பொலிஸாருக்கும் பொதுமக்களுக்கும் இடையில் முறுகல் நிலை ! ஒருவர் காயம்

பொலிஸாருக்கும் பொதுமக்களுக்கும் இடையில் முறுகல் நிலை ! ஒருவர் காயம்

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

திருகோணமலை, புல்மோட்டை,  அரிசிமலை பகுதியில் 500 ஏக்கர் காணியை இன்று செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை அளவீடுசெய்யும் முயற்சிக்கு எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவித்த மக்களுக்கும் பாதுகாப்பு கடமைக்காக வந்திருந்த பொலிஸாருக்கும் இடையில் முறுகல் நிலை ஏற்பட்டது.

பொலிஸாருக்கும் பொதுமக்களுக்கும் இடையில் முறுகல் நிலை ! ஒருவர் காயம் by Thavam

GTA top scholars: Meet the brainy bunch

A profile of the top students from around Greater Toronto.

By: Kristin Rushowy Education Reporter, Published on Sat Aug 23 2014

Meet the brainy bunch. The top graduating students at each board across Greater Toronto share the secrets to their success, as well as some personal insights and what they do outside of school:

Durham public

Natisa Jeyakanthan, J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate

Average: 98.83

Favourite subject: Physics. “I like how it’s challenging and rewarding at the same time. I like how it has a lot of applications to the real world.”

GTA Top Scholars Meet the Brainy Bunch by Thavam

Demons Of The 18th Amendment Are Devouring Body And Soul Of Sri Lanka

By Vishwamithra1984 -August 27, 2014

“Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disruption as possible but don’t let them take you ALIVE.” ~Sid Vicious

Chaos, they say, is order undeciphered. Such undeciphered order is what is prevalent in Sri Lanka. All attempts by any quarter to decipher that disorderly ‘order’ is being met by extreme measures. And these measures could be discerned against the harsh realities of self-imposed censorship, intimidation of independent-minded journalists and free-expressing academics, stuffing any and all worthwhile jobs with blood relatives who have proven to be absolute nincompoops and imbeciles and distorting and camouflaging truths about the economy, war-victory and any and all sundry achievements.

From the impeachment of the then Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake to the harassment of attorney Upul Jayasuriya, the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and the alleged assassination ofLasantha Wickrematunga, disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda and the assault on Upali Tennekoon, Poddala Jayantha and the editorial staff of the Jaffna-based ‘Uthayan’ newspaper, tell a very sordid story of sinister hands at work with diabolical aims in mind.

Every dictatorship wants to have control over its subject population. In ancient Rome they restricted knowledge and information but gave entertainment, bread and circuses to the populace. They limited education and they censored any means of self-expression. This is a pattern that repeats itself in every dictatorship, throughout history.

What started, with the easy passage of the draconian 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka in the wake of the 2010 Presidential Elections, seems to continue without any break towards certain death of democracy and freedom. The right to information is acknowledged as a universal right of each and every human being. Of all SAARC countries, only Bhutan and Sri Lanka do not have a Right to Information Act in place. Even Pakistan which has not had a democratic system of government except for a few short years under the Bhuttos and Bangladesh that came into existence as recently as 1972 have Right to Information Acts. With all its infamous corruption, nepotism and scandal, India has an exemplary Right to Information Act, thereby establishing her credentials in transparency and accountability. Even Nepal which was a monarchy until recently can boast about a Right to Information Act.                               Read More

கூட்­ட­மைப்­பு–மோடி சந்­திப்­பா­னது இலங்­கைக்கு ஐஸ்­வாளி சவால்: தயான் ஜய திலக்க:-

 Global Tamil News

26 ஆகஸ்ட் 2014

தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்புக்கும் இந்திய பிரதமர் நரேந்திர மோடிக்கும் இடையில் நடைபெற்ற பேச்சுவார்த்தை இலங்கைக்கு ஐஸ் வாளி சவால் (ice bucket challenge) என அரசியல் விமர்சகரும் முன்னாள் இராஜதந்திரியுமான கலாநிதி தயான் ஜய திலக்க தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

 

அவர் மேலும் தெரிவிக்கையில்,

 

தலையில் குளிர்ந்த நீரை ஊற்றும் ஐஸ் வாளி சவால் என்றே நான் காண்கிறேன். இந்திய பிரதமர் மோடி இலங்கை அரசாங்கத்தில் ஐஸ் வாளியில் தண்ணீர் நிரப்பியுள்ளார்.அரசாங்கத்திடம் மண்டியிட்டு பாராளுமன்ற தெரிவுக்குழுவிற்குள் வரும் வரை தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்புடன் பேசுவதில்லை என அரசாங்கம் எண்ணியது.

 

கூட்டமைப்பினர் யார் என்ற மமதையில் அரசாங்கம் இருந்தது. தென் ஆபிரிக்காவின் துணை ஜனாதிபதி சிறில் ராமபோஸா, யாழ்ப்பாணம் சென்று முதலமைச்சர் விக்னேஸ்வரனை சந்தித்தார்.

 

இதன் பின்னர், இந்திய வெளிவிவகார அமைச்சர் முதல் முறையாக தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பினரை சந்தித்தார். இதன் பின்னர் இந்திய பிரதமர் சந்தித்தார்.இந்த பேச்சுவார்த்தையை பார்க்கும் போது இரண்டு நாடுகளுக்கும் இடையிலான பேச்சுவார்த்தையை போல் அவர்களுக்கு கிடைத்த வரவேற்பு காணப்பட்டது.

 

இதன் போது இலங்கையில் வீங்கிய தலை மீது பிரதமர் மோடி ஐஸ் தண்ணீரை ஊற்றினார்.நரேந்திர மோடி பதவிப்பிரமாணம் செய்யும் நிகழ்வுக்கு ஜனாதிபதி மகிந்த ராஜபக்ஷவை அழைக்க வேண்டாம் என தமிழக முதல்வர் ஜெயலலிதா கூறினார்.

 

எனினும் மோடி, மகிந்த ராஜபக்ஷவை அழைத்தார். அப்போது தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு புறக்கணிக்கப்பட்டே இருந்தது. அப்போது இலங்கைக்கு சிறந்த சந்தர்ப்பமும் இருந்தது. நிகழ்வில் பங்கேற்ற ஜனாதிபதிக்கு இந்திய பிரதமர் மோடி 13வது திருத்தச் சட்டம் குறித்து நினைவுபடுத்தினார்.

 

ஆனால், இலங்கை அரசாங்கம் வெளியிட்ட உத்தியோகபூர்வ அறிக்கையில், 13வது திருத்தச் சட்டம் பற்றி பேசிய குறித்து குறிப்பிடவில்லை. அதில் இருந்து சிறு விரசம் ஏற்பட்டதாக தெரிகிறது.

 

இவ்வாறான சூழ்நிலையில், இந்திய அமைச்சரவை அமைச்சர் பதவியை வகிக்காத சுப்ரமணியன் சுவாமியை வரவழைத்து பாதுகாப்பு மாநாட்டில் உரையாற்ற செய்து, அவர் கூறிய விடயங்களை இந்திய அரசாங்கத்தின் நிலைப்பாடு என நம்ப ஆரம்பித்தது.

 

இந்திய அரசாங்கத்தின் நிலைப்பாடு பிரதமர் நரேந்திர மோடியின் நிலைப்பாடோ சுப்ரமணியன் சுவாமியின் நிலைப்பாடோ அல்ல.தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு இந்திய பிரதமரை மாத்திரம் சந்திக்கவில்லை. இந்தியாவின் தேசிய பாதுகாப்பு ஆலோசகரையும் சந்தித்துள்ளது.

 

இலங்கை அரசாங்கத்தை சேர்ந்த எவரையும் இந்தியாவின் புதிய பாதுகாப்பு ஆலோசகர் இதுவரை சந்திக்கவில்லை. அயல் நாட்டுடன் மேற்கொள்ளும் தொடர்புகளில் குறித்த முகாமைத்துவத்தின் குறைபாட்டையே இது காட்டுகிறது எனவும் தயான் ஜயதிலக்க குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்.

Report: Hate incidents against Muslims: January – May 2014

[DEVASTATED: A riot-victim grieves in Alutgama. (AP)]
By Secretariat for Muslims–27/08/2014 

It is now two months after the anti- Muslim violence of Aluthgama and adjacent areas, and as is the case with most occurrences in Sri Lanka, media attention seem to have moved on now to other issues of importance. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights investigation in to alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes by both parties in Sri Lanka has commenced its activities as of June this year, and the government has appointed its own panel of experts for its own inquiry. Marauding monks have found other avenues to vent their anger as witnessed at the invasion of the meeting of families of the disappeared at the Center for Society and Religion in Colombo. But the inhabitants of Aluthgama await the completion of the housing renovations and most Muslims in other areas live in constant awareness of what happened and in anticipation of what else may happen in the future.

Looking at our records of hate incidents prior to Aluthgama the signs of what is to come are ominous. There are many speeches by the Ven. Gnanasara that state that the BBS will “take matters in to their own hands” if steps are not taken by authorities to address their issues. And what seems most prescient is a statement to the fact that promises violence to Muslims “If they ever lay a hand on a robe.” The general deterioration of relation at all levels is illustrated by the manner in which a mother was refused entrance to a school in hijab by the school principal, and how the same school prevented two school girls from wearing the shawl and long trousers with their school uniform (as per Education Ministry circular). The manner in which the students were humiliated by being made to remove their trousers while in school, and further the manner in which the courts tacitly endorsed such an action by asking that the parents consider moving the children to a different school are a reflection of the deterioration of relations and the general acceptance of anti Muslim sentiment in the public sphere.[1] News papers also reported that counsel for the respondents intended to challenge the correctness of a Supreme Court judgment delivered last year, which allowed Muslim girls to wear trouser and hijab in addition to the school uniform.

The bulk of the information recorded during this time refers to the BBS’s relentless campaign of press statements, interviews, and mass meetings during which hate sentiment together with a cultivation of paranoia about the loss of Buddhist numerical supremacy are asserted repeatedly.

Additionally during this time we saw the oft repeated government line in the form of both the categorical rejection of the idea that religious unrest is evident in the country, to the more nuanced dismissal of the accusations on the basis that the places that are attacked are either unregistered or illegitimate in some other way, and that the incidents were generally reactions of the communities of which they are a part.[2]

In the two months since Aluthgama much has happened. There are several cases in court, several international bodies including the Organisation of Islamic Countries, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and three Special Procedures Mandate Holders have responded to the incidents. Today the military is rebuilding broken and burnt homes and business premises. The government’s speedy response in relation to rebuilding is worth recognizing especially since compensation claims approved after the 2006 riots in Aluthgama are still to be paid. Although hate activities seem to be continuing we hope that the government’s response acknowledges both the seriousness of what happened and the need to prevent anything of this nature occurring elsewhere.

We send out this list for your informed and considered use. We will continue to document such incidents in the aftermath of Aluthgama with the intention of providing accurate information on what is happening to the Muslim community during this difficult time. We do so in anticipation of a post war future for Sri Lanka that promises freedom and justice for all and an end to the consistent smothering of its ethnic and religious minorities.
Read the report as a PDF here:Hate incidents against Muslims January – May 2014

——————————————————————————–

[1] There were further developments to the case that are not covered by the news during this period. For more information on this issue see http://blogs.geegain.com/post/62594/the-failure-of-the-media-civil-society-and-the-moderates

[2] Prof. G.L.Peiris stated to Nisha Biswal( US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs) that legal measures were taken with regards to some and others were sorted out amicably. While we agree with this statement we regret the suggestion that reportage is either blown out of proportion or is misrepresenting of the larger project being undertaken by Buddhist nationalist groups.

Condemn Systematic And Worsening Intimidations Of HRDs In Sri Lanka: HR Groups To UNHRC

August 27, 2014

Six international human rights advocating bodies have written to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha calling upon the Council to condemn the systematic reprisals faced by Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) in Sri Lanka.

Amnesty International, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), International Movement Against Discrimination and All Form of Racism (IMADR) and the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) in a joint statement have also called upon the UNHTC to remind Sri Lanka of its obligation to ensure that all persons can exercise their right to free and unhindered access to UN human rights mechanisms.

They have also urged the member and observer states of the UNHRC to be resolute in addressing the continued harassment and intimidated of HRDs from Sri Lanka who engage with the UNHRC system through every step necessary including mobilization of their diplomatic representatives in Sri Lanka.

While expressing their deep concern over the ongoing attacks against HRDs and others who seek to engage with the UNHRC, the organizations have pointed out that these cases will only intensify in the lead up to the 27th and 28th sessions of the UNHRC.

In accordance to the obligations specified under International Humanitarian Law, the HR advocacy organizations have also called upon the UNHRC to publicly condemn all acts of threats and reprisals against Sri Lankan HRDs, as they have recalled the most recent of such incidents – the disruption of a meeting held at the Center for Society and Religion for families of the disappeared by the mob of extremist monks and Rajapaksa supporters and Police inaction over the incident.

The letter has also referred to an article that had been published in the Sinhala mainstream newspaper Divaina, where local civil society actors had been accused of ‘conducting an operation to betray the country’ while labeling organizers of such events as ‘traitors’ for engaging with UN human rights mechanisms. Furthermore in the article, it had been noted that such individuals should be shot and thrown into forests to be fed on by foxes but had added that since Sri Lankans are not of such a tribal mentality, the pedigree of such individuals from their birth should be exposed instead.

“This concern is heightened by the fact that the article specifically names certain defenders: Ruki Fernando, Nimalka Fernando, Brito Fernando, JC Weliamuna and Father Sathayavail,” the letter states further.

Furthermore in the letter, the organizations have noted that Sri Lanka as a state party to the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is obliged to protect HRDs and other individuals from harassments and other attacks not just by government officials but also non-state actors.

...and now Namal and Nimal to plunder Kotalawala’s remaining business companies too

(Lanka-e-News- 26.Aug.2014, 11.30PM) Namal Rajapakse the synthetic lawyer of Sri Lanka (SL), son of MaRa and Nimal Perera , a notorious racketeer who indulged in a number of fraudulent transactions when involved in the Colombo stock market exchange have together formed a company by the name of ‘N and N’ using the first alphabet of their names., according to reports reaching Lanka e news.

According to Lanka e news reporters who know about this N and N Co. , the primary objective of N and N Co. is to plunder the companies belonging to the leading businessman Deshamanya Lalith Kotalawela who is at the moment subjected to mental torment and gross injustice by the Rajapakse regime. 

It is learnt that the aim of Namal and Nimal is to soothe Kotalawala by saying the cases against him will be withdrawn ,but in case if he tries to claim his due privileges, to threaten him that he will be driving himself into more trouble and turmoil . By threatening and frightening him this way Kotalawala is to be harassed into transferring his companies to N and N under duress.

It is a widely known fact that Nimal Perera the notorious embezzler was responsible via his business mafia operations for the near collapse of the stock exchange one time. In keeping with the present trend in Sri Lanka (SL) where racketeers and fraudsters are having all the money to hold high positions , this Nimal Perera too holds the chairman post of Pan Asia bank as well as Ceramics Co.

Meanwhile Deshamanya Kotalawela who appeared in a wheel chair after some period of time, addressing a media briefing on 22 nd, pleaded that he be given the liberty to resolve the issues of the golden credit card depositors, and regretted he has not even an opportunity to open an account now.

In connection with the measures taken by the administrators of the Golden Key Co. to repay the depositors , Kotalawala made the following comments :

This must be properly and successfully done. In order to do this duly , the Kurunegala court must untie my hands. At present I cannot turn this way or that way. I cannot even open an account. I cannot even see what is happening to the Ceylinco group of companies. My hands are completely tied, and supreme court should untie my hands . It is only then I can provide full assistance to all of you.

Kotalawela explained this to the depositors who were present there.

It is significant to note that while the duo Namal and Nimal are seeking to become businessmen exploiting political powers , Deshamanya Kotalawela who is now over 80 years of age has been a frontline most senior businessman in Sri Lanka (SL) before his business took a turn for the worse. He took pains to enable the young entrepreneurs of SL to gain experience in the business sphere through arranging contacts with foreign business tycoons like himself. . 

On the contrary , what Namal and Nimal belonging to the latest breed of business fraudsters are planning and plotting is to throttle business and strangle such young entrepreneurs with a view to plunder even those businesses.

MR Constitutionally Disqualified 

For Yet Another Term – Ex-CJ

| by Kusal Perera

( August 27, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The original interview published in Sinhala is attached for any reference needed.

Former CJ Sarath N. Silva on 18 Amendment to the Constitution

1. Two term restriction on Presidency is vital for democracy.

2. JRJ’s first amendment to Constitution said two consecutive presidential terms and no more for any one. But after a lapse, another election was possible.

3. This was made strong and clear in the 1978 Constitution. Thus 31.2 of the Constitution says any one elected by the people as President for 2 consecutive terms, stands disqualified thereafter, for election.

4. This clearly makes the person elected for the 2nd term immediately disqualified in seeking a 3rd term.

5. Therefore President Rajapaksa became Constitutionally disqualified for yet another term, on the very day, he was elected for a 2nd term, on 27 January, 2010 itself.

6. The 18 A was passed in such context and that stands as an important Constitutional disqualification.

7. On September 09th the 18A removed section 31.2 that restricted a twice elected president from seeking elections again. But by then President Rajapaksa was already disqualified from contesting again.

8. This brings out the question whether this amendment has retrospective effect in implementation. Usually law is for the future and for any future President, this is effective.

9. Section 6 of the Interpretation Law says, any such amendment does not remove disqualifications or punishments previously imposed by law. For such previous disqualifications or punishments to be annulled, another new mention to that effect must be included.

10. In this case, no such mention is included. Therefore the disqualification stands.

There is therefore an issue if President Rajapaksa gets ready for a 3rd term, calling for a presidential election after 04 years in his 2nd term.

A. Section 31 of the Constitution says the incumbent President can call for an election after completing 04 years. But it does not say if it includes the 2nd term as well. Therefore, in the context of a restriction on presidential terms for 2 consecutive terms, this could be about the 1st term period.

B. There is some confusion here in calculating the durations. But those who did the draft for the 18A had forgotten to clear that.

C. Therefore in such context, if President tells the Election Commissioner he wish to seek re election for a 3rd term after completing 04 years from his 2nd term, any citizen can challenge the Election Commissioner, saying the EC has no such powers. That challenge in Courts should be done before an election is fixed and held.

But President Rajapaksa can continue till his 2nd term expires in November 2016. In such instance, the parliamentary election has to be held before April 2016. That is before the presidential polls.

(Interview with former CJ Sarath N. Silva, published in the Sunday Lankadeepa of 24 August, 2014 )

President-Namal in father-son dispute!

 Wednesday, 27 August 2014 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his eldest son Namal Rajapaksa have been having a traditional father-son dispute for some time now, say Temple Trees sources.

On most occasions, the president has shown displeasure over his son’s overacting nature, and when he is being criticized in front of other family members, Namal leaves, making sarcastic remarks targeting his father. The first lady has admonished the son over this behaviour several time, but to no avail.

Around 11.20 am last Thursday, after the president suddenly took ill, he was taken from Temple Trees to President’s House for treatment. Once treated, he returned to Temple Trees, and when Namal visited him in the night to inquire into his condition, the president has lectured him. That was due to his having given a letter to admit a female student to the Ruhunu University. The president has severely reprimanded MP Namal for having inconvenienced the government by that act. That ensued an exchange of words, which led to the president taking ill again seriously. That was the reason for his having gone to the US for treatment.

According our sources in the US, doctors who examined the president had recommended surgery. They had told him that he needed to take a rest of at least three months after surgery. However, the president has rejected the surgery, citing important duties he has planned for that period, and instead decided to resort to alternative treatment, also due to the fact that his situation was not that serious. After receiving such treatment, he leaves the US tomorrow and will return home on the following day.

With MaRa’s sudden illness Gota’s second bell tolls to raise the curtain on Gota’s next drama
(Lanka-e-News- 26.Aug.2014, 11.30PM) Sri Lanka ‘s criminal defense secretary Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapakse alias ‘kudu Gota’ has designated the infamous senior DIG Anura Senanayke with certain tasks targeting Gota’s entry into politics , and this notorious DIG is deeply in his toils with a view to serving Gota ‘s goal, according to reports reaching Lanka e news inside information division.

The most important task in this regard is the displacement of the present IGP Ilangakoon from his post , and Anura Senanayake being appointed as the IGP so that in the future all the elections including the general and Presidential elections shall be held while Anura Senanayake is the IGP. However as there are legal impediments to appointing Anura Senanayke as IGP , since he was given extension of service twice , it has been planned to appoint him as acting IGP .

This plan is to be given effect in December this year. In any event , 9 senior DIGs are getting ready to file a fundamental rights action against the extension given twice to Senanayake which they allege is a violation of their fundamental rights (FR)

With this appointment of Senanayake as the acting IGP is in view , a luxurious valuable bungalow in Cinnamon gardens has been allocated to Senanayake by Gotabaya. Senanayke is daily throwing nocturnal parties at this Bungalow. For these sumptuous parties where liquor and food galore , different groups are invited .The invitees are mainly businessmen of Colombo in diverse fields.

At these parties , Senanayake has one stock request to make ‘our leader Gotabaya Rajapakse is going to contest at elections , and all those gathered here must support him.’This is a campaign completely orchestrated by Gotabaya. 

Gnanassara of the BBS , a paramilitary group of Gota, told openly recently , the rumors about a common candidate is a joke, and at the opportune moment they will field a ‘ national leader’ for the country. Gnanassara ‘s ‘national leader’ cannot be Mahinda Rajapakse of course. This is because Mahinda Rajapakse is already the leader , and therefore he is not a candidate left who can be put forward by the BBS. In other words what Gnanassara was beating about the bush then , Anura Senanayake had directly blurted out now.

No matter what , with Mahinda Rajapakse falling sick , apparently the second bell for raising the curtain on Gota’s next drama has tolled. 
By a special reporter of Lanka e news inside information division.

Stand Up Against Extremism – The Killer Weed And Worse Than ‘Ebola’

By Lukman Harees -August 27, 2014

Lukman Harees

“What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.”- —Robert F. Kennedy

Africa these days has been battling  with ‎EBOLA, a severe, infectious, often fatal disease in humans and primates  with no apparent cure in sight. Many have been dying  while the desperate medical researchers are frantically searching for a cure , to stem this tide. In the UK, I have heard of another battle; botanists trying to stop the spread of an invasive killer which has been ‘eating’ the gardens and ruining lives. It is the deadly  Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) , which in winter dies back beneath ground but by early summer the bamboo-like stems shoot to over 2.1m (7ft), suppressing all other growth. Eradication requires steely determination as it is very hard to remove by hand or with chemicals.

The reason for mentioning about Ebola and the Japanese knotweed  was to provide some context to describe the enormous challenge of crisis proportions , the present world has been facing , in order to  destroy or stem another killer disease or weed. The Scourge of  Extremism. Many examples can be cited to show the depths of absurdity to which extremism can take a person or a movement to or blind them, witnessed in recent times.  Three examples can be shown to prove this point. Read More

workshop on building National Unity

 Wednesday, 27 August 2014 

Bakeer Markar Centre for National Unity and Sarvodaya jointly organized a workshop on building National Unity, today in Colombo.

The workshop and discussions primarily focused on creating an activity based plan of action to create positive awareness and tackle religious and ethnic tensions that are prevalent in our society.

Many religious leaders representing all religions including Ven. Professor Kotapitiye Rahula Thero and Ven. Baddegama Samith Thero, representatives from the media, civil society representatives, key corporate leaders and youth activists also attended the event.

Further to the discussions, Sarvodaya and Bakeer Markar Centre intend publish a document containing the action points agreed at the workshop to be implemented with diverse partners across sectors in the future.

Sri Lanka’s new e-NICs collect personal data, family information, adoption details

26 AUGUST 2014

Sri Lanka’s government is trying to introduce a new electronic identity card. The Government says this is to prevent fraud. Opposition claims the card infringes upon people’s privacy, and are worried about the Ministry of Defence running the show. Their fears are justified.

• Universal registration of people in Sri Lanka is relatively new. The process began in 1972, and all Sri Lankan citizens over 16 are eligible for the identity card.
• Sri Lanka’s Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka planned the electronic identity devices following a study in 2008. The process was then taken over by the Registrations of Persons Department, which now falls under the purview of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence.
• The government says that the new electronic identity card system was introduced to prevent misuse and fraud. The card would be available for those aged over 15.
• The new ID card carries several pieces of information that were not available on the previous document, including fingerprints, blood type, family information and several bits of biometric data. The government says that the data is needed for “national security purposes.”
• The opposition parties including United National Party, the Tamil National Alliance and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna claim that the collection of data is a threat privacy, and that the Government should ensure security of data gathered from  the public.
• The privacy concerns of the opposition are justified, as the controversial Divi Neguma bill brought in earlier also has broad legal provisions to gather informational from the public, but has strict conditions on what the staffers of the state bodies can disclose.
• A spokesman for the Registrations of Persons Department told the BBC that the final list of data that would be collected for the new identity cards have =not been finalised. The spokesman added that the new identity cards would be in place in two years. Parents of adopted children are expected to submit that information.

Sri Lankan Governance Inspired By Nasi Goreng?

Colombo Telegraph

By Udan Fernando -August 27, 2014

Work took me to Indonesia a few times during the last couple of years. On all those occasions, I flew Mihin Air though I usually avoid the airline due to the negativity that surrounds it. I found the flight from Colombo to Jakarta and back wasn’t bad. Actually, the service of the airline staff is good. So I took a Mihin flight again on Monday early morning to Jakarta.

Though the flight originates from Colombo, very few Sri Lankans are on board. In fact, on one occasion I was the only Sri Lankan on board. The large majority of the passengers happen to be relatively young Indonesian women travelling back home. Mihin brings them from a few Middle Eastern capitals to Colombo and then lumps them on to this flight to Jakarta. These are the young Indonesian migrant workers in Gulf countries. Mihin operates a few flights every week and the flights are reasonably filled up and occasionally, even full.

An Indonesian woman should be at least 30 years to be able to work abroad. But this is grossly violated or the law turns a blind eye. The women, if they are married, should get permission from their respective husbands to leave the country to work as migrants. A single woman should get permission from her parents. It seems that Sri Lanka has taken a leaf from Indonesia. About a year back, Sri Lanka introduced a new regulation that made it mandatory for married women leaving for work in the Middle East to get ‘clearance’ from either their husband or the Grama Niladhari.

Banning Glyphosate – Shooting The Sentinel To Save The Weeds?

By Chandre Dharmawardana -August 27, 2014

Prof. Chandre Dharmawardana

A news item states that the Task-force on Kidney Disease of unknown origin (CKDU) has got the government to ban Glyphosate, a harmless herbicide, in agricultural provinces like Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura and Badulla.   “Doing something” about CKDU  has become a  political  necessity.

But  glyphosate is the sentinel that stands guard against weeds clogging up our plantations. Minister Abeywardena says that according to agricultural experts  “the country’s economy would collapse if glyphosate was banned”, but “the loss of a life could not be measured in terms of money”. What proof  lives will be saved? Unfortunately, not one human life  will be saved,  although the lives of many weeds will be saved.

It is a grievous  case of a strong divergence between the public perception and scientists’ perception of things. The type of unreasonable  public fear resulting from incomprehension is quite common.

Many readily accept that CKDU, and all sorts of other ills  are due to  industries or modern agriculture. Of course, generally speaking this is good sense, especially in societies where the rules  regarding public safety etc., are not properly enforced. The collusion between politicians and big business wishing to cut corners and make a profit is well known.  The same is suspected of the global food business which sells unhealthy highly-sugared pop-drinks and salted, processed , preservative-laced foods. These are, however, much safer than the traditional “Kalu-dodol, vatalappan or Kiri-paeni” etc. for sugar, and “Lunu-miris, Jaadi or karawala” or “kola-kaenda” for salt. In fact, the  “environment”  has become far safer than ever before. Hence people live longer, and the population is increasing at a dizzing rate. Their common ailments (diabetes, hypertension, and consequences there of) are related to their  life-styles  or due to aging (cancer,  dementia etc.) rather than to “the environment”.        Read More