57 killed as passenger bus, oil tanker collide in Pakistan

Pakistani volunteers search for victims inside a burnt out passenger bus after it collided with an oil tanker along the Super Highway near Karachi early on January 11, 2015.

ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images

Global News

By Adil Jawad The Associated Press-January 11, 2015 11:07 am

KARACHI, Pakistan – A passenger bus crashed into an oil tanker in southern Pakistan early Sunday, killing 57 people with remains charred beyond recognition, officials said.

Dr. Seemi Jamali, who heads the emergency section at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center in Karachi where the remains were brought, said they had received 57 bodies. Four people were also injured, she said.

She said the hospital would have to do DNA tests to identify the victims.

The Minister of Transportation for Sindh Province, Mir Mumtaz Hussain Jakhrani, said the crash happened when the passenger bus hit an oil tanker early Sunday about 50 kilometres (31 miles) outside of Karachi.

A relative of one of the victims told The Associated Press that his sister and two uncles and all their families were on board the bus.

“A total nine members of my family were on board and nobody survived,” said Abdul Hafeez.

The bus was completely burned on the inside from the fire.

Such horrific traffic accidents are not uncommon in Pakistan due to reckless, untrained drivers and poor roads.

© The Associated Press, 2015

10 Cancer Symptoms Most People Ignore

BY JILLIAN KRAMER-DECEMBER 9, 2014 

Before you discount that persistent cough as just another part of flu season, you might want to ask your doctor to give it a second glance. According to a new study by Cancer Research U.K., more than half of adults have experienced alarm bells that could mean cancer, yet just two percent of them believed cancer could be a possible cause.

Researchers sent questionnaires to nearly 5,000 U.K. residents registered with general practitioners—in other words, men and women who have and visit a primary care doctor. Just shy of 1,800 people completed the questionnaire, and five were eliminated because they indicated they'd already been diagnosed with cancer. 

10 Cancer Symptoms Most People Ignore by Thavam Ratna

இது நமது அரசாங்கம் என்பதை நினைவில் நிறுத்துவோம்- மனோ கணேசன்

Democratic People's Front

ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேனவின் வெற்றிக்கு இந்த நாட்டில் வாழும் தமிழ் பேசும் மக்களின் வாக்குகள் மிகப்பெரும் உந்து சக்தியாக அமைந்தன. நமது வாக்குகள் சிங்கள மக்களின் வாக்குகளுடன் இணைந்ததன் மூலம் வெற்றி எங்கள் வசம் ஆகியுள்ளது. நமது வாக்குப்பலத்தையிட்டு நாம் பெருமை கொள்ளும் அதேவேளையில், இந்த நாட்டில் எந்த ஒரு தேசிய மாற்றத்துக்கும் நாம் சிங்கள மக்களுடன் கைகோர்க்க வேண்டிய தேவையுள்ளதையும் நாம் கவனத்தில் கொள்வோம்.

எனவே, இன்று ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன மற்றும் பிரதமர் ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க ஆகியோரை உள்ளடக்கிய இந்த அரசாங்கத்தை நாமும் சேர்ந்து உருவாக்கியுள்ளோம் என்பதை நினைவில் நிறுத்தி, நமது இந்த பங்களிப்பை புதிய அரசுக்கு உள்ளே நாம் உறுதிபடுத்த தயாராவோம் என ஜனநாயக மக்கள் முன்னணி தலைவர் மனோ கணேசன் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

நடந்து முடிந்த தேர்தல் தொடர்பில் மனோ கணேசன் மேலும் கூறியதாவது,

ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன அவர்கள் தனது பதவியேற்பு நிகழ்வில் ஆற்றிய ஏற்புரையின் போது நமது பெயர்களை குறிப்பிட மறந்தமையையிட்டு நாடு முழுக்கவும், புலம் பெயர்ந்தும் வாழும் நமது மக்கள் மத்தியில் ஒரு மனக்கிளர்ச்சி ஏற்பட்டுள்ளமையை நான் அறிவேன். பொது எதிரணியில் ஆரம்பம் முதலே அங்கம் வகித்த நமது கட்சியையும், அதேபோல் மலையக கட்சிகளான மலையக மக்கள் முன்னணி, தொழிலாளர் தேசிய சங்கம் ஆகியவற்றையும் பெயர் குறிப்பிட ஜனாதிபதி மறந்தது தொடர்பில் தமிழ் மக்கள் மத்தியில் கொந்தளிப்பு இருப்பது நியாயமானது ஆகும். உண்மையில் நடந்து முடிந்த தேர்தலில் வியூகம் அமைத்து சிங்கள மக்களை பிரதிநிதித்துவம் செய்யும் கட்சிகளை ஒன்று திரட்டிய வண. சோபித தேரரின் பெயரையும் கூட ஜனாதிபதி தனது உரையில் குறிப்பிட மறந்து விட்டார். இது பற்றி நிகழ்ச்சி நடந்து முடிந்த பின்னர் ஜனாதிபதி அவர்கள் என்னிடம் உரையாடியுள்ளார். இந்த விவகாரம் தொடர்பில் நான் பிரதமர் ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க அவர்களுடனும் உரையாடியுள்ளேன். ஜனாதிபதி அவர்கள் 10ம் திகதியே பதவியேற்பதாக இருந்தது. பின்னர் அது அவசர அவசரமாக மாற்றப்பட்டது. ஜனாதிபதியின் உரையும் முன்கூட்டியே தயாரிக்கப்படவில்லை. எனவே இது தற்செயலாக நிகழ்ந்த நிகழ்வு. நாங்கள் மிகுந்த அரசியல் முதிர்சியுடனும், பெருந்தன்மையுடனும் நடந்துகொள்ள வேண்டிய வேளை இது என்பதால், இதனை பெரிது படுத்த வேண்டாம் என நான் தமிழ் மக்களை கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறேன்.

எனினும் இந்த அரசை அமைக்க நமது மக்கள் பாரிய பங்களிப்பை வழங்கியுள்ளார்கள் என்பதை நாம் இந்த அரசுக்கு உள்ளே உறுதிப்படுத்துவோம். ஏனென்றால் இந்த அரசுக்கு உள்ளே நாம் நமது மக்களை பிரதிநிதித்துவம் செய்கின்றோம். வடக்கு கிழக்கிலும், தென்னிலங்கையிலும் தமிழ் மக்கள் ஏறக்குறைய சரிசமமான அளவில் வாழ்கிறார்கள். இந்நிலையில் வடக்கு கிழக்கின் ஐந்து மாவட்டங்களில் சுமார் ஏழு இலட்சம் தமிழ் வாக்குகள் மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன அவர்களுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. அதேபோல் தென்னிலங்கையின் மத்திய, மேல், ஊவா, சப்ரகமுவ மாகாணங்களில் இருந்தும் இதே எண்ணிக்கை வாக்குகள் மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன அவர்களுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. குறிப்பாக நுவரேலியா-மஸ்கெலியா தொகுதியில் மாத்திரம் 113,860 பெரும்பான்மை வாக்குகளை மைத்திரிபால பெற்றுள்ளார். இதுவே அவர் ஒரு தொகுதியில் பெற்றுள்ள அதிகூடிய வாக்கு தொகையாகும். அதேபோல் கொழும்பு மாவட்டத்தின் மாநகர தொகுதிகள் அனைத்திலும் ஐதேக வாக்குகளுடன் நமது வாக்குகளும் இணைந்ததன் மூலம் நாம் பெருவெற்றி பெற முடிந்துள்ளது. இதே அடிப்படையிலேயே கண்டி, பதுளை, இரத்தினபுரி, கேகாலை, மாத்தளை, கம்பஹா ஆகிய மாவட்டங்களிலும் பொது எதிரணிக்கு நமது மக்கள் ஆர்வத்துடன் வாக்களித்துள்ளார்கள்.

இதையே தோல்வியுற்ற முன்னாள் ஜனாதிபதி மகிந்த தனக்கு “வடக்கு, கிழக்கு, நுவரேலியா, கண்டி, கொழும்பு ஆகிய பகுதிகளில் வாக்கு கிடைக்கவில்லை” என்று தனது மெதமுலன கிராமத்தில் நடத்திய மக்கள் சந்திப்பின் போது கூறியுள்ளார். எனவே சிங்கள மக்களின் பெரும்பாலான வாக்குகள் மகிந்தவுக்கு கிடைத்துள்ளன. அந்த வாக்குகளையும் நமது அரசாங்கத்தை நோக்கி நகர்த்தும் நகர்வுகளை நாம் இனி செய்ய வேண்டியுள்ளது. இது நடைபெறாவிட்டால், அடுத்து வரும் பொது தேர்தலில் நாம் பெரும் சவால்களை சந்திக்க வேண்டிவரும். இதை மனதில் கொண்டு நாம் நமது அரசை பாதுகாப்போம். இந்த ஆட்சி மாற்றத்தின் மூலம் கிடைத்துள்ள ஜனநாயக இடைவேளையை பயன்படுத்தி நமது மக்களின் எதிர்பார்ப்புகளை ஈடேற்ற முயல்வோம்.

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தமிழர்களை மறந்து போன புதிய ஜனாதிபதி! மனோ!

[ வெள்ளிக்கிழமை, 09 சனவரி 2015, 07:04.37 PM GMT ]

மஹிந்த அரசாங்கம் கே.பி.யை பாதுகாப்பாக அனுப்பி வைத்துள்ளது : ராஜித

JAN 10, 2015

அரச பயங்கரவாதம் காரணமாக இலங்கையில் இருந்து வெளிநாட்டுக்கு புகலிடம்கோரிச் சென்றிருக்கும் ஊடகவியலாளர்கள் அனைவரையும் மீண்டும் நாட்டுக்கு வருமாறு பாராளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் ராஜித சேனாரத்ன அழைப்பு விடுத்துள்ளார்.

ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன தலைமையில் புதிய அரசாங்கம் அமையப்பெற்றுள்ள நிலையில் ஊடகவியலாளர்களுக்கான பாதுகாப்பு உறுதிப்படுத்தப்படும் என்றும் அவர் கூறியுள்ளார்.

அரச தகவல் திணைக்களத்தில் இன்று நடைபெற்ற மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேனவின் அரசாங்கத்தின் முதலாவது செய்தியாளர் மாநாட்டில் அவர் இவ்வாறு குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்.

குறித்த செய்தியாளர் மாநாட்டில் அவர் தொடர்ந்தும் கருத்துத் தெரிவிக்கையில்,

“அரச பயங்கரவாதம் காரணமாக இலங்கையில் இருந்து வெளிநாட்டுக்கு புகலிடம்கோரிச் சென்றிருக்கும் ஊடகவியலாளர்கள் அனைவரையும் மீண்டும் நாட்டுக்கு வாருங்கள். ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேன தலைமையில் புதிய அரசாங்கம் அமையப்பெற்றுள்ள நிலையில் ஊடகவியலாளர்களுக்கான பாதுகாப்பு உறுதிப்படுத்தப்படும்.

அத்துடன், ஊடகவியலாளர்கள், ஊடக நிறுவனங்கள் மீது அடக்குமுறைகள் அல்லது தாக்குதல்கள் இடம்பெற்றால் அதற்கு எதிராக உடனடியான நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். ஊடகவியலாளர்களுக்கான எழுதும் சுதந்திரம் உறுதிப்படுத்தப்படும்.

எனவே, அச்சத்தின் காரணமாக வெளிநாடுகளில் வசிக்கும் ஊடகவியலாளர்கள் மீண்டும் நாட்டுக்கு வந்து, உங்களது ஊடகப்பணியை தொடருங்கள்.

அதேவேளை, அரசாங்கத்தின் விருந்தாளியாக இருந்த கே.பி. இந்த நாட்டில் தப்பிச்சென்றுள்ளார். அவரை மஹிந்த அரசாங்கம் பாதுகாப்பாக அனுப்பி வைத்துள்ளது.

இன்னும் பலர், இந்த நாட்டில் இருந்து தப்பிச் செல்வதற்கு தயாராக இருக்கின்றார்கள். அவர்கள் குறித்த விபரங்களை இன்னும் ஓரிரு நாட்களில் வெளியிடுவோம்” என்றும் கூறினார்.

A Lankan Victory

| by Tisaranee Gunasekara

“I think I’ll call it morning….”

Gil Scott-Heron

( January 10, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Neither their dire warnings nor our nightmarish fears materialised. The election ended as it should, in a peaceful change.

A large chunk of credit for that unexpectedly felicitous end should go to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Had he tried to resist the results illegally and unconstitutionally, as some of his kith and kin would have urged him to do, the warned and feared bloodbath would have happened. Instead he did the right thing. He handed over the reins of government to the victors and went home. In doing so he saved the country and himself.

The Opposition victory was created by the joint effort of almost all the minorities and around one half of the majority. It is truly a Lankan victory in a way the outcomes of many recent presidential elections were not.

But the paeans of praise belong to the ordinary Lankan voter. He/she acted with responsibility and maturity. Firstly the voters voted in massive numbers. The Tamils in particular refused to listen to the siren song of boycott. The record turnout symbolises Lankan people’s support for democracy, over and above every other form of government.

The minorities voted almost en bloc for the Opposition. Tamil and Muslim support for the opposition was generally anticipated. But not so the equally solid Upcountry Tamil and Catholic support. The CWC was with the UPFA; there was little doubt that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and many in the Catholic hierarchy sympathised with the regime. But ordinary Catholics obviously remembered what was done to their places of worship, especially the destroying of a brand new fibreglass statue of Virgin Mary in Avissawella. The perpetrators of that outrage, like so many other politically-protected perpetrators (especially the killers of Lasantha Wickramatunga), were never caught. Ordinary Catholic voters, unlike the hierarchy, noted and learnt the correct lesson.

For the last several years, even non-Tamil minorities were forced to live on sufferance, fearful of not just isolated attacks but also Aluthgama-type conflagrations. They voted for a different future.

But the Opposition could not have won 52% of the national vote, if a huge chunk of the Sinhalese did not vote for change as well. No party in this country can win a presidential election with just minority support. That is why the regime did everything it could to frighten the Sinhalese into either not voting or voting for Candidate Rajapaksa. Naked race-baiting and preposterous fear-mongering were telecasted and broadcasted day and night. Every possible effort was made to eviscerate Sinhala support for the Opposition.

That effort manifestly failed. The opposition obtained 52% of the national vote, with a turnout of 80%; this means it would have succeeded in winning around 50% of the Sinhala vote.

The voting figures also indicate that the Lankan electorate has returned to its normal condition. In this country, it is very rare for a victor in a parliamentary election to exceed 50%. At Presidential elections, the norm has been slightly over 50%. The only two exceptions were 1994 (the UNP candidate died in a LTTE bomb-blast and was replaced by his totally neophyte widow) and 2010 (the election was held just a few months after the victorious end of the war).

In 2015, the electorate returned to the normal. The Sinhala vote is once again divided almost in the middle, which is the way it should be, for the health of Lankan democracy. This means any party wishing to obtain more than 50% of the vote will have to win the backing of both the majority and the minorities. 

The Opposition victory was created by the joint effort of almost all the minorities and around one half of the majority. It is truly a Lankan victory in a way the outcomes of many recent presidential elections were not.

I watched some of the regime’s frenzied propaganda barrage, warning Sinhalese of anarchy and chaos, appealing to the very basest of human emotions. It was clever and toxic. And it failed.

As a Sinhalese who dreams of a Lankan future, I am proud and hopeful.

Indispensable Resistance 

January 9th could have very easily gone the other way.

On UPFA election platforms much was made of the fact that the rebellion in the SLFP was planned in total secrecy. It had to be. Had the Rajapaksas discovered the existence of the rebellion prematurely, they would have crushed it without any hesitation or qualms. The manner in which the regime tried to pin various criminal charges (including murder) on Maithripala Sirisena hints at the devastating means the rulers would have employed against the would-be rebels. Maithripala Sirisena and many others would have found themselves behind bars, on trumped up charges, like Sarath Fonseka. And the SLFP would have been ‘cleansed’ of anyone with even a hint of a backbone or a flicker of rebellious spirit.

That is why the rebellion had to be planned in secret. Anything else would have been inane and irresponsible.

The role played by the Uva election in the subsequent developments cannot be underestimated. Harin Fernando’s decision to resign from parliament and contest the provincial council was the decisive factor in the Uva surprise.

The JHU’s crossover was another unthinkable which contributed to the final outcome.

The Muslims would have voted against the government irrespective of what their political representatives did. But had the TNA given into the demands of hardliners, here and abroad, the Tamils may not have turned up in sufficient numbers to help the opposition through to victory. But the TNA did the right thing, both by Lankan Tamils and the country.

Pivotal roles in enabling January 9th were played by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe. Ven. Sobitha Thero’s pioneering effort merits special thanks. Every party and organisation in the coalition did its very best in the campaign. The UNP, as the largest constituent, laboured the hardest. That the only person killed in this campaign was a UNP activist is a symbol of the party’s whole hearted commitment.

But the final lift came from the subterranean rebellion from within the state. The fact that Maithripala Sirisena won the postal vote was an indication of this critically important development. Without that factor, various last minute machinations of the regime may have worked. Even from casual conversations it was obvious that the army and the police were not supportive of the status quo, which did much to still fears of an extra-constitutional attempt to retain power. The Elections Commissioner became increasingly impartial until his performance turned into a veritable modal of democratic courage. At the crucial moment, the judiciary too did its bit.

And January 9th became a day of peaceful change.

The future which seemed impossible is here. What we do with that is up to us.

A leader begins to think he/she is infallible, only when a segment of the populace concurs. A leader will act outside the confines of law, sense and decency, only if he/she thinks that enough of us are indifferent. A leader will make use of ethno-religious hatred, only if he/she thinks it’s effective. A leader will try to create a dynasty, only if he/she thinks that we see nothing wrong with that. A leader will fall pray to monarchic delusions only if enough of us call him king.

When a leader goes astray, we the people are also at fault.

Let us remember - bad citizens enable bad leaders.

'அனந்தி, சிவாகரன் கட்சியில் இருந்து இடைநீக்கம்'

The Truth About Ananthi Sasitharan



10-01-2015
தீர்மானத்துக்கு முரணான கருத்து வெளியிட்டமை மற்றும் தீர்மானத்துக்கு முரணான முறையில் பிரசாரம் மேற்கொண்டமை தொடர்பான 

குற்றச்சாட்டின் பேரில், தமிழரசுக்கட்சி உறுப்பினர் அனந்தி சசிதரன் மற்றும் தமிழரசுக்கட்சியின் இளைஞர் அணி செயலாளர் வி.எஸ்.சிவாகரன் கட்சி உறுப்புரிமையில் இருந்தும் பதவியில் இருந்தும் இடைநீக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதாக கட்சியின் பொதுச் செயலாளர் கி.துரைராஜசிங்கம், சனிக்கிழமை (10) தெரிவித்தார்.

இது தொடர்பாக தமிழரசுக்கட்சியின் தலைவரும் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினருமான மாவை சேனாதிராஜாவை தொடர்பு கொண்டு கேட்டபோது, 

 கட்சியின் கட்டுப்பாட்டை மீறி செயற்பட்டவர்கள் மீது ஒழுக்காற்று நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளவுள்ளோம். இதன் முதற்கட்ட நடவடிக்கையாக பதவியில் இருந்தும் கட்சி உறுப்புரிமையில் இருந்தும் இடைநீக்கியுள்ளதாக அறிவிக்கவுள்ளோம். 

அடுத்த கட்டமாக இதற்கென ஒரு குழு அமைக்கப்பட்டு விசாரணைகள் மிக விரைவில் நடைபெறவுள்ளது. விசாரணையின் பின்னர்  குறித்த உறுப்பினர்களின் பதவி மற்றும் உறுப்புரிமை நீக்குவது தொடர்பாக மத்திய செயற்குழுவில் தீர்மானம் எடுக்கப்படும் என அவர் தெரிவித்தார்.   

Rejection of the Clan and the Dawn of a New Era!

by Dr. Siri Gamage 

- on 01/10/2015 

A dark cloud hanging over the sky in the tiny Island of Sri Lanka has started to move away into the Indian Ocean after the defeat of Rajapakse regime in the election held on the 8th of January 2015. Millions of Lankans who demanded security of person and property for years in a just society governed by rule of law without much success may be expressing a sigh of relief at the news of the former President leaving office voluntarily in the face of his opponent’s impending victory. As I stated in my previous post (Ground Views, 8.1.2015), the day marked a crucial national moment in the history of the country at which the voters from all walks of life were able to put an end to the prevailing lawlessness, corruption, partisan governance and family rule that was eating slowly but systematically into the very fabric of society and its core values while the roads being built. My projected win for the opposition candidate on the basis of an analysis of previous election results has been realised (Ground Views, 5.1.2015). Now the people have spoken. The message is clear. ‘Implement change’. Make everyone in society safer and give him or her his or her due rights and freedoms without state interference.

Rejection of the Clan and the Dawn of a New Era! by Thavam Ratna

மைத்திரியின் வெற்றியில் முக்கிய பங்கு தமிழ் பேசும் மக்களுக்கே உள்ளது : அநுரகுமார திஸாநாயக்க

 by P.Usha on Sat, 01/10/2015 

பொது எதிரணியின் வெற்றியில் மறை முகமான பங்கு எமக்கு உள்ளது எனினும் பொது எதிரணியில் உறவு வைத்துக்கொள்ளவோ வெற்றியில் பங்கு கேட்கவோ விரும்பவில்லை நாம் சுயாதீனமாக செயற்பட ஆசைப்படுகின் றோம் என தெரிவிக்கும் ஜே.வி.பி.யின் தலைவர் அனுரகுமார திசாநாயக்க, ஜனாதிபதி மைத்திரிபாலவின் வெற்றியில் முக்கிய பங்கு தமிழ் பேசும் மக்களுக்கே உள்ளது. வெற்றியை தீர்மானித்த சக்தி அவர்களெனவும் குறிப்பிட்டார்.

மக்கள் விடுதலை முன்னணியின் செய்தியாளர் சந்திப்பின் பின்னர் கட்சியின் தலைவரிடம் தேர்தல் வெற்றி தொடர்பில் வினவிய போதே அவர் மேற்கண்டவாறு தெரிவித்தார்.

இது தொடர்பில் அவர் மேலும் குறிப்பிடுகையில்;

மைத்திரிபால சிறிசேனவின் பொது எதிரணியின் நேரடி பங்குதாரராக நாம் இருக்கவில்லை. எனினும் ஜனாதிபதி மஹிந்த ராஜபக் ஷவின் ஆட்சியினை கவிழ்க்க எமது முழுமையான பங்கினையும் வழங்கினோம். இதை பொது எதிரணி பல மேடைகளில் சொல்லியுள்ளது. இப்போது நாம் பொது எதிரணியின் வெற்றியில் பங்குதாரராக உரிமை கொண்டாடுவதை விடவும் நல்லாட்சிக்கான அழுத்தம் கொடுக்கவே தயாராகியுள்ளோம். தேசிய அரசில் பங்கு கொள்வது தொடர்பில் நாம் இதுவரை எவ்வித தீர்மானமும் எடுக்கவில்லை. அதே போல் தற்போது நாட்டில் ஜனநாயகத்திற்கான பாதை திறந்துள்ளது. மக்கள் மாற்றத்தினை விரும்பி ஆர்வத்துடன் வாக்களித்துள்ளனர். இது இலங்கையின் மாற்றத்திற்கான வரலாற்றின் மைல்கல்.

மேலும் இம்முறை தேர்தலில் பொது எதிரணியின் வெற்றியினை தீர்மானித்ததில் தமிழ் பேசும் மக்களின் பங்கு அதிகமானது. வடக்கு கிழக்கின் வாக்குகளே பொது எதிரணியின் வெற்றியில் முக்கிய பங்கினை எடுத்துள்ளது. அதே போல் சிங்கள மக்கள் இரு சாராருக்கும் சம பங்கு வாக்குகளை வழங்கியிருக்கின்றனர். அதேபோல் 2005 ஆம் ஆண்டில் சிறுபான்மை மக்களின் வாக்குகள் தடுக்கப்பட்டமையும் 2010 ஆம் ஆண்டில் 18 இலட்சம் வாக்குகள் வித்தியாசத்தில் ஜனாதிபதி வெற்றி பெற்றமையும் மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ ஆட்சியினை தற்பெருமை கொண்ட ஆட்சியாக மாற்றி விட்டது. இம்முறை வெற்றி இரு சாராருக்கும் நல்ல படிப்பினையாக அமைந்துள்ளது. இனிவரும் காலங்களில் மக்கள்தான் தீர்மானிக்கும் பிரதான சக்தியாக விளங்குவார்கள் என்பதை உணர்ந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும் எனவும் அவர் குறிப்பிட்டார்.

Lasantha’s Brother Calls Newly Elected President To Launch A Fresh Investigation

January 10, 2015

Lal Wickrematunge – brother of slain Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge today called upon the newly elected President and the government to launch a fresh investigation into his brother’s murder and bring the perpetrators to justice. He also urged the government to launch fresh investigations into the disappearances, assaults and other crimes committed against journalists under the Rajapaksa regime and bring closure to those victimized.

He made these remarks last night in Attidiya where a candle-light vigil was held in the location of Lasantha’s assassination in remembrance of his sixth death anniversary.

After the elections

by Izeth Hussain-January 9, 2015

I am writing this article in advance of the Presidential elections partly because whatever might be the outcome I believe that the fundamental problem confronting the Sri Lankan nation will remain just the same: the problem of restoring a fully functioning democracy. If President Rajapakse wins with a comfortable majority we might expect a continuation of the trend towards an absolute dictatorship. On the other hand, if he just manages to squeak through to a marginal victory, we might perhaps expect a modification of the drive towards an absolute dictatorship. If Maithripala Sirisena squeaks through, or wins with a substantial majority as I have been confidently expecting, the prospects will be much brighter for the restoration of a fully functioning democracy. But we cannot be quite certain of that happy outcome. We must bear in mind an ugly fact: politicians are politicians, and the Sri Lankan breed of politicians has shown a proclivity to subject the fair damsel of democracy to brutal gang rape. So the struggle first of all to establish a fully functioning democracy, and then to keep it going, has to be unceasing.

I must make a clarifications arising out of the last paragraph. The emphasis in my term "fully functioning democracy" is on action, on what happens on the ground, not on what appears on paper in the form of a new Constitution. We can have what looks like a perfect Constitution, but it can be nullified in practice. To take an extreme case: the Soviet Constitution was admirably democratic, but the Soviet practice of democracy took the form of the Gulag which meant the incarceration and butchering of millions of innocents. That disjunction between precept and practice is to be expected to varying degrees in democracies that are not fully functional. A new Sri Lankan Constitution for instance could enshrine the right to information, but should anything like the Jay Gang of 1977 ride again we can expect the practice of that right to take the form of the administering of merciless whackings to anyone who insists on it.

I am not being cynical. I am merely noting well-known facts, from which I want to draw useful conclusions. It is a well-known fact that the appetite for power differs from the appetite for food in that the appetite for power grows in the eating whereas if you eat too much food, and go on eating, you vomit. There is a natural propensity on the part of the powerful to acquire more and more power to the extent that that might be possible. In traditional societies, both in the West and the East, the power of the rulers was constrained mainly by the religious order which conferred legitimacy in terms of the observance by the holders of power of values and norms derived from religion. In democratic societies power is constrained by the people. Rousseau thought that the British people were free only on the day of the elections, after which they reverted to being slaves until the next round of elections. As he was Swiss he thought that participatory democracy was the only authentic form of democracy, representative democracy being no more than a sham. He did not realize that under British democracy – despite all its imperfections at that time – the government’s power was indeed constrained in between elections by the power of the people. In practical terms, the Government’s power was constrained by the Opposition and the civil society.

I now want to argue that a vigorously active civil society should be regarded as one of the requisites for democracy. According to Western tradition the requisites for democracy are more or less as follows: periodic free and fair elections, a division of powers between the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary, with a wholly independent judiciary and a depoliticized administration, the rule of law, the free media, and a whole assortment of human rights. There is no mention of the role of the civil society in relation to democracy, probably because in the Western tradition the division of powers suffices to constrain governmental power. Actually it is the vigorously active civil society that constrains governmental power in the West.

The crucial importance of a vigorously active civil society for democracy can be illustrated by the contrasting travails of democracy in India and in Sri Lanka. In the second half of the ‘seventies Indira Gandhi imposed her Emergency and destroyed democracy, which led to a storm of protest across the length and breadth of India with thousands, indeed scores of thousands, going to jail after defying the Emergency. That abortion of democracy lasted just about a couple of years. It is a noteworthy fact that even under spells of BJP power democracy has continued to thrive, although the BJP ideology is neo-Fascist and therefore fundamentally antipathetic to democracy. I believe that the explanation is that India has an exceptionally vigorous civil society, no less than in the Western countries.

By contrast Sri Lanka’s civil society since 1948 has for the most part not been much more animate than a door mat on which the holders of power have wiped their slippers with impunity, and consequently Sri Lanka’s experience of democracy has been deeply chequered. We certainly had a fully functioning democracy from 1948 to 1956. But thereafter our democracy has been deeply flawed even at the best by the "tyranny of the majority", privileging the majority ethnic group, which in some ways amounted to a negation of democracy. Our longest spell of anti-democracy was from 1977 to 1994. In the first half of the ‘nineties I wrote many articles on the need to restore what I called "a fully functioning democracy". It is arguable that something like a fully functioning democracy was indeed restored after 1994, but since 2009 we have been clearly witnessing a drive towards absolute dictatorship. The ease with which the monstrously anti-democratic Eighteenth Amendment was passed showed a horrifying failure of the civil society. However, in recent times our civil society has shown an impressive dynamism, which means that one of the essential requisites for establishing a fully functioning democracy on an enduring basis is now at hand. Furthermore the minorities have joined the ethnic majority in the drive for democracy. Irrespective of the outcome of the Presidential elections, we can now meaningfully continue the struggle for a fully functioning democracy on an enduring basis.

(izethhussain@gmail.com

“Army Refused Last Minute Orders To Deploy Troops In Capital City” - Rajitha

• Saturday, 10 January 2015 15:15

Army Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya told media today that there was no threat to military in the North following the election.

Speaking at a press conference in Colombo, the Army Spokesman said no LTTE flags were displayed in the north after election results were released.

“No stones were pelted at army camps and no violence was reported in the University of Jaffna” the Army Spokesman also added.

Former Minister Rajitha Senaratne and Athuraliye Rathana Thera also addressed the same press conference in the presence of the Army Spokesman.  

Senaratne said military refused to follow orders to deploy troops in the capital city of Colombo. According to Senaratne it was Army Commander Daya Rathnaike who refused to comply with orders pertaining to deployment of military.

It was alleged that the former administration had a plan to retain power through emergency regulations. The former Minister said it was shot down by the state officials who defied orders that came from the top at the last moment.

Senaratne also said that websites will not be blocked hereafter and telephones will not be tapped in the guise of surveillance.

Sri Lanka: regime change and the death of a journalist

On 8 January 2015, the people of Sri Lanka elected a new president. The date also marked the sixth anniversary of the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, a critic of the regime which has now been replaced.

Joint opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena was declared the victor on 9 January 2015, replacing Mahinda Rajapakse. The former president – with his brothers Gotabhaya (defence secretary), Chamal (speaker of parliament) and Basil (economic development minister) – dominated the country for a decade.

The outgoing administration was implicated in various human rights abuses. These included mass deaths at the end of a civil war in which both state forces and brutal Tiger rebels disregarded the safety of civilians.

Journalists are not always defenders of justice. Some use their platform to assist the privileged and powerful, or those seeking to seize power for their own ends at the expense of the vulnerable.

Internationally, racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic articles, and writing and cartoons attacking religious minorities, disabled people and opponents of governments, are all too common. However, journalists willing to tell truths which those in power would prefer people not to hear, play a valuable role. It can be risky.

Some today see threats to media safety as reflecting a tension between the ‘free’ west and its allies on the one hand, and authoritarian Muslims and other enemies of freedom on the other hand. This is at odds with reality.

Many current or aspiring governments across the world are prepared to jail or kill those who do not follow their script. For instance, during the 2003 Iraq war, US forces killed several journalists not embedded with their own forces, including cameraman Tarek Ayyoub of Al-Jazeera (feeble excuses were made).

In a remarkable article, completed by his colleagues and published after he was assassinated on 8 January 2009, Wickrematunge blamed the regime, as well as setting out the vision which guided him as editor of the Sunday Leader and warned of the dangers of ‘them and us’ politics. In South Asia, secularism commonly refers not to being anti-religious, but rather opposition to the religious dominance that undermines equality and poisons spirituality. He wrote:

We find ourselves in the midst of a civil war ruthlessly prosecuted by protagonists whose bloodlust knows no bounds. Terror, whether perpetrated by terrorists or the state, has become the order of the day. Indeed, murder has become the primary tool whereby the state seeks to control the organs of liberty...

The free media serve as a mirror in which the public can see itself sans mascara and styling gel. From us you learn the state of your nation, and especially its management by the people you elected to give your children a better future. Sometimes the image you see in that mirror is not a pleasant one... That is our calling, and we do not shirk it...

Every newspaper has its angle, and we do not hide the fact that we have ours. Our commitment is to see Sri Lanka as a transparent, secular, liberal democracy... Transparent because government must be openly accountable to the people and never abuse their trust. Secular because in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society such as ours, secularism offers the only common ground by which we might all be united. Liberal because we recognise that all human beings are created different, and we need to accept others for what they are...

...we have consistently espoused the view that while separatist terrorism must be eradicated, it is more important to address the root causes of terrorism... We have also agitated against state terrorism in the so-called war against terror, and made no secret of our horror that Sri Lanka is the only country in the world routinely to bomb its own citizens. For these views we have been labelled traitors, and if this be treachery, we wear that label proudly...

...a military occupation of the country's north and east will require the Tamil people of those regions to live eternally as second-class citizens, deprived of all self respect. Do not imagine that you can placate them by showering "development" and "reconstruction" on them in the post-war era...

It is well known that I was on two occasions brutally assaulted, while on another my house was sprayed with machine-gun fire. Despite the government's sanctimonious assurances, there was never a serious police inquiry... When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me.

Quoting German theologian Martin Niemöller’s famous poem ‘First they came...’ Lasantha Wickrematunge pledged, “The Leader is there for you, be you Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, low-caste, homosexual, dissident or disabled.”

It remains to be seen whether the new Sri Lankan government will live up to this vision. Meanwhile journalists, bloggers and other citizens internationally have a role in questioning the claims of the powerful, sharing truth and promoting justice.

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© Savitri Hensman is a widely published Christian commentator on politics, welfare, religion and more. An Ekklesia associate, she works in the equalities and care sector, anfd was born in Sri Lanka.

New era for Sri Lanka?

Long-serving leader Mahinda Rajapaksa concedes defeat to former ally in presidential election.

 10 Jan 2015
It was supposed to be written in the stars.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa called snap elections, on the advice of his astrologer.

He was seeking an unprecedented third term in office, with the opposition seemingly in disarray.

But in a dramatic celestial shift, health minister and one time ally Maithripala Sirisena eclipsed Rajapaksa's political ambitions to take his job.

The outgoing president conceded defeat, as the result became apparent, marking the end of a divisive decade-long rule.

His office said he was “bowing to the wishes of the people”.

Sirisena is now promising sweeping reforms, by transferring many of the president's powers to parliament.

But does this mark the beginning of a new political era for Sri Lanka? Or is the new man too closely associated with the old guard?

Presenter:

Hazem Sika

Guests:

Charu Lata Hogg - associate fellow with Chatham House, and a researcher on Sri Lankan domestic politics.

Jehan Perera - executive director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka.

Kumar Kumarendran - a Tamil activist and member of the British Tamils Forum.

Sri Lanka Swears In New President After Upset

In Address, Maithripala Sirisena Says He Will ‘Restore Freedom, Democracy, People Power’

By GORDON FAIRCLOUGH-Jan. 9, 2015

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Sri Lanka swore in a new president Friday after voters ousted Mahinda Rajapaksa, the man who had led the country for nearly a decade, in an electoral upset his opponents said was a triumph of democracy over creeping authoritarianism.

Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena took the oath of office before a cheering crowd that included saffron-robed Buddhist monks, military officers in dress uniforms and ordinary citizens at a public ceremony in Colombo’s Independence Square.

Sri Lanka Swears in New President After Upset by Thavam Ratna

The People’s Verdict: Poetic Justice and the Path Ahead

by Rajan Philips-January 10, 2015,

The people have spoken. A new President has been sworn in by an untainted Senior Supreme Court Judge. A new Prime Minister too has been sworn in by the new President, necessarily in keeping with his electoral commitment even if not necessarily consistent with the constitution. Most important of all, the outgoing President conceded defeat and left office even before the final results were released, paving the way for a smooth and peaceful transition of power. The final phase of electoral democracy worked to text book perfection thanks to a strong minded Election Commissioner, his able officials, and the police finally doing their duty after years of enforced dereliction.

The People’s Verdict Poetic Justice and the Path Ahead by Thavam Ratna

Rajapaksa Defeated; Wimalaya, SB And The Inside Story

By Surendra Ajit Rupasinghe -January 10, 2015

Ajit Rupasinghe

As we had repeatedly alerted, even at the very last moment, in the face of imminent defeat, incumbent president Mahinda Rajapaksa tried to make a grab to hold on to power. Civil defense forces loyal to the Regime were to be dressed up in regular army uniforms to storm the bastions of state power. Media institutions were to be brought under siege. The National Security Council was to be convened. Emergency and martial law was to be promulgated. Emergency session of Parliament was to be convened to legitimize the coup. The two most notorious, low-life thugs of the Rajapaksa cabal, Ministers S.B. Dissanayake and Wimalaya were desperately pushing the agenda. Chief of Staff of the armed forces Jagath Jayasuriya was ready to sing the song. Army commander, Daya Ratnayake was in jitters. Could the coup face the wrath of the masses was their collective dilemma. The Elections Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police took strength from the raging tide of opposition. They stood firm. So, the murdering crony mafia cabal capitulated. Mahinda hastened to retreat in the face of mass mobilization. He handed over power before even before the results were announced in the hope that he would be shown some mercy. In the desperate hope that he would not be brought to face the Tribunal of the People! He knew that if he would have dared to go against the masses and reject their verdict he, his triumvirate and dynasty, together with his corrupt, murdering, raping narco-cabal would perhaps have faced the same fate as Colonel Gaddafi. Some of the most notorious criminals, drug barons, rapists and racketeers fled the country with their kith and kin well before the fall. Wimalaya tried to flee, but was refused entry at the airport.Read More