Extra hour of television and video games hurt GCSE grades

New research suggests that children hoping to excel in their GCSEs should turn off screens, with television watching 'most detrimental' to grades

FRIDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2015

Teenagers should turn off the television and put away their games consoles to get better GSCE results, new research has suggested.

Extra hours of screen time - including television, computer games and browsing the internet - have been linked to poorer grades in a new study by academics at the University of Cambridge.

Those spending just an extra hour a day on screens saw a fall in GCSE results equivalent to two grades overall with television watching identified as the "most detrimental" to academic success.

Researchers said that the impact of the screen time on the academic progress of 14-16-year-olds could not be reversed by adding extra studying on top.

They analysed the habits of 845 pupils from schools in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk at the age of 14 years and six months.

The pupils heights and weights were recorded, and they had to wear a physical activity monitor for five days including a weekend.

One hour of television could cost two grades

The scientists measured activity of the Cambridge students using heart rate and movement sensors, between 2005 and 2007.

At the same time the students were questioned on how many hours they spent in front of a computer, the television or playing computer games and how much homework they were doing. They were also asked how many hours they spent reading for pleasure.

GCSE performance was assessed at 16, by adding together all the points students obtained across the different subjects they were examined in.

Every extra hour spent watching TV or online was associated with 9.3 fewer GCSE points overall at age 16. This is the equivalent to the difference between two grades, which could mean that screen time could be responsible for students dropping from a B to a D.

TV 'most detrimental'

Lead researcher Dr Kirsten Corder, from Cambridge University, said: "Television, computer games and internet use were all harmful to academic performance, but TV viewing was the most detrimental.

"I do think there is a role for schools to educated children in the detrimental effects of screen viewing. Zero hours would lead to better academic performance."

Dr Esther van Slujis, another member of the Cambridge team, said: "If you don't watch television you will achieve GCSEs results to the best potential

"This shows that reducing screen time may reduce GCSEs results that should be of interest to the government in order to improve grades at GCSEs.

"We believe that programmes aimed at reducing screen time could have important benefits for teenager's exam grades, as well as their health."

Fish oil could help prevent mental health problems in those most at risk

The results of a small study appear to show that a three month course of daily fish oil capsules could reduce the rate of psychotic disorders in young people

 Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for healthy brain development and function, and a lack of them in the diet has been linked to various mental health conditions. Photograph: Graham Turner

Ian Sample Science editor-Tuesday 11 August 2015

Eating more fish or taking regular fish oil supplements may help prevent psychosis in those most at risk, researchers claim.

A three month course of daily fish oil capsules appeared to significantly reduce the rate of psychotic disorders in young people, an improvement that seemed to persist when doctors assessed their mental health seven years later.

But while the findings are intriguing, they come from a very small study of teenagers and young adults. The benefits must now be shown in a much larger group before doctors can make any recommendations about the use of fish oils to prevent mental health problems.

Paul Amminger at the University of Melbourne reported in 2010 that a three month course of daily fish oil capsules appeared to stave off psychotic illnesses in teenagers and young adults aged 13 to 24 deemed at high risk of developing the disorders. Seven years on, his group has now revisited 71 of the original 81 participants and shown that the protective effects seem to persist.

Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the scientists report that 4 out of 41 of those who took fish oil for three months had developed psychosis in the seven years since, compared with 16 out of 40 who received a placebo capsule during the trial.

Those on the placebo wing of the trial appeared to develop psychosis more quickly than those taking fish oils, and had an overall greater likelihood of having other psychiatric disorders, the study found.

Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious mental health conditions. One in 100 people in Britain experience symptoms, such as delusions, visual or auditory hallucinations, in their lifetimes, and many continue to lead normal lives. It is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 35. It is called a psychotic illness, and those affected sometimes cannot distinguish between their thoughts and reality.

“Schizophrenia is a major cause of disability, but early treatment has been linked to better outcomes. Our study gives hope that there may be alternatives to antipsychotic medication,” Amminger told the Guardian.

He believes that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) could be a stigma-free and long-term way to prevent psychosis in young people who are most at risk, with minimal side effects.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for healthy brain development and function, and a lack of them in the diet has been linked to various mental health conditions. “Eating more fish is not only likely to be good for your physical health but also for your mental health,” Amminger said.

In 2006, scientists working for the Cochrane collaboration reviewed the published research on the potential for fish oils to prevent schizophrenia and declared the results inconclusive. They went on to call for larger studies with more patients. Amminger agreed that his latest findings need to be replicated in larger groups opf people before any firm guidance can be given.

Clive Adams, co-ordinating editor of the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group at Nottingham University said the study needed to be considered alongside other published trials on the effects of omega-3 oils, but added that it was a springboard for new trials on the treatments. “The road of treatment of people with schizophrenia is paved with many good intentions and false dawns. This study is important, undertaken by leaders in the field, but it does not provide strong enough proof to really change practice,” he said.

Tamil named as Sri Lankan opposition leader for first time since 1983

Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) political party Rajavarothiam Sampanthan speaks during a Foreign Correspondents' Association of Sri Lanka forum in Colombo June 4, 2013.

REUTERS/DINUKA LIYANAWATTE/FILES

 Thu Sep 3, 2015

Sri Lanka's parliament on Thursday named an ethnic minority Tamil politician as the main opposition leader for the first time in 32 years, a sign of growing reconciliation after a prolonged civil war. Most of the nation's population belongs to the Sinhalese community. The minority Tamils have alleged persecution by the government since the uprising of Tamil Tiger separatists three decades ago.Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, 83, the head of Tamil National Alliance, is the first ethnic minority opposition leader since 1983, when Tamil legislators resigned en masse to protest against a law that compelled them to denounce separatism.Parliament's speaker accepted Sampanthan as the main opposition leader after loyalists to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa were divided on whether they should support the government or go into opposition."We will oppose the government on all issues, where it is in the national interest to do so," Sampanthan told parliament in his debut speech as opposition leader. "We will support the government on all issues, where such support is justified." Sampanthan is a lawyer who was first elected to the parliament in 1977. His party, the former political proxy of the Tamil Tiger insurgents, backed Maithripala Sirisena in the January presidential elections, defeating Rajapaksa, who ordered the offensive that ended the Tamil insurgency in 2009. The previous government refused to acknowledge Tamils' request to investigate alleged war crimes during the final phase of the war. The United Nations last year passed a resolution calling for an international inquiry into the alleged human rights abuses.

The outcome of that investigation will be released at the U.N. Human Rights Council session later this month.

The new Sri Lankan government has agreed to a domestic war crimes inquiry and the United States, which sponsored three successive U.N. resolutions against Sri Lanka, said last week it would support a domestic process if it is credible. [ID:nL4N1113V1]

Later the parliament approved Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's proposal to increase the number of ministers in the national unity government to 93 from 70.

The speaker announced that 143 legislators voted in favour and 16 against, while 63 legislators including Rajapaksa and his loyalists were absent.

Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), which together account for 85 percent of the 225-member parliament, have agreed to form a national unity government for two years.

(Reporting by Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Andrew MacAskill/Ruth Pitchford)

Will UN report bring justice for Sri Lanka war victims?

Vijitha Pavanendran holds a photo of her husband who was killed by unknown attackers during Sri Lanka's civil war

By Amantha Perera 

UNNICHCHI, Sri Lanka, 2 September 2015 (IRIN) - Thavarasa Utharai says she isn’t exactly sure where Geneva is, but she is anxiously awaiting a report soon to be made public in the Swiss city that is expected to expose war crimes committed during Sri Lanka’s civil war.

After acceding to the Sri Lankan government’s request to delay the report by six months, the Geneva-based United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is scheduled to finally release the results of its investigation within the next two weeks.

Victims like Utharai hope the report will provide information about family members who disappeared during Sri Lanka’s decades-long war, which pitted government forces against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (or Tamil Tigers). Both sides committed abuses.

Utharai has been trying to discover what happened to her husband since he went missing while herding cattle on 20 March 2009 in Unnichchi, a village about 350 kilometres east of the capital Colombo.

“I have gone to every authority I could,” she told IRIN, mentioning the police Criminal Investigations Department, a presidential commission, government officials and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“I know no more of my husband’s fate than I knew in 2009.”

Instead of information, Utharai said she has faced intimidation. When she enquired with police in 2013, she was told it would be safer for her if she registered her husband as deceased rather than continue to ask for answers about what happened to him.

Utharai’s husband was one of thousands of civilians who disappeared during the 1976-2009 conflict between the Sri Lankan government, which is dominated by members of the ethnic Sinhalese majority, and the Tamil Tigers who rebelled after attacks on the minority Tamil population.

In addition to the UN human rights probe, a separate Sri Lankan presidential commission has been investigating mission persons since 2013 and has so far received 20,000 complaints from people whose relatives disappeared. That number includes civilians as well as combatants on both sides. The ICRC has registered 16,064 cases of people who have gone missing since 1990.

Sri Lanka’s government has been reluctant to delve too deeply into such issues. The UN Human Rights Council voted to investigate alleged war crimes because of the government’s failure to do so. The upcoming report is expected to shed light on atrocities like abductions and attacks against civilians during the last years of the war, including the government’s final assault on the Tamil Tigers in May 2009 when it shelled areas that had been declared no-fire zones and where tens of thousands of civilians had sought refuge.

The political dynamic changed in Sri Lanka in January when former health minister Maithripala Sirisena scored a major upset and defeated two-term incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa after a closely fought presidential election campaign. Sirisena's new government has been seen as more willing to look into the past in order to promote reconciliation between Sinhalese and Tamils.

Citing the new government’s commitment to cooperating on human rights issues, the UN Human Rights Council agreed in February to defer its consideration of the report for six months, after which point it would be made public.

Elections in August further emboldened the government’s ability to pursue accountability, because it gave Sirisena’s party a majority in parliament, effectively nullifying opposition from allies of his more hardline predecessor, Rajapaksa. Sirisena last week extended the mandate of the presidential probe into missing persons, which was due to expire this month, and officials in the presidents’ office said the government plans to go further by setting up a separate body with foreign advisors to investigate war crimes with an aim to prosecute those found guilty.

"The president will now likely move ahead with setting up the new investigative commission since he has a supportive parliament,” said an official on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject.

Some victims and rights advocates say even that measure would not go far enough. They want the perpetrators of war crimes to face charges in an international court.

“How can we place our trust on a national mechanism? Some of us have been looking for answers for decades and there has never been any satisfactory state response,” said Pasthapoddi Eswaran, whose husband was shot dead by unknown persons in 1990. “We want a mechanism that we can trust and that is not biased in any way.”

ap/jf/ag

Intelligence operatives resume post-poll intimidations in Jaffna

September 2, 2015

Kick-starting their post-poll operations in the embattled north, Sri Lanka’s police and military intelligence operatives on Tuesday morning have intimidated few families in Kokkuvil area in Jaffna.

According to sources, three men in civvies have entered at least six houses at Vithanaiyar Lane near Kokkuvil Hindu College in Jaffna and have forcibly taken down lengthy details of their family members, especially that of the youth, after introducing themselves as intelligence operatives from capital Colombo.

The incident has taken place at a time when the country was busy witnessing ceremonial unveiling of the 8th parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena, who has promised speedy restoration of good governance and ethnic reconciliation.

Speaking in broken Tamil language, these three men have behaved in a “threatening manner while collecting  details”, resulting in a panic situation in the area. The situation has turned very tensed when some of the house-owners upon being asked to put their signatures on the forms containing their details, demanded the men to prove their identity.

They, however, have refused to prove their identity simply saying that they were attached to intelligence unit. Claiming that they have taken into custody few LTTE cadres, they have said they were currently looking for more details of them.

According to reports, a mother who was threatened by these men has collapsed and currently receiving treatment at a private hospital.

The Jaffna police as usual have denied knowledge of this incident.

(file photo)

Is the US backtracking on Sri Lanka's post-war accountability process?

MARK SALTER 1 September 2015

Has the US actually changed its commitment to see international involvement in the post-war reconciliation process? Maybe. But many in the minority communities hope not, and they might just be right

Things are moving fast in Sri Lanka since the election. 10 days ago, straight after the Sri Lankan election, Erik Solheim and I wrote of the hopes and challenges ahead. Already now,  there have been important developments  – notably with regard to the upcoming 14 September – 2 October UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva. In particular indications of a shift in US policy – or at the very least emphasis – with respect to its oft-voiced earlier demand for an international investigation into allegations of war crimes committed by government forces and Tamil Tiger guerillas during the final stages of the country’s 26-year long civil war.

Simply stated, during a visit to Sri Lanka last week by US Assistant Secretaries of State Nisha Biswal and Tom Malinowski, the former announced that the US will now support the Sri Lankan government’s position of favouring the establishment of a ‘credible’ domestic accountability mechanism, and will be tabling what Biswal termed a ‘collaborative’ resolution with the Colombo authorities on accountability issues and how to address them during the course of the upcoming UNHRC session. A resolution she said, moreover, that takes into account the ‘changes in the landscape’ that had taken place in the country in the past year, and what she described as the ‘substantial progress’ towards reconciliation made in the past few months.

This apparent US turnaround continues to divide Sri Lankans, human righta organizations and international observers alike. A number of political commentators – notably, but not exclusively Sinhalese ones – are emphasizing the geo-strategic context of the new US realignment. With Rajapaksa out of power, so the argument goes, the US now has an opportunity to help prise Sri Lanka aware from its erstwhile political – and no less importantly, economic – dalliance with China and bring it back into the Western fold: and by extension, its strong traditional linkages to ‘Big Brother’ (aka India) across the Palk Strait.

On the same basic lines, others point to what in the aftermath of this year’s ‘regime change’ in Sri Lanka and the installment of a government seen as genuinely committed to reform, could be described as a US policy of ‘constructive engagement’ with Colombo – on human rights, democracy and accountability issues no less than trade, economic reform and investment. Hence, for example, the ‘collaborative’ resolution proposal for the Geneva UN Human Rights Council session: a resolution framed together will be tougher, and have far greater national ownership and thus prospect of actually being implemented, so the argument might go, than the internationally-sponsored critique of Colombo that has been the standard fare of UNHRC sessions over the past decade.

But it’s far from plain sailing for the US. Biswal’s announcement met with instant, and fierce, criticism from a number of quarters. Prviately, and in some cases publicly, international human rights organizations have expressed incomprehension over what they view as an apparent US sellout on an issue – pushing for an international accountability investigation – where Washington had previously led very much from the front. And this before even getting into critical practical issues such as how to ensure witness protection in a domestic mechanism (this being more important than many might think: there’s plenty of evidence, for example, to suggest that Sri Lankan military continues to enjoy a near free reign when it comes to arresting, interrogating and torturing Tamils it says it suspects of terrorist i.e. LTTE links).

Domestically speaking, Tamils have not exactly been expressing enthusiasm for the move. After initially voicing its ‘disappointment’ over Biswal’s announcement, for example, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), with 16 MPs now the largest Tamil party in parliament, later stated that it could accept a domestic mechanism provided there was some form of international participation. In particular, involvement of international experts was described as a ‘must’. Encouragingly, from this perspective, the main elements of the TNA’s stand were echoed in comments US Secretary of State Malinowski made at a press conference following a visit to Trincomalee, an ethnically mixed town on the country’s Eastern coast the day after Biswal’s announcement.

Underscoring the fact the US was commited to ensuring that a ‘real process’ of ‘accountability and reconciliation’ was enacted in Sri Lanka, Malinowski emphasized that while the US Administration remains ‘hopeful’ over the government’s ‘promises’, in the end the Wickremesinghe administration would be judged ‘not by its promises but by its actions and achievements’.

And on the thorny issue of a ‘domestic’ vs. an international accountability mechanism, Malinowksi had this to say:

“The important thing is that there be a judicial process that is credible to the people of Sri Lanka and to the international community. For that process to be credible, I don’t think it has to be a completely international process, but it does have to be independent of political leadership. It has to be led by people who are trusted by the minority communities and it should have some degree of international involvement, even if it is a domestic process organized under the laws of Sri Lanka.”

All of which – assuming the Secretary of State’s view echo those of the US Administration as a whole – suggests the shift in US position over Sri Lanka may be less dramatic than initially supposed.

All in all, it is perhaps unsurprising that the issue of how to address wartime accountability continues to divide the Sri Lankan polity. As we know from other conflicts around the world, the issue of how best to ‘deal with the past’ in the aftermath of years – or as in Sri Lanka’s case, decades – of sustained violence is usually one of the most challenging – if not the most challenging – dimension of the post-conflict agenda. In Sri Lanka’s newly reconstituted democratic landscape, it is thus to be expected that the transitional justice agenda – its contents, emphasis, timing and so on – is becoming the subject of heightened political contestation.

Sirisena-Wickremesinghe duo retain power

Hariharan's Intelligence blog

Col R Hariharan-August 2015

    -                                                        

Sirisena-Wickremesinghe duo retain power

 

The powerful political duo of President Maithripala Sirisena and incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe defeated former president Mahinda Rajapaksa for a second time in six months thwarting his bid to stage a comeback to power with the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA  in the parliamentary election held on August 17. The UPFA  lost by 3.8 percent margin to the Wickremesinghe-led United National Front for Good Gorvernance (UNFGG).

 

In Sri Lanka, 196 members of the 225-member parliament are elected through proportional representation system from 22 electoral districts, in proportion to the votes secured by the party. The balance of 29 “National List” seats is allotted to parties in proportion to the votes they secure in the whole country.

A little over 77 percent of voters participated in one of the most peacefully conducted elections in recent times. The UNFGG secured 106 seats with a vote score of 45.66 percent while the UPFA could capture only 95 seats as it polled only 42.38 percent. The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK)-led Tamil National Alliance (TNA) increased its parliamentary strength by two seats to win a total of 16 seats. Similarly, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) increased its tally by two seats to send six members to the parliament. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) won one seat each.

 

The UNFGG fell seven seats short of 113 seats required for a majority in parliament. However, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)  chaired by President Sirisena signed memorandum of understanding with the United National Party (UNP) agreeing to join a national government for a period of two years. After this, Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister on August 21, 2015.

 

This has created an anomalous situation on the role of UPFA as opposition,  while participating in the government! Some of the SLFP and UPFA parliament members, opposed the move to join the government, met President Sirisena to request him to be allowed to function as parliamentary opposition and allow the UPFA to elect their own leader in parliament.  Sirisena agreed to both the requests. Despite this, some of the UPFA leaders like Udaya Gammanpilla, leader of a breakaway faction of the Buddhist right wing Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Vasudeva Nanayakkara, leader of the Democratic Left Front, and Wimal Weerawansa, leader of the National Freedom Front are said to be considering the formation of new alliance with a separate name identity rather than continuing as partners of UPFA.

 

The UPFA’s fractured status, which commanded two-thirds majority in parliament before the parliament election, is a testimony to the political skill of President Sirisena in ensuring the UPFA does not go under the control of Rajapaksa.  As corruption and misuse of office cases against Rajapaksa brothers Basil and Gotabaya are likely to be pursued with vigour, the former president is unlikely to be allowed political space to rally anti- Sirisena elements within the SLFP and the UPFA in the near term.

 

Tamil autonomy issue

 

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe in a detailed interview to The Hindu has indicated his hope to complete the process of producing a new constitution based on the consensus of all political parties within six months. He has also indicated his readiness to grant maximum powers to Tamils within the ambit of the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution.

 

However, as the TNA is seeking a federal status for the provinces it is unlikely to be satisfied unless land and police powers which have been withheld so far are given to the provincial councils.

 

Sirisena’s unfinished agenda

 

Peoples’ rejection of Rajapaksa bid to come back to power through the parliamentary election indicates their affirmation of President Sirisena’s January 8 reform agenda.

 

Apart from the Tamil issue there are a few complex issues inherited from the previous government which would be engaging the government. These include the taming the bloated Sri Lanka economy, follow-up action on corruption investigations against members of the Rajapaksa regime, bringing to book those responsible for white van abductions and disappearances and the handling the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution.

 

The UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka’s accountability for alleged war crimes and human rights excesses during the last Eelam War would be discussed when it meets next month. Both India and the U.S. are likely to extend all the support to the the Sirisena government at the international forum as it is responding more positively than the Rajapaksa government ever did. India had always supported a domestic inquiry in preference to an international one envisaged in the UNHRC resolution. India can be expected to maintain the same while actively supporting Sri Lanka.

 

According to the Sri Lanka foreign ministry spokesperson when the UNHRC meets, it would consider the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHR) on Sri Lanka and bring forth a resolution on it. The U.S. has already informed the UNHRC that it would offer a resolution on Sri Lanka to follow up the new Sri Lanka government’s efforts to promote post war reconciliation and accountability and on the OCHR resolution. So we can expect the international inquiry to be shelved in favour of a domestic inquiry by the Sri Lanka government. This is likely strengthen the standing of the Sirisena government both at home and abroad.

 

Miscellaneous

Tamil Nadu’s political response to the Sri Lanka general elections has been tepid perhaps due to preoccupation with the reported move of Chief Minister Ms Jayalalithaa to advance the state assembly elections. Moreover, the failure of Rajapaksa who had been the target of local politicians further downgraded their interest in Sri Lanka.  However, the octogenarian DMK leader M Karunanidhi not to be outdone condemned the U.S. decision to bring a resolution at the UNHRC supporting Sri Lanka’s domestic enquiry into the war crimes allegation. As expected, the perennial Sri Lanka baiters Vaiko and Dr Ramdas pitched upon the issue of India gifting a coast guard ship to Sri Lanka navy to condemn New Delhi. As opposition parties are in disarray, we can expect Sri Lanka to again figure in the campaigning during the run up to the elections in Tamil Nadu for what it is worth.

 

Written on August 31, 2015

 

(Col R Hariharan, a retired Military Intelligence specialist on South Asia, served with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka as Head of Intelligence. He is associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies and the South Asia Analysis Group. E-Mail: colhari@yahoo.com   Blog: http://col.hariharan.info)

Tamil Poets On Good Governance

By S. Sivathasan –September 3, 2015

S. Sivathasan

“every human being holds in and behind him all the past of his own race, of humanity and of himself; these three things determine his starting points and pursue him through his life’s progress.” – Aurobindo

Thiruvalluvar (Circa 2nd century AD) in his great work Thirukkural, has weighty things to say on Good Governance. Written ostensibly to reform the world and to sustain the scheme of values and of ethics and morals, it continues to benefit humanity through its 1330 couplets. It yet remains the greatest didactic work in Tamil.

To the poet, the excellence of the citizen composing the quality of the state is central to Good Governance. The King at the pinnacle of authority needs to be unimpeachable. The norms reach to all levels of society whatever be the change of designation over time. He has very many things to say on the varied facets of governance. Just a few glimpses are given.

On Kings

“A King who protects his people according to cannons of propriety and good governance, is exalted to the position of God”.
“A ruler should unfailingly possess learning, mental alertness and courage”
“He who in the station of a king is easy of access and never given to harsh words is esteemed by the people.

On Ministers

“Capacity for the choice of best options, making them realities and presenting a firm and clear decision to the monarch are attributes of a good Minister”.
“Even if a King be not too diligent as to favour good counsel, it is the duty of a Minister to offer sane advice”
“A Minister may plan with perfection, but when he lacks resoluteness in execution, he fails to achieve”.

On Envoys

“There are three indispensables for an Envoy; devotion to the King, wisdom born out of deep learning and great facility of speech”
“Let one possessed of wisdom, a commanding personality and erudition, set out on an Envoy’s mission”.
“It is the task of the Envoy to work for the benefit of the country and his master. Since such a mission takes him to the highest personages in other lands, he needs to be the foremost scholar among them”.
“An envoy while being coherent and concise, needs to eschew what is unpalatable, flavor his talk with humour and bring honour to the King”.
“Being spotless in character, agreeable in one’s ways and being courageous are three essential characteristics in an Envoy”.                                           Read More

Sampanthan proposes 3 to 5 regions

2015-09-03
Newly appointed Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan, in his address to Parliament, said Sri Lanka should have ‘three to five regions’ with maximum power devolved to them taking a good example from India as the giant neighbour to resolve the Tamil national question.

Mr. Sampanthan was appointed as the Opposition Leader of the new Parliament yesterday. His Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won 16 seats at the August 17 General Elections from the five electoral districts in the north and the east.

He said he would use the opportunity afforded to him to find a solution to the national question.

“Why can’t we have three to five regions in this country taking a good example from our giant neighbour? Despite all diversities they have been able to stay together thanks to their form of governance. Rather than having so many ministers in the centre why can’t we have three to five regions in this country vested with substantial powers of governance? There are many young members of Parliament who could be ministers, chief ministers in those regions. Give those regions maximum power. And allow those various parts of this country be ruled in such a way that the people themselves are best served. In India there are 29 such states. The country is united. The country stays together because people’s aspirations are respected, honoured and implemented by the states which have been constituted in such a way as to preserve linguistic interests, cultural interests, religious interests and so on. That is what we need,” he said.

Asserting that his party would remain an efficient and effective opposition, he said it would support all positive endeavours of the government.

“We will support the government in its endeavours if they are justified and are for the betterment of people. We’ll work closely with other parties of the opposition to ensure that we together are an effective opposition. We would not hesitate to work together and fight for the cause of the opposition whenever it is required,” he said.

Besides, Mr. Sampanthan said his party would not accept the idea to increase the number of ministries in the government. (Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera) - See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/85939/sampanthan-proposes-3-to-5-regions#sthash.3ApmjoU7.dpuf

Sampathan welcomes national govt, frowns on jumbo cabinet

by Saman Indrajith-September 3, 2015

Delivering his first speech as the leader of the opposition, the TNA MP Sampanthan said he would make full use of the post to find an acceptable solution for the Tamil national question.

 "It is our primary duty to find a solution. Why can’t we have three to five regions in this country taking a good example from our giant neighbour? Despite all diversities they have been able to stay together thanks to their form of governance. Rather than having so many ministers in the centre why can’t we have three to five regions in this country vested with substantial powers of governance? There are many young members of parliament who could be ministers, chief ministers in those regions. Give those regions maximum power, and allow those various parts of the country to be ruled in such a way that the people themselves are best served. In India there are 29 such states. The country is united. The country stays together because people’s aspirations are respected, honoured and implemented by the states which have been constituted in such a way as to preserve linguistic interests, cultural interests, religious interests and so on. That is what we need."

Sampanthan thanked people of the North and East for having elected the TNA and his party for electing him the parliamentary group leader. "I am greatly humbled at bestowing this exalted position on me," he said.

 The former TNA Leader said the Opposition would support the government but would remain an effective and efficient one when it came to national issues. "We will support the government in its endeavours if they are justified and are for the betterment of people. We’ll work closely with other parties of the Opposition to ensure that we together are an effective opposition. We would not hesitate to work together and fight for the cause of the opposition whenever it is required. Long pestering Tamil question we would like to work closely with everyone to find an answer for this question. While we shall be loyal to this country and to the people of this country I must emphasise that it is also our primary duty to ensure that there should be an acceptable solution to the Tamil national question.

"With regard to the debate on increasing the number of ministries it does not conform to the principles of good governance. It would have been better had the two parties been able to come together without increasing the number of ministries which would be a burden to the country. But, unfortunately we have a culture in this country which has become deeply entrenched in recent times resulting in the increasing number of ministries to buy over the members of parliament. I think that we should end this culture. We must not forget in our neighbouring country – India there are only 65 ministers, 27 cabinet ministers including the prime minister and 31 ministers of state with independent charge. There are no deputy ministers there. This number is for 1.2 billion people. We have here only 20 million of people. It is something we should bear in mind. The desire for increasing the number of ministries is against the ational interest. It is not consistent with the needs of the country. A national government could be a need of the hour. But the increasing the number of ministers is not good. People of this country would not respect that for too long."

Sampanthan is opposition leader and Anura Kumara is chief opposition whip

(Lanka-e-News -03.Sep.2015, 8.30PM) The most senior parliamentarian in the present parliament , TNA leader R.Sampanthan was appointed as the opposition leader of the 8 th parliament , while  JVP leader was appointed as the chief opposition whip based on a decision taken by the speaker Karu Jayasuriya. These decisions were made after the parliament met today at 9.00 a.m.

The speaker addressing the parliament said, neither the secretary of SLFP nor the UPFA had made a request regarding the opposition leader post. With  the SLFP and UNP  forming  a united government , the highest number of seats in the present opposition belonged to the TNA , and the next highest is the JVP, and the  latter made a request for  the chief opposition whip post, which  was granted.

Hereunder is a profile of Sampanthan the new opposition leader:

Rajavrodayan Sampanthan was born on 5 th February 1933 at Trincomalee. He is a lawyer by profession and entered  parliament for the first time in 1971. It is significant to note that at present there is no other parliamentarian in parliament who entered same in 1971 or before. He has been the leader of the TNA since 2001.

He is an old boy of St. Patrick College, Jaffna , St. Annes College, Kurunegala, St. Joseph’s College , Trincomalee, and St. Sebastian College , Moratuwa. After his secondary education he entered law College, and became a lawyer. He practiced as lawyer in Trincomalee courts. 

He married Leela Devi  and  has three children by her  – two sons and one daughter. 

Profile of Anura Kumara Dissanayake , the new chief opposition whip:

Dissanayake Mudiyansalage Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on 24 th November 1968 at  Anuradhapura. He secured his education at Thambuthegama Madhya maha vidyalaya. While he was a student he joined the JVP student division and worked with them. Dissanayake after obtaining his BSc degree at Kelaniya University , entered parliament for  the first time  in 2004 as Kurunegala district M.P.

 Dissanayake had been  a minister of agriculture , livestock , lands and irrigation . He was also a member of about 12 parliamentary committees . In 2014 he was appointed as  JVP leader.

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by     (2015-09-03 16:29:36)

President’s Address and ‘Cosmopolitanism’

On the question of a ‘new constitution,’ the main task as it has been emphasized is to reform the electoral system in order that democratic system is deepened and expanded. A constitution of a country is described ‘as the foundation of its self-identity’ in the speech. The question of ‘self-identity’ however is not only of the past, or the present, but also of the future. A constitution is both a mirror and the mold of a country. It should have a strong future vision.

by Laksiri Fernando

( September 3, 2015, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lanka Parliament elected by the people at recent elections might not be considered completely ‘cosmopolitan’ by any means. But judging by the main trends, there is fairly a strong trend towards that direction. It represents main shades and shapes of society fairly, except in the case of gender, one might point out. Be as it may, will the Members of Parliament behave and act cosmopolitanly in delivering their duties and responsibilities to the people? In making the first official policy statement of the new government, President Maithripala Sirisena has highlighted a major challenge that the members would face as follows.

President’s Address and ‘Cosmopolitanism’ by Thavam Ratna