China, the United States and Asia in the Twenty-first Century [Audio]

China, the United States and Asia in the Twenty-first Century [Audio] by London School Of Economics on Mixcloud

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By London School of Economics

May 6, 2015

Speaker(s): Professor Arne Westad | The rivalry between China and the United States for influence in Asia will determine the geo-political landscape in this century. At the moment, most of the advantages are on the US side, especially since China after the last economic crisis seems to have been busy driving away potential allies in the region. But will this state of affairs last? What can China do to mobilise its undeniable resources in the exercise of a more effective foreign policy? And how will domestic developments in the two countries influence their long-term Asia policies? In his final public lecture at LSE before taking up the ST Lee Chair in US-Asian Relations at Harvard University, Professor Westad will discuss these questions with the audience. Professor Arne Westad (@OAWestad) is Director of LSE IDEAS. Michael Cox is Director of LSE IDEAS and Professor of International Relations at LSE. LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is a centre for the study of international affairs, diplomacy

How To Improve Eye Sight In A Natural Way?

How To Keep Your Eyes Naturally Healthy

by Claude Butler - Dec 27, 2014

In the first part of the story, we told you about how glasses or contacts would destroy your vision. Moreover, we also told you about the primal need for distant vision and a bit on how to keep your eyes naturally healthy.

Further, in this article (which is the second part of the previous one), you will find out how to keep your eyes naturally healthy.

Starting off, here are some tips to improve your eyesight naturally.

 

Keep Blinking

Frequent and gentle blinking is essential to maintaining healthy eyes and optimal vision because it allows your eyelids to keep your eyes coated with three beneficial layers of tears:

-The first layer of tears lies right up against the whites of your eyes, and provides an even coat of protein-rich moisture for the second layer to adhere to.
-The middle watery layer helps to wash away foreign debris. It also nourishes the cornea of your eyes with minerals, a variety of proteins, and moisture.
-The third outer layer of tears is somewhat oily. It serves to prevent the middle watery layer from evaporating quickly, and provides needed lubrication between your eyes and your eyelids.

If your eyes are not regularly coated with the three layers of tears described above, they will be deprived of ongoing nourishment and cleansing, and they will be unnecessarily strained.

One of the reasons why many of us don’t blink as often as we should is that we don’t see frequent blinking in mainstream media. Actors and anchor-people are typically trained to blink as infrequently as possible, so when we take in most forms of media, our subconscious minds learn that it isn’t normal to blink frequently.

To optimally support your eyes and vision, it’s best to blink softly every two to four seconds, which translates to about fifteen to thirty blinks per minute. By consciously making an effort to softly blink at this rate, over time, your body will turn your conscious efforts into a subconscious habit.

Notes On Blinking to Promote Optimal Eye Health and Vision:

-soft and natural blink should occur like the light flap of the wings of a butterfly – this is a good image to visualize as you make an effort to blink softly every two to four seconds.
-You should blink regularly during all activities, including reading, working on the computer, and viewing a TV program or film.
-Contact lenses can discourage frequent blinking because the back side of your eyelids is not designed to rub over an artificial surface. This is one of several good reasons why contact lenses should be avoided whenever possible.
-Some yoga and meditation instructors suggest doing exercises that involve fixating your vision on one object – such as the flame of a candle – and doing your best not to blink. Frequent blinking while doing this type of exercise doesn’t take away from the ability to experience inner stillness.

Visual Training

The following techniques are based on these premises: First, that the art of seeing-like other fundamental skills such as talking, walking, and using one’s hands-is acquired. Second, this skill is normally learned through unconscious self-instruction in childhood. Third, for many of us in today’s pressure-packed world, the only way to keep perfect sight is to practice techniques of conscious eye relaxation. Finally, if the exercises are performed correctly for a sufficient length of time-in conjunction with a proper diet and a physical conditioning program-eyesight will show permanent improvement.

It’s best to “palm” while sitting or lying on the floor, with your elbows propped on a cushioned surface. Close your eyes and then cover them with the palms of your hands, crossing the fingers of one hand over those of the other on your forehead.

Don’t, however, apply any pressure on the lids with your palms. Ideally, you’ll “see” a field of intense blackness, which indicates a state of perfect relaxation. If instead you witness illusions of light, bright color, or patches of grey, you’re tense to some degree. However, don’t concentrate on trying to “see” blackness, as the effort itself will produce strain. Rather, passively visualize a pleasant memory-one that helps ease your mind-while keeping your shoulders and neck relaxed. The more frequent and lengthy the periods of palming, the more likely you are to school your eyes to reduce muscle tension, with subsequent benefit to your sight.

Pinhole Glasses

Pinhole glasses, also known as stenopeic glasses, are eyeglasses with a series of pinhole-sized perforations filling an opaque sheet of plastic in place of each lens. Similar to the workings of a pinhole camera, each perforation allows only a very narrow beam of light to enter the eye which reduces the size of the circle of confusion on the retina and increases depth of field. In eyes with refractive error, the result is claimed to be a clearer image.

Unlike conventional prescription glasses, pinhole glasses produce an image without the pincushion effect around the edges (which makes straight lines appear curved).

After prolonged use, the plastic grating should become easy to ignore. With certain eye exercises such as those below, pinhole glasses can permanently improve eyesight. Skeptics argue that no scientific evidence has been found to support them. Due to a lack of formal clinical studies to substantiate this type of claim by companies selling pinhole glasses, this type of claim is no longer allowed to be made in the United States under the terms of a legal settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, however empirical evidence suggests they do work.

Swinging

This whole-body exercise improves vision, relieves fatigue and stress, and increases the mobility of the eyes. Stand looking straight ahead, with your feet positioned about 12 inches apart. Now, rotate your body-head, trunk, and all-to the left, throwing your weight onto your left foot while you allow your right heel to rise from the floor. Keep your shoulders and neck straight. When you swing to the opposite side, shifting your weight to your other foot, your eyes will cover a 180 degree arc. Absolutely no attempt should be made to focus your sight on anything. Just maintain an attitude of passive relaxation, making about 30 of these “arcs” per minute. You should do this exercise twice daily, completing the swing from side to side 100 times. By doing your swings right before bedtime, you’ll prevent eyestrain from occurring during sleep.

Sunning

Although there’s no scientific evidence available to prove that sunning helps vision, many people who have tried it testify to its benefits, particularly those whose eyes have become oversensitive to light.

All sunning should be done with the eyes closed. Sit or stand in the sunlight, face relaxed, and let the rays of the sun penetrate and ease the tension in your eyelids. This is a good way to start off the day, and even a few minutes will help. To avoid possible strain on your eyes, rotate your head slightly from side to side or move it as if you were using your nose to draw a circle around the sun . . . breathe deeply and don’t squint.

Central Fixation

Central fixation refers to the fact that-since the central portion of the retina is the point of most acute vision, the eye sees only one small part of any object sharply, with all the other areas being slightly blurred. When you look at a thing, your eye shifts very rapidly over it to achieve the illusion of clearly seeing the entire object at once. To demonstrate this fact, look at an object, focusing on its topmost part. Without actually moving your focus downward, try to “see” the bottom of the object. You’ll find that its lower details don’t appear to be sharp.

A problem-free eye shifts quite rapidly and unconsciously while it is observing. People with imperfect vision often try to see a large part of the visual field at once, all areas equally well simultaneously, without moving their eyes. This puts considerable strain on the eye and also on the brain, the organ that actually has to integrate what you see.

To correct this tendency, it’s important to develop your central fixation by teaching your eyes that it’s “acceptable” to see only one point clearly at a time. The orbs must learn to move and refocus rapidly, rather than straining to see an entire object at one sighting. You can do this by studying an eye chart, training yourself to look at the top of a letter on the chart while “accepting” an unfocused image of its bottom (and vice versa). When you can accomplish this easily, your eyes will be relaxed, and your vision will be improved.

Most of us rely on our vision to supply 80% to 90% of the information we process about the world. Our sight affects the way that we think and, in addition, the way we think affects our sight. (If you don’t believe the latter statement, just remember that you actually see the world upside down. . . but your mind “inverts” the images so that they make sense!) Taking good care of this dominant sense organ, then, is obviously important. Will a regimen of eye-training exercises help you do that and even improve defective vision? There’s only one way to answer that question for yourself.

Establishing Jurisdiction at the International Criminal Court

Missions of state-Parties to the ICC and/or aircrafts as well as vessels registered to state-Parties of the ICC, even by non-governmental organisations (NGO’s), will help fulfill the pre-requisites to jurisdiction required in Article 12 and this may be linked to nationals of non-state parties applying the principles of individual criminal responsibility of Article 25. The ICC may also retroactively investigate crimes of nationals of the non-state parties linked with the relevant case since the Rome Statue entered into force in 2002.

by Dr. Parasaran Rangarajan

( May 6, 2015, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) For most international attorneys seeking to bring to accountability for violations of international law at the International Criminal Court (ICC), establishing jurisdiction remains one of main problems to bring those who commit the worst crimes in the world to justice.

Establishing Jurisdiction at the International Criminal Court by Thavam Ratna

Sri Lanka: Identifying Requirements for Structural Changes in Our Media System

Wijayananda Jayaweera

by Wijayananda Jayaweera-06/05/2015 

(World Press Freedom Day lecture, organised  by the Free Media Movement and the Sri Lanka Press Institute )

Media disseminate stories, ideas and information, and act as a corrective to the natural asymmetry of information between governors and the governed and between competing private agents. In the normative sense the media should be a critical witness to events, function as a watchdog, promoting government transparency and public scrutiny of those with power – by exposing corruption, maladministration, and corporate wrong doing – and there by be a tool to enhance good governance and economic efficiency. The media can be a national voice, a means by which a society can learn about itself and build a sense of community and of shared values, a vehicle for cultural expression and cultural cohesion. Finally we should not forget that the media can function as advocates of certain issues and causes – as social actors in their own right.

Sri Lanka Identifying Requirements for Structural Changes in Our Media System by Thavam Ratna

The Long Term Solution To Sri Lanka’s Ethnic Problem

By Aravinth Kumar –May 6, 2015

Aravinth Kumar

Switzerland (officially known as the Swiss Confederation) is a country made up of four native ethnic groups; Swiss Germans (making up 2/3rd of the population; live mainly in the north, centre and east), Swiss French (largest minority group at 20%; live mainly in the west, which is known non-officially as Romandie), Swiss Italians (around 7%; live mainly in the south-east) and the Romansh (0.5%). What is striking is that each of the three big ethnic groups live next door to their respective country of language origin i.e. the Swiss Germans live next to Germany, the Swiss French next to France and the Swiss Italians next to Italy. Switzerland as a nation should not really exist! Yet, it does. Switzerland has somehow been able to maintain all these different ethnic groups in one united country. So how come, even though Switzerland has a “large majority, large minority” situation like Sri Lanka, it has not been confounded by the same ethnic problem that Sri Lanka has had to deal with? How come the Swiss French have never fought to separate and form a new country called “Romandie” (or even merge with France)?

 *Swiss Federal Statistical Office; census of 2000 – Source – Wikipedia, Marco Zanoli.

It all comes down to the way in which the country is governed. Switzerland is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of 26 cantons. The unity of the country is upheld by the Federal Council (executive level) and a two-tier parliament (legislative level). Collectively, they are in charge of managing the country’s foreign affairs, defence and security policies, financial matters and enacting legislation that applies throughout the whole country (the federal laws always takes precedence). The cantons are equivalent in size to a district in Sri Lanka. Just like the districts, each canton is mainly inhibited by one ethnic group; 17 cantons are German-speaking, 4 cantons are French-speaking, 1 canton is Italian-speaking, 3 cantons are bilingual (German and French) and 1 canton is trilingual (German, Italian and Romansh). However, unlike the districts, each canton is provided a large degree of autonomy; they have their own constitution, legislature, government and courts. The cantons are responsible for their own healthcare, welfare, law enforcement, education and taxation. 

The reason behind why each canton is provided a large degree of autonomy is due to Switzerland’s recognition that the population needs in each canton differ due to the political, social and economic problems peculiar to that particular canton itself (this is even the case between two linguistically similar cantons). They have understood that a cantonal government compared to a central government, which may be situated on the other side of the country, has a greater ability at formulating policies which meet the local needs. This is because, not only do the cantonal government representatives live in proximity to the people, they are usually from the same community. As a result, they are in a better position to understand the problems in their canton and offer unique solutions which take into account the distinct culture, history, language and religious practise.

Read More

A Reflection on Rajani’s Legacy: What Went Wrong with Tamil Struggle?

By Dr. N. Sivapalan.-06/05/2015

(Discussion on ‘Palmyra Fallen, University of Jaffna Library Auditorium 24th April 2015)

Friends and Rajan, this book is a monumental work with history, politics, law and several other things. I have restricted my discussion to two things. The first is about the outlook of the book. As a person who has lived in Jaffna during most of the period of conflict, the second thing I am concerned about is what went wrong in our struggle. I will start on the first.

RAJINI THIRANAGAMA

A Reflection on Rajani’s Legacy What Went Wrong With Tamil Struggle by Thavam Ratna

Sri Lanka’s Development Goals Fall Short on Gender Equality

In peacetime Sri Lanka, women still bear a heavy load in looking for jobs and tending to their families. Credit: Adithya Alles/IPS

By Ranjit Perera

COLOMBO, May 5 2015 (IPS) - When Rosy Senanayake, Sri Lanka’s minister of state for child affairs, addressed the U.N. Commission on Population and Development (CPD) in New York last month, she articulated both the successes and shortcomings of gender equality in a country which prided itself electing the world’s first female head of government: Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike in July 1960.

After surviving a 26-year-long separatist war, which ended in 2009, Sri Lanka has been registering relatively strong economic growth, and also claiming successes in its battle against poverty and hunger.

"Women also bear primary responsibility for care work – which creates multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that limits the opportunities for their full integration into the workforce.” -- Rosy Senanayake

As the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) move towards their targeted deadline in December 2015, Sri Lanka says it has reduced poverty from 26.1 percent in 1990-1991 to 6.7 percent in 2012-2013 – achieving the target of cutting back extreme poverty by 50 percent far ahead of end 2015.

Still, it still lags behind in gender equality – even as 51.8 percent of the country’s total population (of 21.8 million) are women, with only 34 percent comprising its labour force.

Pointing out that Sri Lanka has enjoyed significant progress in its social and economic indicators, Senanayake told IPS, it is also one of the few countries in Asia that has a sex ratio favourable to women.

But Sri Lanka’s advancement, in light of changing demographics, will ultimately depend on its ability to enable women and young people to be active participants in the country’s post-2015 development agenda and the U.N.’s proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“This requires an increase in sustained investment targeted at gender equality and social protection,” she added.

Addressing a meeting in Colombo last week, visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the women of Sri Lanka for playing a critical role in helping the needy and the displaced.

“They’re encouraging people to build secure and prosperous neighbourhoods. They are supporting ex-combatants and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and they’re providing counseling and other social services. And these efforts are absolutely vital and we should all support them,” he said.

“But we also have to do more than that,” he noted.

“Here, as in every country, it’s crystal clear that for any society to thrive, women have to be in full control – they have to be full participants in the economics and in the political life. There is no excuse in the 21st century for discrimination or violence against women. Not now, and not ever,” Kerry added.

The country’s positive development goals are many and varied: Sri Lanka has almost achieved universal primary education; the proportion of pupils starting grade 1, who reach grade 5, is nearly 100 percent; the unemployment rate has declined to less than four percent: the maternal mortality rate has declined from 92 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 33.3 in 2010; and the literacy rate of 15- to 25-year-olds increased from 92.7 percent in 1996 to 97.8 percent in 2012, according to official figures released by the government.

U.N. Resident Coordinator in Colombo Subinay Nandy says since the end of the separatist war, “Sri Lanka has graduated from lower to middle income status.”

Still, despite strong health and education results, Sri Lanka struggles to provide gender equality in employment and political representation.

Referring to the MDG country report produced by the government, Nandy says, Sri Lanka, overall, is in a strong position. The good performance noted in the report has been sustained and Sri Lanka has already achieved many of the MDGs and is mostly on track to achieve the others, he said.

But the negatives are also many and varied.

The proportion of seats held by women in the national parliament “remains very low”; the number of HIV/AIDS cases, despite low prevalence, is gradually increasing; tuberculosis remains a public health problem; there has been an increase in the incidence of dengue fever; and Sri Lanka’s debt-services-to-exports ratio remains relatively high compared to other developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The eight MDGs spelled out by the United Nations include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.

The targeted date to achieve these goals is 2015.

Senanayake told the CPD unemployment amongst women is more than twice as high as unemployment amongst men, while women migrant workers and women in the plantation and export processing sectors bring in significant foreign exchange earnings to the country.

However, a majority of women who participate in the labour force do so in the informal sector.

“This leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse during their course of employment. Women also bear primary responsibility for care work – which creates multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that limits the opportunities for their full integration into the workforce,” she said.

Sri Lanka recognises that inclusive development rests on ensuring equality of opportunity in work.

“As such, we are firmly committed to making the necessary legal and structural investments to bolster a decent work agenda in marginalised sectors,” she noted.

These investments demand a broader discussion on the value of female participation in development.

This includes the availability and promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights; robust mechanisms to prevent violence against women and girls; and strengthening measures to bring perpetrators of violence to justice.

These, she said, are critical in ensuring Sri Lanka’s ‘demographic dividend’ can be leveraged.

Meanwhile, the introduction of family planning services by the Family Planning Association was well integrated into maternal and child health services and later expanded to reduce the stigma surrounding contraception.

This strategy accounted for more than 80 percent decline in fertility, according to Senanayake.

Additionally, the government of Sri Lanka, through her Ministry, has introduced a scheme that provides a monthly nutritional supplement to all pregnant women in the country to reduce rates of anaemia, low birth weight and malnutrition – which affects both mother and baby.

Still, Sri Lanka faces the problem of unsafe abortions, unintended and teenage pregnancies, which pose significant challenges to the health and well-being of women and adolescents.

In this respect, she said, strengthening comprehensive reproductive education through school curriculum can help young people access accurate information on gender, sexuality, sexually transmitted infections including HIV and increase their awareness on the effective use of contraception.

Currently over 23.4 percent households are headed by women.

To combat these demographic pressures, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has set up a National Committee on Female-Headed Households and a National Centre for Female Headed Households – enabling female heads of households to integrate into the workforce and access sustainable livelihoods.

Edited by Kitty Stapp

IMF raises concern over Sri Lanka's fiscal deficit

Wed May 6, 2015

(Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund raised concern on Wednesday over Sri Lanka's fiscal deficit in 2015 and the medium term after the new government increased wages and spending.

The Fund said the 2015 deficit target of 4.4 percent of gross domestic production (GDP) "will likely be very difficult to reach even with relatively optimistic assumptions regarding revenue gains".

The new government of President Maithripala Sirisena, who unseated former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa in a Jan. 8 election, has changed several fiscal policies including reducing import taxes on some commodities and fuel prices.

The government introduced some revenue measures in a revised 2015 budget soon after the election, including a one-off super gain tax to raise revenue by 80.3 billion rupees while increasing recurrent spending by nearly 6 percent or an extra 87 billion rupees ($652.66 million).

"In the absence of new measures to create a more durable increase in tax collection, revenues in 2016 will drop as the one-off measures expire, while the permanent increase to recurrent spending from the revised 2015 budget will likely push the deficit higher," the IMF said in a statement.

A higher deficit would raise some concerns about the government's ability to service its debt, the IMF said.

The statement followed the global lender's third review of economic conditions in Sri Lanka following the completion in 2012 of a $2.6 billion emergency loan to the country.

The fiscal deficit reversed a falling trend last year for the first time since 2009 and hit 6 percent, rising from 5.9 percent in 2013 and well above the government's 5.2 percent target.

Presidential security lapse once too often...

(Lanka-e-News -06.May.2015, 11.30AM) A lapse once again had occurred when  providing security to President Maithripala  Sirisena, based on reports  reaching Lanka e news.

This serious blunder has taken place on the 3 rd night.

President Miathripala and prime minister (P.M.) Ranil Wickremesinghe were present to inaugurate the pandal at Pepliyana at the invitation of UNP organizer Daya Gamage . The president after the inauguration has come out and inadvertently got in the vehicle of the P.M. , when the driver of P.M.’s vehicle had told him, ‘Sir, this is P.M.’s vehicle,’ whereupon the president after enjoying a joke had searched for his car and got in 

Though the president took it lightly , this is  a most serious neglect of duty  on the part of the security contingent of the president , for it is the absolute  duty of the chief in charge of president’s security S.M. Wickremesinghe  DIG to ensure that the president is led to the correct vehicle. 

S.M. Wickremesinghe in charge of President’s security who is already facing accusations of grave dereliction of duty in an  earlier incident on the 25 th of last month when  a commando corporal with firearm (pistol)  came  very close to the president dangerously and suspiciously which is now being investigated as an  assassination bid on  the president , being once again guilty of egregious dereliction of duty is reportedly  moving heaven and earth now to suppress his inefficiency and negligence in this  latest episode too.

Sri Lanka: U’grads Agitate Call for Release of Two in Remand

[University students protest in Colombo- File photo]

06/05/2015

Undergraduates of six State Universities will conduct protests and marches at noon today (06) calling for the release of the two student activists who were arrested on 30, April by the Cinnamon Gardens Police and remanded till 9th, to be released immediately.

The Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) said that the protests and marches would be conducted by the Universities of Kelaniya,Sri Jayewardenepura, Rajarata, Peradeniya, Wayamba and Ruhuna.

Hulftsdorp Magistrate’s Court ordered Jayewardenepura Management Faculty student Shakthi Mapavita and Kelaniya Sociology Department student Wishwa Dhanananjaya De Silva to be remanded till 11th, on charges of damaging public property and assaulting a Police officer on 29th during an Inter-University Bhikkhu Federation march and protest, in front of the University Grants Commission.

The protest was against the reducing of the number of subjects and the curtailing of the number of enrolments to universities.

“Police officers chased after them and arrested them, after which they confiscated their mobile phones and kept them at a Police station in secrecy. This suppressive treatment is similar to what took place under the previous Government.

These undemocratic practices are being ordered by the good governance government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. This government too is commodifying education. This government has assaulted undergraduates and intimidated them by visiting student union leaders and activists at their homes in the middle of the night. We demand the immediate release of Mapavita and De Silva,” Convenor of the IUSF Najith Indika added

Sri Lankan Airlines: A Response To Phoenix Duty Free’s ‘Feeble’ Press Release

May 6, 2015

An employee of Phoenix Duty Free Services emailed a rather feeble press release that they had carried in one of the local Sunday Newspapers titled “Phoenix Responds To Media Reports on Sri Lankan Airlines Duty Free” recently.

Raju Chandiram

What is rather shocking is that the contents in its entirety is one whereColombo Telegraph could refute each claim as with a copy of the contract in our possession and with concrete evidence in hand, it could be quite rightly stated that its former Chairman Tissa Dharmagunaratne who headed this operation at the inception, CEO Dilan Rumesh Wirasinghe and Managing Director Raju Chandiram are in a vain attempt in trying to cover their tracks in where the Board of Inquiries headed by Lawyer J.C.Weliamuna reported the fraudulent deal where innocent tax payers monies have now been stolen and still continue to.

Phoenix Duty Free Services goes on to say that in the first three years of its operation that Sri Lankan Airlines gained a net profit of Rs 1.1 billon. Nevertheless that figure should have been much higher as Phoenix fails to mention that as reported by Colombo Telegraph earlier, over USS $ 2.5 million was written off by the previous ‘Board of Directors’ of the airline as Phoenix cried foul that the Airline was duplicating its passenger figure count.

The writing off of this figure by the then Board of Directors, but more importantly amending the original contract after the first year’s operation resulted in a monumental figure of a minimum Rs 712 million which the airline lost that should have been added on to the profited figure of Rs 1.1 billion as claimed by Phoenix Duty Free Services.

The following story was described by one of Phoenix Duty Free Services’s very own current employees who revealed much more shocking details that should be information worthy for the new Board of Directors of the national carrier to further work on the ‘Weliamuna Report’ and investigating the expose further and scrapping this daily loss making deal immediately.

“Our Managing Director Raju Chandiram had it all covered from the beginning and least did he ever expect the government to change. We gave Sri Lankan Airlines an unbelievable contract that they could not refuse and in hindsight we were losing a considerable amount of money in our first year of operations in the five year mutually signed contract.

There was no hope in ever recovering from that initial year’s loss and even the Board of Directors felt something was initially fishy. But thanks to our MD Raju Chandiram’s contacts with Members of the Board of Directors, we were able to amend the signed contract between Phoenix Duty Free Services and the national carrier to suit us during the second year and have it back dated. Chandiram himself was a Director of the Board of Sri Lankan Airlines in 2008 when his good friend and current Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera was a Minister in the Government.                               Read More

Thondaman Foundation chief accountant to be arrested

Wednesday, 06 May 2015 13

The Chief Accountant, Manager administration and Chairman of Thondaman Memorial Foundation Muttusivalingam MP, former Deputy minister Economic Affairs to be questioned and arrested by the Financial fraud Investigation Unit, based on the complaints made to CID and presidential investigation unit by six senior members attached to the 'Prajashakthi and navashakthi of  Thondaman Foundation.

It has been revealed that there had been huge financial Malpractices has taken place in this said organization. 2013, 2014 a whooping hundred and seventy five million each year has been paid to this foundation by the treasury.  During the month of November 2014, Rs. Sixty five million has been spent on for election campaign for Mahinda Rajapakse. Despite Election campaign, however it has been noted this money had been spent solely by Hon. Arumugam Thondaman for some personal tamashas including meals, liquour and etc.  Further Prajashakthi members mentioned that their salaries  of month January to March as not been paid and over 400 members have been affected due to this. with all these a batch of 140  members have been recruited during the election month and this got effected very badly.  Even their salaries is not paid up to date.

Furthermore this money has been lavishly spend on the instruction of the Prajashakthi, Navashakthi consultant Mrs. Rupalatha Maganthi Ramohan the women who is the close business partner of Arumugam Thondaman.  This woman organizes workshops, seminars, forums and use to get down underprivileged instructors from Hyderabad from cheap rate to participate in these events with the huge markup for her.   They also revealed Muttusivalingam who withdrew Rs. 50 million from his personal account of HNB branch in Nuwaraeliya just before the election and also they urged to accure the 24 acre mahaveli land which Sivalingam does huge cultivation farming with a luxury bungalow.

The Prajashakthi members also informed Hon. P.Dhigambaram to accure this land and distribute among the plantation workers for his highly popular ongoing housing project.  According to these members the foundation and CWC as gone to the hands of street dogs.  

We learn a special team of investigators had been detailed to conduct further investigation.  We will reveal more information in coming days.

Gotabaya vows legal actions against JVP

May 6, 2015

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) on Wednesday filed a case against former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa with the Bribery Commission. The JVP accused the former Defnece Secretary of misconduct or financial misappropriation of money amounting to about Rs. 130 million through a project incited to renovate three bus stands in the Ampara district.

In their complaint to the Bribery Commission, the JVP claimed the money has been deposited to a bank account owned by the former Defence Secretary. The complaint further stated that the transactions were done by Neel de Alwis, who was the former Secretary of the Ampara district, in this regard.

“The funds were allocated to renovate bus stands in Padiyathalawa, Dehiattakandiya and Maha-oya. However, bus stands in Padiyathalawa and Dehiattakandiya were not renovated as promised,” former Parliamentarian Wasantha Piyatissa told media.

Rajapaksa vows to take legal actions

When contacted by Ada Derana, Gotabaya Rajapaksa while denying allegations said “this seems like the latest episode in the campaign to destroy me reputation. Some elements are struggling to destroy my goodwill,”

Rajapaksa also vowed to take legal actions against those who came to the Bribery Commission to make the complaint what he described as a ‘false allegation’ against him.

Mahinda extorted Rs 30 million from Hameediyas owner at Temple trees after abducting him ! - Mahinda’s white van criminal exposes

(Lanka-e-News- 05.May.2015, 11.30PM) Medamulana Mahinda Rajapakse who is by now a byword for corruption and traitorous activities , in and around 2006 before amassing wealth through the Chinese projects, has  abducted Tamil and Muslim frontline businessmen via the infamous white Van, and after bringing them to his temple trees recidence, directly extorted huge sums of money from them, based on reports reaching Lanka e news supported by   cogent and concrete evidence. 

One such victim  is a popular businessman who owns a chain of garment emporiums across the country. His name is  Mohomed Amin the owner of famous 'Hameediyas'. An individual who was involved directly in this abduction revealed to Lanka e news the victim was transported in the white van blindfolded, and at the Temple trees, Mahinda Rajapaksha himself directly collected the sum of Rs.30 million (the extortion money) from the victim.

Businessmen who refused to pay the extortion money demanded were falsely labeled as ‘Tigers’,  taken to the east cost, killed and after wrapping the dead body with stones and barbed wires drowned in the sea and made to disappear. Some of them who paid the extortion sum also were killed. Details of these victims had been collected from the Inland revenue department under  Mahinda’s finance ministry. These were  businessmen who have defaulted on tax payments.

A chief of the intelligence unit, Keerthi Gajanayake at that time was a member of  this murder, abduction and extortion ring. In the photograph herein is 'Abeyratne' an officer of the intelligence unit , who  also at that time played a major role in these abductions, extortion and murders.

Among the many businessmen who fell victims were the Wellawatte oil Mudalali, Colombo seeni (sugar) Mudalali etc. It is this same criminal group of Mahinda that was  responsible for the robbery  committed on 'Prasanna Exchange' , a money exchange center at Wellawatte. A number of other businessmen who were subjected to this same ordeal and traumatic experience are still frightened to come to the open and expose, because the Rajapakses are even now free and on the prowl like the highway robbers and murderers.

'Abeyratne' who is in the photograph herein has been operating directly under the orders of Mahinda Rajapakse and Gotabaya Rajapakse. 'Fabian Roysten Christofer Toussaint' about whom Lanka e news  had already reported some time ago with photograph (wanted criminal)  is also  a member of the Abeyratne murder, abduction and extortion gang.

It is this same duo who committed the murder of a  member of the Red cross who was abducted near the Fort railway station on 3 rd June 2007 

Though 'Abeyratne' and 'Toussaint' were arrested by the Colombo crime investigation department, on orders from Gotabaya then they were exonerated of all charges and freed. 

While there are cogent and copious evidence against the cold blooded murderers and crimes committed by Mahinda Rajapakse  and Gotabaya Rajapakse to substantiate  these crimes , it is most reprehensible the incumbent president Maithripala Sirisena despite these exposures is getting ready to hold discussions with Mahinda Rajapakse which not only reflects most poorly on Maithripala, but constitutes  a most disgraceful move  that merits absolute condemnation.

It is well in his own interest if Maithripala understands and is mindful tha