Tamil diaspora orgs urge UN human rights chief to release Sri Lanka inquiry report
15 February 2015

A coalition of 15 key Tamil diaspora organisations worldwide have urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,  Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, to ensure the report on the UN inquiry into mass atrocities against Tamils in Sri Lanka is released next month as originally intended in a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014.

In a letter sent to Mr Zeid on Sunday, the organisations - Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), British Tamil Conservatives (BTC), British Tamil Forum (BTF), Centre for War Victims and Human Rights (Canada), Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America, Global Tamil Forum (GTF), Ilankai Tamil Sangam (ITS), New Zealand Tamil Society (NZTS), People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), South Africa Tamil Federation, Swedish Tamil Forum, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), Tamils for Labour, US Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) and World Thamil Organization (WTO) - endorsed the Northern Provincial Council's resolution on genocide and its call to ensure the report is released next month.

"Our organisations representing the 1-million strong Tamil Diaspora forced out of Sri Lanka due to the conflict, and having lost tens of thousands of relatives, fully endorse the call by the Northern Provincial Council, and urge you to release the OISL report in March 2015 as originally mandated," the coalition said, adding, "President Sirisena’s election and short tenure do not negate the need for a timely release."

"The UN stands as the standard bearer of human rights. Therefore, any recommendations within the OISL report should serve as the baseline and driving force to guide a credible accountability process."

"Moreover, the victims and perpetrators are looking to the report as the first – and only – credible accounting for what happened during the final period of the war. To amend that will crush the hope and expectations for justice, as well as play into the hands of the perpetrators who will see this as an opportunity to evade justice.
The failure of the UNHCR to release its report in March would set a terrible precedent for the United Nations. The 2012 UN Internal Review Panel, chaired by Charles Petrie, concluded that, “the events in Sri Lanka mark a grave failure on the UN to adequately respond to early warnings and to the evolving situation during the final stages of the conflict and its aftermath, to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of civilians
and in contradiction with the principles and responsibilities of the UN.” Since the report, the UN has made strides to address its grave failure. A postponement of the report would be a treacherous step backwards for the organization."

"The global Tamil community welcomes President Sirisena’s progress on replacing military leadership with civilian leaders in the North, welcoming back some exiled activists and journalists, and offering to resettle internally displaced persons. However, Tamils still await the demilitarization of the North and East, the return of Tamil land acquired by the government, constitutional protections for Tamil language and culture in their traditional homeland in the NorthEast, empowering of the Tamil provincial bodies to serve its people without barriers from the Colombo government, and, most vitally, the attainment of a fair political settlement."

"We encourage you and other global leaders to welcome President Sirisena by both commending the steps he has taken and at the same time also outlining past challenges and ongoing abuses, setting assertive and credible benchmarks for domestic progress, and providing assistance and oversight to ensure these benchmarks are met. Sri Lanka cannot develop as a pluralistic, democratic and stable country if one - or any - of its communities live with substandard access to democratic institutions and without full protection of the law."

"After decades of subjugation, the Tamil community needs international leaders to ensure that Sri Lanka is truly starting a new chapter of governance, justice and truth. The timely release of the OISL report is a clear step towards both accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka."

See full letter here.

Related article: Jaffna Uni lecturers call for UN inquiry on Sri Lanka to release report without delay (15 Feb 2015) 

Corruption, Human Rights Abuses & War Crimes: Only Moral Integrity Will Save The Govt

By Jude Fernando -February 15, 2015 

Jude Fernando

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ― Benjamin Franklin

“Freedom for the wolves has often meant death to the sheep.” ― Isaiah Berlin

While the government may be able to successfully introduce constitutional reforms to curb the powers of the Executive and rehabilitate the electoral system, its economic policies will not produce many tangible results in just 100 days, as the public may expect. The government’s survival in the next general election is likely to be largely determined by how it responds to the two-pronged issue of justice: corruption under the Rajapaksa regime, and accountability for allegations of human rights abuses and war crimes committed during the last phase of the Sri Lankan civil war. These two issues are equally important and interconnected, and prioritizing one over the other could cost the government the next election. The reasons for the Rajapaksa regime’s rise and fall, and the public’s trust in the Maithripala regime’s promise of good governance, are inextricably related to these two issues.

One can understand the Rajapaksa regime’s survival for ten years – despite its record of abuses of power and dismantling of democracy – and its subsequent fall, only in relation to the means by which it maintained power. Its skillful manipulation of public fears legitimized its denial and procrastination of fulfilling domestic and international obligations. In doing so, it was able to avoid accountability for allegations of human rights abuses during and after the war, and deflect attention away from its failure to provide meaningful devolution of power to the country’s northern and eastern regions.Read More

Gotabaya’s arms sale proceeds to most feared international terrorists deposited in 58 accounts of Duminda Silva-CID reveals

(Lanka-e-News -15.Feb.2015, 11.30P) Ex defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse who was Friday(13)  summoned  to the CID for questioning had asked for another date after going there. It is  reported   that the attention of the government has been drawn  to the illegal sale of arms to terrorist organizations internationally outrageously and with absolute impunity, sans  permission of the parliament  and overriding ministerial powers .Therefore enlisting the Interpol to assist the on going special investigations into this is being contemplated.

The necessity for the government to take this measure is based on the information garnered by the security divisions that Gotabaya using the paramilitary farces had supplied latest weapons that were  obtained from the country’s security  divisions to various  international terrorist organizations as well as to those organizations involved in sea piracy , whereby he had earned colossal sums of money  amounting to many billions!

The weapons that were imported for the Sri Lanka (SL) security forces have been sold to the Middle east , international terrorist organizations , as well as sea piracy groups . These deals have been carried on in a massive scale since 2009. The CID had also uncovered information that these proceeds have been directly with Gotabaya’s collusion deposited into  various local and international accounts of individuals .

Apart from the 20 container loads of weapons that were in the armory at Galle ,another 3 container loads of weapons sans registration duly in the records officially of the forces were discovered in the naval camp of Galle. Among them were a large quantity of heavy artillery which are of no use for civil security purposes , and are used only in a battle field. It is significant to note that in just one armory of the paramilitary  in Colombo , there was a shocking quantity of  1555  T 56 weapons and 1.4 million bullets !!

There were strangely S 84 weapons too in that lot which are used only by the police. It has come to light that the IGP had never given over these weapons used by the police to any other security forces any day. In that event how did these weapons get into the paramilitary armory of Gotabaya and on whose permission ? Since these weapons are not used in SL , it is now confirmed without any trace of doubt that these have been stored in the armory intended for international  terrorist organizations.

Following the investigations of the CID into Gotabaya’s many paramilitary groups , it has come to light  that Parliamentary approval has not been obtained in connection with all these illicit weapon transactions and the colossal sums of black monies earned from them have been deposited into about 58 separate accounts operated by former UPFA  defense monitoring M.P.  Arumadura Duminda  Silva, a close crony of Duminda. No wonder Gotabaya went hysterical when Duminda was seriously injured in the Bharatha Lakshman  shoot out incident some time ago. He did everything possible to save Duminda.

The CID has successfully delved into the details of  these transactions and   black money earnings. It has uncovered that these weapons have been supplied to the world’s most infamously famous , deadly and dangerous terrorist organizations  including  ISIS , Bokoharam, Al Qaeda after Bin Laden, Islamic Jihad, Hisbulla, Hamas, Fata Al Salam , as well as to various sea piracy organizations.

Based on the investigations ,monitors of  two paramilitary groups of Gotabaya have been identified as operating from Myanmar , Somalia, Erythrea, Sudan , Seychelles ,Mozambique , Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Togo and Jamurusiya.

Though it is rumored that Gotabaya has been provided with a security detail of 50 personnel , the fact is , he is under arrest unofficially ( can he be free even in the light of such exposures of his traitorous activities?) , highly placed sources of the security division revealed. The international  groups that were keeping a surveillance on the illicit activities with international involvement of Gotabaya have also arrived in SL .

-By a special LeN Correspondent-

Delay in fighting corruption: An impatient electorate shouldn’t be taken lightly

Learn from Modi’s mistake- February 16, 2015
Narendra Modi became India’s Prime Minister in 2014 in an anti-corruption wave. His election slogan ‘Good governance and lean government’ appealed to India’s middle class voters who had been angry at the Manmohan Singh Government for its inaction in fighting corruption.

Bundled with another promise of a fast economic growth for India, his good governance move received an unprecedented landslide victory at the elections. The very same Modi has now been humiliated by Delhi voters by delivering him a totally unexpected defeat at the recently-concluded elections for power in India’s state capital.
At these elections, a new party – Aam Admi Party or Common Man’s Party headed by the commoner Arvind Kejriwal – which had robbed the anti-corruption slogan from Modi, has trounced the Bharathiya Janata Party winning 67 seats out of 70 in the state assembly.

Delay in Fighting Corruption an Impatient Electorate Shouldn’t Be Taken Lightly by Thavam Ratna

Is Modi a role model for Sri Lankan president Sirisena?

Maithripala Sirisena's agenda in New Delhi could include winning back India's confidence by correcting Mahinda Rajapaksa's "China tilt".

COLONEL R HARIHARAN    @colhari2

Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena is visiting New Delhi on February 16, his first port of call after becoming President. 

Narendra Modi’s spectacular rise as a national leader from the sidelines of Gujarat state, hopping over seniors in the party hierarchy, to lead the nation is a real life example for many ambitious politicians to emulate.

Did Modi provide a role model for the newly elected Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena’s success?

It would seem so if we see Sirisena’s surprise victory against the two-term President of Sri Lanka and his long term party colleague Mahinda Rajapaksa, in the recently concluded presidential election.

Four months ago nobody would have imagined Sirisena, a senior minister who was seen only in the shadow of Rajapaksa, would  reduce the President’s bid for a third term to an unfulfilled dream. Skepticism about Modi was initially just as bad; even many of the BJP stalwarts weren’t sure of Modi delivering 272 seats in parliament he promised.

Even if Modi was not a role model, his success probably gave Sirisena the courage to contest against Rajapaksa, the most powerful presidents Sri Lanka had produced  after the first president JR Jayawardane.

Both took their first steps in politics with strong ideological convictions. At a young age RSS attracted Modi while young Sirisena was attracted to communism for a short while before he changed his mind and joined the left-of-centre Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Modi migrated from RSS to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). After that both never changed their party affiliations. While Modi became the general secretary of the BJP, Sirisena remained the general secretary of the SLFP for over a decade.

Both went to the poll with a clear agenda and deadlines to implement their agenda. Modi set six months for his basic agenda while Sirisena is implementing the opposition’s 100-day action plan. Both are trying to clean up governance, bring to book the corrupt and restructure the way the government rules.

Maithripala has chosen New Delhi as his first foreign destination after coming to power. That underlines his strong expectation of support from India. But he will have to satisfy Modi that though he had been a close aide of Rajapaksa’s policies including the former president’s unfulfilled promises to India on implementing the 13th amendment to the Constitution and resuming the political reconciliation process with Tamil leaders.  

Sirisena’s agenda in New Delhi that could include a few items. First is to win back India’s confidence by correcting Rajapaksa’s “China tilt” that had soured India. He is making visible moves to achieve balance in Sri Lanka’ relations with the two Asian nations.

Secondly, he would try to muster India’s support in the UN Human Rights Commission which is meeting next month. Sri Lanka fears it could be embarrassed by the discussion there on Rajapaksa’s refusal to implement UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes and human rights excesses. India’s influence can be useful in buying time for Sirisena to work out a face saving solution. Of course, he will have to convince India he is sincerely trying to address as Modi is likely to raise this issue.

Thirdly, India has influence over Tamil National Alliance, which can swing Tamil votes in Sirisena’s favour in the general elections in April 2015. India can also help resuscitate Sri Lankan economy and bring in more investment. That would give strength to Sirisena in dealing with China.

So whether Modi is role model or not, common political perspectives on governance and structural changes in governance between the two leaders can help Sirisena in having a fruitful meeting with Modi. This is important as he is going to China next month.

Lalith to Daily News, Lakshman to Sunday Observer!

Sunday, 15 February 2015 

After five weeks have elapsed since the new government took over, two independent, senior journalists have been appointed, in place of Rajapaksa henchmen, to head two leading English language national newspapers, namely ‘Daily News’ and ‘Sunday Observer,’ say Lake House sources.

Accordingly, Lalith Alahakoon and Lakshman Gunasekara have been appointed editors of the two newspapers respectively. Mr. Alahakoon has previously held the editorship of several newspapers and was an editorial consultant for Wijaya Newspapers prior to the new appointment. Mr. Gunasekara is the founder president of of the South Asia Free Media Association - Sri Lanka branch. He was editor of ‘Sunday Observer’ previously too.

For the first time, ‘Dinamina’ has a female editor in Pushpa Rowel. Also, senior journalist Lakshman Piyasena has been appointed editor of ‘Silumina.’

27 of 48 new SLFP office bearers face criminal charges : Ace rogue is advisor – SLFP party genuine politicos reveal

(Lanka-e-News -15.Feb.2015, 11.30P)   27 of the 48 new office bearers  of  the SLFP appointed today ,are those against whom there are grave criminal charges of corruption , rape, frauds  and malpractices  according to the views expressed by a large number of genuine members within  the SLFP who worked with commitment to elect the government of good governance.

While charges of corruption , frauds and malpractices on  a scale unprecedented in the history of Sri Lanka (SL) are being  leveled and an extensive investigation is being conducted by the CID currently  , against ex President Mahinda Rajapakse the former leader of  SLFP party, and his family , the commission inquiring into allegations of bribery and corruption has also begun investigations into their crimes, it is the opinion of a majority of the members of the SLFP that giving office bearer posts to them in  the party is absolutely unethical and untoward.

These members seriously question what is the advice or benefit that can be secured from Mahinda  Rajapakse and his family who robbed public funds in countless millions , drove  the people into abysmal darkness and irretrievable economic catastrophe, caused  abductions of innocents , trampled brutally religion and laws, only to safeguard the inordinately selfish  interests of  himself and the family.

The high rung party activists also question , what is the benefit that can be expected by making Mahinda as the SLFP patron , while it is a well and widely known fact that he is  being held liable for  releasing container loads of heroin from the Customs when his Prime minister under his reign, D.M. Jayaratne was being charged publicly with bringing them down .

It is specially noteworthy that Anura Priyadharshana Yapa , a lickspittle and lackey of ex President Mahinda who was the architect of the manipulations to oust chief justice Shiranee Bandaranaike to suit the needs of Mahinda , and who jointly with Basil Rajapakse earned billions of rupees of illicit commission on imports of fuel over which the trade unions of the Ceylon petroleum corporation are still accusing him, is currently facing countless indictments  filed against him  before the Commission inquiring into allegations of bribery and corruption.

Already serious charges of bribery , corruption and malpractices  have been mounted and complaints filed against the following UPFA politicos who are now identified as the culprits :

Opposition leader Nimal Siripala De Silva , Dallas Aalahaperuma , S.B .Dissanayake , W.D. Seneviratne , A .H.,M. Fowzie , C .B. Ratnayake , Kumara Welgama , Felix Perera , Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena , Susil Premajayantha , Jagath Pushpakumara , Mahipala Herath , Dilan Perera , Mahinda Amaraweera ,  Gunaratne Weerakoon , Jayarathne Herath ,  Chandima Weerakkody , Sarath Gunaratne , Thilanga Sumathipala , Sarath Ekanayake , Dayasiri Jayasekera ,Sahan Wijelal De Silva , Sashindra Rajapakse . Hence it is the opinion of  majority of the SLFP membership that these culprits securing posts in the party is a conspiracy with the aim of devastating the party ,and it is ex President Mahinda Rajapakse who is engineering this destruction so that he can plunge the party too into the same precipice he had driven himself into.

In addition , Dallas Alahaperuma who was a faithful bootlicker and stooge of Mahinda Rajapakse who is incriminated with many incidents of rapes , and facing charges of building a mansion in Matara after collecting many millions of rupees of illicit commission from MAGA organization being given an office bearer post in the SLFP is construed by a great many  of the party members as another conspiracy of Mahinda Rajapakse to steer himself into the party and political frontline using this crooked and corrupt cronies politically  , highly placed sources within the SLFP revealed with alarm . 

By T.Jayakumar -Translated by Jeff

---------------------------
by     (2015-02-15 18:33:55)

Emergent rule of law paradoxes of the Sirisena presidency

by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena
Courtesy: The Sunday Times, Colombo

( February 15, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Undoubtedly there is a palpable sense of discomfort in the air.

Much like the curate’s egg

For close to a decade, the gross capture of state power, gathering of immeasurable wealth and discarding of civil liberties by the Rajapaksa Presidency and its acolytes put Sri Lanka under extraordinary strain.

We see unpleasant and worrying paradoxes where observance of the Rule of Law is concerned at other levels. The President’s calling out of the armed forces to exercise police powers under the Public Security Ordinance (PSO) is another case in point.

Emergent Rule of Law Paradoxes of the Sirisena Presidency by Thavam Ratna

The Unholy Alliance – A Threat To Maithri (Good) Governance

By Hilmy Ahamed -February 13, 2015 

Hilmy Ahamed

The call by the ex-socialist turned ultra capitalist, Wimal Weerawansa for an unholy alliance of the left to support the candidature of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to be the Prime Ministerial candidate at the next parliamentary elections could be the real threat to good governance and rule of law initiated by the Maithri-Ranil nexus to steer the country out of corruption, nepotism and all forms of misrule that existed during the last decade under the Rajapaksa regime. The threat could be real when one takes in to consideration the desperate predicament of some of Rajapaksa’s cronies in parliament, who may not even get nominations from the SLFP under a Maithri/Chandrika leadership. The need to safeguard their ill-gotten wealth is probably the cause for their strategic move to promote Mahinda Rajapaksa to the fore as a Sinhala Buddhist leader who would safeguard the interest of the Sinhalese. Sri Lankans are well aware of the antics of these corrupt and unethical political animals, and 

Mahinda too would be reluctant to gamble, knowing the possible outcome of another failure. The new guard SLFP would never want to go back to another Rajapaksa nepotism. The current opposition leader, Nimal Siripala de Silva has reached his dream position of heading the opposition and a possible Prime Ministerial candidature. He would not entertain any proposal that would drive him back to insignificance; So, Nimal Siripala would be Maithri-Ranil’s best bet to keep Rajapaksa in retirement at Medamulana. It is yet to be seen whether extremist Buddhist forces would attempt to bring Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the fore and continue their campaign of hate. Some of them have claimed in the past that they have selected their candidate to take over from Mahinda Rajapaksa. Could Gotabaya be the genie that would pop out of Aladdin’s lamp to save the Bodu Bala Sena and other extremists?Read More

UNpers ask if PM’s law applies only to Thewarapperuma!

Sunday, 15 February 2015 

Kalutara district MP Palitha Thewarapperuma remains in remand custody for nearly 1 ½ months now over a charge of causing minor injury, an easily bailable offence, which can even be referred to a mediation board for settlement. His incarceration is due to prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s having told police to enforce the law against him strictly, say UNPers.

Former UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake got bail within five days after having prepared bogus documents and drug trafficker Duminda Silva did not go behind bars for a single day, but Thewarapperuma has thus been punished because he had tried to knife the premier some time ago, it is clear to the party supporters.

Thewarapperuma should be punished for his offence, but grassroots level supporters get discouraged due to their leaders pursuing personal agendas in this manner, they point out. This will have a very bad effect on the party with a general election to be held in the near future, the UNP supporters warn.

Democratic SWRD versus neo-Fascist Buddy Racketeer

by Izeth Hussain-February 13, 2015,

In the aftermath of the recent Presidential election a new political configuration seems to be taking place, which requires careful assessment as it could be of immense importance for Sri Lanka’s future. Obviously, a convergence has been taking place between the two major parties, the UNP and the SLFP, as I have noted in earlier articles, which could portend the emergence of a third party, a neo-Fascist one. Alternatively, the SLFP could transmogrify into a basically neo-Fascist Party while the UNP becomes a basically democratic Party. But, before proceeding further, let me make some observations on the convergence that has been taking place.

I believe that the convergence is due to changes of a structural order, not a transitional phenomenon that flows from political expediency, for instance from a drive to get more votes at the next round of elections. In the economic realm the changes are dictated by the inequities of contemporary capitalism, changes which will be recognized as necessary by both major parties. In my last article I referred to the emphasis placed on direct taxation as against indirect taxation in the mini-Budget, a people-friendly measure that accords more with the ethos of the SLFP but it comes from the UNP. Underlying it is the structural factor that in contemporary capitalism there is an innate dynamic for the rich to become richer and the poor poorer. Equity demands that that drive be countered: it could be dangerous to Governments regardless of whether they are left-wing or right-wing. That is the logic behind the shift to direct taxation.

The truth is that after the disasters brought about by Reagonomics and Thatcherism, due mainly to the centrality given to unregulated markets, and even more after the Great Recession of 2008 in the US, Western thinkers have been preoccupied with the problem of making contemporary capitalism work. The result is to be seen when Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa recently proclaimed "By and large, free enterprise is accepted as a system that works well in creating wealth for the people. But, nevertheless, if the forces in a free market were left unchecked, it could make the rich richer and the poor poorer". According to The Island of Feb. 11, Premadasa’s statement to an audience of construction industry sakeholders caused some alarm, evidently because it meant that the State would be intervening in the economy to a significant extent. That alarm is easily understandable given the fact that the record of State intrusion into the Sri Lankan economy has been largely one of destructive stupidity. However, Premadasa’s statement has behind it not so much Sri Lankan populism or socialism as Western thinking about correctives to the market economy. Anyway, both the shift to direct taxation and Premadasa’s statement are more in accord with the SLFP ethos than with that of the UNP.

I am pointing above to the convergence in economic policy of the two major parties. In an earlier article I have dwelt on the underlying sociological reasons for the convergence. Here I will note the remarkable convergence in the lifestyles of the UNP and SLFP power elites. A pre-1956 elections cartoon portraying Sir Jon Kotelawala riding the UNP elephant together with Egyptian belly dancer Zou Zou Mohammed was reproduced in The Island recently, with a commentary analyzing the symbolic significance of those and other details. Sir John was known for his allegedly sybaritic lifestyle, a notion that rubbed off on his Westernised associates. He suffered a cataclysmic defeat at the 1956 elections, which was seen among other things as a defeat of the Westernised elite and their lifestyle. It has to be expected, I suppose, that after the recent resumption of power by the UNP its elite too will revive the merry ways of Sir John. But surely we cannot ignore the fact that the not so Westernised power elite of the UPFA, the inheritors of the 1956 SLFP, and more particularly their children, had a sybaritic lifestyle that far outdid that of Sir John. The truth is that most of our Governments have behaved like conquerors, and we must bear in mind that conquerors conquer not to lead ascetic lives but – among other things – to have a pukkah time.

So, there has been a notable convergence between our two major parties, though significant differences between them do continue. The UNP is more Western-oriented, more bourgeois and less socialist, more sympathetic to the Christians and the ethnic minorities, than the SLFP. On foreign policy there is no significant difference between them, now that the Cold War is over. However, the differences though significant are only differences of degree, not differences of a polar order, and consequently the two parties have in practice become commutative in the sense that one can go with ease from one party to the other. That is a significant factor behind the crossovers that have become a staple of our politics.

But, I believe that we could now be on the verge of a new polarization in our politics, between democracy and racist neo-Fascism, if our national question remains unresolved. I would hold that all our parties apart from the minority ethnic parties, and not excluding the Marxist parties, have been to varying degrees – may be to vastly varying degrees – racist Sinhala supremacist parties. My qualification "to vastly varying degrees" is important because it is meant to point to the possibility that the Sinhalese power elite could in time cease to be racist. But for the present we have to confront the ugly fact that racist Sinhala supremacism remains powerful in Sri Lanka.

That racism has always been most powerfully concentrated within the SLFP. It is a party which has always had schism within its ranks right from the beginning, with the liberal-democratic-socialist trend represented by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike and the racist neo-Fascist trend represented by the likes of Ven. Buddharakkitha thera. SWRD, the only statesman in twentieth century Sri Lanka, was prescient enough to know that the Sinhala Buddhists had to emerge and be given their rightful place in Sri Lanka, but he also understood the dangers inherent in that process. That was why he called that Reverend monk Buddy Racketeer. Anyway he was assassinated, and probably it was that that made it possible to contain the Sinhala Buddhist extremists. But after 2009 they have emerged in full force and fury under the leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa. That was best shown not just by the refusal to budge an inch towards a political solution of the Tamil ethnic problem but by the humiliations heaped on the Tamils in the north, in a brazen display of the arrogance of the conqueror. It was also shown by the creation of a major ethnic problem out of the most abjectly submissive minority in the world, the Sri Lankan Muslims.

The SLFP is now faced with major schism. Who is to lead it at the forthcoming general elections? As MR suffered a substantial defeat at the Presidential elections, it would appear that the leadership should go to Maithripala Sirisena or someone else. In that case MR could become the leader of a third party backed mainly by racist neo-Fascists. But he won a majority of the Sinhalese votes, and furthermore he won 90% of the SLFP votes, on which ground he could lay claim to leadership. We cannot be certain about what might happen at the general elections, but we can be certain that the struggle has to be between democracy and racist neo-Fascism, and that the victory of the latter will be perilous for Sri Lanka.

izethhussain@gmail.com

Dear President Sirisena, we can no longer salute this sycophant and call him our Commander

(Lanka-e-News- 16.Feb.2015, 5.10AM) The Sri Lankan army is possibly the biggest employer in Sri Lanka and military personnel and their families, including families of war veterans and those of deceased and injured servicemen and women amount to a large constituency spread across Sri Lanka. It is not a secret that the large part of these servicemen and their families voted for the Common Opposition, sans a few generals in the highest ranks (including the Commander Lieutenant General R. M. Daya Ratnayake) who benefitted from the Rajapaksa regime that openly and rather shamelessly campaigned for the former government. 

The soldiers and their families were exposed to the highest levels of corruption and they got an insight into the politicization of what is one of the world’s top militaries under the Rajapaksa regime: particularly under Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapskha and his minion Gen Daya Ratnayake who shamelessly went from military base to base asking soldiers and officers to vote for Rajapaksa. He ordered his subordinates to follow suit and campaign for Rajapaksa, one camp at a time. Each of these propaganda events were followed by free giveaways of Rajapaksa branded promo material paid for by your tax rupees: everything from calendars, sil redi, wall clocks, mugs, jugs (you name it) 

He published propaganda material detailing how the military victory was only made possible because of the Rajapaksa’s and circulated material that said voting for the Common Opposition would be anti-patriotic and would result in the Elam-ization of Sri Lanka. Books were published about how the Rajapaksa’s revived Buddhism in Sri Lanka and how voting for My3 would pave the way for the deterioration of Buddhism in the country. He handed out tax payer money, vehicles and resources to officers based in various provinces to be used on campaigning for Rajapaksa. It is no secret that Daya Rathnayake was one of the key figures behind executing the Rajapaksa’s wrath on General Fonseka.  Furthermore, questions regarding their role in the alleged coup on election night have also been left unanswered.

Our Soldiers knew better. Young officers were frustrated with having to salute to a man who spent his time venerating politicians, drug lords and racist monks. War widows cried shame as he dragged to prison the General who freed this country from the clutches of terrorism. Officers were frustrated with having to be a subordinate to a politician a khaki uniform. They didn’t want a commander who reduced the soldiers from war heroes to hooligans and street sweepers. 

It is frustrating to see that many weeks after the change of governments there hasn’t been a change the leadership of the Sri Lanka army leaving the soldiers who were hopeful of change extremely disappointed. 

By -General K. J.S Perera (retired)

Author: Trauma, shame made North Korean defector alter story

In this March 17, 2014, file photo, human rights activist and North Korean defector Shin Dong-hyuk listens to a speech during a session of the Human Rights Council on the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea at the European headquarters of the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/AP)

By Anna Fifield February 15 at 9:52 AM
TOKYO — Shin Dong-hyuk, whose horrific tales of life in a “total control” prison camp made him the most well-known escapee from North Korea, changed and omitted parts of his story because they were “too painful” to fully retell, according to a revised account of his life.
Author Trauma, Shame Made North Korean Defector Alter Story by Thavam Ratna

Female suicide bomber kills ten in Nigeria's Damaturu

At least ten killed in attack on crowded market in northeastern city of Damaturu, capital of Yobe state.

Damaturu has been the site of previous attack by Boko Haram [File: AFP]

15 Feb 2015

A female suicide bomber has killed at least ten people at Damaturu Central Motor Park, a bus station in the northeast Nigerian city.

"There has been an attack on the Damaturu Central Motor Park by a female suicide bomber," Marcos Danladi, the police commissioner of Yobe State, said on Sunday.

Danladi said that 32 people had been injured.

Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris reporting from Abuja, the capital, said that while the area had come under attack numerous times in the past, this attack had targeted a large amount of people as Sunday was market day.

Witnesses said the assailant entered the station in a vehicle, got out and walked towards a small grocery store at the end of the terminal.

She then positioned herself amid the crowd outside the store and blew herself up, said one shopowner at the station, who requested anonymity.

Another shop owner in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, told the AFP news agency that an angry mob prevented emergency workers from evacuating the remains of the bomber.

"They gathered the pieces [body parts] and set them on fire," he said.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility but the armed group Boko Haram have been accused of similar attacks in the area.

Several dozen people suspected of having links to Boko Haram have been arrested in southern Niger since
the start of cross-border attacks by the armed group a week ago, a local governor said late on Saturday.

"In the region of Zinder, we have a few dozen people whom we arrested for checking. They are suspects," Kalla Moutari told AFP, adding that they were citizens of Niger.

"The [Nigerian] military has been engaging Boko Haram. They claim to have captured hundreds of Boko Haram fighters from Niger," Idris said.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Copenhagen shootings suspect was 'known to police'

Danish police say they know identity of suspected gunman behind Copenhagen attack. Source: Reuters

Lars Eriksen in Copenhagen,Robert Booth, Mark Townsend and Warren Murray
Sunday 15 February 2015

The gunman shot dead by police after a double terror attack on a cafe and a synagogue in Copenhagen that claimed two lives was known to Danish intelligence, the head of the country’s security service has said.

Warning: readers may find this content distressing. Audio captures moment gunman opens fire at Copenhagen free speech debate. Source: BBC

Copenhagen Shootings Suspect Was 'Known to Police' by Thavam Ratna