SRI LANKA: Exhumation of Wasim Thajudeen’s body may open an important page in criminal investigations

August 7, 2015

Next Monday, 10 August 2015, the body of the well-known rugby player and Havelock’s Captain, Wasim Thajudeen, will be exhumed on the orders of the Colombo Additional Magistrate. The Magistrate made this order on the basis of an application by the Criminal Investigations Division, which submitted reports stating that newly available evidence suggests that Thajudeen’s death was caused by murder. Three Judicial Medical Officers will conduct the examination of the exhumed body of Wasim Thajudeen.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) understands that extensive investigations have been conducted into this case. The investigations have revealed extensive details about the manner in which this alleged murder has taken place, including details about the abduction; the injuries caused to Thajudeen, which led to his death; the manner in which a fabricated crime scene was constructed, to create the impression of death by accident; as well as details of the persons involved in the murder, including the masterminds.

The initiative taken by the Criminal Investigation Division to reinvestigate the alleged murder marks a new beginning in Sri Lanka, where, for several years, investigation into allegations of serious crimes including murder, enforced disappearances, abductions, and the like, have been hushed up, particularly when there is suspicion of politicians or their relatives being involved in such crimes.

There are long lists of such cover-ups; prominent cases include the daylight assassination of Lasantha Wickramatunge, the abduction and disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda, the assassination of former Tamil National Alliance Member of Parliament, Nadarajah Raviraj.

The AHRC also learned that some important breakthroughs have also been made into the abductions and the disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda and regarding the assassination of former TNA MP Raviraj.

For over two decades, the Asian Human Rights Commission, together with many other organisations, has warned that the administration of criminal justice has been seriously paralysed in Sri Lanka due to political reasons. The AHRC has also consistently warned that the political scheme unleashed by the 1978 Constitution and the paralysis of the criminal justice administration is linked. Furthermore, the AHRC has consistently communicated that the the paralysis of the criminal justice system will necessarily cause a breakdown of the legal system as a whole, which will, in turn, cause a serious societal crisis.

The initiative to exhume the body of Wasim Thajudeen, as well as developments in several cases brought to the courts by the Financial Crime Investigation Division of Sri Lanka Police, points to the administration of criminal justice in Sri Lanka heading in a positive direction. It is to be hoped that this trend will gather strength and that investigations into every crime will become the normal practice, as it should be in any country possessing the capacity to enforce the rule of law. Therefore, the AHRC cautiously, but at the same time hopefully, welcomes these initiatives and urges the entire society to support such initiatives.

What is often lost in discussions relating to the upcoming election is the fact that criminal investigations are matters that go beyond the interest of any particular election. In fact, the whole issue goes to the very core of the meaning of statehood. No state can survive if the state abandons its primary duty to protect its citizens from crimes. The capacity and the will to investigate crimes is a way by which the state manifests its capacity and the will to protect its own people.

Therefore, these criminal investigations should be looked upon not as matters of sectarian interest for or against any particular political party but as a matter of far greater importance than the outcome of an election. Whoever may win or lose an election is a matter of people’s choice, but that every government should protect the people through a viable and a genuinely functioning criminal justice system is matter of permanent interest.

January 8, 2015, has generally been viewed as a day that created the possibility of a shift away from the kind of politics envisaged through the executive presidential system created by the 1978 Constitution. Within that scheme, a government was allowed to function outside the limits of legality and, in fact, the very idea of the legal boundaries to power was altogether abandoned.

January 8 could, however, mark only the beginning of the possibility of a change of that catastrophic scheme. The realisation of this possibility is quite another matter. What the citizens have a right to hope for is that the daring initiatives being undertaken by the Criminal Investigation Division are an indication that such an actualisation is within people’s reach.

The criminal investigators who dare to take steps to uncover crimes that have been safely buried are taking enormous risks. In such moments of transition and risk, where entrenched habits of inaction are being broken, it is the duty of the citizenry to stand up to provide the moral support that duty conscious criminal investigators need. Under normal circumstances of a functioning democracy, a criminal investigation is a matter of routine. However, where such routine has been forgotten, the making of a new beginning is a difficult task. Therefore, those who are taking the initial steps in that direction should receive the encouragement and support of the citizenry as a whole, irrespective of whatever political opinions different sections of the society may hold.

Times when politicians can mockingly ask, “We are accused of crimes, but where is the proof?” are chilling times. When a criminal can say “prove if you can” and the relevant institutions fail to do so, the society faces one of the most frustrating moments in its collective psyche. When people become psychologically discouraged and lose their will to pursue justice for the crimes they have suffered, such a society reaches its lowest depths. And, such is the situation of the Sri Lankan society.

One of the primary aims of political change in the country, therefore, has to be the restoration of its criminal justice apparatus – to the point that the relevant operators in these institutions will dare to perform their duty without fear of consequences and irrespective of whatever class, caste, ethnicity, and other considerations.

Sri Lanka Police Probing Former First Lady’s Siriliya link to Rugger Player’s Murder

07/08/2015

( Sri Lanka rugger player Wasim Thajudeen was found murdered inside his car in May 2012 and authorities now say he was also tortured)

ECONOMYNEXT – Authorities are probing stunning new evidence that may link former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s ‘Siriliya’ charity to the murder of rugger player Wasim Thajudeen, police sources disclosed today.

Thajudeen was found dead inside his own car along Colombo’s Park Road in May 2012 in what the police then said was a motor accident. However, since then the police have done a U-turn and reopened a murder investigation.

The latest evidence shows that the Defender vehicle used to abduct Thajudeen shortly before he was murdered was in the possession of the Siriliya Foundation of Mrs. Rajapaksa.

Siriliya had acquired this vehicle along with another SUV from a local NGO. Siriliya had changed the colour of one of these vehicles to black. It was this black vehicle that had been used in the killing.

Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratna had said the Government Analyst’s report into the incident came only this February after the new government began asking questions about the cover up of the case.

Even then, the government analyst had said he did not have sufficient evidence to draw a conclusion suggesting that he too may have been a willing or unwilling party to the scandalous cover-up.

However, the Judicial Medical Officer had ruled that the death was not consistent with a motor accident and the victim appeared to have been tortured before he was killed.

Colombo Fort Magistrate today ordered that the remains of Thajudeen should be exhumed on Monday for a fresh forensic test.

In the latest development, the boss of a local non-governmental organisation was called to give evidence about the black SUV which was said to have been used in the abduction. “He was told it is better to tell the truth because irrespective of which party is in power, this case will be continued,” a source close to the investigation said.

Technical evidence led CID investigators to trace this vehicle to the local NGO which claimed that they had gifted the vehicle in question to Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s Siriliya Foundation.

The same foundation is already under investigation for using two other Toyota SUVs without registering or paying due taxes to the state for over three years.

The World Food Program (WFP) office in Colombo is also under investigation for transferring the ownership of the two vehicles to Siriliya without any authorisation from the government.

A police source close to the investigation into Thajudeen’s case said a high profile arrest was imminent. (Colombo/Aug06/2016)
ENS

Pavithra’s Virginity and Patali’s Nudity..!

(Lank-e-News- 07.Aug.2015, 10.00PM)  People of Sri Lanka made the historical decision on 8th Jan 15, not only to send Mahinda Rajapakshahome, but to send all of his corrupted thug gang home forever. But it seems like people of Sri Lanka yet again unfortunate to see the same all-round corrupters come to the big picture again.

One of the main character in the scene is PataliChampikaRanawaka. He was one of the battle front leader who shouted against Mahinda Rajapakshaand his gang stating so called white collar mafia in the power sector. But after spending six months on the power in Ministry of Power and Energy with the current government he has done nothing to disclose any mafia leaders in the power sector, but managed to align with the mafia.

One of his latest alignment with the mafia is the award of Padukka and Polpitiya Substation Project of Ceylon Electricity Board to ABB, India.

During the tenure of Pavithra Devi as the Minister of Power and Energy, she has signed for the letter confirming the award to ABB, India on 15thDecemebr 2014.

She has accepted the biased technical evaluation report prepared by CEB officials to disqualify other reputed bidders including Siemens, China Machineray Engineering Corporation, CHINT and TBEA for minor matters. They knew that if the price bid of above bidders opened, defenetly their prices might be lower than ABB, India. They have selected only the high priced bidders ABB, India and Pestek, Malaysia for price bid opening. ABB was the lowest among two. But their price is 1,000 Million Sri Lankan Rupees greater than the engineer’s estimate. Generally CEB should recall the tender in such cases to avoid the award the contract to a bidder with more than 25% increase above engineer’s estimate.

So, next question is how to grab this extra money to their pockets. After the preseidency change Patali took the case on his shoulder. Earlier a reputed local engineering firm, ESTA International was the local contractor of ABB, India. Patali asked through his CEB mates to remove ESTA International and award local part to LTL Projects. On this basis Patali released the letter of award to ABB. Every one knows the link between Patali and LTL. LTL managed to get the local part of the project from ABB including that extra 1,000 Million SLR. So this can be easily shared between Patali and his mates.

Patali been a clean character to general public continues the same trend made by John and Pavithra. He uses so called engineering professional firms like LTL to coverup this corruptions. Same time LTL also buldose all other local reputed contractors grabbing the support of these officials and manipulate the market. One another example is Construction Projects Division of CEB. It’s formed to get free tenders to LTL like firms. LTL has created few small firms with their few past LTL engineers and they bid together and manipulate the bids. All current projects of this branch are been done by these small LTL gangs.

We would like to ask Patali to coverup his nudity by taking some actions for above facts or kindly disclose the names of the local firms and the amount donated to your election campaign.

-By Current Man -

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by     (2015-08-07 20:28:54)

The former regime and few private companies has made an income out of Kidney disease

Aug 07, 2015

The anti disease kidney campaign stress the former regime and few private companies has made the kidney disease spreading in the Rajarata area as an income source. The former regime implying that it is combating the kidney disease and started a special lottery and made money and so far nothing has been done for the benefit of the people

affected. Meantime private companies and local NGO’s are selling water filters and trying to grab money from kidney patients.

Few days before the anti Kidney campaign during a rally organized to raise awareness about Kidney disease revealed these points. Inter university monks, student movement of the Rajarata University and the rule of law committee of the lawyers union organized this rally.

20,000 poor innocent farmers deceased in the Rajarata area during the former regime due to this and the Good Governance after coming power on January 8th has not taken any credible steps to prevent the disease. Nevertheless still the government is supplying the same unhealthy agricultural chemicals agents causing the kidney disease to
the market. During the former regime 15 containers of Glyco Phosphate was released from the customs.

The anti kidney disease campaign reports that the government should take necessary actions to prevent the danger of further loss of lives.

We could separate the leaders from the herd: Malik Cader
The stock exchange mafia’s first victim, former securities regulator Malik Cader discusses the events that led to his resignation

July 20, 2015

Stock markets baffle ordinary savers. As a result, the alleged insider trading, pump-and-dump, and stock front running crisis in the years up to 2012 didn’t figure importantly in their minds. Its banality however doesn’t limit the impact on an investing elite. The stock market is a barometer for economic health and the top-funding source for the country’s largest private businesses.

We Could Separate the Leaders From the Herd Malik Cader by Thavam Ratna

15,000 fake ballot papers found in Kantale

 2015-08-07

15,000 fake ballot papers found in Kantale

Kantale Police has found a haul of counterfeit ballot papers at a UNP candidate’s office located at the Clock Tower Junction in Kantale police division, yesterday (6). A total of 14,986 fake ballot papers and a suspect were taken into police custody.

The stock of forged ballot papers was found following a tip off received by the Trincomalee Assistant Commissioner of Elections, Police Media Unit said.

The suspect is to be produced to Kantale Magistrate.

Kantale Police is carrying out further investigations into the incident.

Mahinda gave Rs. 200 m to LTTE - PM

 

Aug 07, 2015

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa won the 2005 presidential election by striking a deal with the LTTE and giving Rs. 200 million to Prabhakaran, says prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Prabhakaran also sent him a message, which said he was prepared to support him if he made him a much higher payment, but he rejected it, said the PM during speeches at public rallies in Dambandeniya and Mirigama yesterday (07).

It was Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Suriyarachchi who had gone to discuss the deal with the LTTE, he said, adding that he remained in his position.

Rajapaksa also gave Rs. 2,000 m to the LTTE on the pretext of building tsunami houses through RADA, and further money before the Mavilaru incident began.

That was stopped after Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was targeted in a bomb attack in December 2006.

Prabhakaran prevented the Tamils from voting and promised that he would not lay his hands on the Rajapaksa family.

It did not matter to Rajapaksa when people were getting killed in Mavilaru, but the war began following pressure by Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera and Patali Champika Ranawaka, he added.
- SLM-

Biggest Kabul blast in years kills 8, wounds hundreds

A massive truck bomb ripped through the Afghan capital early Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding hundreds of others. (Reuters)
By Pamela Constable and Mohammed Sharif-August 7

KABUL – Wali Khan, a laborer and father of eight, moved his family to Kabul several years ago because he thought it would be safer than his native Baghlan Province, where Taliban attacks were becoming frequent.Biggest Kabul Blast in Years Kills 8, Wounds Hundreds by Thavam Ratna

External relations, the national interest and the growth of terror

August 5, 2015

A handout photo provided by the office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shows him listening during an interview broadcast live on state television in Tehran on August 2, 2015. AFP

Consequently, although Non-alignment, narrowly interpreted to mean non-attachment to the rival camps of the superpower confrontation of former decades, is clearly irrelevant to Sri Lanka’s present interests, Non-alignment, seen essentially as a policy of friendship with the rest of the world, is of the utmost importance to Sri Lanka.

If the observer is to learn how a country’s foreign policy dovetails almost perfectly with its national interest, then it is to Iran that she/he must turn. It was current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who stated on assuming office that foreign policy crafting is fundamentally different from the spouting of rhetorical propaganda by governments. In other words, foreign policy formulation is not a matter of ‘playing to local galleries’.

Indeed, foreign policy framing ought to have the specific purpose of serving a country’s national interest. The policy of Non-alignment, for example, should be seen as continuing to serve Sri Lanka’s national interest, although the Cold War confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union is now ‘history’. The reason for the adoption of this position is the need for Sri Lanka to relate on the most cordial terms with the totality of states, rather than align itself with this or that power or any special interest groups and camps. Clearly, a policy of friendship towards all countries serves Sri Lanka’s national interest well currently and it is to Non-alignment that this country must turn.

Consequently, although Non-alignment, narrowly interpreted to mean non-attachment to the rival camps of the superpower confrontation of former decades, is clearly irrelevant to Sri Lanka’s present interests, Non-alignment, seen essentially as a policy of friendship with the rest of the world, is of the utmost importance to Sri Lanka.

Hence, the continuing relevance of Non-alignment to Sri Lanka’s interests and, indeed, to those of most other developing countries. It ought to be obvious that it is such a policy which would help the developing world in attracting to itself the assistance of the international community. If foresight and common sense are to be Sri Lanka’s guiding factors in this context, it would continue to draw deeply on Non-alignment, interpreted as cordiality towards all states on account of the relevance of the good will of the world towards Sri Lanka in the promotion and achievement of the latter’s principal interests.

Accordingly, foreign policy formulation and implementation are of the utmost importance to national sustenance. These are functions that need to be carried out with the greatest seriousness by states and should not be confused with political populism and its rhetorical pronouncements, geared to please local constituencies. Needless to say, Lankan diplomacy should prove an effective facilitator of this country’s legitimate interests.

It would be premature to take up the position that Iran-US relations are advancing steadily down the road of normalization but the clinching of the nuclear deal recently between the countries should result in the defrosting of their relations to a degree. This could bring about a deescalation of tensions in the Middle East in particular.

Recent statements by the Iranian President give the world cause for some hope on this score. He was quoted saying that the ‘Iran deal could speed-up solutions in Syria and Yemen.’ He added that ‘diplomacy and engagement are the only way to solve serious political problems and end crises...The final solution in Yemen is political, in Syria the final solution is political. The agreement will create a new atmosphere. The climate will be easier.’

One could not have expected the former President of Iran to speak and reflect in these terms. This is an entirely new mindset and worldview on the part of President Rouhani, which could help considerably in defusing regional and global tensions.

The political leadership of the West in general and of the US in particular too would need to speak and act in the same terms if the present tensions in the Middle East and outside it are to be managed more effectively. It should be plain to see that Iran as a predominant influence in the world of Shiite Islam could play a principal role in getting militant Shiite groups to act in a more reconciliatory manner in resolving current confrontations in particularly the Middle East. The West would, therefore, do well to remain engaged with Iran.

Meanwhile, it is all too obvious that religious fanaticism and hatred, stemming from stepped-up identity politics, are turning increasingly brutal in the Middle Eastern and African theatres of conflict. If a tab is kept on the number of civilian lives lost in this unrelenting violence, the casual toll is likely to be unsettling. It would be appropriate for international organizations, such as the UN, to compile and publicize the number of such casualties every now and then, to remind the world about the astounding human cost of political terror.

There should be no hesitation on the part of the civilized world to term such carnage, stemming from identity politics, terrorism, on account of the shocking civilian casualty toll deriving from this species of violence. Increasingly, children and young lives are featuring as hapless victims of such bloodshed. Just the other day, in an eerie incident in the Cameroons, that has apparently gone unnoticed by a good part of the world, a 12 year-old-girl, who had a bomb strapped on to her, exploded, claiming more than a dozen lives. Some hands that ‘rock the cradle’, apparently, ‘rule the world’ with explosive hatred.

However, by the same token it must be pointed out that states too could perpetrate terror. Hence the term ‘state terror’.Either way, this species of political violence, which is indiscriminate and claims civilian lives in shocking numbers, needs to be condemned and unambiguously termed ‘terrorism’, pure and simple. States cannot trot out that highly contentious viewpoint that the national interest and even ‘development’ could justify the use of repressive force. There could be no trade-offs between human rights and ‘development’. Nor could state security and the national interest be defined in terms that would justify governments in using excessive coercive force on their civilian publics.

It is clear, then, that the current mindless violence in the Middle East and outside, and the issues arising from it, need to be focused on by world opinion and present international ‘discourse’. Such inhuman violence must be staunched without further delay through a collective effort of the civilized world. Containing violence of this nature needs to be high on the UN’s agenda and figure prominently in the programmes of work of the democratic world as well. The external relations of countries claiming to espouse humanity and their diplomacy need to focus strongly on these tasks if the well being of the world is to be served.

Bangladesh blogger killed by machete gang had asked for police protection

Niloy Chakrabarti claimed officers ignored threats weeks before he was hacked to death in his Dhaka flat, the fourth such murder this year

The four Bangladeshi bloggers who have been killed this year: (clockwise from top left) Niloy Chakrabarti, Ananta Bijoy Das, Washiqur Rahman and Avijit Roy. Photograph: Guardian

Jason Burke in Delhi, Saad Hammadi in Dhaka and agencies-Friday 7 August 2015

A well-known secular blogger in Bangladesh who was murdered at his home on Friday had told police of threats against him and requested protection weeks before he died.

Niloy Chakrabarti, who used the pen name Niloy Neel, was hacked to death with machetes after a gang broke into his apartment in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. He is the fourth blogger to have been killed in Bangladesh since February.

In an interview with the Guardian in May, Chakrabarti said he was scared that he would be killed and that he had tried to file reports with local police about continued harassment. He claimed his complaints were not taken seriously.

Imran H Sarker, head of the Bangladesh Blogger and Activist Network, said Chakrabarti had been a “listed target”. “They entered his room on the fifth floor and shoved his friend aside and then hacked him to death,” Sarker told Agence France-Presse.

The hacking to death in February of Bangladeshi-born US citizen Avijit Roy, a science writer and blog site moderator, prompted outrage around the world.

His death was followed by that of 27-year-old Washiqur Rahman, killed in Dhaka in March, and Ananta Bijoy Das, murdered by a group wielding machetes on 13 May as he headed to work in Sylhet, northern Bangladesh.

More than 150 writers, including Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Yann Martel and Colm Tóibín, signed a letter condemning the series of fatal attacks and calling on the country’s government “to ensure that the tragic events … are not repeated”.

All of the victims had been active on social media, criticising the extremist Muslim ideologies that have gained strength in Bangladesh in recent years or arguing in favour of progressive causes. On his Facebook account, Chakrabarti frequently wrote in favour of women’s rights.

Bangladesh is an officially secular country, but more than 90% of its 160 million people are Muslim.

Police confirmed Chakrabarti had been murdered by a group of half a dozen people in the capital’s Goran neighbourhood, although they had no details on the motive for the killing.

“There were six people who knocked on his door, saying that they were looking to rent a flat. Two of them then took him to a room and slaughtered him there,” Muntashirul Islam, a deputy police commissioner, said.

Police did not comment on charges that they had failed to act on Chakrabarti’s requests for protection.

A group that has been linked to al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the killing in an email on Friday evening.

The email was sent in the name of Ansar ul Islam, a little known organisation that has claimed responsibility for previous murders of bloggers and describes itself as the Bangladesh branch of al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (Aqis).

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaida, announced the creation of an affiliate in south Asia last autumn.

Al-Qaida has lost ground to the newer Islamic State in recent months and has looked to expand its operations in other regions to maintain its profile. Zawahiri has mentioned Bangladesh repeatedly in recent communications.

The Dhaka Tribune, a local newspaper, reported the email as saying: “We, al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, claim responsibility for this operation as vengeance for the honour of the messenger of Allah. We declare war against the enemies of Allah and His Messenger. Enemies of Allah and His Messenger … we are coming [for] you … If your ‘Freedom of Speech’ maintains no limits, then widen your chests for ‘Freedom of our Machetes’.”

Aqis also claimed responsibility for Roy’s killing on 26 February, in which his wife was badly injured. An Islamist has been arrested over his murder. Two students at religious schools were arrested over the killing of Washiqur Rahman.

Authorities in the politically unstable south Asian state have been repeatedly criticised for not acting to protect free speech, though the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a hardline Islamist group, was banned following Das’s murder.

Police believe the ABT may be behind the three attacks. Members of the group have already been charged with the 2013 murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.

One hardline group, Hefazat-e-Islam, has publicly sought the execution of atheists who organised mass protests against the rise of political Islam.

Hefazat, led by Islamic seminary teachers, also staged a massive counter-protest against the bloggers in May 2013 that unleashed violence and left nearly 50 people dead.

Active bloggers in Bangladesh told the Guardian earlier this year they received death threats so frequently they could not be counted. They also risk jail terms of up to 14 years for publishing material that authorities deem to be false or defamatory.

In 2013, atheist blogger Asif Mohiuddin was stabbed in the street by religious extremists. A month later, he was arrested and held in prison for making derogatory remarks about religion and his blog was banned.

The Power Dynamics in China: Has Xi Jinping silenced his detractors?

by Prof. B.R. Deepak

( August 6, 2015, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) In the post-Mao era, owing to the institutionalisation of the offices of the top guns, leadership change and power transition have become more transparent and predictable. However, the feud between the factions is not as simplistic as was during the 1980s when Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang were disgraced for being liberals, while Deng Xiaoping who ironically emerged as the biggest liberals as far as economic reforms were concerned but never shunned his political conservatism as could be seen during the Tiananmen protests. Post Deng power dynamics are more complex and rather sophisticated as it would be seen through the events folding before and after the 18th Party Congress in 2012, however, the historic dichotomy of reformers and conservatives has remained more or less intact albeit we find more factions in present day China.

The Power Dynamics in China Has Xi Jinping Silenced His Detractors by Thavam Ratna

How to Pull Colombia Back From the Brink

With a peace process on the rocks, the United States is an indispensable resource when it comes to Colombia’s future security and prosperity.

BY JAMES STAVRIDIS-AUGUST 7, 2015

Just over 10 years ago, Nicholas Coghlan, a Canadian diplomat, wrote a powerful book about Colombia with an evocative and accurate title:The Saddest Country. It chronicled the spectacular disasters and endless violence of this beautiful but seemingly cursed land: murder, rape, torture, drugs, economic stagnation, and a half-century of virulent insurgency.

Over the past six decades, over 300,000 Colombians have died in violent conflicts of one kind or another, from civil wars dubbed “La Violencia” in the 1950s and 1960s through the drug wars and ongoing guerrilla warfare of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC, and other armed groups. Millions have been internally displaced and fled the country altogether. Scholars debate why Colombia has sustained such a continuously high level of violence, remarkable even in the international violence of the past century.

Flash-forward to the present: While not in any sense fully realized, the prospects for a Colombian resurgence and a peaceful solution to the insurgency are closer than they have ever been. President Juan Manuel Santos, formerly a well-regarded defense minister under former President Álvaro Uribe, has led a negotiation process that has produced astounding results thus far: Over 54,000 paramilitaries and guerrillas have demobilized, terrorist attacks are down 91 percent, kidnappings are down 91 percent, attacks against oil infrastructure are down 71 percent, and murders have fallen by 45 percent. Colombian efforts at drug interdiction have also borne fruit, with hundreds of tons of cocaine and cocaine base captured annually. Road networks have doubled, as has tourism.

Colombia is on the brink of either a historic agreement that propels the country forward into a far better century than the last; or a failed attempt at negotiating the end of this long and bitter conflict. For the United States, this crossroads affords us an opportunity to help nudge the process to a successful conclusion. What can we do to help?

First, where do the talks stand at the moment? Today, the ongoing negotiations in Havana between FARC guerillas and the Colombian government are at a particularly delicate point. Of the six areas outlined by the sides at the start of the process, four have been successfully settled: a path to political participation for the opposition, reforms to drug policy, rural development, and a nascent truth commission. There is progress on de-mining, the immediate demobilization of minors, and other areas of contention.

But the harder issues lie ahead: Finding a means to hold human rights abusers accountable while at the same time convincing them to disarm will be particularly challenging. And some method or means to compensate victims remains elusive, as do specifics of disarmament, demobilization, and eventually integrating former combatants into society. The final method of national acceptance of an accord — ratification by a vote of some kind presumably — is also murky.

Perhaps most worrisome, the prospects of a deal do not enjoy universal popularity, as many Colombians wonder if the government is giving away too much. Former President Uribe certainly thinks so, and his numbers are rising.

There has been a frustrating swing in the momentum for a peace deal over the past seven months. This cycle began hopefully with a new year in Colombia in which the FARC were observing a cease-fire (since Dec. 20, 2014) and violence levels at the lowest they had been in three decades. Unfortunately, that all ended abruptly in mid-April of this year with a FARC attack on an army column in southern Colombia’s Cauca province — sending violence spiraling: June was the most violent single month on record since the talks began in the fall of 2012.

Then, just as suddenly, the FARC announced a new unilateral cease-fire, initially for a month beginning in late July. The government responded by negotiating an indefinite cease-fire with the FARC and agreeing to consider implementing their own if the FARC continued to observe theirs. This is a significant concession by the government, which has steadfastly refused to countenance a government cease-fire because all previous such attempts had simply resulted in the FARC using the respite to refresh and rearm. As the Washington Office on Latin America, a well-respected think tank, has said of the current situation, “This is a positive development, though perhaps not a breakthrough. We can expect real progress in the next few months, but not miracles. There will likely be further setbacks as the pendulum inevitably swings back.”

So what should Washington do? We should first and foremost recognize that this is a Colombian challenge and will only be overcome by its own efforts. Our power to intervene is highly limited, and frankly a high level of military engagement would ultimately be counterproductive. Recognizing the limits of what we can do is key — but it does not mean we should do nothing.

Second, our efforts must come through an interagency process, not simply through the Department of Defense. A whole of government approach has been helpful over the past several decades, most notably with developmental advice and assistance, counternarcotics cooperation, humanitarian operations, security support, and diplomatic backing — much of which occurred under “Plan Colombia,” which was successfully sponsored by both Democratic and Republican administrations. While serving as commander of the U.S. Southern Command, I saw firsthand the impact of the so-called 3Ds — Development, Diplomacy, and Defense — working coherently together under a series of brilliant U.S. ambassadors in Colombia. We can help by continuing this interagency approach.

Third, we should do all we can to help the Colombian economy. The fourth-largest economy in Latin America, Colombia has a largely commodity export-based structure centered on oil, mining, flowers, and other agricultural products. The United States is Colombia’s largest trading partner, and the2012 Free Trade Agreement has helped spur growth. A rapidly expanding information technology sector and innovation cells in cities like Medellinhave also helped with growth rates. Encouraging such growth through the rapid implementation of the FTA is crucial.

Fourth, we can help on the security assistance side by continuing to harness the efforts of the U.S. Southern Command in Colombia. This includes partnerships on surveillance and intelligence sharing; training in everything from human rights to de-mining; providing appropriate levels of military equipment; assistance in cyber-activities; military support to civil authorities conducting counternarcotics interdiction efforts; and humanitarian cooperation — most recently connected with the voyage of the hospital ship USNS Comfort.

Fifth and finally, we should do what friends do for each other internationally: encourage and support one another in the diplomatic realm, especially by helping Colombia continue to expand its leadership role in the Americas through initiatives in the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Development Bank. High-level visits by the president, vice president, and cabinet officials engaged in development, economics, and security can also show the depth of support.

Colombia is a nation of incredible potential and wealth, with hardworking people who have known too much violence and despair over the past century. With a population approaching 50 million and a GDP of $700 billion, the country is poised to enter the G-20 and be a strong force in the Americas. For the United States, it represents a powerful and positive partner in the region. We should do all we can to help them conclude a peace process and continue the upward trends that are manifesting themselves today.

Guillermo Legaria/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump dominates US Republican debate

FRIDAY 07 AUGUST 2015
Donald Trump steals the show at the first Republican presidential debate in Ohio with huge applause and boos from the audience.
The controversial billionaire took centre stage at the Fox News debate which was the first television debate for candidates seeking nomination as the Republican contender for the 2016 US presidential election.

Donald Trump Dominates US Republican Debate by Thavam Ratna