MPs’ shocking dereliction of duty: 200 out of 

225 missing

* Vote on Ocean University of Sri Lanka Bill

DEW says House workers have to go in search of MPs

August 28, 2014, 10:25 pm 

by Shamindra Ferdinando

Parliamentarians’ attendance has dropped sharply and Opposition members skip parliament even when important Bills were taken up.

About 200 members representing both the government and the Opposition were absent when the vote on the Ocean University of Sri Lanka Bill was taken up on August 20.

According to a statement issued by Youth Affairs and Skills Development Ministry shortly after Parliament adopted the Bill with 24 members (UPFA and UNP) voting for it and one (DNA MP) Ajith Kumara against.

A senior parliamentary official said that the majority of members had left Parliament because they believed there wouldn’t be a vote due to the Opposition, too, backing the Bill with amendments.

Galle District MP Ajith Kumara’s decision to call for a division took all by surprise, he said. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a vote, he said.

Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development Dallas Alahapperuma presented the Bill in Parliament.

Both the DNA and TNA missed sittings. General Secretary of Communist Party and Senior Minister Dew Gunasekera told The Island that there had been a gradual decrease in members’ attendance over the past several years. That was due to failure on the part of relevant political parties to discipline their members, the veteran politician said.

Responding to a query, the minister said Parliament was now struggling to maintain quorum during sittings and meetings of consultative committees meetings and watchdog committees. Parliament employees had to go looking for members and request their presence at meetings, the outspoken minister said.

According to him, recently an adjournment debate on the External Affairs Ministry had to be stopped for want of quorum. He said that all political parties would have to adopt remedial measures without further delay to improve attendance as well as the quality of speeches. The parliament meets eight days a month.

Official sources said that parliamentary records showed a significant drop in attendance over the past few years.

Vehicles without number plates terrorize Uva

Details

 

Created On Friday, 29 August 2014 02:20

Category: General

Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) observers report that a large number of vehicles without number plates or with garage numbers are roaming Moneragala and Badulla engaging in electioneering. This is not only a violation of election laws but also the motor traffic act and shows the extent of the breakdown of law and order in Uva.

CaFFE has urged the Commissioner of Elections and the IGP to take immediate action. Attached herewith are several images of such vehicles, including one used by UPFA's Sendil Thondaman.

Illegal recruitment at Survey Department - 

CaFFE writes to EC

 

Friday, 29 August 2014 

Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) has learnt that the Survey Department has sent letters to over 300 persons, most of them from Uva province, asking them to come for interviews for the post of trainee surveyor between September 2 and 3 at the Survey Department head office.

This is a violation of election laws as recruitments, transfers and promotions of government servants are prohibited during the election period. CaFFE has written to the Commissioner of Elections regarding this election law violation.

Attached herewith are the letter sent by the Survey Department and CaFFE's letter to the Commissioner of Elections.

Hindus need not join Bodu Bala Sena to protect Hinduism – ACHC

[ACHC - A file photo]-29/08/2014 
The All Ceylon Hindu Congress has sent the following letter with reference to news item that appeared in the newspapers and websites: We have been receiving enquiries in respect of news reports and website news of what have been said by “All Ceylon Hindu Federation”.

We are unaware of existence or commencement of any organization by the name “All Ceylon Hindu Federation”. We have no connection whatsoever with them. It is improper for them to seek to act as the voice of the Hindus.

All Ceylon Hindu Congress has not only been functioning as the Federation of Hindu Religious Associations and Temple Trusts in Sri Lanka since 1955, but also as the umbrella organization and as the voice of the Hindus of this Country.

This organization (“All Ceylon Hindu Federation”) has also levelled unwarranted false allegations such as “Bishop of Mannar is converting Thiruketheeswaram Sivapoomi into a Christian Poomi” against the Bishop of Mannar who has always been raising his voice for Tamil people. We condemn those allegations.

We also wish to point out that the Hindus need not join Bodu Bala Sena to protect Hinduism.

Severe shortage of drugs in State hospitals 

By Skandha  Gunasekara-
 August 29, 2014

Health sector trade unions yesterday revealed details of a severe shortage of drugs in the country, while drugs issued by OPDs in government hospitals gradually ground to a standstill.
Speaking to Ceylon Today, Secretary of the Society of Government Pharmacists, Ajith Tilakaratne said no OPD patient was receiving drugs from State run hospitals while the drugs issued by Osu Sala was adequate for three days at the most. "Although the government said that drugs can be bought from Osu Sala, it is untrue, and misleading. The Osu Sala outlet in Colombo 7 is issuing drugs to patients that will last only three days. Patients in need of drugs for a longer period are in a grave situation," he noted.
 
He said only patients in hospitals, in critical condition were receiving drugs while the Out-Patient Department (OPD) does not issue drugs as a result of an ongoing strike of health sector officials.
"As a result of the authority's inaction in resolving our issues, those who are in serious need of medication are being forced seek treatment in private hospitals and purchase their drugs at exorbitant rates," he stressed.
With regard to the Osu Sala, Tilakaratne said the National Hospital Pharmacy usually has a staff of 80 pharmacists issuing drugs while the Osu Sala in Colombo 7 only has 10 pharmacists who would be responsible for the issuance of drugs.
 
"If the authorities are able to meet our demands, we can end the strike and resume work at State hospitals islandwide within an hour," he added.
Meanwhile, several attempts to contact Director General of Health Services,
Dr. Palitha Mahipala failed and Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe, Director General of Medical Supply Division declined to comment.

Boniface who takes chairmen for rides now in hot water!

Friday, 29 August 2014 

Boniface Silva, deputy general manager of the People’s Bank which knows the woes of the public, is endangering his job due to his machinations that victimize all chairmen appointed to the bank, says trade unions of the bank. He is in charge of the operational aspects of the bank that has more than 700 branches. Due to his machinations, DGM – operations is known among trade unionists as DGM – surgery. His operations are intended to safeguard his position, not for the betterment of the bank.

He has been able to have all chairmen, from the late W. Karunajeewa to the incumbent Gamini Senarath, under his spell, by claiming that he has the ability to dictate terms to the trade unions. He is having incumbent general manager Piyadasa Kudabalage dictated similarly with a promise that he would be made chairman after Gamini Senarath.

Recently at Kollupitiya Cricket Club Boniface has had several rounds of drinks with his friends, and told them, “Without me, the People’s Bank will collapse within 24 hours.” It is this Boniface Silva who carries tales to the chairman and board of directors of the bank against the marketing chief Deepal Abeysekara about his swindling. It is him who prints and distributes 700 branches island-wide the articles posted in websites against Deepal.

Getting to know the person, incumbent chief Gamini Senarath is making plans to centralize the responsilbilities of the operational responsibilities of Boniface, say TU sources. Accordingly, the operational post is to be divided into several segments. Under that, the chairman is making plans to form a separate position for IT. Deepal is ecstatic that Boniface is in hot water. He is working tirelessly in this project these days, say TUs. Anyhow, both Boniface and Deepal are of the same ilk, say the sources further.

தம்புள்ள பள்ளிவாசலுக்கு செல்ல அனுமதி மறுப்பு: அதிருப்தியில் பாக்.கிரிக்கெட் வீரர்கள்

[ வெள்ளிக்கிழமை, 29 ஓகஸ்ட் 2014, 01:50.31 PM GMT ]

இலங்கைக்கு விஜயம் மேற்கொண்டுள்ள பாகிஸ்தான் கிரிக்கெட் வீரர்கள், தம்புள்ள பள்ளிவாசலில் தொழுகைகளை மேற்கொள்ள அனுமதி மறுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

சர்வதேச ஒருநாள் போட்டித் தொடரின் இறுதிப் போட்டிகள் நாளை தம்புள்ளையில் அமைந்துள்ள ரங்கிரி சர்வதேச விளையாட்டு மைதானத்தில் இடம்பெறவுள்ளன.

இப்போட்டிகளில் பங்கேற்கும் நோக்கில் பாகிஸ்தான் கிரிக்கெட் அணியினர் இன்று தம்புள்ளைக்குச் சென்றுள்ளனர்.

இந்த நிலையில், இன்று மாலை தொழுகைகளை மேற்கொள்ள தம்புள்ளையில் அமைந்துள்ள மஸ்ஜிதுள் ஹய்ரா பள்ளிவாசலுக்கு பாகிஸ்தான் கிரிக்கெட் அணி வீரர்களும் ஏனைய அதிகாரிகளும் முயற்சித்துள்ளனர்.

எனினும் பாதுகாப்பு தரப்பினரால் அங்கு செல்ல இவர்களுக்கு அனுமதி மறுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இந்த நடவடிக்கையினால், பாகிஸ்தான் அணி வீரர்களும் அதிகாரிகளும் கடும் அதிருப்தியை வெளியிட்டுள்ளனர்.

பாகிஸ்தான் கிரிக்கெட் அணியை இலங்கை அதிகாரிகள் அவமரியாதை செய்துள்ளதாக சில பாகிஸ்தான் வீரர்கள் கருத்து வெளியிட்டுள்ளனர்.

இந்த சம்பவத்தின் பின்னர் பாகிஸ்தான் கிரிக்கெட் வீரர்கள் கலேவல பள்ளிவாசலுக்கு சென்று, தமது வெள்ளிக்கிழமை மாலை தொழுகைகளை மேற்கொண்டுள்ளனர்.

கடந்த இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் தம்புள்ளை பள்ளிவாசலை இடிப்பதற்காக பல பௌத்த குழுக்கள் ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்டனர்.

குறித்த பள்ளிவாசல் புனிதப் பிரதேசத்தில் அமைந்துள்ளதாகவும் அதனை உடைக்குமாறும் தற்போதும் சில பௌத்த அமைப்புக்கள் கோரிக்கை விடுத்து வருகின்றமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

James Foley Murder, The British 

And Biafran Story

| by Osita Ebiem writes from NYC

( August 28, 2014, New York City, Sri Lanka Guardian) The recent inhuman murder of the American journalist James Foley by the Islamic terrorists in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL (they are also called ISIS, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is just too revulsive to all human sensibilities. It is altogether bestial and condemnable. Such acts should never have been contemplated by real human beings anywhere in the world in the name of whatever religion or other convictions.

James Foley Murder, The British by Thavam

Stunning video captures erupting Icelandic volcano

Iceland's meteorological office raises its aviation alert level to maximum after an eruption in the Bardarbunga volcano system.

FRIDAY 29 AUGUST 2014
In 2010, an ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, in a different region of Iceland, closed much of Europe's air space for six days, causing travel chaos.

Air traffic controllers in Iceland have closed the air space above the volcano up to 18,000 feet because of the risk of ash, but as things stand, we are not in line for a repeat of 2010.

Icelandic officials said in a statement: "No volcanic ash has been detected with the radar system at the moment. Seismic eruption tremor is low, indicating effusive eruption without significant explosive activity."

The eruption is at the tip of a magma dyke around 40km from the main Bardarbunga crater, and seismologist Martin Hensch said it was impossible to say how it would develop.

"One of the concerns is that the fissure opens into the glacier, but presently there is no sign of that happening," he said.

Aircraft hazard

Professor Nick Petford, a volcano expert at the University of Northampton in Britain, said fissure eruptions were often spectacular, but relatively low key and often died out in a couple of days.

"If it carries on like this, it is very unlikely it will constitute any major hazard to aircraft," he said.

Why air travellers needn't fear another 2010. Read Science Editor Tom Clarke's blog.

But Prof Petford said the situation could change, as it did in 2010. "Exactly the same thing happened in 2010 with the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. The main eruption was in April, but in March there was a fissure eruption which was a precursor to the much larger eruption."

The Eyjafjallajokull eruption was particularly disruptive because it pushed ash up to just the elevation used by transatlantic aircraft, while winds propelled the cloud into European air space.

The aviation alert level has now been raised to red.

Why Israel’s bombardment of Gaza neighborhood left US officers ‘stunned’

Analysis: Military sources say Pentagon’s assessment of Shujaiya shelling alarmed even Secretary of State John Kerry

by Mark Perry -August 27, 2014

The cease-fire announced Tuesday between Israel and Palestinian factions — if it holds — will end seven weeks of fighting that killed more than 2,200 Gazans and 69 Israelis. But as the rival camps seek to put their spin on the outcome, one assessment of Israel’s Gaza operation that won’t be publicized is the U.S. military’s. Though the Pentagon shies from publicly expressing judgments that might fall afoul of a decidedly pro-Israel Congress, senior U.S. military sources speaking on condition of anonymity offered scathing assessments of Israeli tactics, particularly in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City.
Why Israel’s Bombardment of Gaza Neighborhood Left US Officers ‘Stunned’ by Thavam

Israeli Company Targeted by Oakland Blockade Imports Ammunition Into US

Activists in Oakland picketed the city's busy port for five days starting August 16, preventing longshore workers from unloading the Zim Piraeus, one of 89 ships in the Zim fleet. Oakland, CA, August 16, 2014. (Photo: Alex Chis)

By Darwin BondGraham, Truthout | Report-Thursday, 28 August 2014 

Israeli-owned shipping company Zim, the target of recent port blockades organized by Palestinian solidarity activists in California, is importing millions of rounds of small arms ammunition into the United States each year.

Israeli Company Targeted by Oakland Blockade Imports Ammunition Into US by Thavam

Islamic State kills 150 captured troops in Syria, say activists

An image grab taken from a video uploaded on social networks alleged captured soldiers being marched barefoot along a desert road. Photograph: -/AFP/Getty Images

Thursday 28 August 2014

Islamic State militants killed more than 150 of the troops captured in recent fighting in north-eastern Syria. It is the latest mass killing attributed to the extremists, activists said, with the violence coming during a 24-hour period. The troops were either shot or slashed with knives.

In southern Syria, meanwhile, the United Nations said gunmen detained 43 UN Fijian peacekeepers during fighting on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, and another 81 peacekeepers from the Philippines were trapped in the area by the heavy clashes between rebels and Syrian troops.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said many of the soldiers killed were rounded up on Wednesday in the arid countryside near the Tabqa airfield, three days after Islamic State fighters seized the base. The government troops were among a large group of soldiers from the base who were stuck behind the front lines after the airfield fell to the jihadi fighters.

The Observatory said around 120 captive government troops from Tabqa were killed near the base. Islamic State fighters killed at least another 40 soldiers, most of whom had been taken prisoner in recent fighting for other bases in the Hamrat region near Raqqa city, the group's stronghold.

A statement posted online and circulated on Twitter by supporters of the Islamic State group claimed the extremists killed "about 200" government prisoners captured near Tabqa. It also showed photographs of those it said were the prisoners: young men stripped down to their underwear marching in the desert. The photos could not immediately be verified.

A video showing the same also emerged online, followed by another video posted later showing more than 150 men lying motionless – apparently dead – in a row in the sand.

While the videos could not be independently confirmed, they appeared to illustrate the claims made online by Islamic State group supporters and Syrian activists about the mass killing. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government.

In its rise to prominence over the past year, the extremist group has frequently published graphic photos and videos of everything from beheadings to mass killings.

In Iraq, for example, the group killed nearly 200 men – most of them Iraqi soldiers – in late June near the northern city of Tikrit, human rights groups and Iraqi officials say. It published photos online showing dozens of men dressed in civilian clothes lined up or lying face down as militants aimed rifles at their backs. A final set of photos showed their bloodied bodies.

Such killings have not been limited to Iraq. Earlier this month, Islamic State fighters shot and beheaded hundreds of tribesmen in eastern Syria who had risen up against the group.

A UN commission accused Islamic State on Wednesday of committing crimes against humanity in Syria – echoing UN accusations against the group in Iraq.

Islamic State's surge is one aspect of Syria's multi-layered civil war, a bloody conflict that has killed more than 190,000 people and destabilised the region.

The office of UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon did not identify the armed group holding the 43 UN peacekeepers in the Golan, where fighting has raged this week between Syrian rebels and government forces.

Several rebel groups operate in the Golan, while Islamic State has no known presence. The UN said another 81 peacekeepers were "currently being restricted to their positions" in the vicinity of Ruwaihaniyeh and Burayqa.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the 81 trapped troops were from the Philippines and the 43 seized ones from Fiji, Reuters reported

The Philippine army said in a statement that militants and had surrounded the Philippine contingent's encampments with Fijian hostages in tow and demanded that the Filipino troops surrender their firearms.

"The Philippine peacekeepers held their ground and demonstrated their resolve to defend their positions," it said. "They did not surrender their firearms as they may in turn be held hostage themselves."

The Syrian government denounced the "kidnapping" of the UN peacekeepers. In a statement issued by the Syrian foreign ministry, the government said it held "the terrorist groups and those who support them fully responsible for the safety of the UN peacekeepers, and calls for their immediate release".

The statement from Ban's office said the UN was "making every effort to secure the release of the detained peacekeepers," who are part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (Undof), the mission that has been monitoring a 1974 disengagement accord between Syria and Israel after their 1973 war.

As of July, Undof had 1,223 troops from six countries: Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands and the Philippines.

Fijian army commander Brigadier-General Mosese Tikoitoga told Reuters on Friday he would not recommend to his government that Fijian forces should abandon the country's commitment to peacekeeping in Syria.

"If I was to make any recommendation, I would increase our forces in Syria ... If we don't want to do this, then who else in the world would want to do this?" he said.

Heavy fighting has engulfed the Syrian side of the Golan since Wednesday, when rebels captured a crossing on the disputed frontier with Israel. A rebel spokesman said the opposition is focused on fighting President Bashar Assad, and poses no threat to Israel.

On Thursday, government warplanes targeted several rebel positions in the area, including in the village of Jaba, the Observatory said. The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, also reported the air raids.

The Observatory said heavy clashes were raging between the rebels and the Syrian military in Jaba and the surrounding countryside.

White plumes of smoke set off by exploding mortar rounds could be seen on Thursday from the Israeli side of the Golan. The sound of small arms fire could be heard echoing in the background.

Found: The Islamic State's Terror Laptop of Doom

Buried in a Dell computer captured in Syria are lessons for making bubonic plague bombs and missives on using weapons of mass destruction.

• BY HARALD DOORNBOS , JENAN MOUSSA-AUGUST 28, 2014

Abu Ali says the fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), which have since rebranded themselves as the Islamic State, all fled before he and his men attacked the building.
Found the Islamic State's Terror Laptop of Doom by Thavam

Putin likens Ukraine's forces to Nazis and threatens standoff in the Arctic

Russian president hits back at invasion accusations as Nato accuses Kremlin of 'blatant violation' of Ukraine's sovereignty

Russia's president Vladimir Putin. Photograph: Itar-Tass/Barcroft Media

Shaun Walker in Mariupol, Leonid Ragozin in Moscow, Matthew Weaver and agencies- Friday 29 August 2014

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has hit back at accusations that he has effectively invaded Ukraine, accusing Ukrainian forces of behaving like Nazis in the conflict in the east and ominously threatening to take his standoff with the west into the disputed Arctic.

Putin Likens Ukraine's Forces to Nazis and Threatens Standoff in the Arctic by Thavam

Thai army sues human rights activist over torture claim

By Bangkok Pundit Aug 29, 2014 

The Association for the Prevention of Torture has the following blurb on Pornpen Khongkachonkiet:

Despite growing intimidation from authorities, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Director of the Cross Cultural Foundation, continues to assist marginalised communities, especially torture victims and their families in Southern Thailand, to access justice. She also supports the communities’ efforts to address the widespread culture of impunity. 

Thai Army Sues Human Rights Activist Over Torture Claim by Thavam