014,

An article by Ameena Hussein seems to be getting wide currency among Muslims, more than one of whom has sent me copies through the internet. It is a superb example of the New Journalism started by Truman Capote and Tom Wolfe, in which the techniques of creative fiction are used in journalism. The article brings home to the reader what it means to be a Sri Lankan Muslim today with an immediacy and poignancy that would not be possible through straightforward reportage. It is the poignancy of a people cowering in fear, even terror.

Sri Lankan Muslims at the Crossroads - 12 by Thavam

Mob storms meeting of relatives of the disappeared - pt 3

15/08/2014

This is the last part a three part series on the incidents surrounding the storming of a meeting in Colombo by a mob of Government supporters last Tuesday. In part one we provided a narrative of events with some photos and footage from the scene. In part two we analysed these events, and in this part we will talk about its aftermath and the reactions from both sides.

Several statements were issued in the wake of the incident. The US embassy statement accused the local police of supporting the mob and the protesters of being intent only on intimidating and silencing those in attendance. The embassies of Great Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland later followed suit with a fairly bland statement.

The Lawyers’ Collective in Sri Lanka’s statement and the Centre for Policy Alternatives’ condemnation the incident both lamented in particular the continued impunity enjoyed by government supporters.

Meanwhile at a press conference the following day, Ven. Angulugalle Siri Jinananda Thera of the DMPFF claimed full responsibility for the disruption of the meeting and then went on to make a series of unfounded allegations and outright lies. The press conference (in Sinhala) can be seen here:

And you can read a full translation in English here.

Here were some of his most outrageous statements, often made while pointing to a photograph of the activist in question.

• That all the families from North were “Mahaveerar” (i.e. “Great heroes” - usually referring to the families of deceased LTTE members). This is false. Several of the families present claimed that their relatives were not part of the LTTE. Others said their relatives were in the LTTE, but had disappeared after surrendering.
• That each family was paid two hundred thousand Rupees to give evidence. This is entirely false; unsurprisingly no evidence has been produced to substantiate this claim.
• That Nimalka Fernando and Brito Fernando are seeking to undermine Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. The day before he had said that these people should be hanged. Nimalka Fernando and Brito Fernando have both been activists for the cause of human rights and peace for many years. Nimalka Fernando herself has provided the most articulate explanation of how this work is the exact opposite of treason.
• That Ruki Fernando had recently given protection to LTTE cadres who were spearheading the re-emergence of the LTTE in the country. This is an entirely false rewriting of the story of how Ruki Fernando was arrested earlier in the year in relation to his human rights work. This is discussed at length in our campaign director’s recent paper.
• That Fr. M. Sathivel is homeless and has been excommunicated, that he tried to assault some of the monks who came to CSR and that he was mainly responsible for the situation becoming heated. The video in part 1 of our blog series clearly shows this not to be the case. No evidence has been presented to substantiate the outlandish assertions against Fr Sathivel personally.
• That the Peratugami political party (whose representative Pubudu Jagoda was at CSR), has, from its inception been pro-LTTE and pro-Tamil diaspora. The PSP is a largely Sinhalese leftist political party that has its origins in the Sinhalese Nationalist Marxist JVP.
• That Bishop Rajappu Joseph (referred to as the Archbishop of Mannar) has supported the LTTE for decades, and that he and his assistant Fr. Sebamalei were involved in coordinating these events and sending people to attend them. No evidence has been produced to substantiate this claim. Bishop Joseph is one of the leaders of Tamil Civil Society, while Fr Sebemalei is a human rights activist and priest who has come under attack before.
• That the lawyer J. C. Weliamuna is a traitor to his profession. J.C. Weiliamuna is a reputable human rights lawyer, the convener of Lawyers for Democracy, a member of the Sri Lankan Bar Association, and the Sri Lanka director of the respected international NGO Transparency International. Despite an attack on his home in 2010, in which a hand grenade was thrown into his house, he continues to fight for the rights of all Sri Lankans. In no way does this constitute treason.
• That US Embassy money and vehicles were being used to transport these families from the North to Colombo. This is entirely false; unsurprisingly no evidence has been produced to substantiate this claim.
• That the testimonies of families was immediately communicated to US and Geneva via Skype. Not only is this untrue but it is patently absurd. Anyone who has attempted to use Skype will know how technically unsuitable it is for large public meetings of this kind. Moreover, few would be reckless enough to use Skype as a means of transferring sensitive evidence to investigative procedures and it is doubtful if evidence submitted this way would be admissible.
• That the mob didn’t break into or disrupt the meeting and that they approached the organizers peacefully to make an appeal to them before they responded angrily. Again video footage in part one clearly shows this not to be the case.

As discussed in part two of our blog, many of these lies are fairly dangerous, while the choice of those targeted demonstrates a concerted effort to target prominent and outspoken human rights activists, and in particular those looking to make links between Colombo and grassroots victims and relatives groups in the North.

Those Who Should Have (But Haven’t) Considered What Niemoller Said!

By Emil van der Poorten -August 16, 2014 

Emil van der Poorten

When I received from a friend a piece about the very recent investigation of the ethnicity of a prominent member of Sri Lanka’s publishing community by her local constabulary, I was struck by the fact that this lady was one among those whom I’d already categorized (stereotyped?) as among those who disapproved of Sri Lanka’s slide into fascism but who’d done nothing about it and would continue in that same indifferent mode.

To say that the content of her letter was disturbing would be to understate the case. However, suffice it to say that what she’d encountered was in no way surprising to anyone who’d paid even the slightest attention to the serious deterioration of the quality of life in Sri Lanka, with its descent into an indescribable state given the manner in which we started our independent years.

That letter described, in chilling detail, persistent efforts by her local police to ascertain her ethnicity and that of her family and neighbours of Islamic persuasion even though, while her name clearly indicated the connection to Islam, her demeanour and public persona certainly did not suggest even a hint of the Wahhabiultra-conservatism that many in her community are accused of.

That old lyric of the flower-power years asked of those who turned a Nelsonian eye on the abuse of civility and civilization, “When will they ever learn?” I cannot but invoke that line given that it is so appropriate in its application to those who believe themselves to be politically-sophisticated Sri Lankans.

I have in the past raised this issue, particularly pointing an accusatory finger at such as the “forums” that spend their time tut-tutting around the periphery of the worst abuses of the last vestiges of the rule of law in this land. And suffice it to say that I will not cease to raise this as a damned serious lapse on the part of those with any pretensions to the defence of law, order and elementary decency in this country.

Admittedly, the forces of civilisational darkness keep getting more powerful by the day because the more the-powers-that-be recruit from the ranks of the violent and outright criminal element in our society the more powerful they are likely to get because the recruited individuals and groups, by their very criminality, are increasingly dependent on an all-powerful government for their very survival. Need one spell out then that, when the political tide turns, the likely fate that awaits those who have deliberately visited mayhem, up to and including death, on those who have stood in their path to self-aggrandisement and unbridled power and authority?  Even though few of that number have an excess of brain cells to apply to a contemplation of their likely fate when the tide turns, they are not so stupid as to believe that anything but a “sticky end” awaits them when Sri Lanka’s “Judgement Day” arrives.                                                               Read More