Son Of Death

| by Uri Avnery

( August 24, 2014, Tel Avie, Sri Lanka Guardian) THE WAR was over. Families returned to their kibbutzim near Gaza. Kindergartens opened up again. A ceasefire was in force and extended again and again. Obviously, both sides were exhausted.

Son of Death by Thavam

Israel: People Or A Land?

By Arun Dias-Bandaranaike -August 26, 2014 

Arun Dias-Bandaranaike

Once, there was the land of the Philistines.  This portion of the east coast of the Mediterranean sea stretched from the area known (even today) as Gaza, northward to about Tel-Aviv (or Jaffa in Arabic)- close enough to modern day Lebanon- and the territory also stretched inward toward the Jordan river a little less than 20 miles or so.  The name given to that realm was “Philistia”. By about the 15th century BC [Before Christ –for the purpose of this article, the usage for dates will be, BCE –Before Common Era, and CE- Common Era, which corresponds with AD-Anno Domini (Year of Our Lord)] the Philistines were a well-established community of people, eager to defend their land with walled cities and a well-equipped army.  They had a system of government with a monarch as head of state, and they were worshippers of various deities.  

The Greek writers of a later day referred to this land of Philistia as “Palestine” [actually “Phae-lestine]. “The name was revived by the Romans in the 2nd century CE in “Syria Palaestina,” designating the southern portion of the province of Syria. After Roman times the name had no official status until after World War I and the end of Ottoman rule, when it was adopted for one of the regions mandated to Great Britain; in addition to an area roughly comprising present-day Israel and the West Bank, the mandate included the territory east of the Jordan River now constituting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan”[i]

Abraham, the patriarch of the “Jewish” people who many years after his day were known as Israel or Hebrews (as speakers of that particular Semitic Language), was originally a native of the Mesopotamian region, and came from the materially prosperous city, Ur of Chaldea.  In accepting an invitation extended to him by the God who he worshipped, in the 20th century BCE Abram [later re-named Abraham] left the land he had occupied, and with his family moved to a new territory.

This ‘new’ land to which he was directed was way over in the west.  Different people and cultures already inhabited it. They bore names such as Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites. [See Genesis 15:18,19]  Many of these people have passed out of existence as separate entities or cultures, but archeology does confirm their geographical limits and their influence on contemporaries. The popular belief now held is that “Jericho”, a Canaanite stronghold, was one of the earliest examples of a city-state.  Of interest too, is the location of “Jerusalem”- this was at one time the home of the Jebusites, and was also called “Jebus”, although in Abraham’s time, the name was likely “Salem” which means ‘peace’!                                       Read More  

'1,400 children' sexually abused in Rotherham

Around 1,400 children were sexually exploited in the South Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2013, according to a report.

TUESDAY 26 AUGUST 2014

The report said that the figure of 1,400 was a “conservative estimate” and admitted “no one knows the true scale of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham over the years”. It also said that in more than a third of cases the children involved were already known to the authorities, but they failed to intervene.

Professor Alexis Jay, who wrote the report, said she found examples of "children who had been doused in petrol and threatened with being set alight, threatened with guns, made to witness brutally violent rapes and threatened they would be next if they told anyone".

She also said she found that girls as young as 11 had been raped by large numbers of men. Others were trafficked to towns and cities in the north of England where they were abducted, beaten and intimidated.

Professor Jay said the police "regarded many child victims with contempt", and the failures of Rotherham Council during the first 12 years the report examined were "blatant".

These failures happened despite three reports between 2002 and 2006 "which could not have been clearer in the description of the situation in Rotherham". She said the first of these reports was "effectively suppressed" because senior officers did not believe the data. The other two were ignored, Professor Jay said.

Resignation

The leader of Rotherham Council stepped down with immediate effect after accepting responsibility on behalf of the council.

Roger Stone, who had been leader of the council since 2003, said: "Having considered the report, I believe it is only right that I, as leader, take responsibility on behalf of the council for the historic failings that are described so clearly in the report and it is my intention to do so.

"For this reason, I have today agreed with my Labour group colleagues that I will be stepping down as leader with immediate effect."

Professor Jay found there was a "macho", "sexist" and "bullying" culture within the council which was "likely to have impeded the council from providing an effective, corporate response to such a highly sensitive social problem as child sexual exploitation."

Despite Mr Stone's resignation, council chief executive Martin Kimber said no council officers will face disciplinary action.

"Fear of being thought racist"

According to the report, the majority of the perpetrators were described as "Asian" by victims, but councillors seemed to hope the problem would go away and "several staff described their nervousness about identifying the ethnic origins of perpetrators for fear of being thought racist".

The spotlight first fell on Rotherham in 2010 when five men, described by a judge as "sexual predators", were given lengthy jail terms after they were found guilty of grooming teenage girls for sex. The prosecution was the first of a series of high-profile cases in the last four years that have revealed the exploitation of young girls in towns and cities including Rochdale, Derby and Oxford.

After the 2010 case, the Times newspaper found evidence that South Yorkshire Police and child protection agencies had extensive knowledge of the abuse, yet did nothing to prosecute those responsible.

Mr Martin Kimber said: "The report does not make comfortable reading in its account of the horrific experiences of some young people in the past and I would like to reiterate our sincere apology to those who were let down when they needed help."

Mr Kimber said no council officials will face disciplinary action as a result of the report’s findings: "Officers in senior positions responsible for children's safeguarding services throughout the critical periods when services fell some way short of today's standards do not work for the council today.

"To that extent, I have not been able to identify any issues of professional practice related to current serving officers of this council that would require me to consider use of disciplinary or capability procedures."

The U.S.-Israel Relationship Arrives at a Moment of Reckoning

An exclusive talk with former U.S. Special Envoy Martin Indyk on Israel’s new allies, the Gaza blowup, and why Washington shrugged when the peace process collapsed.

• BY DAVID ROTHKOPF-AUGUST 26, 2014

When it comes to U.S. Mideast policy, Martin Indyk is something like a human seismograph. Having spent three and a half decades at the leading edge of U.S. policy in the region, the English-born, Australian-raised Indyk has grown acutely sensitive to the shifts, tremors, and upheavals that have signaled change across the Middle East. Indyk has twice served as America's ambassador to Israel, is a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, and most recently has played the role of U.S. special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. He remains an advisor to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on these issues.
The U.S.-israel Relationship Arrives at a Moment of Reckoning by Thavam

Gaza ceasefire: Israel and Palestinians agree to halt weeks of fighting

Terms of indefinite ceasefire – brokered by Egypt – expected to be similar to those agreed at the end of 2012 conflict

After 50 days of the Gaza conflict, more than 2,100 people were killed, most of them civilians, including about 500 children. Photograph: Majdi Fathi/Corbis

Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem and Patrick Kingsley in Cairo

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to an indefinite ceasefire, putting an end to seven weeks of catastrophic loss of life and destruction – but on terms that are likely to leave many on both sides of the conflict wondering what had been achieved.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the main militant groups in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority and Israel agreed to stop fighting on Tuesday evening, bringing relief to civilians on both sides of the border after rocket fire and air strikes continued in the hours running up to the ceasefire. One Israeli was killed and several injured by a mortar ahead of the announcement, according to Israeli media.

The terms of the deal – brokered by the Egyptian government, and reached on the 50th day of the conflict – are expected to be similar to those agreed at the end of the previous war 21 months ago. Israel will open crossings on its border to allow the movement of people and goods, and extend the permitted fishing zone off the coast of Gaza. Rafah, the border between Gaza and Egypt will also be opened; reconstruction of Gaza will begin.

More difficult issues will be deferred for further talks in about a month. They include Hamas's demands for an airport and seaport in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners, and Israel's insistence of the disarmament of militant groups and the return of the remains of two of its soldiers killed in the fighting.

The deal follows at least eight temporary ceasefires during the course of the conflict.

A formal announcement was due to be made in Cairo. Ziad Nakhallah, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader and one of the members of the Palestinian negotiation team, told the Guardian: "We have reached an agreement for a ceasefire according to the 2012 deal, which includes opening the borders, and bringing in building materials. The Israeli delegation agrees, and each side is now calming the battlefield down."

In Gaza City, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: "An agreement has been reached between the two sides and we are awaiting the announcement from Cairo to determine the zero hour for implementation."

Israel had accepted the ceasefire, although some cabinet members opposed it, Israeli media reported.

In Gaza, more than 2,100 people were killed, most of them civilians, including about 500 children. At least 11,000 people were injured and more than 17,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged. Around a third of Gaza's 1.8m population has been displaced, and many are now living in United Nations shelters. Schools, hospitals, factories, farms, mosques and infrastructure such as power and water plants were hit. Reconstruction could take up to 10 years, say analysts.

On the Israeli side, 64 soldiers died and four civilians – including a four-year-old boy – were killed. Hundreds of families relocated from homes near the Gaza border to safer areas further north.

The Israeli military estimates that the weapons stocks of Hamas and other militant groups have fallen to less than a third of their pre-war levels, by being fired or destroyed in airstrikes.

Three of Hamas's top military commanders were killed last week, and the fate of its military chief, Mohammed Deif, is still unknown after his wife and two children were killed in a massive airstrike last Tuesday. However the organisation has gained kudos among Palestinians for putting up strong resistance against Israel's military onslaught.

Israeli leaders are likely to claim to have severely weakened Hamas over the past seven weeks, and restored "quiet" to areas within rocket range.

Egyptian leaders will hope to gain international credibility from brokering the ceasefire agreement after weeks of abortive talks hosted in Cairo.

U.S.-brokered accord to salvage Afghan presidential election faces new challenge

By Tim Craig August 26 at 8:45 AM

KABUL — A U.S.-brokered agreement to salvage Afghanistan’s disputed presidential election is once again being challenged, as the campaign of second-place candidate Abdullah Abdullah warned Tuesday that changes must be made within 24 hours for the results to be considered legitimate.
U.S.-brokered Accord to Salvage Afghan Presidential Election Faces New Challenge by Thavam

How Pakistan's Sharif stumbled into protests crisis

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif speaks with the media during a new conference in New Delhi May 27, 2014.

BY KATHARINE HOURELD-ISLAMABAD Tue Aug 26, 2014

(Reuters) - As thousands of protesters blockaded Pakistan's parliament last week, the spirits of the lawmakers inside were briefly lifted by a rare appearance from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. 

How Pakistan's Sharif Stumbled Into Protests Crisis by Thavam

The Red beatification of Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping is cracking down on graft. Pic: AP.

China’s latest boss appears headed for the Communist Pantheon, reports Asia Sentinel

He is not yet one of the “saints” of the Chinese Communist Party along with Mao and Deng. But already, after less than two years in office, Xi Jinping is, to borrow a phrase from the Catholic Church, being “beatified” – given pre-sainthood status.

On successive days last week, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post published full-page features drawing attention to Xi’s exalted power and status, in effect condemning his two predecessors, Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, to insignificance.

The SCMP is edited by a mainland Chinese long assumed to be a party member expected to promote party views while trying to present the SCMP, Hong Kong’s leading English-language paper, as a forum for diverse news and views.

In its Aug. 22 issue, the SCMP used the 110th anniversary of Deng’s birth not just to recall Deng’s contributions to China’s development and the return of Hong Kong, but went out of its way to link Xi to Deng. The overlines to the main article read: “President Xi Jinping’s efforts to exert China’s influence on the world stage mirror those of the former paramount leader who would be 110 today.”

It went on to compare Deng with Xi’s “flexing the country’s military muscle and asserting China’s involvement in regional affairs.” While acknowledging that Deng’s policy had actually been one of lying low internationally while building the economy and modernizing society, it implied that China is now in a position to make demands and get at least some of what it wants internationally. Nor did it stop to consider the impact of Xi’s adventurism on China’s standing among its neighbors, particularly the supposedly weak but populous – and increasingly unnerved — countries of Southeast Asia.

Continue reading at Asia Sentinel

Amid multiple crises UN children’s agency deploys largest aid operation ever in a single month

A jumbo jet being loaded by UNICEF with supplies in Copenhangen, Denmark. Photo: UNICEF

26 August 2014 – This August the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) shipped 1,000 metric tonnes of life-saving supplies for children caught in the world’s most urgent crises -- the largest emergency supply operation in the organization’s history in a single month.

“UNICEF’s massive deployment responds to a massive need in many different countries at the same time,” said Shanelle Hall, UNICEF’s Director of supply and logistics operations in a statement today. “Now it is vital to keep humanitarian corridors open so these supplies continue to reach the children who desperately need them.”

Ms. Hall added that kids are facing a lot of crises in the world and that they are under a lot of stress. Foreseeing the need to ramp up the response to conflict in Iraq and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, UNICEF had secured as many chartered flights as possible for August. In 27 days, the organization’s Copenhagen supply hub has dispatched 33 emergency cargo loads to the world’s most troubled regions. The total amount of aid delivered would fill 19 cargo jumbo jets and has primarily gone to six countries.

For instance, Central African Republic has received 26 metric tonnes in medical equipment, vaccines, emergency food rations and hardware to dig water wells. Among essential medicines, anti-malarial supplies have been critical in protecting children from the country’s leading cause of death.

UNICEF also delivered 500 metric tonnes of emergency food rations, water, medical supplies, tents, and ready-to-use therapeutic food to Iraq’s displaced families and children in the northwest. UNICEF’s dispatch of 4 million doses of polio vaccine will protect children’s health in the wake of the re-emergence of the disease due to the breakdown of health systems in neighbouring Syria, Ms. Hall said.

Liberia’s effort to contain the Ebola outbreak has been strengthened by 248 metric tonnes of supplies from UNICEF such as latex gloves, safety goggles, and overalls to protect health workers, concentrated chlorine disinfectant and a range of essential medicines.

Meanwhile, Gaza has received nearly 3.5 metric tonnes in supplies, mostly in the form of essential medicines to restock hospitals and health facilities that have been damaged in the conflict. UNICEF has also supplied vaccines which are essential to protect children who become especially vulnerable during massive population displacements.

In South Sudan, UNICEF provided 34 metric tonnes of nutritional support and supplies, including ready-to-use therapeutic foods for vulnerable children, 50,000 of whom are at risk of dying from malnutrition. Nearly one million children under five years old in South Sudan will require treatment for acute malnutrition this year.

In Syria, Ms. Hall said in August the Children’s Fund delivered 89 metric tonnes of water purification tablets and education kits. UNICEF is also bringing in over 156 metric tonnes of health, education, and water supplies for displaced Syrian families in Lebanon and Jordan. Preparation for winter is underway as UNICEF stockpiles children’s winter clothing sourced from local suppliers in the region.

“During multiple crises of this magnitude children must come first. UNICEF is committed to staying the course. As long as children are in need we will continue to undertake these urgent, complex and vast supply operations,” said Ms. Hall.

THE CLAIM THAT NGOS ARE A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY—JEHAN PERERA

 25 August 2014

This is a very troubled period for civil society. The free space for activism that is outside of the government sphere has shrunk due to the policy of centralization adopted by the government. Institutions of the state that are meant to be relatively independent of the government have come under political control.

The Claim That Ngos Are a Threat to National Security—Jehan Perera by Thavam

Innovation Offers Hope in Sri Lanka’s Poverty-Stricken North

In Sri Lanka’s poverty-stricken Northern Province, residents say they must stretch the few resources they have in order to survive. Credit: Amantha Perera/IPS

By Amantha Perera-Monday, August 25, 2014

ODDUSUDDAN, Sri Lanka, Aug 24 2014 (IPS) - In this dust bowl of a village deep inside Sri Lanka’s former conflict zone, locals will sometimes ask visitors to rub their palms on the ground and watch their skin immediately take on a dark bronze hue, proof of the fertility of the soil.

Innovation Offers Hope in Sri Lanka’s Poverty-Stricken North by Thavam

OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka

Terms of Reference

Mandate and reporting obligations

In its resolution A/HRC/25/1 adopted in March 2014 on “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka”, the United Nations Human Rights Council requested the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to “undertake a comprehensive investigation into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka during the period covered by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), and to establish the facts and circumstances of such alleged violations and of the crimes perpetrated with a view to avoiding impunity and ensuring accountability, with assistance from relevant experts and special procedures mandate holders”.

The Council requested the High Commissioner to present an oral update at its twenty-seventh session and a comprehensive report on the investigations at its twenty-eighth session.

In accordance with this mandate, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights established the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL), based in Geneva.

Timeframe

The period under investigation is that covered by the LLRC, that is, from 21 February 2002 until 15 November 2011, when it presented its report to the President of Sri Lanka. The OISL will also take into consideration any contextual and other relevant information that may fall outside this timeframe which may provide a better understanding of events or which may be pertinent regarding continuing human rights violations.

Legal framework

The mandate of the OISL requires it to undertake investigations into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes by both parties to the conflict. The legal framework that underlies the investigation will comprise of all obligations assumed by Sri Lanka under international human rights treaties and those applicable under customary international law. Although a non-state actor cannot formally become party to human rights treaties, it is now increasingly accepted that non-state groups exercising de facto control over a part of the State’s territory must respect certain human rights obligations of persons in that territory.

During the period covered by the investigations, there existed an internal armed conflict, making necessary the application of international humanitarian law, in particular  provisions of the Geneva Convention relevant to non-international armed conflicts, to measure the conduct in the conflict of both the Government and non-state armed groups. Thus, the legal framework is the same as applied by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. Its mandate also requires the OISL to apply international criminal law to the incidents and events under investigation in determining whether crimes have been perpetrated.

Experts

In June 2014, the High Commissioner appointed three distinguished experts, Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland, Ms. Silvia Cartwright, former High Court judge of New Zealand, and Ms. Asma Jahangir, former President of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, to play a supportive and advisory role, as well as independent verification throughout the investigation.

As required by the Council resolution, the OISL will also obtain the assistance of specific special procedures mandate holders including on extrajudicial executions, disappearances, internally displaced persons, arbitrary detentions, violence against women and torture.

Methods of work

In order to establish the facts and circumstances of alleged violations, abuses and crimes by both parties, the OISL will conduct a desk review of existing documents and information, including government and civil society reports, collect and document victims’ testimonies and the accounts of survivors, witnesses and alleged perpetrators, as well as seeking information from other relevant sources such as satellite images, authenticated video and photographic material and official documents.   In analysing the information collected, it will seek to corroborate facts and accounts to meet the agreed standard of proof (see below). 

It will continue to seek to engage with the Government of Sri Lanka, as envisioned in the Council resolution. The High Commissioner will continue to request for the OISL to have access to the country to meet with Government officials and others, as well as to have access to all relevant documentation.

The OISL will seek to develop regular dialogue and cooperation with other United Nations entities, including its specialized agencies, interested institutions and academics and non-governmental and community organizations.

Any state, individual or organisation may submit information in writing to the OISL. Submissions to the OISL may be sent to:oisl_submissions@ohchr.org

In carrying out its work, the OISL will be guided at all times by the principles of independence, impartiality, objectivity, transparency, integrity and “do no harm”.

Witness protection

The OISL will take appropriate steps to address witness and victim protection concerns and shall adopt procedures and methods of work aimed at protecting such persons during all stages of its work.

The Government of Sri Lanka also has an obligation to protect victims and witnesses and others in Sri Lanka who make contact with the OISL, and it will be requested to make an undertaking that no such person shall, as a result of such contact, suffer harassment, threats, acts of intimidation, ill-treatment or reprisals.

Confidentiality of information

The OISL will take all necessary measures and precautions to protect the confidentiality of information, including by not disclosing the names of individuals in its public reports as appropriate. At the end of its work, the OISL will archive all its confidential material in accordance with standard UN procedures for strictly confidential material.

Standard of proof

Consistent with the practice of other United Nations fact-finding bodies, the OISL will base its findings on a “reasonable grounds to believe” standard of proof. There are reasonable grounds to believe that an incident or pattern of violations or crimes occurred if the OISL has obtained a reliable body of information, consistent with other information, indicating their occurrence. This standard of proof may be sufficiently high to call for judicial investigations into violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and international crimes.

With regard to assessing information that identifies alleged individuals to have been involved in the violations, the OISL will comply with the standards that require a reliable body of material consistent with other verified circumstances, which tends to show that a person may reasonably be suspected of being involved in the commission of a crime. The OISL will not make final judgments as to criminal guilt; rather, it would make an assessment of possible suspects that may pave the way for future criminal investigations.

Cooperation with the Government of Sri Lanka

The Council in its resolution called upon the Government of Sri Lanka to cooperate with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the implementation of the resolution. Such cooperation entails freedom of movement throughout the territory; unhindered access to all places and establishments; freedom to meet and interview representatives of national, local and military authorities, community leaders, non-governmental organizations and other institutions, and any such person whose testimony is considered necessary for the fulfilment of its mandate; and free access to all sources of information, including documentary material and physical evidence.

Other Governments in whose territory the OISL may interview victims, witnesses and sources and gather information are also invited  to cooperate with the investigation under the same conditions.

Privileges, immunities and facilities

The experts of the OISL shall enjoy the privileges and immunities accorded to experts on mission under Article IV of the 1948 Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the UN, and the OHCHR staff of the OISL shall enjoy the privileges and immunities of officials under Article V and VII of the Convention in the conduct of the investigation. All Governments are reminded of this obligation and invited to ensure that facilities necessary for the independent conduct of the investigation are provided.

Irom Chanu Sharmila : A contemperary hero

[Irom Chanu Sharmila after the release;AP photo]
Sunanda Deshapriya –-25/08/2014

Irom Chanu Sharmila was born to an ordinary family in the Manipur state in India in 1972. Manipur is a state of ethnic minorities in India, that has been under military control for decades. In November 2000, a special wing of the Indian military named “Assam Rifles” killed 10 persons. Sharmila was a young actvist at that time and had just returned from a human rights training. Sharmila started a fast unto death, calling for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, a law that was allowing Indian Armed Forces to act without any accountability. She was imprisoned for 13 years untill Courts ordered her to be released on the 18th of August if there no charges against her.

She had rejected food and water thoroughout the 500 weeks she has been imprisoned. She was forcibly fed through her nose while being kept in a prison hospital.

It is a privilege to hear the story of such a woman or man. It is through spiritual strengh and dedication of such men and women that struggles for freedom and equality of humanity will be strenghened.

Her determination became known not just in Manipur, but all over India and the world. She was dubbed as “Iron Lady of Manipur” and was the dominant symbol during commemerations of International Women’s day in India on 8th March this year.

According to Sharmila, “I was pained when I saw the bodies of those killed. There was no way to stop the violence by Armed Forces. I choose a fast, as it was a spiritual revolution. I decided to fast for the Manipuri people. It is not a personal struggle. It is a symbol of truth, love and peace,”

The killings happened on a Thursday. Thursday was the day Sharmila used to fast as a habit. “I will fast continuosly from today to stop such killings” was what Sharmila decided, when she was 28 years old.

After 3 days, she was arrested on allegations of trying to commit suicide through fasting. Her health deteriorated and forcefeeding her through the nose started.

According to Indian law, the maximum punishment for attempting to commit suicide is one year. Hence, she had to be released nominally every year. On every occasion she was released in the last 13 years, she re-ccommenced her fast. Re-arresting Sharmila and forcefeeding her became a annual event. She was kept in solitary confinement to break her spirit.

After six years in detention, authorities proposed that she could be released if she admitted guilt. She rejected this outright, insisting that she has not committed any offence and that fasting peacefully was her right. She was not ready to swallow the bait of “freedom” and give up her struggle.

By then, Sharmila had become a symbol of public defiance andresistance in India. On 2nd October, she was granted her “annual freedom”. She took the opportunity to visit her spiritual idol, Mahatma Gandhi memorial, to offer flowers. After this visit to New Delhi, she again commenced her fast.
She knew very well that she would be imprisoned again and subjected to painful forcefeeding through her nose. But the committment she has made to herself to continue the struggle on behalf of her people was larger than even this pain.

The struggle by one woman had already created waves. Organizations in India and Asia began to present her with awards. The Rabindranath Tagore Peace award was also presented to her. She became an inspiration and challenge to human rights movements.

As support for the “Iron Lady” began to rise, the Communist Party of India (Marxist – Leninist) decided to support her call to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. There were proposals that the demand must also be approved by another powerful regional party, the Indian Trinamool Congress. The anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party invited Sharmila to contest elections from her party. “Im a campaigner, not a politician. Therefore, I do not want to contest elections” was Sharmila’s response. When she became 39 years in 2011, the Pune University initiated a scholarship program for 39 female students, in her name.

The struggle of this “Iron Lady” has become subjects of cinema and theatre. But she remains determined and focused in her struggle. When she heard of her release, she has said that “it is a joy to enjoy fresh air once again”. But she had insisted that “There is no point in thanking and singing praises of me. What is needed is to take forward the struggle.”

Joy is part the struggle. Struggle is a part of Joy. Victory maybe far away. Joy during a struggle will bring alive a distant victory.
Cheers to you, “Iron Lady”, Irom Chanu Sharmila!

Postscript:
As expected Irom Sharmila Chanu re-started her hunger strike in a makeshift camp in Imphal and was arrested two days after her release. BBC reported that ” On Friday, a group of policewomen forcibly removed her from the fast site in the state capital, Imphal.Television footage showed them putting her in a jeep and driving away”.

Jaffna University’s Health Is A Measure Of Tamils’ Future

By Rajah S. Rajasingham -August 25, 2014

A university in Sri Lanka under the Universities Act of 1978 is governed by both internal and external members. The internal members are specified leaders in the university (such as the VC, Deans, Senate Reps, etc.). The UGC then nominates an equal number of external members, with one additional member to ensure probity in decision making. In practice however the government in power supplies this list to the UGC and the UGC rubber stamps these political appointments.

De Facto VC Douglas at Opening at Kilinochchi

While some excellent appointments have been made at the other universities, Sinhalese governments have felt free to use the University of Jaffna purely for patronage and political control. Things took a turn for the worse at Jaffna when Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government appointed palm readers and uneducated temple priests to return personal favours without consideration for university welfare. After marking attendance to get the attendance stipend and reading palms, these appointed Council members would leave because they had no investment in the university and could not follow the proceedings in English. Even at that time care was taken to have some TNA nominees who were often lawyers, district judges and such like. Occasional good appointments also happened when there were vacancies when the government did not interfere and let the UGC do its job.  Two such appointments attempting diversity were unfortunately thwarted – a Paraya caste principal who spoke up at Council meetings was murdered by the LTTE in tit-for-tat killing when the government murdered an LTTE-leaning principal; and a carpenter caste Director of Education was bullied by Tamils into not accepting his appointment.

Douglas Devananda: De Facto Vice Chancellor       Read More

Govt. plays Peeping Tom with its proposed eNIC

By Chandani Kirinde, our Lobby Correspondent-Sunday, August 24, 2014

“People have been surfeited with sweetmeats and their digestion has been ruined: bitter medicines, sharp truths, are therefore necessary,” wrote Russian writer Mikhail Lermontov in his acclaimed book, “A Hero of Our Time.” It was these words that Galle District Independent MP G.H. Ajith Kumara used to bring to light a sharp truth by way of an adjournment motion in Parliament on Thursday, in which he exposed the imminent dangers of the electronic National Identity Card (eNIC) that the Government proposes to introduce shortly.

In an increasingly militarised postwar Sri Lanka, MP Ajith Kumara was suspicious of the move to introduce the eNIC. The suspicion was to do with the nature of the eNIC which the MP alleged would lead to biometric and biographic profiling of the entire population over the age of 15 years. “More disturbing was the requirement for all Sri Lankans to declare personal details including family details, marital status, email addresses and mobile numbers, when obtaining an eNIC,” he said.

And his suspicions were not altogether unfounded, given the fact that the Registration of Persons Dept comes under Ministry of Defence and Urban Development which has, in recent times, gained notoriety for its highhanded actions in dealing with civil matters.

“At preset, only criminals are fingerprinted, but under this new system, every citizen will be fingerprinted and all their personal data will be stored and accessed by the authorities at anytime. Will the rulers allow the members of the public to access the rulers’ personal data in the same manner they impinge on the privacy of the citizens of this country? The Government which has denied the people their right to get information, by stifling the Right to Information legislation, is trying to gather personal details of every citizen in this country,” he alleged.

The proposed eNIC would require parents who have adopted children to divulge this fact in their eNIC applications forms. “When a child is adopted, only the court and the parents know, and sometimes, even the child is not aware, but now the State wants to know even such information. They want to know if you are divorced, and about your parentage,” he said.

UNP National List MP Eran Wickramaratna who seconded the motion, said his Party is not opposed to an eNIC being issued, but said, seeking peoples personal details is in violation of all international covenants, as well as a violation of the basic rights of the people. “The ICCPR (Intentional Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) clearly states that, ‘‘no-one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence’, but the personal information that the Government is seeking goes against this. I will most certainly not divulge my personal details to anyone and no citizen should be compelled to do so. No government has the right to act arbitrarily in such matters. First, this must be put in the public domain and discussed with the people. But, what this Government does is make all the plans, finalise them and bring them to Parliament, only to get its seal of approval,” he charged.

The UNP MP said it is time to bring the Registration of Persons Department under a Ministry of Internal Affairs. “It is time to rethink these issues. The issue of ICs must be done by civil institutions, People’s privacy must be protected,” he said. MP Wickramaratna also alleged that there are some telecommunication companies that were passing on people’s personal information to the Defence Ministry which was in violation of international law. “However much these companies come under duress from the Defence authorities, they cannot divulge people’s personal information to State authorities,” he said, adding that he would reveal the names of these companies when necessary.

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne tried to calm the fears of the Opposition legislators, saying that the eNIC to be issued from this year, was not meant to harm the people, but for their benefit. “The finger-printing is necessary for the present and future national security needs of the country. Nothing will be done in a way that violates international laws. All personal details will be kept confidential,” he assured.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna District MP E. Saravanapavan had different concerns regarding the issuing of an eNIC, saying it could lead to racial profiling and be used against the Tamil population. “The Ministry of Defence can use the information collected for the eNICs to monitor people. The military is engaged in large scale land grabbing in the North, and they can use this kind of data to further clamp down on the people,” he said.

When MP Ajith Perera called up an official connected to the eNIC project, to voice his concerns regarding the issuing of an eNIC; he was told that the MP was overreacting. “You are seeing crocodiles even in a water bucket,” the MP had been told. However, going by the air of paranoia with which many Government MPs spoke, each falling over the other to voice concerns over national security threats, the re-emergence of terrorism and of unforeseen conspiracies, like MP Ajith Perera put it, “the Government, it is evident, is seeing crocodiles or perceived enemies even in a tea saucer.”