ECJ verdict : LTTE name removed from terrorist organization list pending final decision in 6 months but proscription continues

(Lanka-e-News- 16.Oct.2014, 11.30PM) The European court of justice (ECJ) has delivered a verdict today which is unfavorable to the Rajapakse regime which is treading a racist path taking refuge under the LTTE phobia while preparing for the Presidential elections that is in the offing.

The ECJ has removed the LTTE name from the list subject to a six months judicial examination. However the proscription applying to the LTTE still stands.

The attention of the judges were drawn by lawyers for LTTE to the case heard in Indian courts which they argued was unfair ; the LTTE did not engage in any terrorist activities after the war ; and no unlawful activities took place in the European union (EU), they pointed out.

The lawyers pointed out to court that the Rajapakse regime is unrelentingly violating the fundamental rights of the Tamil people , and the latter are unable to fight for their rights because of the proscription attaching to the LTTE. In the order of the ECJ it was stated that after examination of the facts , within six months a decisive verdict shall be arrived at.

It is very unfortunate when the Rajapakses are trying to portray a picture that the LTTE are a still a potent danger , and they are still in existence in order to increase its vote base in the south via racism , the ECJ has confirmed that the LTTE is no longer a force to be feared.

The governments that were in power proscribed the LTTE but because Rajapakses provoked the foreign countries , the Rajapakses were pushed to the point of being forced to withdraw that proscription.

The Rajapakses are again instilling the fear of an LTTE that is no longer existent in the Sinhala people of the north . Ironically , KP an LTTE leader, the LTTE arms leader Karuna , the woman arms leader of the LTTE , Thamalini , LTTE media chief Daya Master are now hand in glove with the Rajapakses. In addition , it is the businessmen who funded the LTTE earlier before transacting business deals with the Rajapakses, who are now providing funds to be spent against the Tamil Diaspora in Europe that is opposed to the Rajapakses.

Rajapakse has told these businessmen , since he can build a heroic image among the Sinhalese in the south when the Diaspora is staging processions and demonstrations in Europe , these businessmen should give support to the Diaspora. Currently , these businessmen are not only funding the Rajapakses , but the anti Rajapakse Tamil Diaspora.

The Sinhala Diaspora who are in Europe say they are rejecting the Rajapakses because the proscription was imposed on the LTTE by the commitment shown by the governments that were in power ; the failure of the Rajapakses to punish the war criminals ; and for establishing close ties and sleeping together with the LTTE murderers and criminals .

President’s craze for vehicles

FRIDAY, 17 OCTOBER 2014 

Presidential Secretariat has got Rs. 206,464,210 allocated stating it is to buy high security vehicles to be used for special state guests.

The funds have been obtained through a supplementary estimate passed on 20th January. This money has been allocated in addition to the Rs.8560 million allocated for the President for this year.

When Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected to the office of President there was a pool of vehicles worth Rs.36710000. This has been increased to Rs.3,607,152,210 which is an increase of 11670%!

SF eligible to contest? decision today

The General Secretaries of all the registered political parties will be meeting the Election Commissioner, Mahinda Deshapriya, for a special meeting, this afternoon.

October 17, 2014

The meeting will be held at the Department of Election in Rajagiriya, at 3.30 p.m. 

Sources close to the Election Department said that the party Secretaries will be informed on future elections and the voters’ registries.

It was reported that the decision on whether Democratic Party leader, Sarath Fonseka, is eligible to contest for upcoming polls, or not, will be also announced at the meeting. 

The Election Commissioner sought the advice of the Attorney General’s Department to make clear whether Fonseka can contest for elections as he (Fonseka) has lost his civic rights.

However, U. Amaradasa, Additional Election Commissioner, told Ada Derana that Fonseka’s name is likely to be removed from the voters list upon the instructions of the AG.

According to the law experts if a person serves a prison sentence for time exceeding six months loses his/ her civic rights, and owing to the fact loses his / her civic rights to contest elections for seven years.

Sobhitha Thera rejects Ranil’s proposal!

 Friday, 17 October 2014 

Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera has kindly turned down a request by opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had called on him at Sri Naga Vihara in Kotte last night (16), to sign a memorandum of understanding between the United National Party and the Movement for a Just Society.

Wickremesinghe was accompanied in the visit by a founding member of the Movement, president’s counsel, Dr. Jayampathy Wickremaratne.

Explaining matters in detail, the opposition leader said that the UNP would be committed to implement the ideals and objectives of the Movement, and proposed that a MoU be signed as a symbolic gesture. In reply, Sobhitha Thera said the Movement was not his personal property, and that every activity is taken collectively and transparently, and that he could not agree to his request.

Before taking his leave, Wickremesinghe also requested that he be informed of the decision after discussing his proposal with other members of the Movement.

Investigate Elephant Racketeer Judge’s Assets: Animal Rights Activists

October 16, 2014

Animal rights activists today revealed that the Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage is party to the widespread baby elephant smuggling racket, pointing out he is the present owner of an elephant that had been smuggled out of a national park by the racketeers.

The expose was made by the activists today during a press briefing at the Library Service Auditorium where they quoted information cited in a report issued by the Auditor General’s Department based on an investigation carried out on four selected cases of suspicious baby elephants that are being held domestically. According to the Auditor General’s Department, the elephant registered under no: 334 is presently owned by Thilina Gamage who has purchased the animal from its previous owner C. Yatawara.

The investigations have revealed that Yatwara who in his application to rear the animal as a domestic elephant has stated he is a resident of Meegoda, Ovitigama is in fact a resident of Nawinna, Maharagama. Moreover, it has also been exposed that during the time the elephant was bought by Gamage, the license permit issued by the WCD was withdrawn as the signatures and seals of the Homagama District Secretary and the Grama Niladhari had been forged in the documents submitted by Yatawara to apply for the license.

Hence, Gamage had been holding the animal in his possession for several months without any legal documents whatsoever.

The activists also point out that the Bribery and Corruption Commission should launch an investigation into the wealth and assets of Gamage, pointing out his ability to pay Rs. 3 million for the elephant raises concerns since he is a government servant. They also note that the absence of a formal receipt of purchase in a financial deal that was worth a significant sum of between Gamage and Yatawara is also evidence of the dubious nature of the transaction.

China rail official given death sentence for corruption

The former deputy chief engineer of China's disbanded railways ministry has been given a suspended death sentence for corruption, state media report.

17 October 2014 

Zhang Shuguang was found guilty by a court in Beijing of taking bribes of more than 47m yuan ($7.7m; £4.8m) over 11 years.

The court heard he used his position to help companies secure rail contracts.

He was an associate of Liu Zhijun, the former railways minister who was given a suspended death sentence in 2013.

Many officials of different ranks have been charged in recent months after China's leader Xi Jinping called for a crack down on corruption.

A high-speed train crash led to an investigation into the railway ministry which was later disbanded

Zhang was fired from his position in February 2011, soon after Liu was taken into detention.

Zhang pleaded guilty to 13 charges related to bribery in court in September.

Friday's death sentence was suspended for two years, however, death sentences are often commuted to life imprisonment in China. Zhang was also deprived of his political rights for life and had his property confiscated.

His deputy Su Shunhu was found guilty of taking bribes worth more than 24m yuan and jailed for life.

Once a very powerful department, China's railways ministry was dismantled in March last year.

It came after two high-speed trains collided in 2011, killing 40 people. The incident led to a probe into the industry and many officials were charged with corruption and abuse of power.

China has the world's longest network of high-speed rail lines with more than 10,000km (6,200 miles) of track.

On international Day, Ban declares eradication of poverty a 'most fundamental obligation'

Millenium Development Goal 1: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Copyright United Nations. UN Photo/Kiba E Park

17 October 2014 – Amid pronounced increases in global inequality, the United Nations marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty today with calls to accelerate efforts in eliminating poverty in all its forms.

“Entrenched poverty and prejudice, and vast gulfs between wealth and destitution, can undermine the fabric of societies and lead to instability,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day, which is commemorated annually on 17 October.

The Day will be marked at UN Headquarters in New York at three separate events, including an official commemoration in the form of a panel discussion entitled 'Leave No One Behind: Women Poverty and Participation,' and an art exhibition giving voice to people living in poverty through their collected artworks.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General said: “Where poverty holds sway, people are held back. Lives disfigured by poverty are cruel, mean and, often, short.”

Mr. Ban admitted that “enormous” successes had been achieved with the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of people living in poverty already reached. In addition, he pointed out that at least 700 million people had been lifted out of extreme poverty between 1990 and 2010.

But, observed the Secretary-General, the damaging impact of entrenched poverty remained a constant due to the aftereffects of the 2008 financial crisis as an estimated 2.4 billion people continue to survive on less than $2 a day. Moreover, he noted that women and girls were still largely excluded from opportunities of self-development and fulfilment, often isolating them, and their families, in pockets of poverty.

“Since the beginning of the financial crisis, inequality has grown even more pronounced than it was already,” Mr. Ban declared. “Discrimination against women and girls remains a blatant injustice, robbing the entire development enterprise of one of the keys to progress.”

With the fight against poverty at the core of the UN development agenda, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed every year since 1993, when the UN General Assembly designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries ahead of the MDG deadline set for 2015.

This year's theme for the Day, 'Leave no one behind: think, decide and act together against extreme poverty,' draws much-needed attention to the challenge of identifying and securing the participation of those experiencing extreme poverty and social exclusion in the “Post-2015 Development Agenda” that will replace the MDGs.

Turning to the UN-wide preparations for a post-2015 sustainable development agenda, the Secretary-General reminded UN Member States and all parties not to lose sight of their “most fundamental obligation” to eliminate poverty and build “a sustainable, peaceful, prosperous and equitable future for all.”

UK lawmakers vote to recognize Palestine as a state

POSTED ON OCTOBER 17, 2014 UPDATED ON OCTOBER 17, 2014

Remains non binding even a century after Britain planted Israel in Palestine in the heart of Muslim Middle East

By Latheef Farook

The UK lawmakers voted on Monday 13 October 2014 to recognize Palestine as a state after a debate in Parliament. This happened exactly a century after Britain led the European imperialist powers to plant the   Jewish racist entity of Israel in Palestine in the heart of Muslim Middle East.

UK Lawmakers Vote to Recognize Palestine as a State by Thavam

Peace? You Must Be Kidding.

No matter how many times a lie is told, it will never be the truth.

Jafar M Ramini Salem-News.com-Oct-16-2014

(LONDON) - The dust has settled over Gaza. The stench of death mixed with sewage and rotten fruit and vegetables is filling the air. The dust will soon turn into mud when the winter rains fall over this strip of Palestine.

The humming of the drones and the boom of mortar shells have been replaced by announcements and pronouncements of the Zionist government. They are back on track spewing lies that have been told over and over again for the best part of a century and have become to them and their supporters a reality. Do any of you remember that master of propaganda in Germany during the Third Reich, Joseph Goebbels? Let me remind you.

Peace You Must Be Kidding. by Thavam

When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes

In an exclusive interview, a top Iranian official says that Khomeini personally stopped him from building Iran's WMD program.

• BY GARETH PORTER-OCTOBER 16, 2014

 The nuclear negotiations between six world powers and Iran, which are now nearing their November deadline, remain deadlocked over U.S. demands that Iran dismantle the bulk of its capacity to enrich uranium. The demand is based on the suspicion that Iran has worked secretly to develop nuclear weapons in the past and can't be trusted not to do so again.
When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes by Thavam

Whisper it quietly: who can you trust online?

Friday 17 Oct 2014

Who can you trust? It’s a question that dogs so many interactions online and one that’s been brought dramatically to the fore with the Guardian’s reporting on Whisper, the anonymous social media service that the Guardian claims is less than anonymous.

Whisper’s selling point was to allow users to post anonymous pictures, usually overlaid with text. Its promise not to identify users led to a string of confessional posts from staff inside military, political and other public service spheres.

Yet when Guardian journalists visited Whisper’s offices to talk about further collaboration, they claim they found evidence that potentially identifiable information was being stored.

There are two accusations here: firstly, that Whisper is keeping track of people who’ve agreed to supply their location when they post pictures (“geo-location”). Whisper may not be keeping people’s names, the Guardian argues, but it’s keeping enough data to identify who they are, and keeping it “indefinitely”. And secondly, that even users who’ve opted out of geo-location are still being tracked using their IP address (see what yours says about you).

Whisper, for its part, insists it “does not follow or track users”, and says the second of the Guardian’s accusations is “not true”.

Whatever the outcome, two things are certain: the Guardian and Whisper probably won’t be collaborating again any time soon, and this is going to make people even more sceptical about services billed as anonymous.

Those of us covering tech over the last few years have seen a slight but noticeable turn in the tide: even before former US security contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations, people had become concerned about insidious tracking online: from ads that follow you around the web, to Google’s attempts to hoover up wifi information.

The backlash has resulted in a slew of new services which claim to guarantee privacy, confer anonymity, and so on.

There are two problems with this anti-tracking backlash: firstly, the web is at heart a publishing medium. If you put it online, you make it public, and any attempt at anonymity, privacy or security is inevitably an attempt at retrofitting. Imagine fitting a paper door on the front of your house, then trying to bolt a lock on to it.

Secondly, the reason so many of these online services are free is because they are selling your data out the back door: whether to advertising agencies or, in the case of Whisper, to websites like Buzzfeed (which told the Guardian it is “taking a break” from its partnership with Whisper). A service that claims to be both free of charge and also anonymous is going to go broke, no matter how much investment it secures in the short term.

Fundamentally, when you’re using a free service, the contractual obligation is between the service owner and its customers (advertisers, marketers, journalists, etc.). You are the product being sold, and you have as much chance of enforcing your rights as a cornflake box in a Tesco Metro. The idea that you can trust any free web service is laughable.

One last point on the issue of trust: let’s not forget that Whisper itself thought it could trust the Guardian journalists visiting its offices. It seems we’re all on a learning curve with this one.

Follow @geoffwhite247 on Twitter

- See more at: http://blogs.channel4.com/geoff-white-on-technology/whisper-quietly-trust-online/1215#sthash.S9mbjrNK.dpuf

Rental America: Why the poor pay $4,150 for a $1,500 sofa

No credit, no cash, no bank account? There’s still a place to go shopping, but it comes at a price.

Donald Abbott, 35, looks over a receipt from Buddy’s Home Furnishings while his daughter, Savannah, and wife Jamie, rest on the family loveseat. The Abbott family purchased a sofa set from Buddy’s opting to pay for it in weekly installments of $110. (Photo by Bob Miller/For The Washington Post)

By Chico Harlan October 16 at 7:56 PM

CULLMAN, Ala. — The love seat and sofa that Jamie Abbott can’t quite afford ended up in her double-wide trailer because of the day earlier this year when she and her family walked into a new store called Buddy’s. Abbott had no access to credit, no bank account and little cash, but here was a place that catered to exactly those kinds of customers. Anything could be hers. The possibilities — and the prices — were dizzying.
Rental America Why the poor pay $4,150 for a $1,500 sofa by Thavam

After border row, India, China plan counter-terror drills to build trust

. A signboard is seen from the Indian side of the Indo-China border at Bumla, in Arunachal Pradesh, November 11, 2009.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) and China's President Xi Jinping (C) shake their hands as India's President Pranab Mukherjee looks on during Xi's ceremonial reception at the forecourt of the More...

BY SANJEEV MIGLANI-NEW DELHI Fri Oct 17, 2014

(Reuters) - India will hold counter-terrorism exercises with China despite a recent face-off on their disputed border, officials said, in a sign the two governments want to manage their deep differences.

India, which under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has struck an assertive national security posture, also agreed to China's request to move next month's exercises away from the border with Pakistan with which China shares a close relationship.

The manoeuvres will come just weeks after thousands of Indian and Chinese soldiers confronted each other on their de facto border in the western Himalayas, accusing each other of building roads and observations posts in disputed territory.

"The exercises are a confidence-building measure, it is in everyone's interest," Jayadeva Ranade, the China specialist on India's National Security Advisory Board, told Reuters.

"It doesn't mean anyone is conceding anything."

The row in the Chumar sector of the Ladakh region erupted just as China's President Xi Jinping was visiting New Delhi for his first summit with Modi since the Indian leader's election in May. The leaders of the Asian giants aim to ramp up commercial ties.

India sees the anti-terrorism collaboration with China as a way to highlight the threat they both face from Islamist militants in Pakistan.

It had arranged for the Chinese to practise mock assaults in Bhatinda, about 110 km from the Pakistan border.

HOT BORDER

But last week China sought a change in the location of only the second such exercises after tension rose on the India-Pakistan border with the two sides exchanging fire, killing civilians.

"China had agreed to it initially, but then they opted for a change because the border got hot," said an Indian military source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The two armies will field 103 soldiers each for the "hand-in-hand" manoeuvres in Pune that involve scenarios such as recapturing a border post taken over by terrorists, the military source said.

India has long faced attacks that it blames on Pakistan based militant groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba which has links with Pakistani security agents.

China says it faces a threat from Islamists in its far western region of Xinjiang, some of whom it says have received training overseas, including in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

But China remains a close ally of Pakistan and says it supports and appreciates Islamabad's efforts to fight terrorism. China declined a previous Indian proposal to hold exercises in Rajasthan, which also shares a border with Pakistan.

The large armies of India and China, who fought a brief war in 1962, have limited interaction and the exercises themselves are nowhere near the scale and sophistication of India's annual war games with the United States involving thousands of naval, army and air force personnel.

"The India-China joint operations are meant to open a channel of communication between soldiers at the medium- and low-levels," said Srikanth Kondapalli, a China specialist at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University.

"It builds a bit of trust, especially after the Chumar incident."

(Editing by Robert Birsel)

Education in Thailand: Changing times?

Pic: Daniel Maxwell.

By Daniel Maxwell-By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Oct 17, 2014

Since coming to power in May this year, Thailand’s junta led by Prayuth Chan-ocha has been busy proposing reforms for a multitude of social agencies.

Concrete reforms to Thailand’s education system are yet to be announced but the need for substantial improvements in the education system appear to be universally recognised. Recently the Thai education system has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

– The latest World Economic Forum’s (WEF) report on education ranked Thailand last out of eight ASEAN nations.

– In the last PISA rankings Thailand came in below the international standard and ranked 50th from 65 nations, well below a number of other nations in Asia, including Singapore, China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam.

– In the Times Higher Education University Rankings 2014, Thailand had only two universities in the top 100 universities of Asia, and none in the top 50. When compared with the rest of the world, the situation was even bleaker, with Thailand’s top university ranked just inside the top 400.

And it’s not only researchers and academics that are aware of Thailand’s schooling crisis. The actions of Thai parents also highlights a lack of confidence in the Kingdom’s schools.

It is estimated that here are now over 100,000 “cram schools” across the Kingdom catering to students from grade 1 to grade 12. According to a report by NESDB, the average student in Bangkok spends over 6,000 baht (US$185) per year on extra tuition. The reason for this? Parents lack faith in the Thai school system and they believe their children need to study at the weekends to compensate.

The huge growth of international schools in Thailand also points to a lack of confidence in Thailand’s own education system. Since 1992, when laws limiting Thai students’ access to international education were relaxed, the number of international schools has grown from just 10 to over 160 (latest figure according to ICEF Monitor).

Solutions for Thailand’s education woesThailand has undergone massive social, economic and political change since the 1980s but the school system is still reminiscent of the 19th century. It’s clear that changes are needed. Everyone agrees with that but the more difficult questions are: Exactly what changes need to be made? And, how can these changes be effectively implemented?

In Prayuth’s last Friday evening address he discussed more ideas for improving education. These included more field trips; the improvement of living museums; and more opportunities for interactive learning. In previous weeks he has also spoken of reducing the amount of homework that students are given and a restructuring of the Social Studies and History curricula.

These are all valid ideas but they remain just superficial changes. The reforms Thailand’s education system require are far more substantial.

A good starting point might be a comprehensive programme of continual professional development for all teachers to encourage the adoption of modern teaching pedagogies. Again and again research has shown that the factor which has the greatest influence over student attainment is the classroom teacher. If Thailand’s schools are going to develop, then the changes need to start with teaching standards in the classrooms.

The second area which requires urgent reform is the nation’s assessments. Currently students undergo 12 years of education just to pass a multiple choice test. The sooner the National Institute of Education Testing Services (NIETS) develops an assessment better suited to assessing students’ actual abilities, rather than just their memories, the better.

Implementing Change
Developing initiatives and approving new policies is just the first step but these alone do not promise improvements at the classroom level. Unfortunately, Thailand doesn’t have a particularly good track record when it comes to implementing educational change and innovation, as can be seen from these well documented attempts:

- Student-centered Learning
In 2000 Thailand officially adopted student-centered learning. Rung Kaewdaeng, the Secretary General of the National Education Commission, ambitiously declared: “Learning by rote will next year be eliminated from all primary and secondary schools and be replaced with student-centered learning.” Any teachers unable to adapt to the new approach “would be sent for intensive training”. Needless to say this well intentioned innovation failed to materalise and a decade on, student-centered learning is still struggling to gain a foothold in Thailand’s schools. The initiative was sadly destined to fail because Thai teachers are generally not familiar with student-centered learning. They didn’t experience student-centered learning when they were school students and their university training pays little more than lip service to this approach. To expect a nation of teachers to instantly adopt a ‘foreign’ teaching approach without ongoing professional development was simply unrealistic.

- Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment in Thailand’s schools is illegal under the Ministry of Education Regulation on Student Punishment (2005). However, it is still widely practiced in schools across the Kingdom with abuse going largely unreported. Parents often feel uncomfortable about complaining to schools for fear that their children will be further victimized. I’ve even heard Thai teachers arguing with students that corporal punishment is legal under special circumstances, so there would be no point in them informing their parents.

- Hairstyle Regulations
Just last year Education Minister Phongthep Thekpkanchana ordered schools to relax Thailand’s strict hairstyle regulations which require male students to have short hair. These regulations were first introduced back in 1972 when male students were forbade from “wearing hair on the crown and front of the head longer than 5 centimeters and hair on the sides of the head”. This decree signaled the birth of the military-style hair cut which has been begrudgingly sported by schoolboys ever since.

So what has changed since these regulations have been relaxed?

Well not very much. You only need to look at a group of Thai teenagers to see the boys still sporting crew cuts and it seems unlikely that they are doing so by choice. During morning assemblies at school the ‘Hair Police’ do the rounds looking for students whose appearance doesn’t conform with the 1972 regulations.

Changing Times?
For now we must wait and see exactly what polices Thailand’s junta introduce to raise the country’s education standards. Then the hard work beings. Will the educators in Thailand’s school be able to successfully implement the government’s vision? Can Prayuth and the junta succeed where others have failed?

Only time will tell….

About the author:
Daniel Maxwell is a writer and educator who has been living and working in Southeast Asia since the late 1990s. An English literature graduate from the University of London, Daniel previously worked with the publishing company EMAP before relocating to Asia.  Along with teaching and writing, Daniel is currently working towards a Masters in Educational Leadership with the University of Bath. Found elsewhere: Maxwell’s Notes.