Thiru admits Mervyn’s complaint at bribery commission!

 Wednesday, 25 February 2015 

Wealthy businessman Thiru Nadesan has admitted before the bribery commission that the complaint lodged against him by former public relations minister Mervyn Silva to be correct, reports say.

Mervyn’s complaint alleged Thiru had constructed a multi-storey building on a plot of land extending to several acres in the heart of Gampaha town, rented it to former economic development minister Basil Rajapaksa, had influenced tenders of the ministry and swindled public money in cohort with various racketeers from India and other countries.

The commission summoned Thiru recently to investigate the complaint. There, he had brought the deeds and other documents to prove his ownership of the land in question. In addition, there were the approved building plans, non-acquisition certificates, street certificates, tax payment slips etc. He said he had given the building free of charge to Basil.

When asked as to why he had given it free, Thiru had no answer to give. He failed to negate the conclusion that he had done so in order to get Basil agree to his nefarious deeds, and was unable to give an acceptable reply to the commission. Therefore, he has indirectly admitted the allegation by Mervyn that he had constructed the building and given it free to Basil in order to influence tenders of his ministry. Accordingly, there is the possibility of the bribery commission getting the attorney general to serve Thiru with indictment, reports add.

​The mobile technology helping Sri Lanka cope with climate change

By Chris Arsenault-Feb 25 2015

Floods and landslides linked to climate change have battered parts of Sri Lanka in the past two years, disrupting food output, but scientists believe a new programme to install low-cost weather stations based on open-source technology could help farmers adapt to increasingly wild weather.

New Mobile Weather Stations, made mainly from local parts, are starting to give farmers quick access to rainfall data, so they can better plan for floods or other extreme weather, Yann Chemin, a scientist leading the new initiative, said on Tuesday.

The easy-to-make sensors cost about $250 to produce compared with about $10,000 for standard weather stations, he said.

When more of the systems have been produced, Chemin hopes to have text messages sent from the sensors directly to farmers and government officials when rainfall levels are expected to rise in a specific area.

When farmers get the information, they will have roughly six hours to empty irrigation tanks, or make other adjustments in their fields to prevent crop losses from floods, he said.

“This isn’t rocket science, but it does give people time to react so they can save lives and crops,” Chemin told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In some parts of north central Sri Lanka, 65 percent of crops have been destroyed in the past two years due to floods and other disasters linked to climate change, he said.

The information will also allow rural households to get ready to collect rain water for drinking.

Several dozen Sri Lankans, including rural blacksmiths and electricians, along with urban electronic designers, have been hired to produce the weather stations, Chemin said, creating jobs while helping communities cope with climate change.

This article is published in collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

To keep up with the Agenda subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Author: Chris Arsenault covers global food security and agricultural politics for the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Image: Damaged rice is seen in a paddy field destroyed by flood waters near a village in Manmunai West in Batticaloa district, about 320 km east of Colombo. Picture January 26, 2011. REUTERS/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds

​Putin’s Ukrainian Power Play
Russia’s latest threats to cut off natural gas supplies to Kiev are part and parcel of its growing push to force the West to back down in the battle for Ukraine.

BY KEITH JOHNSON-FEBRUARY 24, 2015

Russia is unsheathing its energy weapon once again, threatening to cut off its natural gas shipments to Ukraine and warning of potentially dire impacts on Europeans reliant on energy deliveries that come through the war-torn state.

Putin’s Ukrainian Power Play by Thavam Ratna

Fear of the Islamic State spawns a renegade Afghan mili

Some veteran guerrillas are arming themselves against a perceived threat from the Islamic State.

In Mazar-e-Sharif, members of a militia called Margh, or Death, don ninja-style uniforms in the colors of the Afghan flag. Though the group’s proclaimed enemy is the Islamic State, some observers fear they will lead to vigilantism or warlordism, eroding support for the government in Kabul. Andrew Quilty/Oculi/For The Washington Post

By Sudarsan Raghavan February 24 at 8:21 PM

MAZAR-E SHARIF, Afghanistan — The 25 men who gathered last week in a poor enclave of this ancient city bore the scars of a lifetime of war. One lost four fingers fighting Taliban militants. Another lost his right leg fighting the Soviets. Now, seated in a bare room on a cold morning, they declared readiness to make even greater sacrifices against a new enemy: the Islamic State.
Fear of the Islamic State Spawns a Renegade Afghan Militia by Thavam Ratna

Iraqi Army Downs Two British Planes Carrying Weapons for ISIL Terrorists

al-Anbar province: numerous flights by US-led coalition planes airdrop weapons and supplies for ISIL in terrorist-held areas.

GR editor’s Note-By Fars News Agency-February 24, 2015

There are no reports in the Western mainstream media pertaining to this issue.

This report is based on statements emanating from the Iraq parliament, with photographic evidence. We have not been in a position to corroborate this report by FARS  News.

Iraq’s army has shot down two British planes as they were carrying weapons for the ISIL terrorists in Al-Anbar province, a senior lawmaker disclosed on Monday.

Iraqi Army Downs Two British Planes Carrying Weapons for ISIL Terrorists by Thavam Ratna

Revelation of mystery tunnel leaves too much unsaid: DiManno

Significant details — such as whether the site near a Pan Am Games venue was under constant surveillance after its discovery 43 days earlier — were not revealed in Tuesday’s press conference.

The meaning and purpose of the hole discovered by a Toronto and Region Conservation Authority worker remains a mystery.

Toronto Deputy Police Chief Mark Saunders explains evidence photos as he speaks to the media about a tunnel found situated near one of the venues for this year's Pan Am Games.

By: Rosie DiManno Columnist, Published on Tue Feb 24 2015

Not pie-in-the-sky but a calculated and skillful scheme down under.

The tunnel that police belatedly confirmed was dug out close to the tennis complex at York University — 43 days after its discovery by a Toronto and Region Conservation Authority officer — is alarming news as the city prepares to host this summer’s Pan Am Games.

Revelation of Mystery Tunnel Leaves Too Much Unsaid DiManno by Thavam Ratna

Avalanches caused by heavy snow kill at least 124 people in Afghanistan

An Afghan phone card seller walks during a snowstorm in Kabul on Tuesday. Photograph: Massoud Hossaini/AP

Associated Press in Panjshir-Wednesday 25 February 2015 

Avalanches across four north-east provinces buried homes killing those beneath, with Panjshir province appearing to be the worst-hit

Avalanches caused by a heavy winter snow have killed at least 124 people in north-eastern Afghanistan, an emergency official said on Wednesday, as rescuers clawed through debris with their hands to save those buried beneath.

The avalanches buried homes across four north-east provinces, killing those beneath, said Mohammad Aslam Syas, the deputy director of the Afghanistan natural disaster management authority. The province worst hit appeared to be Panjshir province, about 100km (60 miles) north-east of the capital, Kabul, where the avalanches destroyed or damaged around 100 homes, Syas said.

The acting governor of Panjshir, Abdul Rahman Kabiri, said rescuers used their bare hands and shovels in an effort to reach survivors. Rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected areas and casualties were expected to rise, Syas said.

The heavy snowstorms, which began early Tuesday, hampered rescue efforts. Snowfall from the storm was nearly one meter (3ft) deep in places and fallen trees blocked roads in the Panjshir Valley.

General Abdul Aziz Ghirat, the provincial police chief of Panjshir, said the death toll from the avalanches was expected to rise when rescue attempts resumed at sunrise Thursday.

Avalanches in the valley’s Dara district affected up to 600 families, according to people trying to reach the area to assist in rescue efforts.

“People there have told me that two of my relatives have been killed and eight others are still under the snow,” said an Afghan who goes by the single name Sharafudin. “My son and I are trying to get through to see if we can help find their bodies. But it will take us at least three or four hours to get there because of the snow and the road is very narrow, so we have to walk, the car can’t get through.”

He spoke at the mouth of the valley, where traffic moved at a crawl.

“We’ve had no help yet from the authorities, no medicines, no machinery to open the roads so we can get to the buried houses,” Sharafudin said.

Another man stuck on the highway trying to reach Dara told the Associated Press that many bodies remained in houses buried beneath feet of snow.

“We are so concerned about our relatives who are just stuck there,” said the man named Abu Muslim.

Large parts of Afghanistan have been covered in snow as a major storm interrupted an otherwise mild and dry winter.

Authorities in Parwan province closed the strategic Salang Tunnel, which links the north and south of the country, over avalanche fears. Power cables traversing the tunnel have been damaged, cutting power to much of Kabul since earlier this week.

In a statement, President Ashraf Ghani said he was “saddened by news of the avalanches and flooding across the country”. He said he had ordered urgent assessments of the extent of damage and offered his condolences to the families of the dead.

Temperatures have plummeted across the country, though the snow was expected to start melting in the Panjshir Valley and much of the mountainous north-west of the Hindu Kush range in coming days, according to forecasts.

Afghanistan has suffered through some three decades of war since the Soviet invasion in 1979. But natural disasters such as landslides, floods and avalanches have taken a toll on a country with little infrastructure or development outside of its major cities.

In May, a massive landslide killed anywhere from 250 to 2,700 people, authorities said at the time. Another landslide in 2012 killed 71 people. Authorities were not able to recover the vast majority of bodies and ended up declaring the site a massive grave.

India Rafale fighter jet sale talks advance - French defence spokesman

A Rafale fighter jet performs during the Aero India air show at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru February 18, 2015.

Wed Feb 25, 2015 

(Reuters) - Talks on the sale of 126 Rafale fighter jets to India are advancing, a French defence ministry spokesman said during a visit to India by Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to salvage a deal stalled on the issue of local assembly of the aircraft.

Talks about the contract, worth a possible $23 billion, have been going on for more than three years.

"Things are advancing, but we will make an announcement when the contract is concluded and not before," the spokesman said.

One major sticking point has been over who would be responsible for the manufacturers' guarantee on 108 of the 126 jets which could be built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics. India wants maker Dassault Aviation to take full responsibility. The remainder would be constructed in France.

The Business Standard newspaper wrote last week that the contract talks may be dead, but the sale earlier in February of 24 of the fighters to Egypt has reignited Dassault's hopes of closing more negotiations.

Dassault Chairman and Chief Executive Eric Trappier told Reuters in January he hoped to sign a deal this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit France in April.

Indian defence ministry officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

(Reporting by Cyril Altmeyer in Paris and Doug Busvine in New Delhi; Writing by Andrew Callus; Editing by James Regan and Raissa Kasolowsky)

Overfishing driving slavery on Thailand's seafood boats 

  By ROBIN McDOWELL and MARGIE MASON

SAMUT SAKHON, Thailand (AP) — Urine pools under a bed where an emaciated Burmese man lies wearing only a T-shirt and a diaper.

As he struggles to sit up and steady himself, he tears at his thick, dark hair in agitation. He cannot walk and doesn't remember his family or even his own name. He speaks mostly gibberish in broken Indonesian — a language he learned while working in the country as a slave aboard a Thai fishing boat.
Overfishing Driving Slavery on Thailand's Seafood Boats by Thavam Ratna

Families seek more transparency on HPV vaccine

Linda Morin's 14-year-old daughter Annabelle died two weeks after receiving the second injection of the vaccine Gardasil.

This article has come under global criticism by the medical and public health communities for not making clear the scientific evidence of the safety of the HPV vaccine Gardasil. There is no scientific medical evidence of any "dark side" of this vaccine.

Hundreds of thousands of teen girls in Canada have safely taken Gardasil, a vaccine that prevents HPV. But since 2008, at least 60 Canadians experienced debilitating illnesses after inoculation. Patients and parents say the incidents point to the imp

By: David Bruser News Reporter, Jesse McLean - Thu Feb 05 2015

Editor's Note-February 13, 2015 : The original headline on this story has been edited to reflect a better description of the story’s content.

By the time Kaitlyn Armstrong received her third and final injection of the popular HPV vaccine Gardasil, pain had spread through the Whitby teen’s body, migrating from her back to her knees to her hips

Families Seek More Transparency on HPV Vaccine by Thavam Ratna

UN deferral must be used to make Sri Lanka war crimes report stronger

Pro-government supporters protest last year in Colombo against a UN resolution to investigate alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka (Credit: ucanews.com) 

• Ruki Fernando-February 23, 2015

This month, the UN Human Rights Council announced it would defer publication of a major report that investigates allegations of serious human rights violations and related crimes during the last years of Sri Lanka’s civil war. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, whose office had been entrusted with the task, had asked the council to delay the report’s release, originally scheduled for March, until September, based on a request by Sri Lanka's new government.
UN Deferral Must Be Used to Make Sri Lanka War Crimes Report Stronger by Thavam Ratna

Thousands protest in Jaffna rejecting domestic probe, demanding release of UN report

Photograph Tamil Guardian

24 February 2015
Thousands of Tamils protested in Jaffna this morning, calling on the UN Human Rights Council to release the report looking into mass atrocities committed against the Tamil people, the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) report, next month as planned.

Thousands Protest in Jaffna Rejecting Domestic Probe, Demanding Release of UN Report by Thavam Ratna

To Zeid On Deferral Of Sri Lanka War Report

By Brian Senewiratne -February 23, 2015

Dr. Brian Senewiratne

Hon. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Palais des Nations

CH-1211 Geneva

Switzerland.

Sri Lanka Publication of UN Investigation into war crimes

Dear High Commissioner,

I am writing to add my voice of protest at your outrageous decision to postpone the release of the UN investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka (OISL) from March 2015 to September 2015.

I am an Australian citizen of Sri Lankan descent originally from the majority Sinhalese community. I have campaigned for more than six decades (1948 to be specific) for the right of the Tamil people – the Plantation ‘Indian’ Tamils in 1948, and the ethnic Tamils since 1956, to live with equality, dignity and safety (and now to live at all) in Sri Lanka – the Tamil North and East in particular.

My concerns are, and have always been, the violation of basic human rights by a succession of Sri Lankan governments, the worst being the one led by Mahinda Rajapaksa.

As the High Commissioner for Human Rights, I am entitled to believe that your concerns should be the same – the protection of human rights. Your actions should not be to ensure that the trauma which these people are undergoing is prolonged.

I sent you my recently published book “Sexual Violence of Tamils in Sri Lanka”. I clearly set out the problems faced by the people in the North and East, an area run by the Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) Armed Forces who treat the area as ‘Occupied territory’ and the people as ‘The spoils of war’ to be used and abused with no accountability.Read More

Sumanthiran defends NPC's Genocide Resolution Says war victims should be prepared to give more evidence

Sumanthiran defends NPC's Genocide Resolution Says war victims should be prepared to give more evidence

By Ananth Palakidnar- 2015-02-22 

The Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran, defending the NPC's genocide resolution as democratic and timely, emphasized on the need for the war victims to prepare themselves to gather more evidence in order to strengthen the OHCRC's OISL report to be released in September this year. He also added that an internal investigation with the OHCR's supervision, unlike the local investigations in the past, is essential to ensure a constructive UN investigation into the alleged war crimes in the country. Excerpts from the interview:

Q
: What is your view on the recent 'genocide resolution' passed by the Northern Provincial Council?
A: The resolution is timely and the facts which have been listed out in it are nothing but true. It was a sheer democratic action and very well drafted, taking into consideration the grievances of the people directly affected by the war. Various comments could surface with regard to the resolution, but it was aimed at seeking justice for the people who have been affected by the ruthless war in the North.

The Chief Minister of the Northern Province or the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) cannot be criticized for bringing about the genocide resolution, since the NPC represents the people who were very much affected by the war. So the NPC, which represents those people and being a democratic institution, has done its part in the right manner in bringing out the resolution. The Chief Minister has clearly pointed out the atrocities committed systematically towards the Tamils since the country gained independence. Therefore without addressing the genuine grievances of the people affected by the communal upheavals in the past, we cannot talk of reconciliation. Therefore, the genocide resolution was brought out to identify the perpetrators who had committed the war crimes and bring justice to the war victims. The resolution is not at all meant to hurt the feelings of those who strive for peace and reconciliation in the country.

Q: The release of the OISL report (OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka) has been delayed by six months and instead of in next March, the report is expected to be released in September this year. Your comment on this new move?
A: It is clear that the OHCHR is firm on dealing with the findings it has gathered through its channels. So the delay in releasing the report will not affect the OHCHR's actions with regard to the alleged war crimes and the human rights violations committed in the North and East. Of course the TNA expected the report to be released in March. But on the insistence of the new Government the OHCHR has decided to delay the release of the OISL report. The TNA leader Sampanthan has clearly stated that the release of the report should not be delayed due to political reasons. The OHCHR officials have even agreed with the concerns of the TNA and responded that there was nothing political. The new Lankan Government's request to delay the OHCHR's OISL report indicates that it has accepted the UN's investigation.

Q: Do you think the delay in releasing the OISL report will make way for the perpetrators to do the manipulations over the accusations against them with regard to the alleged war crimes?
A: Nothing like that. The OISL report has its own findings. It cannot be influenced or adjusted. The TNA is constantly in touch with the OHCHR officials. On the other hand the people who had experienced the adverse effects of the war should do everything to strengthen the OISL report by adding more evidence to it. When the report is released in September it should bear the right weight. The war victims should come forward without any hesitation to strengthen the report further. They should be bold enough to give their evidence. There are several witnesses who had seen for themselves, directly, the atrocities committed during the war. A large number of key witnesses had given their evidence in the past, secretly. However, they should now cooperate within the other six months to make the OISL report more meaningful.

Q:
How do you comment on the proposed internal investigation under the supervision of the OHCHR in Sri Lanka?
A: A local mechanism to hold an internal investigation into the alleged war crimes is important. It will not be a strategy adopted in the form of commissions in the past. The internal investigation under the supervision of the OHCHR will help in a big way to protect the witnesses as well. In any country, to support the OHCRC action, an internal investigation is also carried out in addition to the UN investigation.
Therefore, the internal investigation, which is the Lankan Government is clamouring for, will only add weight in an extensive way to the UN action. Here again the people, without any hesitation, must cooperate in the investigations in whatever form to reach a constructive end results.

Q: The new Government has come forward to resettle the Internally Displaced Persons from Valikamam North in a thousand-acre area, creating a model village. Is the TNA in favour of this new arrangement?
A:The TNA has rejected the 1,000-acre model village plan for resettling the IDPs in the Valikamam North. The plan was mooted by the Army several years ago. So we don't want the new Government to go ahead with this plan. However, we were told that the 1,000-acre resettlement plan will not be carried out and we are yet to see how the Government will respond. The IDPs from the Valikamam North should be resettled in their original places without shifting them to new locations. We have discussed the issue with the new Government leaders and emphasized that the IDPs should be resettled in their original places, during our discussions with them prior to the elections.

Since the IDP issue remains a huge humanitarian problem in the North and East, the Government must do everything to resettle the IDPs, not only in the North, but also in the East, in the areas such as Sampoor before UNHRC sessions in Geneva on 2 March.
The TNA was promised by the government leaders that the IDPs will be resettled in their original places. But still nothing has happened in expediting the resettlement process.
The IDPs are still remaining in makeshift shelters in the areas of Keppapilavu, Paravipanchan, Sampoor Mulliyan and in Valikamam North, in the Peninsula.

Q:How do you assess President Maithripala Sirisena's recent visit to India?
A: Well the visit is significant as far as the regional politics as well as the Lankan Tamil issue are concerned. The TNA welcomes the closer ties between the two countries. The TNA has already briefed the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on the political and the humanitarian issues in the North and East. India being instrumental in introducing the 13th Amendment, the country is firm on the implementation of the Amendment. So the Indo-Lanka relation is vital as far as the Tamil issues are concerned.

Q: What will be the TNA's stance at the forthcoming Parliamentary polls to be held in the middle of the year?
A: Well, we will continue to support the present Government. The TNA has already expressed its support to the new Government on its 100-day programme, to bring changes. We have agreed upon on solving several key problems in the North and East. As a democratic Party, we believe that through healthy interaction we could reach out for several things. So the TNA will remain supportive of the present Government even during the Parliamentary polls.

Q: The TNA leader R. Sampanthan and yourself came under criticism from other TNA members for attending the 67th Independence Day this year, on 4 February. What have you got say about it?
A: There was no hard and fast decision, to boycott the Independence Day, among the Party members. We have extended our support to the new Government to win our rights and to address the grievances of our people. So it was after 42 years we expressed our goodwill towards the new Government which has made the pledges to address our problem. The TNA leader and myself have attended the Independence Day.
The celebration this year was not anything to display military hardware. It was a simple ceremony and President Sirisena had clearly stated the need to solve the national question. He had said that the end of the war is not the end of the problems. Therefore our presence at the Independence Day this year has highlighted our desire for peace and reconciliation.