Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Court bans protests in front of Bribery Commission

April 22, 2015

The Colombo Chief Magistrate has issued an order banning protest in front of the Bribery Commission tomorrow (April 23), police spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said.

The Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) was scheduled to stage a demonstration in front of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in protest over the decision to summon former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the commission.

The party’s General Secretary Provincial Councilor Udaya Gammanpila made this announcement at a press conference held this morning (22).

The former Defence Secretary has been asked to appear before the Commission on April 23 and 27 over allegations of financial frauds against him.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was also asked to appear before the Commission on April 24. However, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe on Tuesday (21) told the Parliament that the Bribery Commission will not summon the former President instead the officials will visit him and record a statement.

Speaker has no right to summon Bribery officials -Justice Minister

By Saman Indrajith-April 21, 2015, 7:54 pm

Justice Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakshe yesterday said that Speaker had no powers to summon the officials of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to Parliament just because MPs staged a protest.

Addressing a press conference at the office of the Leader of the House in the Parliament Complex, the Minister said that summoning CIABOC officials to Parliament amounted to interference in the commission’s duties.

"If a present, position or treatment is given by a presidential candidate during the time of presidential election that could be interpreted as bribe giving. If a person accepts such a gift it too is bribe taking. After submitting nominations on December 08 for the presidential election, the former President appointed MP Tissa Attanayake as the Minister of Health.

Attanayake joined the then government and accepted the portfolio on December 12. Thus, there was a complaint against this at the CIABOC. The commission has duly commenced investigating the complaint it has received. That’s their duty. There is nothing wrong or illegal in the CIABOC summoning the former President to obtain a statement," Justice Minister said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ajith Perera: "The Speaker has no powers to summon bribery commission Chairman. Neither Parliament nor the Speaker has any powers to interfere in the affairs of the CIABOC. Former President has no immunity once he retired. Immunity is applicable only when a person holds that office."

Leader of the House Minister Lakshman Kiriella: The Opposition MPs commenced a protest inside Parliament citing the CIABOC summoning of ex-president as their reason. The actual reason is that they wanted to sabotage the passage of the 19th amendment to the Constitution through parliament. It is not just or reasonable to obstruct a bill of national importance.

Former president's brother arrested in Sri Lanka

Basil Rajapaksa detained as new government tries to fulfill pledge to crack down on corruption

by Amantha Perera @AmanthaP & Jyoti Thottam @jyotithottam-April 22, 2015

Basil Rajapaksa, the youngest brother of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested by police on Wednesday, as the country’s new government closes in on the powerful family that ruled the island nation virtually unchallenged for nearly a decade.

Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunawardena confirmed that Rajapaksa and two former officials of his economic development ministry were arrested on suspicion of misappropriation of public funds. They were expected to appear before a magistrate later Wednesday, Gunawardena said.

“He has totally denied that any money was taken by him,” Rajapaksa’s lawyer U. R. De Silva told Al Jazeera.

Rajapaksa was a minister in his brother’s government in charge of economic development and reconstruction efforts in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, which were at the center of fighting during Sri Lanka’s 26-year-long civil war. He was also in charge of his brother’s reelection campaign.

Basil Rajapaksa becomes the first high-profile member of the family to be arrested after the former president was defeated in the Jan. 8 presidential elections. While Rajapaksa has been widely criticized internationally for allegations of abuses during the end of the war, he remained enormously popular within Sri Lanka, until voters grew frustrated with allegations of nepotism and corruption in his government.

Three days after the election defeat, Basil Rajapaksa and his wife left Sri Lanka, taking a flight to California. He had lived in California during the early 1990’s and is a U.S. citizen. In late March, as part of an investigation into a multi-billion rupee subsidized housing program, police officials questioned former officials of Rajapaksa’s ministry and asked Rajapaksa to come to Sri Lanka to make a statement.

He returned to the island on April 21 and was welcomed at the airport by over 2,500 supporters. “The Rajapaksa’s have never stolen public money,” he told the crowd. Less than 24 hours after his arrival, he reported to police Financial Crimes Investigation Division. “He was asked to come and give a statement only,” De Silva said. But after giving his testimony, Rajapaksa was told that he would be arrested. De Silva said that he has not yet seen the charges against his client.

The arrest comes a day before conclusion of President Maithripala Sirisena’s first 100 days in office. Upon inauguration, he launched an ambitious 100-day program, which included pledges to prosecute corrupt public officials. Bribery investigators have also sought to record statements from Mahinda Rajapaksa and another brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was his defense secretary.

De Silva said that the charges against Basil Rajapaksa are politically motivated. “They wanted to show the world that they have arrested the biggest person by that time,” he said.

Two other former officials in Rajapaksa’s ministry, Nihal Jayatilake and General R.R.K. Ranawaka, the former director of the housing fund, were also arrested. The officials had earlier told investigators that all fund allocations had been done under the minister’s directives.

De Silva said that if there were irregularities in the distribution of funds for the program, it would have been done by people who were under Rajapaksa. “He is not under a position to explain that,” De Silva said. “He has only taken the policy decisions, not the payments.”

De Silva said he plans to make a bail application when Rajapaksa is presented to the magistrate on Wednesday, but he is not hopeful that bail will be granted.

There was no immediate reaction from former President Rajapaksa after his brother’s arrest, or from Sirisena's government.

When Mahinda having brains he doesn't have power and when he had power he had no brains

Wednesday, 22 April 2015

“When we take revenge we should think that this would return and come back. Now you can see what has happened to me. There were errors committed by us. We hid many abuses and violations done by ministers, we were staying with patience and now we possess the repercussions.

But once again I will never do that stupidity, now I recognize people”

The former president Mahinda Rajpaksa said this during a function held yesterday in Gampaha Henagama at the Jeyaraj Fernandopulle Damsak temple.

He further said the development of the country has come to a complete standstill and the current government is only continuing the development projects started by his government. He said until now there is no stable price for Tea, Rubber, Paddy and gemstones. Althought the present government said that they would buy the paddy for Rs. 50 still they are buying for Rs. 28.30.

For Military Operations From Somalia to Saudi Arabia, Hope Is a 4-Letter Word

BY ELIAS GROLL-APRIL 22, 2015

Having “achieved its military goals” in a four-week bombing campaign in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has announced it would begin a new phase of its war there and pledged to halt airstrikes against rebels. The new phase of that war also has a new name — Operation Restore Hope — and if that sounds familiar, you don’t have to travel far from Yemen to locate the site of another military intervention, one whose legacy Saudi Arabia probably isn’t eager to recall.

In December 1992, the United Nations Security Council authorized a U.S.-led coalition to launch operations in Somalia aimed at restoring access for humanitarian relief operations. Clan warfare had left much of Somalia’s agriculture industry destroyed, and the resulting famine had left some 500,000 dead. The U.S. task was to provide the necessary security to allow for food to be delivered to needy Somalis. The mission was christened “Operation Restoring Hope.”

By the time that mission went up in flames after the October 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, the operation had in fact acquiredanother name — Operation Continue Hope — but it’s the first name that is better remembered as a shorthand for failed military intervention.

It’s difficult to ascribe any significance to the overlap in names between the Saudi and American military interventions, but it’s certainly an ironic footnote for the campaign in Yemen. It’s unlikely that Saudi military planners will be pleased when they discover the coincidence.

But the shared name does point to a recent trend in military affairs — thenaming of operations with an eye toward selling them as popular enterprises. It’s hard to quibble with an effort to “restore hope” — hope, that’s a universally good thing, right? There was the 1994 Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti. Then there was Operation Provide Comfort in Iraqi Kurdistan in the 1990s. The 1989 invasion of Panama got the self-aggrandizing title Operation Just Cause. (The plan for invasion had once been known as Plan Blue Spoon but was — unfortunately — jettisoned.)

So whether hope is being restored or merely continuing, its use in military parlance is that kind of vague signifier designed to spin the operation as both just and well-intentioned.

In the Saudi case, one could be forgiven for asking just whose hope is being restored in Yemen. After announcing Tuesday that it would cease bombing Houthi rebels, Riyadh continued airstrikes on the fighters after they seized a military base. While the Saudis have succeeded in tightening a naval blockade and destroying much military hardware seized by the Houthis, they haven’t achieved their goal of restoring ousted President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

Perhaps that’s the hope Saudi Arabia is looking to restore — their own hope that they can win in Yemen.

America's Sorrowful World: Dumb at Home and Dumber Abroad

Opinion » Columnists-22.04.2015

“I should tell you that homosexuality in our country has been overcome once and for all but not entirely. Or entirely but not completely. Or else entirely and completely but not once and for all. What do people think about now?

America's Sorrowful World Dumb at Home and Dumber Abroad.odt by Thavam Ratna

Koh Tao tops ‘best Asian islands’ list despite bad press, safety concerns

Koh Tao is popular for its stunning beaches and diving opportunities.

By Asian Correspondent Staff Apr 22, 2015

The southern Thai island of Koh Tao, the scene of the brutal murders of two British backpackers last year, has been voted as the ‘Best Island in Asia’ on TripAdvisor.

It was also ranked the 5th best island in the world in TripAdvisor’s 2015 Travellers’ Choice Awards, due to its “white sand beaches… and 300 days of sun per year”.

The island’s continuing popularity among travellers comes despite the high-profile murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in September last year. While two Burmese suspects are in custody for those murders and are awaiting trial, many have expressed doubts about their guilt.

The island has received repeated bad press with suspicions surrounding a number of deaths. On January 1, 2014, the body of another Briton, Nick Pearson, was found on a Koh Tao beach. Police claim Pearson fell from a high place and drowned, but his parents allege a cover-up.

“He didn’t look like someone who had been in the water for hours – there was still dried blood on his face. It was all wrong,” the parents told The Mirror.

Suspicions were raised about another death at the beginning of this year after a Frenchman was found hanged on the island. Images circulated online appeared to show that the man’s hands were tied behind his back, raising questions as to how he could have hanged himself.

Police and physicians said they were not treating the incident as a homocide, and a suicide note was found at the scene. The death did, however, raise renewed doubts about the Thai justice system and the safety of the island.

Despite dominating many of the headlines both in Thailand in the UK in the latter months of last year, Koh Tao remains a safe destination for tourists by Thai standards. Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office reports that 362 British nationals died in Thailand between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014, putting the Koh Tao incidents into perspective.

The murders of Witheridge and Miller will make an inevitable return to the headlines in July when Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo stand trial for their murders. Judging from the results of the TripAdvisor poll, it seems unlikely that this will dent Koh Tao’s seemingly unshakeable popularity among travellers.

Thai islands dominated the list of best Asian islands, with Phuket, Ko Samui, Ko Lanta and Ko Phangan also featuring in the top 10.

Farmer hangs himself at political rally in New Delhi

(ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH AND INJURY) Protesters gather around a farmer who hung himself from a tree during a rally organized by AAP, in New Delhi April 22, 2015.

BY ADNAN ABIDI-Wed Apr 22, 2015

(Reuters) - A farmer hanged himself from a tree during a political rally organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Delhi on Wednesday, in what appeared to be a desperate protest against the hardship felt by many people scratching a living in rural India.

Four people climbed the tree to try to save the man after he was seen hanging. They released his body to a crowd below where people tried to catch it in plastic sheets, a Reuters photographer at the scene witnessed

More than a dozen debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide in India in recent weeks as discontent grows against Prime Minister Narendra Modi who they say has done little to ease the plight of rural communities after crops were damaged by unseasonable rains.

Farmers are also angry at a proposed law to make it easier for businesses to buy farmland, that many fear will force them to sell land against their will. The law was the main target of Wednesday’s rally, organised by the AAP, Modi’s rival party in the capital.

The farmer who died on Wednesday was from Rajasthan, the government said. Local media reported he left a suicide note stating he had faced losses due to crop failure.

“Deeply pained to hear the news of a farmer committing suicide,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Twitter.

Modi also tweeted his condolences to the farmer’s family, saying the death had “saddened the nation.”

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Krista Mahr in New Delhi; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Hong Kong unveils election overhauls, but democracy advocates scorn them

A pro-Beijing protester tries to punch a pro-democracy demonstrator after a heated argument outside the government building Wednesday in Hong Kong. (Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images)

By Simon Denyer April 22 at 5:48 PM

BEIJING — Hong Kong’s government unveiled proposals for electoral overhauls Wednesday that will allow citizens to vote for the city’s leader for the first time, but again failed to offer concessions to pro-democracy lawmakers and activists who object to China’s power to veto candidates.

Pro-democracy lawmakers walked out of the city’s mini-parliament, the Legislative Council, after the plans were disclosed, signaling the start of a new phase of political confrontation and deadlock in the Chinese territory.

Last year’s pro-democracy protests — lasting nearly three months — brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets of Hong Kong in the most significant public backlash against Beijing’s control of affairs in the former British colony.

But the demonstrations eventually fizzled after the Hong Kong government, under orders from Beijing, refused to give any ground, andpolice moved in to arrest the final protesters and clear the streets.

Now the government needs to persuade lawmakers to pass its proposals. It would expand the democratic space in Hong Kong by allowing universal suffrage for the first time but still give Chinese authorities overwhelming influence in the selection of candidates.

Prospects do not look good. The government needs to sway at least four members of the pro-democracy camp to achieve the required two-thirds majority in the 70-member council.

[Protests opened debate over ‘patriotic’ education]

All but one of the pro-democracy lawmakers walked out of the parliament after the plans were unveiled, wearing yellow crosses on black shirts to signal their pledge to vote down the plans. They left placards with the same design.

Some had also unfurled yellow umbrellas in the chamber, a symbol of last year’s protests.

Before the plans were put forward, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying warned that this might be the best chance of progress for years. His government has argued that Hong Kong should “pocket” what is on offer from Beijing and hope for more democratic space in the future.

“As of now, we see no room for any compromise,” he told reporters. “To initiate any political reform process is not easy. If this proposal is vetoed, it might be several years before the next opportunity.”

Legislators are expected to vote on the proposals in June. If the plans are blocked, Leung’s successor will be elected in the same way he was: by a 1,200-member committee packed with business leaders, special-interest groups and pro-Beijing loyalists.

Under the new proposals, the same nomination committee would choose two or three candidates for the elections in 2017, each requiring the support of at least half the committee. The territory’s 5 million voters would then choose from the vetted list.

Unveiling the plans, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam urged lawmakers not to miss this “golden opportunity,” which she said reflected people’s aspirations for universal suffrage and represented “the biggest and most important step for Hong Kong’s long-term constitutional development.”

[Is Hong Kong’s academic freedom next to feel pressure?]

But Alan Leong, leader of the Civic Party and a top pro-democracy lawmaker, rejected the proposals before leading the walkout. Pro-democracy lawmakers fear they will not be allowed to stand for the role of chief executive and want a more open process to nominate candidates.

“The government has ignored public opinion, releasing a fake universal suffrage plan to cheat the Hong Kong people,” he told the legislature. “The government’s proposal allows a small circle of people to control the nomination process, hence control the election outcome, turning the people into voting tools.”

The Hong Kong proposals stick closely to a blueprint issued last year by the Chinese central government, and Beijing has repeatedly insisted it is not prepared to give more ground.

Student activist Joshua Wong, a teenager who became the most recognized face of last year’s protests, said people wanted genuine “freedom to choose,” the Associated Press reported. Wong said members of his Scholarism group would protest on Sunday in neighborhoods when Lam and other government officials plan to canvass support for the proposals.

But Lam said she did not believe the activists would be able to mount anything again on the scale of last year’s protests.

“We believe that after announcing the specific proposals, there will be political parties and organizations and groups which may resort to more aggressive protests, but we don’t think that such a large-scale occupation will happen again,” she said at a news conference, according to the Reuters news agency.

Gu Jinglu contributed to this report.

Bangladesh garment workers suffer poor conditions two years after reform vows

Assault, verbal abuse and forced overtime persist following the Rana Plaza disaster, which killed 1,100 people in Dhaka, Human Rights Watch claims

Relatives and former Rana Plaza workers demand their compensation in front of the site of the tragedy in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photograph: Suvra Kanti Das/Zuma Press/Corbis

Jason Burke in Delhi-Wednesday 22 April 2015

Workers in factories in Bangladesh making clothes for western firms continue to suffer from poor working conditions two years after a factory collapse that killed 1,100 people and prompted widespread promises of reforms, a new report by campaigners claims.

The report from Human Rights Watch, the independent advocacy organisation, comes on the second anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

More than 1,100 garment workers working on orders for high-street retailers in the west died in the tragedy, which briefly focused global attention on the problems created by the booming global clothing industry.

Following the disaster, retailers and Bangladesh’s government promised widespread reforms. Thousands of factories have since been checked for structural problems with dozens closed and others refurbished, and many more helped to improve working conditions and treatment of employees in initiatives partly paid for by western retailers. However, the report suggests problems remain.

Researchers interviewed more than 160 workers from 44 factories in and around Dhaka, including many that supply garments to high streets in North America, Europe and Australia. They heard complaints of physical assault, verbal abuse, forced overtime, unsanitary conditions, denial of paid maternity leave, and failure to pay wages and bonuses on time or in full.

Western companies often insist on high standards in contracts with Bangladesh-based producers but are not always successful in monitoring the situation on the ground, observers say. One persistent problem has been the sub-contracting of orders by local manufacturers.

Human Rights Watch said it had contacted all those western manufacturers that use factories where the group believes there are problems. Two denied any link, eight said they were investigating the claims and 13 had not replied.

The clothing industry in Bangladesh is second only to China’s in size and employs about four million people, mainly women, in approximately 3,500 factories. Ready-made garments account for nearly four-fifths of the country’s exports and contributes more than 10% of GDP of the developing south Asian nation.

Following the Rana Plaza tragedy, retailers set up two consortia: the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, including 180 firms most of which are based in Europe, and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a group of 26 North American retailers – to help local employers fund structural improvements and an inspection regime. The two organisations cover more than 2,000 factories. The Bangladeshi government’s own inspectors, supported by the International Labour Organisation and funded by the EU, are inspecting and overseeing improvements in another 1,500.

The government also made legal changes that have helped increase the number of unions. There are now more than 400 – three times more than in 2012. However, the report says, many workers who try to form unions to address such abuses face threats, intimidation, dismissal, and sometimes physical assault by factory managers or hired thugs.

Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director at Human Rights Watch, said: “If Bangladesh wants to avoid another Rana Plaza disaster, it needs to effectively enforce its labour law and ensure that garment workers enjoy the right to voice their concerns about safety and working conditions without fear of retaliation or dismissal.”

Earlier this week organisers of a compensation fund set up by retailers and labour groups for victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy said only $24m (£15.9m) of the $30min compensation estimated as necessary had been paid or pledged to the families of those killed.

Sultan Uddin Ahmed, a member of a committee that runs the trust fund, criticised retailers for not doing enough for dependants along with 1,500 workers who suffered horrific injuries in the disaster. “It is unfortunate, we could not clear all the dues in two years ... Bangladeshi factory-owners are also to blame. They did not pay anything to the fund,” Ahmed said.

Last week, the Italian fashion retailer Benetton announced it would pay $1.1m into the trust fund. Benetton, which initially denied using any firms located in Rana Plaza, said it was donating double the amount advised by experts.

Campaigners claim about a dozen clothing companies linked to the Rana Plaza factories have yet to pay any compensation money.

However, the Human Rights Watch report acknowledges the role played by the garments industry in the economic development of Bangladesh. “Continuing the economic success of the Bangladesh garment sector offers benefits for everyone – the retail companies and their consumers, factory owners, and the government ... But those gains should not come at the cost of lives and the suffering of garment workers struggling for a better future,” it said.

Remembering Inmates on this Easter

Rah-e-Nijat Ministry is working with prisoners in Pakistan.

Packages for the prisoners wait for authorization outside Adayla Jail Rawalpindi on Easter. Photo: Shamim Masih

Apr-21-2015

(ISLAMABAD) - A day before resurrection day on April 04, 2015, I wished my friends through a text message mentioning them that the resurrection day is a time when you can reflect on the true values of Christianity; responsibility, charity, compassion, humility, forgiveness and love.

We should particularly remember those followers of Christ Jesus in our surroundings that are unable to celebrate this event due to any of their problems.

A country like Pakistan; where Christians and other religious minorities are being targeted frequently. There are many Christians suffering for their faith today in a normal life that it is hard to comprehend.

I have been reporting from the country where extremist Sunnis, inspired by puritan Wahhabi teachings, and have been targeting educated and well off Christians.

Extremist have killed enough innocent children, attacked schools, burnt Christians colonies, torn down Hindu temples, mutilated journalists, shunned social values and flogged bloggers for free thinking to deserve this acrimony all around the world.

Religious extremists have established that no other form of religion is welcome in Pakistan. Christians and Hindus are out of the question; these extremists are far from accepting even another sect of their own religion here.

In this situation, just think about the Christian prisoners in Pakistan. How could their life can be, can you believe that?

In Central Jail Adayla Rawalpindi, there are about 100 inmates, around 80 detainees and 20 prisoners. Visiting a loved one in prison can be a difficult experience.

Aiming to maintain and enhance positive contact between people in prison, their families and their children, we went to Adayla Jail Rawalpindi on this Easter. Safder Chaudhry, SG, Rah-e-Nijat Ministries arranged 15 Kg Rice, 15 cakes, Milk, meat, spices, fruits, and other eatable items.

We went to deliver them and to share the word of God with our brothers in Jail.

We had permission for IG Prison even than Superintendent Police didn’t allow us to enter into prison to see our Christian inmates on Easter. However after DIG prison intervention we went in and share the word of God with few Christian prisoners and delivered the eatable items to them.

Vicky Yousaf, Christian teacher in the church and his other partners were very happy to see us. He said we feel very proud when our brothers in Christ remember us while celebrating Christmas and Easter.

Imprisonment disrupts families and while research suggests people who offend are very often the children of people who have offended, there is very little support for children who have a parent in prison.

If people in prison can keep up their family links while in prison, they are less likely to re-offend. I met with Sajid Masih, he spent half of portion of his life in jail, and he has to pay just few hundred thousand rupees to save his rest of life and his family as well.

Rah-e-Nijat Ministry is working with prisoners in Pakistan. You can help them out, and give some relief to the suffering of our brothers and sisters. It aims to provide food, clothing and legal assistance to as many of these prisoners as possible.

If you would like to donate toward helping Sajid Masih with his release or other prisoners in Pakistan, you can contact: rahenijatm@gmail.com.

Child sexual abuse gang had its 'tentacles round the world'

WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL 2015

A gang of paedophiles who raped and abused babies, toddlers and children under the age of five in attacks that were streamed over the internet are facing lengthy prison sentences.

Clockwise from top left: Adam Toms; Matthew Lisk; Matt Stansfield; David Harsley; Chris Knight; Ben Harrop (aka John Denham); and Robin Hollyson (aka Robin Fallick)
Child Sexual Abuse Gang Had Its 'Tentacles Round the World' by Thavam Ratna

Cilantro And Chlorella Can Remove 80% Of Heavy Metals From The Body Within 42 Days

BY CHRISTINA SARICH-POSTED ON JULY 7, 2014

There are many heavy metals that people are exposed to regularly without realizing it. Mercury, cadmium, and aluminum, among others, are able to imbed themselves into our central nervous systems and bones, bio-accumulating for years until we start to suffer acute health problems from heavy metal poisoning. Fortunately, there is a simple one-two-combination that helps to chelate heavy metals so that they are no longer circulating in the body cilantro and chlorella.

Chelating agents are those that bind to heavy metal toxin ions, and then are removed from the body through our regular excretory channels. Pharmaceuticals like 2,3-Dimercaprol have long been the mainstay of chelation therapy for lead or arsenic poisoning, but they have serious side effects. The simple, and proper dose of cilantro (Chinese parsley) and chlorella; however is a powerful chelator for numerous heavy metals.

Dr. George Georgiou says:

“Many health practitioners use synthetic chelating agents such as DMPS, DMSA, EDTA and others to mobilize and eliminate heavy metals from the body. There are advantages and disadvantages to using these. One advantage is the power of their mobilizing activity—they are quick to mobilize and eliminate certain metals in the body, but this may place a huge burden on the body’s detoxification systems.”

Cilantro is best used in conjunction with chlorella because it, “mobilizes more toxins then it cancarry out of the body, it may flood the connective tissue (where the nerves reside) with metals, that were previously stored in safer hiding places.” This can cause retoxificaiton if another binding agent isn’t used to help rid the body of the heavy metals that are ‘found’ in their hiding places throughout the body.

People who have eaten large salads daily full of cilantro have experienced this effect – moodiness, terrible acne, joint pain and more. While they were mobilizing heavy metals, they weren’t all excreted from the body fast enough, which meant they were detoxing and toxifying themselves the same time!

Read: 6 Foods for Natural Heavy Metal Chelation

Simply by adding chlorella – an intestinal absorbing agent, the retoxificaiton of the system is prohibited. Clinical studies completed recently proved that heavy metal chelation [using cilantro and chlorella] can naturally remove an average of 87% of lead, 91% of mercury, and 74% of aluminum from the body within 42 days.

The Properties Of Chlorella Lend Themselves Nicely To Aiding Cilantro For Detoxifying The Body:

Chlorella is antiviral.
It binds to dioxins and other environmental toxins.
It repairs the body’s detoxification functions.
Improves glutathione – the bodies ‘master’ antioxidant.
Binds to heavy metals exceptionally well.
Alpha and gamma lineolic acids in chlorella help increase the intake of fish oil and other important fatty acids.
Methyl-coblolamine repairs the nervous system and damaged neurons which often suffer from heavy metal poisoning.
Chlorella contains the most easily absorbed form of B12 and B6.
Chlorella is high in amino acids, and thus ideal for vegetarians.
Chlorella is able to open cell walls, which is necessary for detox processes.
Chlorella restores healthy gut flora.
Chlorella is still being studied for its detoxifying effects, since science cannot fully understand how it has developed over millions of years to be so effective in ridding the body of unwanted substances.
This PDF describes very specific chelation dosing when using chlorella.

Cilantro Has Its Own Chelation Benefits:

Highly effective metal toxin binding agent and mobilizer.
Powerful anti-inflammatory.
Antibacterial.
Increases HDL cholesterol and decreases LDL.
Prevents gas and bloating.
Wards off urinary tract infections.
Eases hormonal swings during menopause and menstruation.
Can reduce nausea.
Adds fiber to the digestive tract – an effective bulking agent.
Fights anemia with high levels of iron, and magnesium.
Reduces minor swelling.
Promotes liver health.
Can be used as an expectorant.

As a final note, just be sure your magnesium levels are high before starting any serious chelation program, since this trace mineral helps to promote ‘relaxed’ arteries and can make elimination of toxins easier on the body.