India, Pakistan talks face new hurdles as expectations diverge

Pakistan Rangers (R) and Border Security Force personnel take part in the daily flag lowering ceremony at their joint border post of Wagah near Lahore February 10, 2011.

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD | BY RUPAM JAIN NAIR AND MEHREEN ZAHRA-MALIK

Fri Aug 7, 2015

India plans to present Pakistan with a dossier of evidence of its involvement in militant attacks when officials from the two countries meet this month, which could jeopardize the rivals' first attempt in months to restart talks.

Interviews with Indian and Pakistani officials show that the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars since independence in 1947, are approaching the talks between top security officials on Aug. 23-24 in New Delhi with starkly different expectations.

While India sees the meeting as an opportunity for it to prove its long-held view that militants get support from over its western border, Pakistan wants the dialogue to be broader and form the basis for deeper engagement.

With just days to go, Pakistani officials said they were beginning to think the meeting may be pointless.

"There is no point if India is just using these talks to make any more unsubstantiated accusations. We want result-oriented dialogue," said a close aide to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

"Why have talks when they will only set us further back because India has decided to sabotage the atmosphere and the goodwill?" said the aide, who declined to be identified, adding that Pakistan would make a decision soon on whether to attend.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, agreed to a new round of peace talks when they met in Russia last month.

As part of the rapprochement effort, the two sides agreed that India's national security adviser, Ajit Doval, would hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Sartaj Aziz

Since the prime ministers' meeting, however, a series of militant attacks and border skirmishes have poisoned the atmosphere.

India blames Pakistan for instigating the attacks.

Pakistan says India is accusing it without any evidence and blames India for firing on the border first.

Tension tends to increase ahead of attempts at dialogue, with analysts and diplomats on both sides saying the attacks are engineered by hardline elements within the two countries who oppose rapprochement.

In August last year, Modi abruptly cancelled a round of talks in Islamabad after border skirmishes and out of anger that Pakistan's envoy in New Delhi had hosted separatists from the Indian part of disputed Kashmir in preparation for the talks.

One senior bureaucrat in Modi’s office said India, however, planned to go ahead with the talks, despite its belief that Pakistan was behind the latest string of attacks.

The official said if Pakistan were to call off the talks, then India would take the dispute to international forums "and even get the U.S. involved".

Divided Muslim-majority Kashmir is at the heart of their dispute. Pakistan has for decades demanded the implementation of U.N. resolutions calling for a plebiscite by the people of the Himalayan region to decide its fate.

India rejects the call.

(Additional reporting by Katharine Houreldin Islamabad, Fayaz Bukhari in Srinagar; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Thailand bans commercial surrogacy for foreign parents

Thai police display pictures of surrogate babies born to a Japanese man at the center of a surrogacy scandal last year. Pic: AP.

By Asian Correspondent Staff Aug 07, 2015

A law that has just come into effect in Thailand narrows the choices in Asia for people looking for a surrogate mother to carry a fetus in her womb.

Couples from around the world had been coming to Thailand for cheap surrogacy services, which involves hiring a woman to bear a child for someone else, often with an implanted embryo from biological parents utilizing donated eggs or sperm. The cost in Thailand was less than $50,000, compared to about $150,000 in the United States.

The new law, effective this month, prohibits commercial surrogacy serving foreign clients, with violations punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 200,000 baht ($6,200).

Only Thai heterosexual couples married for more than three years can hire surrogates.

The new law follows a high-profile case last year when an Australian couple was found to have abandoned a baby suffering from Down’s Syndrome carried by a Thai surrogate, while taking his healthy twin.

Pattaramon Chanbua, 21, poses her baby boy Gammy at a hospital in Chonburi province, southeastern Thailand earlier this month. Pic: AP.

The case of baby Gammy sparked outcry in Thailand and Australia. David and Wendy Farnell hired Pattaramon to carry a baby for them, and took Gammy’s twin sister Pipah home to Australia after the babies were born.

(READ MORE: Gammy story full of bizarre twists, prompts surrogacy crackdown in Thailand)

The Gammy story brought international attention on Thailand’s surrogacy industry, exposing its sheer scale and widespread abuses. One report suggested that as many as 100 surrogates were carrying children for Australian parents at the time.

In another high-profile case it emerged last September that a Japanese businessman reportedly fathered 16 surrogate babies in Thailand.

The Japan Times reported at the time that 24-year-old Mitsutoki Shigeta “said he wanted to produce between 100 and 1,000 babies, according to the co-founder of an organization that provides surrogate services in Thailand and other countries.”

(READ MORE: Thailand stops surrogate babies from leaving – report)

The furore surrounding the cases prompted to ruling military junta to come down hard on foreign couples that it said did not have the necessary papers to take their newborn babies from Thailand, with many stranded there for weeks.

This weeks law brings a clear end to Thailand as an international surrogacy destination.

Additional reporting from Associated Press

Lower Your Risk of Breast Cancer by 19% With This Beverage

by Ryan on August 2, 2015

Studies indicate that women can reduce their risk of breast cancer by 19% by drinking coffee. This is good news for many women who already rely on their coffee fix. You might feel guilty about drinking coffee, but you can finally release the guilt. Though caffeine can cause numerous issues, research has indicated that coffee has positive effects on preventing breast cancer.

Health Benefits of Coffee

There are health benefits that come with coffee. What’s most important is that coffee beans are packed full of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants. However, during the brewing and roasting processes, some of this gets lost. However, coffee can still improve health.

Research on Coffee and Breast Cancer

If you were to read studies of research, you might discover that really very few subjects are observed or some of the data doesn’t seem significant. However, the truth behind the research is solid. Over the course of 20 years, data has been collected about 40,000 women who have undergone analysis to try to uncover the possible link between breast cancer and coffee.

In this study, women were sorted in various different groups. One group drank tea, others drank 1-2 cups of coffee daily, and another group drank 5 or more cups of coffee each day. Research and date uncovered that the women who consumed at least 5 cups of coffee daily actually had a 19% lowered risk of developing breast cancer than the women in the other groups who drank tea or lesser amounts of coffee.

Putting This Information to Use

On the alternative, researchers were actually surprised that drinking tea actually increased the potential of developing breast cancer which left researchers puzzled. It is possible that antioxidants in coffee protects cells against free radicals that allow the development of cancer cells. Additionally, coffee has phytochemicals and riboflavin which have both been discovered to protect people against cancer.

What you need to know is you can protect the body against breast cancer by getting out your coffee pot and drinking away. Also, studies have found that coffee has healing effects of chlorogenic acid which can also lower the risk of cancer. This acid is denser in regular coffee than in decaffeinated coffee

To experience coffee’s full health benefits, drink it black. The sugar and cream will add too many calories to your daily intake and can also disrupt the effects the coffee’s antioxidants have on the body. Since more people are being diagnosed with breast cancer on an annual basis, you need to do everything you can to protect yourself and drinking coffee is just one thing you can do.

A failure of justice

06 August 2015

Reports that the United Nations has begun drawing up plans for the Sri Lankan government to lead a purely domestic mechanism into the mass slaughter of Tamils have widely, and rightly, been met with dismay by the victims. Sri Lanka has shown it cannot effectively deliver justice to those who have suffered – a fact that becomes ever more apparent 6 years since the end of the armed conflict. With elections looming and the release of a much awaited OISL report just weeks away, the international community and UN cannot waver on their obligations to the victims. A comprehensive internationalised justice mechanism to deal with the prosecution of those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law must take place. Anything less would be a failure in justice.

The leaked document proposes the Sri Lankan government takes responsibility for investigating and punishing any crimes committed, with the UN confined to providing “technical assistance”. This is an untenable position for the global body to hold. The government expresses no desire to meet victims’ aspirations for justice and instead security forces continue to engage in human rights violations, undermining any credibility it attempts to project. Nothing highlights this more than the timely release of a report by the International Truth and Justice Project last week. It revealed in painstaking detail the “multifaceted assault of terror” that continues on the ground, despite the much lauded change in government earlier this year. In this environment, alongside Sri Lanka’s torturous history of failed domestic enquiries and the sheer gravity of war time abuses, which the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has condemned as a genocide, a domestic justice process is a futile exercise.

Tamils have no hope for justice in any domestic mechanism, whether conducted by the Rajapaksa regime, Sirisena regime, or any successive Sinhala majoritarian government. The NPC resolution, which denounced the long history of anti-Tamil violence as genocide, and sustained Tamil protests calling for international accountability aptly demonstrate this. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's political leadership continue to publicly refute UN figures of the civilian death toll and army generals suspected of breaking international humanitarian law have been promoted by the new government. Recent campaigns by Sinhala parties also highlights the widespread and vehement opposition to any international justice mechanism. The Sinhala political spectrum, from left to right, has rallied together to proclaim their defence of those who bear chief responsibility for the crimes of 2009 from facing trial, including the president himself.

In this context, member states responsible for leading the formation of the OISL must remain firm. The postponement of the OISL report, which disappointed many who believed it was a key step towards justice, was made with a pledge by the UN human rights chief “to act as a strong voice on behalf of victims”. Reports that UN officials had attempted to strong arm Tamils into swallowing a domestic mechanism belies the UN's public rhetoric of the necessity for a victim based approach to justice and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. The entire process, shrouded in secrecy and drawn up without adequate consultation of those affected, only adds to victims’ wariness of a global body that failed so miserably in preventing the deaths of their kith and kin. As the Chief Minister of the Northern Province C V Wigneswaran put it, the victims themselves must decide on a future mechanism. And the victims remain unflinching in their demand, as marked by the sustained demonstrations that have surged across North-East.

This week the demand for an international justice mechanism was unanimously endorsed by all Tamil political parties competing in the North-East. The omission of the explicit articulation of this demand from the TNA manifesto though, was glaring - a deliberate move that provides space for the party to fall short of pledges made to its electorate. Given the campaigning the party has done on the premise that it orchestrated work towards an international process at Geneva, the omission raises questions with regards to how consistent it is at articulating Tamil aspirations in all political fora. Their words must be followed by action, else it will simply be yet another hollow promise made purely for electoral gains.

As the UN's own review of its conduct during the conflict concluded, the body failed to respond in the face of overwhelming evidence that massacres were occurring in 2009. A domestic inquiry would be yet another failure, furthering impunity and exacerbating the simmering crisis on the island. Meaningful accountability is crucial in restoring Tamils' much worn faith in the international community and to ensure a just and peaceful future. There can be no compromise. The United Nations and member states must reflect on the lessons born out of Mullivaikkal. Past failures must be set right and justice that is long overdue finally served.

Part III: Would reconciliation process work in post-war Sri Lanka?

The positive thing was that the community engagement created a sense that community members could directly take part in telling their stories so they could get justice. The commission was able to facilitate reconciliation meetings where different elements found common ground, which led to reconciliation between victims and perpetrators, reconciliation at the community level and promoted national unity to some extent.

by Satheesan Kumarasamy

(From previous issue)

( August 6, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The African National Congress (ANC) fought for freedom but their struggles were met with violence of the government led by the British Empire that took the lives of thousands of people. Even F.W. de Klerk, president of South Africa in 1989, admitted the failure of apartheid policies.

After South Africa emerged from the long period of totalitarian rule (aka apartheid) into a democracy, there was urgent need for reconciliation. The creation of the TRC in 1995 was crucial because it was aimed at promoting national unity and reconciliation in the soul of understanding and coexistence, to transcend the conflicts and divisions of the past. This commission was a milestone compromise between the ruling National Party and the ANC for sustainable peace in the country.

The objectives are soft in nature because they were not meant to punish the perpetrators of the crimes; rather, they were meant to cool down the sentiments of the victims and bring them into society so everyone could live peacefully. The uniqueness of the commission was that it included experts from various political backgrounds, human rights activists and others, including lawyers, theologians, historians, social workers and psychologists.

The positive thing was that the community engagement created a sense that community members could directly take part in telling their stories so they could get justice. The commission was able to facilitate reconciliation meetings where different elements found common ground, which led to reconciliation between victims and perpetrators, reconciliation at the community level and promoted national unity to some extent. The truth telling often led to people seeing each other in a different light. These gestures, coupled with the restoration of dignity that the public acknowledgement of victims represents, were fundamental to ensuring that people began to own the new culture of democracy and human rights and restore credibility to state structures. People have the tendency to forget, but their pain should be relieved by speaking out, as this is common in normal life. The case of South Africa is a good example.

Restorative justice is a promising theory, so it is important to see how it panned out in South Africa’s crime prevention and criminal justice efforts. Baitley (2002) argues it is necessary to consider the charges against this approach. He argues that “restorative justice does not fit the thinking of legal practitioners” and says that “restorative justice is a soft option that ignores the need for punishment.”

Baitley further says that “restorative justice leads to net widening in that more offenders get drawn into the system than would otherwise be the case.” He explains that “restorative justice has generally not been creative and sophisticated enough in its application to address the issues it claims to” and he further says that “many individual victims are not prepared to participate in restorative justice processes but are prepared to settle for compensation directly-victims want retribution, not restoration.” His argument is well taken because he says “the level of anger in South African communities at present is so high that people are not ready for restorative justice processes-they want quick fixes,” so he says “restorative justice is not appropriate for dealing with more serious cases such as rape, murder and domestic violence.”

Finally, Baitley says that “restorative justice overlooks and minimizes the seriousness of crime”. South Africa’s situation was different because the minority ruled the majority, and justice was provided by the successor regime that came to power. This was led by the majority of the people and the ANC did not want to alienate the minority that once ruled the country. Also, the ANC did not want to antagonize the minority by punishing them through the criminal legal system, as that would further deepen conflicts. So the soft method, the restorative method, is a good one and was a great tactical tool to calm down all the communities. The restitution approach is a new phenomenon.

As Baitley (2002) points out, the restitution approach has economic and political schools of thought committed to a strong view of the minimalist state, adding that government should intervene as little as possible in society, unlike the restorative approach where the government should be as heavily involved as the public. So Baitley (2002) argues that the restitution approach essentially reduces criminal law to civil law and removes the moral concept of wrong.

(To be continued)

(The author can be reached at e-mail: satheesankumarasamy@yahoo.com)

Arch-Bishop shuns POLITICS of RACE AND RELIGION

BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody and Savani Sheshadi-2015-08-06

Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, at a media conference led by Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Christian and Catholic leaders yesterday expressed critical sentiments about established political parties and recently formed ones which clothed themselves with ethno-religious overtones.

He added that many candidates contesting the Parliamentary Election were also drug dealers, gamblers, thieves and rapists.
"We have amended the 1978 Constitution 19 times already. I don't know how many more times we will have to amend it. Some amendments were dumped on the people, so we need to change the Constitution completely to reflect the desires of the people," he said.

Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith added that although Sri Lanka won the war that did not imply that the work is done. "We must look at the issues faced by people in the North and East. Don't divide people into a minority and majority standing. Political parties that are founded on racial and religious lines do not suit Sri Lanka. All parties are responsible for the confusion in the country," he said.
One of the Heads of the Congress of Religions, Mahanayake of the Kotte Chapter of the Siam Nikaya, Ven. Dr. Ittapana Dhammalankara Thera, also came down hard on the inordinate emphasis on racial and religious identities by such political parties which are perceived to be attempts to propagate racism.

All must vote responsibly, and carefully select candidates whodeserve the electors' votes, he said, adding that those who must represent the people in Parliament should be active politicians of unblemished character and conduct.

Meanwhile, Prof. Ven. Bellanwila Wimalarathana Thera said that while one cannot judge a man by educational qualifications only, there needs to be a minimum qualifying educational benchmark for potential candidates. In the absence of this, Parliament will be dominated by those involved in the trade of drugs and alcohol.
"We must elect good people to Parliament," the Thera urged.

Democracy gets ambulance ride

August 5, 2015

Politicians say they spend colossal amounts of money during elections. Yes, they do! But, they won’t tell you how funds are raised and that campaign expenditure is an investment with very high returns. Else, those who rode rickety bicycles wearing flip-flops when they entered politics wouldn’t have been able to own palatial houses in the city, fleets of luxury vehicles and estates and mansions overseas and millions of dollars in offshore accounts. In fact, it is the hapless people who fund the election campaigns of most politicians who help themselves to state funds while in power and misuse public assets for campaigning. The last government was accused of using taxpayers’ money to the tune of billions of rupees for its election campaigns; it spent Rs. 600 mn on sil redi distributed among Buddhist devotees in time for the last presidential election. The public doesn’t get anything in return for their money so spent; they only get returns from the income tax department!

When the Yahapalana guys KO’d the Chinthana group on Jan. 08 in a bout which had a nail-biting finish, some people naively thought that an immediate end would be put to the widespread waste and misuse of public property, especially during elections. But, if what we have been witnessing in the run-up to the August 17 polls is anything to go by then there has been no difference. The Opposition and election monitors are protesting against the misuse of state property, mostly vehicles, for election work, while a former UPFA MP is languishing in remand prison for having allegedly misused more than 20 vehicles belonging to the Presidential Secretariat. Now, the polls monitors tell us that even a children’s hospital ambulance, of all things, has been misused for the ruling party’s election campaign!

Most of the candidates in the fray, who once pretended to be knights in shining armour on a crusade to save democracy, have proved they have no qualms about using underworld figures in their election campaigns and violent clashes are not infrequent as we saw at Kotahena on July 31. Therefore, politicians may need ambulances on standby during their election campaigns spearheaded by violent elements. But, the state-owned emergency vehicles must not be used for that purpose. Politicians have their own fleets of super luxury vehicles and let them be asked to buy their own ambulances as well.

The ambulance found at a recent ruling party campaign event in Kalutara had come all the way from the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Children’s Hospital, Peradeniya! The health authorities have told the polls monitors that the vehicle had been sent to collect some drugs, as we reported yesterday. We are intrigued. The Medical Supplies Division, which purchases, stores and distributes drugs used in government health institutions, is located in Colombo and if a hospital in Kandy had been short of life-saving medicines an ambulance should have been sent to Colombo and not to Kalutara.

The Peradeniya hospital administration has promised to probe the complaint lodged by the election monitors. It may hold an internal inquiry, but the onus is on our intrepid, indefatigable Polls Chief Mahinda Deshapriya to conduct a separate investigation and take legal action as the misuse of an ambulance for electioneering is a blatant violation of the election laws. State employees get interdicted and even sacked for lesser offences, don’t they?

Shame on those who, while extolling the virtues of good governance, are doing more of what they condemn their opponents for!

Sri Lanka Election, Survey by TK Research : 

UNP 106; UPFA 91; JVP 14

General Election 2015: Estimated Results by TK Research & Solution (Pvt) Ltd.
First of all, we would like to thank all the respondents who participated both online and offline surveys.

Total no of registered voters for presidential election, will be 15,044,490 and it is expected that 66.18% (9,956,443) voters will cast their vote in upcoming general election.

Vote as a %

Based on our final estimation as at 06th August 2015, United National Party (UNP) will win the General Election 2015 with majority of more than 600,000 votes over United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

Based on the current situation, United National Party will obtain 106 parliamentary seats followed by UPFA (91), JVP (14) and TNA (12).

Party positions ( estimation only)

It is important to note that above estimated results analyzed based on the current political situation (as of 06th August 2015) and perception of over 7,500 respondents participated for the independent pre-election survey conducted in all 25 administrative districts in Sri Lanka. However we are expecting to continue our survey till 11th August and release our 2nd report on 12th August which will present district level estimations as well.

For further information, please contact;
TK Research & Solutions (Pvt) Ltd +94 11 434 7629

Towards exports of $ 50 b; doable or what?

Friday, 7 August 2015

The Prime Minister addressing the Sri Lanka Economic Summit organised by the Ceylon Chamber under the theme ‘Towards Exports of $ 50 Billion’ said the $ 50 billion is an achievable target, provided there is a systematic approach to export development. Sri Lanka as a small developing country currently exports  around $ 11 billion, therefore to get to $ 50 billion the country would from now on need to add on new industries and products, as the existing industries would not get us there in the near future. 
Today, our trade deficit continues to widen. For example it has widened by 10% to $ 3.4 b in the first five months of the year. Despite the significant improvement recorded in exports of textile and garments, lower performance in tea, seafood and gem, diamond and jewellery exports contributed to this decline. 
Tea exports, which were severely affected by the lower demand from Russia and the Middle East, declined for the eight consecutive months in May 2015, recording a drop of 12.1% compared to the corresponding month of 2014. Seafood exports, which dropped continuously from October 2014, recorded a further decline of 39.3% by May 2015, compared to the corresponding month in 2014. This reduction was mainly due to the current EU ban.

Current status
Therefore, if are to get to $ 50 billion at least by 2025, the country needs new ideas, new products, new industries, new services, new regulation, new skills and competencies and new financing instruments - a hybrid of traditional instruments and new instruments. 
Often great product ideas come from SMEs. Therefore there is a need to build capacity within the SMEs. Supporting the SME sector is therefore very important. Funding is of course the biggest issue that the SME sector faces, as borrowing costs in Sri Lanka can be quite high. Availability of Venture Capital (VC) and other financial services is another big challenge for SMEs.

Recommendations
 Therefore the following could be suggested:

• Provide soft loan facilities for export related investment and for working capital needs. 
• Strengthen the Export Credit Insurance support.
• Provide export financing on the basis of feasibility of the project rather than collateral alone.
• Factoring export receivables, banks could provide cash to exporters, which would help exporters to meet cash requirement before the actual payment is received.
• Set up an EXIM Bank – Study the current financing gaps and set up an EXIM Bank to fill these gaps especially to capture new markets and venture into exports of new products.
• Get banks to move into global banking networks and set up new faster secure payment systems.
• Provide incentives to sell via secure web-based systems.
• Flexible credit tenors based on markets while ensuring the exporters bring back the export proceeds.
• Amend the Exchange Control regime to set up subsidiaries and offices overseas to promote exports.
• Finally, get banks to be more transparent on the fee structure, including overseas charges. 

Conclusion
In the final analysis, if we are to get to $ 50 billion, the financial institutions would have a key role to play. Lankan banks would therefore have to up their capability internally to support the industries of the future. 
Furthermore, banks would need to provide export financing on the basis of feasibility of the project rather than collateral alone, if the emerging new industries are to set up and grow. The role of SLECIC and EDB would also need to be critically re-examined in consultation with the private sector.

(The writer was a Bank Director from 2003 to 2014.)

BBS: Cobras Are Not Pets, They Belong To The Jungle

By Harishchandra Lokumanna –August 6, 2015 

Harishchandra Lokumanna

“Wisdom is finding out that a cobra is deadly; without first having to lose one’s life.” 
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana, The Confessions of a Misfit

The events of 6 December 1992, which led to the demolition of the Babri Mosque rewrote the history of modern India on communal lines. It was apparent that top BJP leaders like L K Advani and the then UP chief minister Kalyan Singh, as well the former Congress PM, P V Narasimha Rao, were aware of the planned demolition, according to a sting operation by the Cobrapost , an Indian news website and television production house, known for its investigative journalism. Well! Reference to BJP and the Cobra in this paragraph takes my memories to our Dharmadweepa, the tiny Paradise Isle in the India Ocean where the shamed racist outfit The BBS too has chosen BJP and the Cobra symbol to charter their future political direction. Thus their much despised hate campaign has now been given a political platform where they are attempting to enter parliament even by poisoning the soul of the country.

Cobras are typically opportunistic hunters, chowing down on whatever prey comes their way. They slither through the wilderness silently, following their prey until they are ready to attack. Most cobras hunt at dawn or dusk. Cobra bites are mostly fatal. Metaphorically too, BJP too are vicious spitting Cobras and is bound to be fatal to the well-being of this nation if they are not dealt with even at this stage. They follow the law of the jungle where they truly belong. BBS in BJP Cobra skin and other hate groups which profess racist, sectarian and majoritarian ideology are extremely fatal if not identified and consigned to where they belong. Sooner the better! The Sri Lankan voters did catch the Cobra alive and ‘caged it’, by voting out the dictatorial MR and rejecting communalism and racism on January 8th. Now they have an ideal opportunity to take it away from, without releasing it into, human habitation on August 17th.Read More

Protect 'Jan. 08 mandate' - CBK

 

-Slams MR for misusing state power and resources

-Those rejected by people have entered electoral fray

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, in a special statement issued yesterday, urged the nation to defeat the elements trying to reverse the "January 08" mandate and vote for honest and respectable candidates.

"At this decisive juncture, we need to decide whether we want to support elements trying to destroy our party's ideals or we need to give strength to candidates who have vision and commitment to make the country victorious," the former President, who is also a Patron of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, said. "To protect the party, we need to first build up the country.

That is exactly why we need to protect the 'January 08' victory," Kumaratunga said, explaining her position on the election.

Strongly criticizing the conduct of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Kumaratunga said the UPFA Kurunegala District candidate misused state power, state resources, state services, media and defence establishments when he was in power.

"He used religious and communal feelings to benefit his political campaign in an unacceptable and uncivilized manner.

When a ruler violates human rights and runs the country without any foresight, the country will be cornered and isolated in the international domain.

This will lead to a disastrous situation and the country's future will be darkened without any hope for the future," she added.

Kumaratunga said the ruler who was rejected at the Parliamentary election and wrongdoers who were with him are seeking a mandate again, leaving those who expected good governance in a state of shock.

"This has become a serious concern for respectable candidates of the party.

I am disappointed over the reluctance on the part of certain party seniors to restructure the SLFP," she said.

"My father, the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, the founder of the SLFP, built up this party not for his own benefit, but to serve the nation," Kumaratunga said.

Former President Kumaratunga, in her statement, also revealed that she appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Chairman of the party when 'the majority' had opposed the idea. She said Rajapaksa distorted the composition of the party and turned it into a safe haven for cronies.

She also stated that Rajapaksa allies acted in a conspiratorial manner to prevent the new government from exercising the people's mandate.

Former President Kumaratunga said Parliament had to be dissolved in June to block the path of conspirators.

In spite of their attempts, the former President said, the new government made some remarkable moves for the betterment of the people.

Now, election officials are in danger

2015-08-06

Police have arrested Batticaloa District candidate and former Mayor of the Kaththankudi Municipal Council S.H.M. Asfer and the former Provincial Councillor of the Eastern Provincial Council K.L.M. Fareed, for disturbing the duty of an election official by attempting to assault him.

The suspects have attempted to assault the Assistant Commissioner of Elections of Batticaloa in Kaththankudi area, on 4 August. The incident occurred upon the Assistant Commissioner's arrival to investigate about a complaint, alleging that the suspects were carrying out election propaganda.

The arrests were made today (6) early in the morning, Police Media Unit told Ceylon Today Online.

They will be produced before Batticaloa Magistrate today (6), Police said. Kaththankudi Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.

It Is A National Disgrace

By Madawala Hemananda –August 6, 2015

Madawala Hemananda

It is not an exaggeration that Sri-Lanka is reputed throughout the world, to be the repository of the earliest Buddhist scriptures and where the majority are practising Buddhists. Buddhism as far as I am aware, is the only religion, where there are no commandments and rules to obey and not even a dress-code, unless one is an ordained Buddhist Monk. The Buddha invited people to ‘come and see’ his philosophy, which was based on freedom of the individual, honesty and openness, as there was nothing to hide. Although openness, both in enquiry and investigation is a key feature of Buddhism, it appears that Srilankans have totally abandoned this noble tradition and are hiding themselves behind high front boundary walls and solid gates. One wonders whether they are hiding from an enemy or from their own neighbours, friends and relatives. Why are we continuing to behave like this, now that the civil war, which was often quoted as the lame excuse, is now well and truly over?

Even houses built in the remote parts of the Island, where everyone knows everyone else, owners have adopted the practice of hiding themselves, behind high front boundary walls. There are no visible signs of this practice easing or disappearing and in fact the opposite is happening, with high walls around houses becoming the norm, rather than the exception, as even before laying the foundation for a new house, a high wall is built, as if required by law. These front boundary walls while costing large sums of money, allow only roofs of these houses to be seen and to get access to them would be difficult, if not for the popularity of mobile phones, with which, one could alert the occupier having arrived in front of the house, so that the heavily fortified and opaque gate could be opened, often using brute force. Is this practice of hiding behind walls, not highly unbecoming of a great Buddhist nation that extols the virtues of a rich Buddhist cultural heritage?Read More

MR would have still captained SLC: Arjuna

2015-08-06
Fortunately the Kurunegala District UPFA candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa had not played cricket. Had he played and won the limited over cricket World Cup in 1996, he would have still been the captain of the Sri Lanka team, Gampaha District UPFA candidate Arjuna Ranatunga said today.

He made these remarks when he addressed a large gathering of supporters, when former President Chandrika Kumaratunga visited the main election propaganda office in Gampaha.

“I was able to lead a fantastic cricket team wherein all members were a dedicated, extremely talented and patriotic lot. We also produced a second rung of players from up and coming young cricketers, who were ready to replace seniors when they retire.

“But President Rajapaksa failed to build up a second ring of political leaders from among young and skilful politicians in the SLFP but concentrated on keeping power among himself and his family.

“That is why I told you that if he won the World Cup in 1996, he would have never given up the captaincy of the team,” Minister Ranatunga charged.

Minister Ranatunga said former President Kumaratunga worked hard to bring President Maithripala Sirisena and the Yahapalana Government to power as she loved the country.

“She has worked hard to strengthen the concept of good governance, prevent corrupt politicians being elected to Parliament and to protect the January 8 Silent Revolution,” he said.

“The August 17 election is a contest between the good and bad, evil and justice and law and lawlessness or a fight against the UNP and the UFPA that represent the good and the bad respectively.

“The voters of this country deserve to be represented by decent, corrupt free and educated members in Parliament. They can find respectable and intelligent candidates only from among UNP candidates in each and every district. Therefore it is up to the voters to elect a member they can call their Manthrithuma with pride,” he stressed.

Minister Ranatunga said Mrs. Kumaratunga was deeply disappointed and heartbroken over the fate of the SLFP today, which was established by her illustrious father, late Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike.

“She is determined to bring the SLFP to its former glory after August 17 poll and that is why she wants a government with clean and honourable politicians,” he said.

Commenting on the plight of war heroes, Minister Ranatunga lamented that under the Rajapaksa regime, Ranawiruwo used to sing with grief but not with a feeling of victory and added the UNFGG government to be formed after August 17 would not let anyone to belittle war heroes.

“It was sad to witness how the Rajapaksa regime deployed ex-war heroes on menial duties like to water flower beds excavate and clean drains forgetting that they were the warriors who saved the country from terrorism. Some politicians may not have resorted to corruptions and misdeeds if those war heroes did not do that. The corrupt politicians have exploited the prevailing peaceful situation to their advantage to rob the country,” Minister Ranatunga added.

A large number of retired war heroes were present at the occasion. (Sandun A Jayasekera) - See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/82551/mr-would-have-stilled-captained-slc#sthash.Ao8iaYyw.dpuf

Chilaw public protest against the culprit

Aug 06, 2015

A protest has been launched against the Kurunegala district UPFA candidate Mhinda Rajapaksa in Chilaw. The protest started when Mahinda Rajapaksa came today 6th to visit the house of the Puttalam district UPFA candidate Milroy Fernando.

Protestors were whooping “Lets us chase the thief” (Outstanding head of state) displaying placards and banners. The public said since Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated on January 8th now he should retire from politics and stay at home. They further stressed that Mahinda who got greedy and insane of power is once again contesting to acquire the power and the people are ready to defeat him again.

Since he is well aware of his defeat he is giving false promises to the people. The protesters said Mahinda who could not do what he promised for the last ten years in power is now giving false promises to the people. The public urge Mahinda Rajapaksa not to give false promises and to retire from politics and stay at home.

Mahinda who could not face the public protest has deserted from the place. He has visited Chilaw to attend the meetings organized by the Puttalam district contestants Milroy Fernando, Arundhika Fernando and Dayashritha Tissera. Due to the heaping protests Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided not attend those meetings. Therefore these UPFA contestants are facing a big crisis. We are reaching reports due to the increasing
public protest many of the scheduled meetings would be cancelled.