Monday, April 13, 2015

Hell in The Neighbourhood

by Ali Sukhanver

( April 13, 2015, Islamabad, Sri Lanka Guardian) Has Pakistan not learnt any lesson from its involvement in Afghanistan during the days of USSR’s interference there? Did Pakistan earn anything else but blames and allegations along with an unceasing torrent of terrorism by standing with US in its so called war on terror? Must Pakistan jump into another hell of trials and tribulations by becoming a party to the war between Saudi Arab and Yemen as a few of the so-called analysts are suggesting? Will it be a wise decision to step into another war as we are already in a warlike situation? All these questions are bitter as well as very painful in nature. It is the time to realize that by stepping into the issues, which do not belong to us, we do nothing but create problems only for our own country and for our own nation. It is also a fact that we don’t have a very cordial atmosphere around us in the neighbourhood, so keeping in view the whole scenario, we as a nation, will have to be very much careful in our decisions and assessments. The only important thing we need at present is peace. We have a lot of problems within our own boundaries; our army is engaged in a very intense war against the terrorists; our law-enforcement agencies are doing their best to eliminate Karachi from all type of criminals and our political government is trying its best to get rid of chronicle crisis like lawlessness, energy shortage, water scarcity, unemployment and inflation. The only aim and objective is to create a peaceful atmosphere so that Pakistan may attract foreign investment which is no doubt the most urgent need of time.

Peace is essentially the basic ingredient for a prosperous society; unfortunately the world of today is lacking this ingredient the most. Injustice, prejudice and unfairness in attitudes are the fundamental elements which mar the process of peace everywhere, at every level. We see that the societies where there is supremacy of justice, people are living a peaceful life and the societies which lack justice and accountability are passing through a continuous process of social and economic deterioration. The situation is ever worst in the South Asian countries. We have the examples of countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and even Pakistan where law is just an outworn book of rules and regulations and the only rule in practice is that of ‘ Might is right’. Lawlessness has become the part of national temperaments. The worst example of lawlessness is that a culprit admits he has committed a crime, but he is not punished for his crime. The situation becomes graver if the committed crime is not against some individual but against a neighbouring country. The Samjhota Express tragedy is also one of such examples where we see the helplessness of law at its worst.

This sad incident took place on 18^th February, 2007. The Hindu extremists set off bombs in two carriages of the Samjhota Express train which connects Pakistan and India twice weekly. Sixty-eight passengers, mostly Pakistanis, were killed and dozens more were injured. As per tradition, the Indian government and media initially began pointing the finger at Pakistan for the terror attacks. The Bharatiya Janata Party did all its best to drag Pakistan into this terrorist activity but later on somehow or the other it appeared that various Hindutva militant groups were involved in this terrorist activity. The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested a former Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activist from India, Swami Aseemanand, for his involvement in various terrorist activities. On 24 December 2010, he was handed over to the National Investigation Agency where he admitted in front of a magistrate that he was directly involved in planning terror attacks on Samjhota Express. In his statement he said, “It is not Muslims, but Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activists who planned and executed the bomb blasts on the Samjhota Express in 2007.” Swami Aseemanand further said that it was his interaction with one of the ‘innocent’ Muslim youths in jail that led him to his confession but in spite of his confession of involvement in various terrorist activities Aseemanand was granted bail on August 28, 2014. On the other hand, instead of taking to task the terrorists who have openly confessed their involvement in Samjhota Express blasts, India is continuously blaming Pakistan for favouring and supporting the terrorists involved in Mumbai Blasts. Such uncongenial circumstances do not allow us to invite more troubles and more hardships by jumping into the war between Saudi Arab and Yemen. The better option in this situation is to do efforts for bringing these two countries closer and minimize the misunderstandings between them.

‘Gaza Is a Tomb’

In the rubble of the Gaza Strip, the militias are once again arming up, training men and women, and preparing for the inevitable war with Israel.

BY BEL TREW-APRIL 13, 2015

GAZA CITY — Everyone freezes. The howl of an Israeli warplane cuts through the conversation. The plane is coming in our direction, and is soon nearly overhead.

Brigade commander Abu Mujahid, 40, snaps his head to the right and nods at two of his men, members of the Nasser Salahuddin Brigade, one of Gaza’s many fighting groups. They silently slip out from under the reed awning we are crouched under and jog up the pockmarked farm road to see what’s going on.

‘Gaza Is a Tomb’ by Thavam Ratna

Russia Lifts Ban on S-300 Missiles to Iran, Strikes Oil Deal

The Kremlin said Putin signed a decree lifting Russia's own ban on the delivery of S-300 anti-missile rocket system to Iran.-Sergei Porter / Vedomosti

Apr. 13 2015

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday paved the way for long-overdue missile system deliveries to Iran and Moscow started an oil-for-goods swap with Tehran, showing the Kremlin's determination to boost economic ties with the Islamic Republic.

The moves come after world powers, including Russia, reached an interim deal with Iran on curbing its nuclear program and signal that Moscow may have a head-start in the race to benefit from an eventual lifting of sanctions on Tehran.

The Kremlin said Putin signed a decree lifting Russia's own ban on the delivery of S-300 anti-missile rocket system to Iran, removing a major irritant between the two after Moscow cancelled a corresponding contract in 2010 under pressure from the West.

A senior government official said separately that Russia has started supplying grain, equipment and construction materials to Iran in exchange for crude oil under a barter deal.

Sources said more than a year ago that a deal worth up to $20 billion was being discussed with Tehran and would involve Russia buying up to 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day in exchange for Russian equipment and goods.

Officials from the two countries have issued contradictory statements since then on whether a barter deal has been signed, but Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov indicated one was already being implemented.

"I wanted to draw your attention to the rolling out of the oil-for-goods deal, which is on a very significant scale," Ryabkov told a briefing with members of the upper house of parliament on the talks with Iran.

"In exchange for Iranian crude oil supplies, we are delivering certain products. This is not banned or limited under the current sanctions regime."

He declined to give any further details. Russia's Agriculture Ministry declined comment and the Energy Ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment. There was no comment from Iran.

Russia hopes to reap economic and trade benefits if a final deal is concluded to build on the framework agreement reached in the Swiss city of Lausanne between Iran and six world powers — Russia, the United States, France, Britain, Germany and China.

The sides have until the end of June to work out a detailed technical agreement under which Iran would curb its nuclear program and allow international control in exchange for a lifting of economic sanctions. Tehran has denied that its nuclear activities are designed at developing atomic weapons.

Two to Tango

Iran is the third largest buyer of Russian wheat, and Moscow and Tehran have been discussing the barter deal for more than a year.

Russia's state-controlled grain trader in September lowered the value of its potential grain supplies to Iran under the barter to $500 million annually. In December, Iran's oil minister denied Tehran and Moscow were close to a deal.

Ryabkov also suggested Russia had high hopes that its steady support for Iran would pay off in energy cooperation once international sanctions against the Islamic republic are lifted.

"It takes two to tango. We are ready to provide our services and I am sure they will be pretty advantageous compared to other countries," he said. "We never gave up on Iran in a difficult situation... Both for oil and gas, I think the prospects for our cooperation should not be underestimated."

He also reiterated Moscow's line that an arms embargo on Iran should be lifted once a final nuclear deal is sealed.

One upper house lawmaker asked Ryabkov whether lifting sanctions on Tehran could undermine Russia's position on global energy markets, including as the main gas supplier to Europe.

"I am not confident as yet that the Iranian side would be ready to carry out supplies of natural gas from its fields quickly and in large quantities to Europe. This requires infrastructure that is difficult to build," he said.

Body found in search for BBC journalist missing in Mekong river trip

Picture editor Johanna Powell is feared drowned after cruise boat hit rocks and sank during Mekong river trip

Johanna Powell, 37, from Cardiff. The boat she was sailing in got into difficulty on a stretch of rapids. Photograph: Facebook

The slow boat trip down the Mekong river is popular with western tourists. Photograph: Neil McAllister/Alamy

Steven Morris and agency-Monday 13 April 2015

A British journalist is feared drowned in south-east Asia after the traditional river cruise boat she was sailing in struck rapids, broke in two and sank within seconds.
Body Found in Search for BBC Journalist Missing in Mekong River Trip by Thavam Ratna

Tulsa officer shoots man dead after Taser 'mistake' - video

Footage shows a reserve police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shooting and killing a man after mistakenly firing his gun instead of his Taser.

MONDAY 13 APRIL 2015
Subtitling in the accompanying film not by Channel 4 News

Authorities have released video showing the fatal encounter between a black suspect and a white reserve sheriff's deputy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Police claim the officer thought he was holding a Taser instead of his handgun when he shot the man during a recent attempted arrest.

The video of the 2 April incident shows a Tulsa County officer chase and tackle Eric Harris, 44.

Harris was accused of trying to sell an illegal gun to an undercover officer.

An officer is heard telling Harris: "I need you to roll on your stomach."

At about the same time, a woman is heard in the background saying: "Stop fighting."

While the officer is subduing Harris on the ground, a gunshot rings out and a man says: "Oh, I shot him. I'm sorry."

Died in hospital

Authorities have identified the shooter as 73-year-old reserve deputy Robert Bates, and said that he meant to use his stun gun.

Harris screams: "He shot me. Oh my God," and an officer replies: "You f****** ran. Shut the f*** up."

Harris then says he's losing his breath. A deputy replies: "F*** your breath."

Harris was treated by medics at the scene and eventually died in a Tulsa hospital.

The video was released over the weekend after Harris's family requested that it be made public.

It was recorded by officers with sunglass cameras, Tulsa County Sheriff's Office officials said.

They said Bates believed he was holding a Taser and intended to incapacitate Harris when the fatal shot was fired.

India's order for two Rafale squadrons casts doubt on larger deal

A Rafale fighter jet performs during the Aero India air show at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru February 18, 2015.-REUTERS/ABHISHEK N. CHINNAPPA/FILES

BY SANJEEV MIGLANI AND FRANK JACK DANIE- Mon Apr 13, 2015

(Reuters) - Any future Indian purchase of Rafale jets will come through direct talks with the French government, the defence minister said on Monday, suggesting that commercial negotiations for a larger deal with Dassault Aviation have been shelved.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a plan to buy 36 planes from Dassault through the government-to-government route, after three years of price negotiations for local assembly of the aircraft produced no results.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said Modi’s decision came after the commercial negotiation went into a “vortex” although he stopped short of saying the government had scrapped the negotiation for a contract with Dassault for 126 planes worth up to $20 billion.

“This had to be done to break the vortex,” he said, adding that the preferred method was now to talk directly to the French government, rather than return to commercial negotiations.

“Instead of going through the RFP (Request For Proposal bidding process) where there is lot of confusion, chaos, it is now the situation that 36 will be procured ready to fly. What is to be done with the rest will have to be discussed,” Parrikar said.

A decision to abandon commercial talks would mean the end for what had been touted as one of the world’s biggest defence deals, and could give hope to rival manufacturers, experts said.

“The government has bought time now,“ said Muthumanickam Matheswaran, a former Air Marshal in the Indian Air Force, adding that future purchases "could be that aircraft, or it could be another aircraft.”

"That is an indication that the RFP that has been hanging for more than 3 years, is finished,” said Matheswaran, who advises Hindustan Aeronautics.

Under the original plan, the Air Force was to buy 126 Rafale fighters with 108 of them produced at a state-run Hindustan Aeronautics plant in Bengaluru as part of India’s efforts to build a domestic military industrial base.

But the two sides could not agree on the terms.

The value of the deal was estimated to have grown to about $20 billion from an initial $12 billion in the meantime.

(Additional reporting by Nigam Prusty and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Grubby Politics at elections

by Victor Cherubim

( April 12, 2015, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Elections whether in UK or in Sri Lanka are at the most exciting when they are a “battle of ideas?” However, if the campaign involves throwing poison darts at opponents or being about or around the views of focus groups, irrespective whether it is UKIP or BBS, often deteriorates into mudslinging and always ends up in dirty politics.

As many will know the Labour Party has been challenged by none other than Michael Fallon, the Conservative Defence Secretary, and issues have turned personal.

Ed Miliband, the Labour leader has been accused as being a “back stabber”. “He stabbed his own brother in the back to become Labour leader. Now he is willing to stab the United Kingdom in the back to become Prime Minister”.

Such an attack on the Labour leader’s character, in an already heated campaign, has no doubt inflamed tempers of the voters in Britain. This followed after the Tories back footed Miliband’s pledge to abolish “Non Dom” tax status for the global rich on worldwide income, once they have been in the country for more than three years.

Non Doms (non-domiciles) are people living in Britain, who were born outside the UK. It means that 116,000 wealthy people living in Britain, many without paying tax on their overseas earnings and capital gains, because they or their fathers were born overseas. This is a sore point with the Conservatives who want to reward the rich.

Going negative

The Conservatives have also been accused of going deeply negative in their recent campaign. Gutter politics is what Labour says in the testy exchanges that have since ensued. It is all the more interesting say political analysts as the polls show a slender lead for Labour over the Conservatives. Labour supporters counter that the Conservatives are “in a real pickle” as Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, defending David Cameron’s offer of a “freebee” handout of three additional days paid leave to do voluntary work, to be added to workers’ annual leave. Labour has said that the idea was a “re-announcement” from 2008.

Enticements of all sorts to rope in voters are the order of the day. Why? The Conservative Party membership has almost halved under David Cameron. Now the Conservatives have brought back the “old bogey” of Maggie Thatcher of the Falklands. The Argentine Ambassador to Her Majesty’s Court has been summoned to the Foreign Office over the Falklands Islands threat. Every voter knows that the Falklands is British, but is it to rouse the national sentiment at a time of falling voter sympathy?

Brexit a big threat to UK than the election

David Cameron has pledged to call a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU by 2017 if the Conservatives form a government after the election, as well as promising to renegotiate the terms of UK’s membership. Labour says the prospect of Britain leaving the European Union could cause more damage to the economy. As the EU accounts for around 50 percent of the UK’s goods and 36 percent of its services exports, a withdrawal from the EU could have negative implications for trade and investment, both ahead of the referendum and following it.

What is seen in the campaign?

Every trick in the book, smears, fears, freebees, has all been dished out. After all the excitement of “non dom” Wednesday “backstabber” Thursday, it is a much more low key campaign trail today on Friday.

UKIP seems to be running out of steam with its party rating dropping from 17 to below 14 percent. Labour is trying hard to halt the rising SNP tide in Scotland. Tactical voting might reverse the trend for the Lib Dems. Are the Tories smarting after the smear, who knows?

How elections are won and lost?

As stated earlier elections are won or lost on ideas in the minds of voters. Is it in mind games or in the mind that matters? Ideas can also be discarded like unwanted clothes or what’s in vogue. A garment that fits a need and a mood and doesn’t cost too much, has upmarket appeal. A party that has panache in the mind of the voter, commanding the power to put money in the pocket of the voter, wins the day.

800,000 children in Nigeria 'running for their lives', says Unicef

Report on first anniversary of Boko Haram kidnapping in Chibok reveals number of children affected in troubled north-east region has doubled in less than a year

Children who fled their homes following an attack by Islamist militants, in North East Nigeria, wait to be registered at the camp for internally displaced people in Yola, Nigeria

Children who fled their homes following an attack by Islamist militants wait to be registered at the camp for internally displaced people in Yola, Nigeria. Photograph: Sunday Alamba/AP

Sam Jones-Monday 13 April 2015

Fighting between Boko Haram, military forces and civilian self-defence groups in north-eastern Nigeria has forced around 800,000 children from their homes over the past year, according to the UN children’s agency, Unicef.

In a report marking the first anniversary of the Islamist group’s abduction of 276 schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Chibok, Unicef says the number of children running for their lives in the country or crossing into neighbouring Chad, Nigerand Cameroon has doubled in just under 12 months.

Despite steadily escalating its attacks in recent years, Boko Haram – whose name means “western education is forbidden” – achieved worldwide notoriety last April when it abducted the girls from their school in Borno state.

The girls, aged between 12 and 17, were snatched from their dormitories and loaded on to trucks. Although some managed to escape, others were paraded in a propaganda video, in which it was claimed they would be freed in return for the release of Boko Haram militants held by the Nigerian authorities.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s delay in reacting to the mass abduction – and his government’s failure to rescue them – is thought to have contributed to his defeat at the hands of Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria’s recent election.

Manuel Fontaine, Unicef’s regional director for west and central Africa, says the Chibok kidnapping was one of a series of “endless tragedies being replicated on an epic scale” across the region.

“Scores of girls and boys have gone missing in Nigeria – abducted, recruited by armed groups, attacked, used as weapons or forced to flee violence,” he says.

The report, Missing Childhoods, says at least 15,000 people have been killed since 2009, when Boko Haram stepped up its violent campaign. Last year, 7,300 were killed, while more than 1,000 civilians have died since the beginning of 2015.

Unicef says children have become frequent and deliberate targets for murder, sexual abuse, kidnappings or forced marriage.

“Countless numbers of children, women and men have been abducted, abused and forcibly recruited, and women and girls have been targeted for particularly horrific abuse, including sexual enslavement,” the report says.

“Schools have been attacked. The conflict is exacting a heavy toll on children, affecting not just their wellbeing and their safety but also their access to basic health, education and social services.”

Not only are children as young as four being used by Boko Haram as cooks, porters and lookouts, the report says, but young people are reportedly being recruited by the vigilante groups fighting the Islamist insurgents in north-east Nigeria.

Children who fled their homes following an attacked by Islamist militants in Bama, take a lesson at a camp in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Children who fled their homes following an attack by Islamist militants in Bama take a lesson at a camp in Maiduguri. Photograph: Jossy Ola/AP

Unicef has warned that the hundreds of thousands of displaced people are putting additional strain on already stretched health, education and social services systems in host communities, and has called for international donors to increase their support.

It says it has so far received only 15% of the $26.5m needed for its humanitarian operations in Nigeria this year; 17% of its $40.2m appeal for Cameroon; 2% of its $42.5m appeal for Niger and 1% of its $63.1m appeal for Chad.

“Insecurity and lack of funding are constraining Unicef’s ability to reach affected children,” the report concludes. “Unicef appeals to parties to the conflict to allow humanitarian access. Unicef also urges the international community to increase its support to aid agencies working to alleviate the suffering of civilian populations.”

Best Vegetables for Weight Loss

Best Vegetables for Weight Loss

by Kerry Tombs-Harling - Jul 23, 2013
Cucumber - The cucumber is one of the best vegetables for weight loss. It´s extremely low in calories and contains lots of water.

Broccoli - When trying to lose weight, include plenty of broccoli in your diet. It contains no fat at all, and plenty of carbohydrate. This are slow-release carbohydrates, which is great for helping to keep your energy levels up.

Beans - The great thing about using them for weight loss is that they also count as a source of protein and have lots of fibre. So cut down on your meat intake and substitute all or some of it with beans instead.

Spinach - Spinach is another brilliant vegetable when you´re trying to lose weight. If you´ve always disliked it, try cooking it very lightly – spinach needs barely any cooking at all. You can also serve it raw in salads.

Carrots - Carrots should be included among vegetables for losing weight. Just think of all that beta-carotene and fibre!

Onions - When choosing vegetables for losing weight, it´s important to remember that you want to include lots of flavor so that your diet doesn’t get too boring. Onions are excellent for adding taste to your meals, whether you prefer them raw or cooked.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Sri Lankan soldiers deliver traffic awareness programme to Tamil children

(Security Force Headquarters East)

12 April 2015

The Sri Lankan military organised an awareness programme on traffic law to students of the Methodist Tamil School in Pothuvil earlier this week.

The lecture was delivered by a police officer from Pothuvil police station, and army officials and teachers of the school were also present.

The military's ongoing involvement in Tamil affairs almost 6 years after the end of the armed conflict has been widely condemned by Tamil politicians and activists, with numerous calls for the new president, Maithripala Sirisena to demilitarise the North-East.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council last month, Sri Lanka foreign affairs minister, Mangala Samaraweera said:

"Just days after assuming office, the President replaced the former military governors of the Northern and Eastern provinces of the country with two senior former civil servants. This set in motion the process of strengthening civilian administration in these provinces including the cessation of military involvement in civilian activities, review of high-security zones and releasing land for resettlement of the internally displaced."

Sri Lankan army renovates chapel in Jaffna college (08 April 2015)

Sri Lankan army in Northern school donating water pump and shoes (06 Apr 2015)
Sri Lankan army extends 'welfare projects' in Jaffna (29 Mar 2015)
Continuing militarisation of Tamil school children across North-East (17 Feb 2015)

Seeking An Opposition Leader

By Camelia Nathaniel and Waruni Karunaratne-Sunday, April 12, 2015

R. Sampanthan, Nimal Siripala de Silva and Dinesh Gunawardena

With the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) formally informing Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa last Friday that it wants the opposition leader post, the fight for the post has become a three -way battle.

In a letter to the Speaker on Friday the ITAK said that they are entitled to the post, because they have 14 members of parliament (MPs).

The ITAK letter shows that no MP elected from the UPFA or the UNP can be the Leader of the Opposition. “This clearly is the legal position as well as one that accords with parliamentary tradition, both of our country and the Commonwealth.”

Consequent to the conclusion of the Presidential Election in January 2015 the Leader of the UNP was appointed the Prime Minister and a number of UNP MPs were appointed Cabinet Ministers constituting the government.

However since the President is also the leader of the UPFA and the head of the Cabinet and a number of UPFA members are holding Ministerial positions, some of them in the Cabinet, a member of both the UNP and the UPFA is ineligible to hold the post. Therefore the next in line in terms of the number of seats in the parliament is ITAK as they have 14 MPs.

In the current circumstance, the SLFP-UNP led ‘National Government’ cannot field an opposition which rules them out and those belonging to other parties that contested under the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) or later joined the coalition are also a part of the Government.

ITAK, which is part of the Tamil National Alliance, supported Maithripala Sirisena at the last Presidential Election but refused to hold any ministerial portfolios.

On the contrary, many members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party of which current opposition leader Nimal Siripala de Silva is a member, are now holding ministerial portfolios in the new Government.

Meanwhile, earlier this month about 50 MPs of the UPFA have submitted a letter to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa demanding that MEP Leader Dinesh Gunawardena be made the Opposition Leader. The Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa was scheduled to announce his decision, but instead he passed the ball onto the UPFA court and asked them to decide who should be the leader of the opposition.

Commenting on the issue, General Secretary of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Patali Champika Ranawaka said that there are only around four parties of importance in parliament and that it is up to the speaker to decide the leader of the opposition.

“The selection should be done in compliance with the parliamentary traditions and according to the rules laid out in the Constitution.” he said.
Ranawaka, however, stated that in some countries like India has no opposition leader as their constitutions stipulate that an opposition leader to be appointed, there should be at least ten parties.

But since they do not have that number, they do not have opposition leaders, he said.

It is also believed that the president has called for a meeting with the leaders of the parties of the UPFA to discuss the issue.

MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara said that there is nothing to consider about a different opposition leader as they have already proposed the leader of Mahajana Eksath Peramuna Dinesh Gunawardena as the most suitable opposition leader at this juncture. “He is the best choice for the post.

There is nothing to look at about the proposal of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). They have been part and parcel of the new government,” he added.

He said that he would not want another opposition leader who supports the government and added that ITAK members and Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sampanthan is clearly a part of the government. “It was Wimal Weerawansa and I who proposed to the Speaker that Gunawardena should be the opposition leader,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party Douglas Devananda added that his party has already extended their support to MP Nimal Siripala de Silva. He reiterated that he will not support TNA MP Sampanthan or MEP leader and added that his decision is only based on national interests.

“No, I will not back Mr Sampanthan to be the opposition leader because we should not think only of one political party.

In 1977, Appapillai Amirthalingam of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) became the leader of the opposition. look at where it ended,” he questioned.

He further added that his policy is to support reconciliation whereas the TNA seems to be taking a totally opposite stand.

Secretary General of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress MP Hassan Ali said that R. Sampanthan is the most eligible candidate for the post. “We are in favour of Sampanthan as he has the required number and all the right to take on this post.

His nationality cannot disqualify him. When you take the opposition, Sampanthan commands more members other than the UPFA. However the UPFA cannot field an opposition leader because they have accepted posts of the government,” added Ali.

Sampanthan is as senior as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, both were first elected in 1977. Currently Sampanthan (age 82) is the most senior of the oldest MPs if not the oldest.

Sambanthan’s selection as Opposition Leader is similar to TULF Amirthalingam’s where in 1977 he became the Opposition Leader from 1977 until 1983 with 18 seats in his favour. Dinesh Gunawardena, a classmate of Ranil Wickremesinghe, was seen recently participating at a ceremony held at the Royal College to pay tribute to the new Prime Minister and other Royalist Ministers.

Earlier, speaking in Parliament Wimal Weerawansa said that the mandate given to President Maithripala Sirisena had been ‘hijacked’.