Pakistan: Lift the Travel Ban Against Abdul Qadeer Baloch

William Nicholas Gomes, Human Rights Ambassador-Mar-07-2015

Human Rights Ambassador William Gomes asks to immediately and unconditionally lift the travel ban

Abdul Qadeer Baloch is the Vice Chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Person, an NGO working for the release of persons forcibly disappeared in Balochistan. Photo: W. Gomes

(LONDON) - His Excellency Mamnoon Hussain
President of Pakistan
President's Secretariat
Islamabad

Fax: +92 51 9207458

Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk

Your Excellency,

I am William Nicholas Gomes, Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com.

I would like to draw your attention to the following case. On 4 March 2015, human rights defender Mr Abdul Qadeer Baloch, also known as Mama Qadeer, was informed of a travel ban imposed against him.

The human rights defender was attempting to travel to a human rights seminar in the United States with other relatives of persons forcibly disappeared in Balochistan.

Abdul Qadeer Baloch is the Vice Chairman of Voice for Baloch Missing Person (VBMP), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working for the release of persons forcibly disappeared in Balochistan, and assisting families of the disappeared to seek justice in the courts.

The NGO claims that over 21,000 persons have been the victim of enforced disappearances in the region since 2005. The human rights defender, whose son was forcibly disappeared in 2009, led a peaceful march for a distance of over 2000km, from Quetta to Islamabad, to raise awareness concerning enforced disappearances in Balochistan.

The march, which lasted four months, ended on 28 February 2014. The human rights defender and his colleagues were prevented from boarding their flight when they arrived at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

They were detained for approximately three hours and informed that their names had been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), reportedly as a result of their allegedly anti-Pakistan activities. Abdul Qadeer Baloch was travelling in order to attend a seminar on 7 March 2015, organised by the World Sindhi Congress, on human rights violations in Sindh and Balochistan.

I express my concern at the travel ban against Abdul Qadeer Baloch, which I believe solely results from his peaceful and legitimate human rights activities to combat impunity for enforced disappearances.

I urge the authorities in Pakistan to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally lift the travel ban against Abdul Qadeer Baloch, as Front Line Defenders believes that it has been imposed solely as a result of his legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;
2. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Pakistan, in particular those working to combat enforced disappearances, are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.

Sincerely,
William Nicholas Gomes
Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com, UK
www.williamnicholasgomes.com
Twitter: @Wnicholasgomes

China says progress being made on India border talks

A man walks inside a conference room used for meetings between military commanders of China and India, at the Indian side of the Indo-China border at Bumla, in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, November 11, 2009.

BEIJING Sun Mar 8, 2015

(Reuters) - Progress is being made on drawn-out border talks with India, China's foreign minister said on Sunday, likening the process to climbing a mountain that becomes harder the closer to the summit you get.

The neighbouring giants have had numerous rounds of talks over the years without making much apparent process, in a dispute which dates back to a brief border war in 1962.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the problem as one "left over from history".

"After many years of hard efforts, the border talks continue to make progress, and the dispute has been brought under control," Wang told reporters on the sidelines of China's annual meeting of parliament.

"At the moment, the boundary negotiation is in the process of building up small and positive developments," he said. "It's like climbing a mountain: the going is tough, and that is only because we are on the way up."

China lodged an official protest last month when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited one of the border regions in dispute.

China claims the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, calling it south Tibet. Its historic town Tawang, a key site for Tibetan Buddhism, was briefly occupied by Chinese forces during the 1962 war.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's largely successful trip to India last year was overshadowed by a stand-off between Chinese and Indian troops in Ladakh, another disputed area.

Still, the nuclear-armed neighbours have been trying to move past the issue and concentrate on their broader relationship, which has deep historical roots. Modi is expected to visit China this year.

Wang said he hoped the two countries were able to peacefully coexist so that the "dragon and elephant can dance together".

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)

South Korea: Well-wisher offers dog meat to injured US envoy

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert placing his right hand on his face leaves a lecture hall for a hospital in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday. Pic: AP. 

By AP News Mar 08, 2015 

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hospital officials say a well-wishing South Korean man tried to offer dog meat to injured U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert, who is recovering from an attack by a knife-wielding anti-U.S. activist.

An official at the Seoul hospital where Lippert was being treated said Saturday that the elderly man arrived Friday morning with a package that he said was dog meat and seaweed soup. The official said the man asked the food to be delivered to Lippert to help him heal, but the hospital rejected the food.

South Koreans commonly offer dog meat to patients recovering from surgery based on old beliefs that it helps heal wounds.

A dog lover, Lippert had been regularly seen walking his basset hound, Grigsby, near his residence in Seoul before the attack on Thursday.

Swiss pilots to attempt first around-the-world solar flight

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will take turns piloting the single seater Solar Impulse 2 plane that is propelled solely by the sun 

 Solar Impulse 2 solar plane flies over Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Photograph: Solar Impulse | Revillard | Rezo.ch

Karl Mathiesen-Sunday 8 March 2015 

Two Swiss pilots are expected to embark on Monday morning on the first attempt to fly around the world in a plane propelled only by the sun.

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will take turns piloting the single seater Solar Impulse 2 for 21,747 miles (35,000km) over 12 legs, including gruelling five- to six-day stints across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The entire journey will take five months.

Swiss Pilots to Attempt First Around-The-world Solar Flight by Thavam Ratna

Utilities wage campaign against rooftop solar

SolarCraft workers install solar panels on the roof of a home in San Rafael, Calif. According to a report by the Solar Foundation, the solar industry employs more workers than the coal-mining industry. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

By Joby Warrick-March 7 at 8:01 PM

Three years ago, the nation’s top utility executives gathered at a Colorado resort to hear warnings about a grave new threat to operators of America’s electric grid: not superstorms or cyberattacks, but rooftop solar panels.
Utilities Wage Campaign Against Rooftop Solar by Thavam Ratna

For whose desire that Chemmani mass grave case was closed

Saturday, 07 March 2015 

Investigations revealed that 18-year-old Krishanthi Coomeraswamy, a student of Chundikuly Girls’ High School, was abducted at the Kaithadi military checkpoint on 07 September 1996, gangraped and murdered. The suspects in this crime were several officers and a soldier of the Army. However, the entire blame was placed on the shoulders of the soldier, Somaratne Rajapakse, as the rapist and the murderer in the end. Now imprisoned, he says he is suffering this fate due to the betrayal of his senior officers.

Later, a mass grave was found at Chemmani. No one was found guilty over this mass grave, and the case was relegated to the dustbin of history. That is due to whose fault?, we thought of elaborating once again. Finding no one responsible over the Chemmani mass grave is one reason for the international community to question the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

As said by Amnesty International in 1997, as many as 600 civilians went missing from Jaffna alone during the 1996-97 period. It is said that they disappeared after being arrested by the military.

In 1998, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission began inquiring into these disappearances, but no one has been found accountable.

However, according revelations so far, including the information given by Somaratne Rajapakse, he had only followed the orders of his superior officers, but he had committed no rape or murder. He has burnt bodies and kept several pieces of jewellery with him. Also, he exposed Jaffna’s Araly camp commanding officer Capt. C.J.T.K. Lalith Hewa (61834), Capt. T.D. Sasika Perera (62188), Capt. Sachindra Wijesiriwardena (62421) and Lt. A. Yatagama (63088) as those responsible for several rapes and murders in the area.

After Somaratne claimed these officers to be responsible also for the Chemmani mass grave, the military and the government disregarded these officers. Turning Somaratne a state witness based on his evidence, a case was filed (case no B 28/99), and on 13 March 2000, the four officers were remanded by the Jaffna courts. Their passports were impounded. However, they obtained personal legal support and got bail on 06 July of the same year by filing appeal H.C.B.A. 29/2000. They were given personal legal support by Peter Mohan Maithri Peiris, then an assistant advocate at the Attorney General’s Department.

Later, the case was taken up several times, but as soon as Mohan Peiris was posted to high positions, the Chemmani mass grave case was thrown under the carpet. The impounded passports were returned to the suspects. For these services, Mohan Peiris received a considerable sum of money from the suspects.

What happened to Chemmani mass grave case?

Today, the suspect Army officers live freely, while the state witness Somaratne Rajapakse remains behind bars. Another thing is that despite ethics that prevent a murder suspect from securing promotions, all these officers have been promoted.

Now, Lalith Hewa is a senior Lt. Col. in charge of a miliary bungalow in Panadura, while Sasika Perera, also a senior Lt. Col., is the commanding officer of the Mannar Army camp. Junior Lt. Col. Sachindra Wijesiriwardena is the commanding officer of Mullaitivu Army camp. Lt. Yatagama is retired from the Army.

There are several other recent revelations too. During the previous Rajapaksa regime, Somaratne was one of the targets in the murder of prisoners at Welikada Prison. However, his vigilance paid off, and he was able to save his life.

Also, the suspect officers had done a great deal for Mahinda Rajapaksa during his election campaigns, and they were obedient followers of the then defence secretary.

The Sri Lankan state has been unable to mete out justice on account of the victims of the Chemmani tragedy. The ‘Yaha Paalana’ regime has a responsibility to ensure justice in this matter.

Tamil mother is refused bail despite pleas to president

Sri Lanka's new president fails to free Tamil campaigner Balendran Jeyakumary despite a heartfelt appeal from her family.

SATURDAY 07 MARCH 2015
It should have been a great opportunity for the new Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena - on the eve of his visit to the UK - to show the international community that his government is serious about ending the repression of the Rajapaksa years, writes Callum Macrae.
How Channel 4 News reported Balendran Jeyakumary's arrest in March last year.
Tamil Mother is Refused Bail Despite Pleas to President by Thavam Ratna

The fall of Mahinda and the remaking of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy

by Rajan Philips-March 7, 2015, 12:00 pm 

The more egregious of the blunders of the Rajapaksa regime were in the area of foreign policy. Without doubt Sri Lanka’s global reputation suffered badly under the former president. It might be an exaggeration to say that Sri Lanka’s stock has started rising after the fall of Mahinda Rajapakksa, but it is fair to say that after the change in government the slide in reputation has been stemmed and the trend is being reversed. To wit, the six-month deferral of the UNHRC report that was due this month, the speeches by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State at the 28th UNHRC Sessions now underway in Geneva, and the statement in Colombo by the UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs following his recent visit to the island and the Northern Province. These developments are a sea change from the foreign policy confusions, tantrums and setbacks that Sri Lanka suffered under Mahinda Rajapaksa every year, during the UNHRC sessions in Geneva, over the last three years. It is not difficult to imagine the diplomatic meltdown Sri Lanka would be having in Geneva at this very present time, if Rajapaksa had won the January 8 election and the UNHRC report on Sri Lanka was also released in March as originally scheduled.

In addition to UNHRC and Geneva, President Maithripala Sirisena has moved quickly to mend fences with India. New Delhi was the new President’s first port of call and the visit was remarkable both for its diplomatic success and President Sirisena’s modest mode of travel. Gone are the long retinue and the vulgar fanfare of his predecessor’s overseas travels. Prime Minister Modi is due in Colombo, next week, and is billed to address Sri Lanka’s Parliament on 13 March, perhaps the first address by an Indian Prime Minister in over thirty five years after Morarji Desai was given that honour when he visited Sri Lanka after the 1977 election. Tamil Nadu has gone relatively quiet and the new Sri Lankan government must endeavour to keep it that way. While mending fences with India, the new government is not intending to sour Sri Lanka’s relationship with China, although hiccups will invariably arise as details emerge about the way the Rajapaksa government compromised Sri Lanka’s financial interests, development potential, natural heritage and social priorities in its multifaceted transactions with China. The point here is not to rile against China, but to expose how the previous government used commercial deals to corrupt foreign policy and how it used foreign policy to feed corruption at home.

Fusion of corruption and foreign policy

In an earlier article I have called the Rajapaksa foreign policy orientation as ‘China mania and Anglo-India phobia’, modifying Dr NM Perera’s characterization of Prime Minister DS Senanayake’s foreign policy as "Anglo mania and India phobia." I was writing during the Colombo Commonwealth summit in November 2013, and went on to describe Mahinda Rajapaksa’s personal style in foreign policy as being ‘gregarious’ – he wanted to deal with everyone in the world but more with native cunning than principled consistency. To be native and cunning is to overestimate one’s own strengths and underestimate the strengths of others. The UNHRC resolutions against Sri Lanka are among the results of this approach. What is becoming clear now is that foreign policy under the Rajapaksas was also suffused with corruption. Recent statements by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and other government spokesmen indicate that it was not only in dealing with China that the Rajapaksas extended their corrupt tentacles into foreign policy, but also with other countries, such as in the case of Australia (using human smuggling as a foreign policy lever); the Maldives (road construction); the US (plain cash payments, amounting to US$1,285,000, ostensibly to Public Relations firms but suspiciously to others as well); and in hiring foreign experts who did nothing but were paid huge fees by the Central Bank, solely to create the impression that the Rajapaksa government was striving to conform with international standards in investigating human rights violations.

The Port City project is a telling example of the previous government’s fusion of internal corruption and external relationships. It is encouraging that the government has finally decided to suspend the project based on the recommendation of its Experts Committee. There was some concern about the Committee’s objectivity given the known association of quite a few members of the Committee with the project process under the previous government. To their credit the Committee members have collectively reconsidered the project notwithstanding the previous involvement of some of them and recommended its suspension. The Port City saga needs a separate article, but suffice it to note here the following: Port City is a private development project and not a public infrastructure project. There are fundamental differences between the two categories in regard to their processes and priorities. No one but the Rajapaksas could have blurred these differences and amalgamated the public and the private spheres so seamlessly.

Add to all of this the way the Ministry of External Affairs was run - as a department for employing otherwise unemployable political friends and family members; and run as well by an uncouth political thug with the then Minister reduced from his academic eminence to being a powerless mouthpiece. "Corruption is everywhere" is the refrain of those who cannot get over the fall of Mahinda Rajapaksa. True, corruption is everywhere, and corruption, nepotism and family bandyism have been in Sri Lankan state and politics long before the Rajapaksa brothers arrived in Colombo. But I cannot think of a time under any previous Prime Minister or President when the tentacles of corruption extended so systemically into every nook and cranny of the government machinery; and certainly not into the affairs of the Ministry of External Affairs. There is much consternation among concerned citizens that the new government is being slow and tardy, if not doing anything at all, to investigate and indict those responsible for corruption and abuse of power under the previous government. One can understand the consternation, but what is hilarious is the attitude of some commentators to summarily absolve the Rajapaksas because the new government has not been able to prosecute them in the two months it has been in office. To them all the allegations against the old regime were the opposition’s imagination during the election to dupe the public. And the Rajapaksas were no more, or no less, corrupt than any other previous government, and whatever they did is par for the Sri Lankan political course. But a good majority of Sri Lankans do not see politics that way, inasmuch as they do not like to live their lives that way.

Foreign policy and domestic politics

While the new government has started on the right track by avoiding everything that the Rajapaksas did, it cannot go far enough on that road without taking positive actions on its own. In the current context, new foreign policy making will have to be supplemented by internal initiatives in regard to national reconciliation. What are the short term expectations that would satisfactorily distinguish the new government from the old? After his recent visit to the country and meeting with government and Tamil political leaders in Colombo and Jaffna, Jeffrey Feltman, the UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, identified the four areas where earnest and immediate actions are expected: land, detentions, disappearances, and the military posture in civilian areas.

The government has taken some steps in regard to these matters, but the baffling question is: who is in charge of national reconciliation? Is it the President, the Prime Minister, or any other senior Minister? There has to be some correspondence between the grand speeches that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is making overseas and the allocation of reconciliation responsibilities at home. Rajiva Wijesinha had a point in calling the allocation of functions under the Prime Minister’s portfolio "absolute crackers!" Not just the Prime Minister, even other ministers have strange pairing of functions, such as highways and higher education under one minister, investments and irrigation under another, and so on. I am not at all suggesting that foreign policy and national reconciliation should be under one minister, and that would be an absolute disaster. To the extent the President is being insisted upon to be in charge of devolution and national security, he should also spearhead the more immediate task of national reconciliation – focusing on the four areas that the UN Under-Secretary General outlined in Colombo. Equally, while the government must demonstrate greater effort in its commitment to achieve the four minimum expectations, the Tamil political forces must direct their energies to the same minimum expectations without dissipating them in rhetorical politics. There is a long way to go, but there is no time to lose in starting the journey.

Swaraj to Lanka PM: Italian marines case cannot be compared with Indian fishermen

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj meeting Sri Lanka’s PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo on Saturday. PTI Photo

March 7, 2015

India on Saturday  took up with Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe the “humanitarian” issue of fishermen’s rights as controversy raged over his remarks that Indian fishermen may be shot if they intruded into Sri Lankan waters.

On a two-day trip ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here next week, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also made it clear to him that there was no comparison between the issues of Italian sailors and the fishermen.

"In the discussion with Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, she (Swaraj) raised the matter regarding issues related to Indian fishermen. She explained our view that issues of fishermen is a humanitarian issue. It is an issue of livelihood," MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told reporters, hours after Wickramasinghe’s remarks in an interview to a Tamil channel stoked a controversy.

Wickramasinghe alleged that Indian fishermen were taking away the livelihood of Northern Lanka fishermen. “If someone tries to break into my house, I can shoot. If he gets killed law allows me to do that,” he had said.

Wickramasinghe also linked the right to take coercive action to the issue of Italian sailors being arrested, saying that if India is friendly with Italy, it should show the “same magnanimity to Italy that you want us to show.”

Asked about Lanka’s attempt to link the two, Akbaruddin said, “Absolutely no. These are two different issues”. He explained that there are different aspects even if one views it either from a humanitarian perspective or legal perspective.

"And the External Affairs Minister forthrightly explained to Sri Lanka Prime Minister our perspective on this. Our understanding is that he does understand what the nuances and differences are and agreed to take this conversation forward," he said.

The issue of Indian fishermen also figured in the talks that Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had with Swaraj. This is the first time that TNA has raised the issue of fishermen with the Indian government, analysts here said.

Emerging from the meeting, TNA leader R Sampanthan said a solution needs to be found as the livelihood of Lankan Tamil fishermen is being affected. Asked how he views the Lankan Prime Minister’s statement, the moderate Tamil leader said protecting sovereignty was every country’s right.

"But I am not sure if the Prime Minister will really follow it up with action. This issue needs to be resolved through dialogue. Let better sense prevail," he said. Akbaruddin said the fishermen issue was a difficult and both sides understand that it cannot be resolved immediately.

"What we are looking at interim solutions until the bigger problem is addressed. The bigger problem can be addressed through deep sea fishing. "The thinking is that the fishermen bodies on both sides could meet, we understand they can’t meet before prime minister’s visit, so we are now targeting dates just after PM’s visit," he said.

Swaraj, who is here to pave the way for Modi’s trip on March 13-14, met with top officials here besides holding delegation-level talks with her counterpart.  Akbaruddin said the meeting with Lanka Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera focussed on the Modi’s upcoming visit and the arrangements and agreements that are likely to be signed.

Swaraj also met with leaders of Indian-origin Tamils, Ceylon Workers Congress and Sri Lankan Muslim Congress among others.

Sensitive Fishermen Issue Should Not Be Handled In Insensitive Way

by N.S.Venkataraman

( March 7, 2015, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mr. Ranil Wickramasinge is reported to have said in a media interaction that Indian fisher men who cross into Sri Lankan waters for fishing would be shot. This abrasive statement has sent shock waves among the fishermen community in Tamil Nadu and is bound to raise an uproar and cause friction in the relationship between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu in India. One is surprised that such a seasoned politician with considerable experience and some reputation in dealing with the foreign relations of Sri Lanka has made such an insensitive remark, particularly in a matter concerning the poor fisher men.

While one would certainly agree that Indian fisher men should not cross into Sri Lankan water and vice versa, it is often possible that the fisher men from India would be crossing into Sri Lankan water inadvertently, particularly since unlike the land area, the border cannot be clearly demarcated in the case of sea water.

One should also keep in view that for the last several decades ,there have been healthy understanding between the fisher men of India and Sri Lanka and significant segment of the Sri Lankan fisher men are those of Tamil origin. The skirmishes between the fisher men of these two countries are of recent origin and perhaps, whipped up by the politicians who always like to fish in troubled water.

Mr. Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visit to Sri Lanka provide an ideal opportunity to discuss this vexed issue in the threadbare manner with honesty of purpose and mutual good will and understanding. There are no issues for which solutions cannot be found , if there would be will and genuine desire to arrive at appropriate solution keeping the ground realities in view and interest of both the parties in mind.

One of the allegations is that some fishing entrepreneurs from India (particularly from Tamil Nadu) operate giant fishing trawlers to catch fish in Indian waters, leaving the poor Indian fisher men who use the conventional method of fishing , with little fish to catch . Therefore, such fisher men are forced to cross into Sri Lankan waters for fishing. If this allegation were true, the Government of India and Sri Lanka can take a decision to ban the operation of giant fishing trawlers in the sea between India and Sri Lanka . This may be a tangible solution for the problem.

Instead of Mr. Wickramasinghe talking about using violent methods of shooting to terrorise and drive away the Indian fisher men who cross into Sri Lankan water, the feasibility of constituting a peace committee between the fishermen in Sri Lanka and India can be thought about. This may work and evolve a mutual agreeable mechanism to avoid friction, as there would be fisher men in both the sides with reasonable approach and peaceful intentions.

In any case, Mr.Wickramasinghe should avoid making such counter productive statement , which would do more harm than good to the interest of fisher men in both the countries. Violent outburst are never known to have solved problems but it can only aid in prolonging the problem. It is sad that Mr. Wickramasinghe gives an impression that he has not appreciated this golden truth.

The politicians and media in Tamil Nadu are also responsible to a significant extent in creating friction among the fisher men of both the countries by constantly organising agitations and making vituperative observations and launching a hate campaign. Perhaps, the fisher men in India and Sri Lanka would have found the solution for the issue , if there would be no undue interest shown by the politicians.

Ranil Wickramasinghe’s interview to Thanthi TV

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. — Photo: M. Vedhan

Sri Lanka's political parties are united on the need for restoration of democracy in Sri Lanka, removing the executive presidency and national reconciliation, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe.

March 7, 2015 
THANTHI TV: Thank you very much Mr. Prime Minister for agreeing to talk to us. Let me start asking about the working of the New National Govt. There is an SLFP President, UNP Prime Minister. Ministers from parties that have been opposing each other in elections consecutively. How does this actually work?

Ranil Wickramasinghe’s Interview to Thanthi TV by Thavam Ratna

Police Under Chandrika

By Rajan Hoole –March 7, 2015

Dr. Rajan Hoole

Law Enforcement and the Security Services: Politicisation and Demoralisation – 3

The PA and the Administration of the Police

Following the election of the PA government in 1994, the public was witness to one of those Sri Lankan rituals. Those who had been politically victimised by the earlier government were asked to appeal. A number of persons who had left the Police were re-instated as Senior DIGs with back-wages. DIG W.B. Rajaguru was a person in this group who had faced victimisation of a sort. The Government under Premadasa used its option and the IGP had retired him at the age of 55. After the age of 55 all government officers are on annual extension and work at the will and pleasure of the Government. Earlier the age had been 50, and under Mrs. Bandaranaike’s Government of 1970-77, T.B. Werapitiya who became deputy defence minister after the elections in 1977, had been retired as DIG (Metropolitan) at the age of 50.

Of the six officers taken back, paid back wages and placed in the rank of Senior DIG, two had suffered victimisation of a kind that was not political. In Rajaguru’s case one of the main problems is said to have been ambitious officers junior to him who, eyeing the IG’s job, carried tales about him to the political bosses of the day. This ensured his retirement at the earliest opportunity. Another of the six who was in Administration is said to have been similarly refused extension of service after 55 through internal manipulation. He, it is said, had refused to co-operate in corrupt practices by some who were higher up.

The others, according to senior police sources, had no case for re-instatement on grounds of victimisation. They had resigned after refusing to serve in a conflict zone, retired or had been served with vacation of post for absence during the JVP insurgency. One of them had a reputation for being notoriously corrupt. Another was closely related to a PA cabinet minister.Read More

Fwd: Rely to the Government statement on the Bond Issue- the real truth 

 Saturday, 07 March 2015

The person who drafted the statement for the government has gone to extremes trying to cover the white collar crime by giving dates and giving economic theory. No mention however anywhere how his son in law got the information to bid for the Rs 3 billion via the BOC . There is evidence that the request from Perpetual Treasuries were received 10 min before the bond auction was closed. The dealers at Bank of Ceylon would confirm this. No person would believe Mr Mahendren after this deal.

The statement says the government decided to increase the requirement to 15 Billion on the 26 th. The amount offered was only 1 Billion. So there was no way Perpetual Treasuries would have used their judgement to bid for additional 3 Billion at over 11% with out inside information. All in all Perpetual collected Rs 5 Billion and would have made a profit of over Rs 211 Million.

If the government is to regain the confidence of the fund management community both locally and oversees they need to either ask the Govornor to vacate his job, given his many conflicts or get the CID to investigate and find out how Perpetual Treasuries obtained the information and prosecute the relevant persons. Mr Sirisena you are the President and it is you who made this appointment, so save your credibility and the goodwill you have earned in the last 60 days..

Good Governance activist.

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