25 years since Sathurukondan massacre

09 September 2015

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the massacre of 184 Tamil civilians by soldiers of the Sri Lankan army.

On September 9, 1990, the men, women and children from Sathurukondan and surrounding villages, on the outskirts of Batticaloa, were taken to an army camp by Sri Lankan soldiers, where they were killed.

The mass killings, which were carried out during the presidency of the UNP's Ranasinghe Premadasa, were investigated in a probe established by then-president Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1997. The probe identified three captains in the Sri Lankan army as being responsible for the killings. The retired judge who led the inquiry, K Palakidnar said that there was strong evidence for the massacre and urged Ms Kumaratunga to hold the perpetrators to account, however no action was taken by the government.

Police blocked Tamils from remembering the victims last year (Photo: Tamil Win)

A previous massacre on the September 5 left at least 158 Tamils dead, as they were seeking refuge in the campus of the Eastern University. Sri Lankan soldiers, with the assistance of Muslim homeguards and pro-government Tamil paramilitaries, took them to another location where they were shot.

The dead of the Sathurukondan atrocities included five children less than a year old, 42 children under 10, 9 pregnant women and 28 adults over 68 years of age. 38 were from Sathurukondan, 37 from Panichchaiyady, 62 from Pillaiyaradi and 47 from Kokuvil.

Speaking at a memorial event in 2003, TNA MP Selvam Adaikkalanathan, who still serves the Vanni district, said the government tried to "hoodwink" the people by setting up inquiries.

“Whenever massacres by Sri Lankan armed forces took place, the government of the day covered them up, and supported such actions by its forces. Then the governments tried to hoodwink the people by appointing commissions of inquiry."

"When such commissions got close to finding out the truth," he said, "the inquiry would be inordinately delayed, citing several false reasons, and eventually the commission would provide a report without completing its proper inquiry, without holding anyone accountable. This situation allowed the continuation of such massacres of Tamil people as the people behind such actions were allowed to go scot-free.”

Only one man survived the massacre and lived to tell his account to the ICRC and human rights groups.

Speaking to TamilNet in 1997, Mr K Krishnakumar, recounted what happened that day:

"The villages were cordoned off by the Army around 10 a.m. It was almost 7 p.m. by the time the villagers - including infants, women, pregnant mothers and the old - were herded to the Sathurukkondan camp and locked inside. Four masked men walked into the hall and selected me, T. Kumar, C. Sinnaththamby, and K. Jeevaratnam. Our shirts were removed and our hands behind our back with them. Then we were taken to the camp's back yard. We were dragged about fifty meters further, where we saw a pit about 20 ft by 5ft. There was a Cashew tree by the pit and well which was about 10 meters from it.

"In the dim light I saw 25 soldiers armed with long swords and cudgels standing round the pit and the well.

"I was hit with a cudgel and I fell face downward. When the other three screamed the soldiers stripped them and stuffed cloth into their mouths. One by one they were taken to the edge of the pit and hacked with swords and were pushed in.

"A soldier came up to me and slammed me against the Cashew tree, pulled out a long kris knife, and stabbed me through the chest. He then pushed me into the pit. He stabbed me again on my back. Though I was bleeding, I didn't lose consciousness.

"Four more men were brought there, hacked to death and were pushed in to the pit. The soldiers went again and brought two pregnant women. They were stripped naked and their breasts were sliced off. The soldiers then cut open the stomachs of these women with their swords and pushed them into the pit.

"Later they brought many girls stark naked. Sand was stuffed in the girls' mouths and all were raped repeatedly. Then the soldiers cut off their breasts with the swords. Three of these girls were pushed into the well. "As the area was dark, I was able to slowly crawl out while they were busy raping, killing and pushing bodies into the pit. When the soldiers left, I crawled towards the camp fence and hid in shrub jungle behind the camp. Later the soldiers brought tires and set fire to the bodies in the pit. The fires burned till 3 about a.m. in the morning. Once the pyre died out, the pit was filled with sand.  With the help of a passer-by I went to the hospital."

Tamil civil society leaders say more than six thousand Tamils were murdered by the Sri Lanka army and its paramilitaries between August and December 1990 in the Batticaloa-Amparai districts.

Last year a memorial event organised by TNA MPs was halted by a court order.

Bishop Swampillai speaks on the Sathurukondan massacre to the BBC World Service (10 September 2014)

Remembrance event for Saththurukondan Massacre halted by court order (10 September 2014)

Batticaloa massacre victims remembered - TamilNet (09 September 2000)

A luxury they cannot afford - TamilNet (10 December 1997)

Human rights, foreign policy and the battle for Sri Lanka’s soul 

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera

 Thursday, 10 September 2015

Sri Lanka's controversial human rights record comes up before the UN Human Rights Council in September, this time in the backdrop of monumental political changes in the island. The new Sri Lankan Government will be confronted with a much less hostile 47 member Council this month, with its international partners led by the United States inclined to give Colombo's new political leadership more time to credibly address serious 
allegations about violations in war time and take steps towards genuine reconciliation. The change in international mindsets is a major foreign policy victory for the Sri Lankan Government, but now more than ever 
Sri Lanka's victims need white knights to march in the cause of human rights and assist in 
finding answers to questions left hanging too long

Human Rights, Foreign Policy and the Battle for Sri Lanka’s Soul by Thavam Ratna

Socialism & The Electoral Failure Of “The left”

By Kamal Nissanka –September 9, 2015

Kamal Nissanka

Searching a common candidate for 2015 Presidential election and campaigning for the victory of Mr. Maithripala Sirisena is a unique political experience. In this campaign activists who are labeled as “leftists” (whether old or new) played a vital and massive role in criticizing Mahinda Rajapaksaregime and the familial rule. On the other hand two frontline Jathika Hela Urumaya( JHU) MPs Patali Champika Ranawaka and Rev Athuraliye Rathana who fired initial salvos against the regime also possess a left orientation . Janatha Vimiukthi Peramuna (JVP) being outside the mainstream of common candidate platform courageously slammed the Rajapaksa familial rule in and out. The political bureaus of Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) split and Dr Jayampathy Wickramaratne, Lal Wijenayake(Attorney-at-Law) and Raja Uswetakeiyawa were in forefront of the search of a common candidate and subsequent campaigning.

Most of those former leftists who involved in the presidential campaign, thought that Ranil Wickremesingheas a reformed personality. Former editor of the ‘Ravaya” newspaper senior journalist Victor Ivan is also one of such persons.

However JVPs stance from the beginning of the campaign for presidential election was controversial and as they did not contest the presidential election their support base voted for Maithripala. The JVP appeared as a partner of victory after the election and became a participant of national executive committee. Its campaign also directed at parliamentary election and had already decided to contest alone.

General Election

Maithri votes at the presidential election were distributed among United National Party (UNP,) Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchhi (ITAK) and JVP at the recently held parliamentary election but the latter’s performance at parliamentary election was below 5 percent. One argument prevailing is that as the people were polarized between pro Mahinda and anti-Mahinda duality a significant section of people who associated with JVP voted for either to betel leaf or elephant symbol not to the bell symbol. With this electoral set back JVP‘s manifesto also became insignificant.  Read More

Sri Lanka’s Historic Election that Voters Lost

09/09/2015 

CHEATED VOTERS: A smiling Harsha de Silva taking his appointment letter from President Maithripala Sirisena, after an election where voters lost.

ECONOMYNEXT – The naming of deputy ministers of the new government has kept pace with the record-setting cabinet and confirmed that voters were the clear losers at the August 17 parliamentary election.

The business community had high hopes of seeing Harsha de Silva and Eran Wickremaratne getting key positions where their knowledge on monetary and fiscal matters could have been fully utilised.

Harsha has been given a subject foreign to him – Foreign Affairs — while Eran as deputy of State-owned enterprises may be able to make a partial contribution, although his area of expertise is policy making.

Apart from them, the induction of 19 non-cabinet rank state ministers and 22 deputy ministers read more like a list of wanted criminals and left even senior ruling United National Party (UNP) stalwarts wondering what had hit them.

Tourism deputy minister Nimal Lansa’s house was raided in October 2011 by the STF which was said to be looking for illegally assembled motor vehicles and narcotics.

Shortly after the STF raid, which was carried out along with similar searches of homes of Lansa loyalists in Negombo, the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited him, hugged him, posed for pictures and dropped the case.

The current Prime Minister and then opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was a vocal critic of Rajapaksa’s action and said the presidential intervention showed that “rule of law in the country has deteriorated and there was no decorum in the police force.”

It would have been more appropriate to give Lansa something within his area of expertise.

However, Priyankara Jayaratane has got the right subject Law and Order, given his experience in barging into the Karuwalagaswewa police station in June last year to free a suspect in custody.

Jayaratne’s chief security officer was the main accused in a LKR 10 million robbery in Colombo in 2013, at the time the biggest heist in the capital. It was carried out at the Nawaloka car park.

Jayaratne also figured very prominently in the Weliamuna investigation into corruption at Sri Lankan airlines. Jayaratne could now fly high as he controls the investigators, including those of the CID and the FCID.

Arundika Fernando who was hauled up before courts for making false statements about abducted journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda is made deputy minister of Home Affairs.

Several MP’s who camped inside the parliament chamber during the 100-day government have been rewarded with deputy ministries. T. B. Ekanayake who famously wore shoes without soles at a ceremony attended by Chinese president Xi Jinping is now minister of Lands.

In June, Ekanayake was questioned by the FCID for four hours about misappropriation of money from the Central Cultural Fund.

Sumedha Jayasena who signed twice a no-trust vote against Ranil Wickremesinghe in June is now deputy minister of Wildlife. She had famously obtained state land for her family at rock-bottom prices and also was involved in a tiff with a DIG over the arrest of illegal sand miners in her electorate.

Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene who aggressively pushed James Packer’s casino project in Colombo is state minister of Finance. The UNP which accused him of getting kickbacks from Packer’s Crown will have to go to him for their decentralised budget allocations.

Ranjan Ramanayake, a vocal critic of the corruption under the Rajapaksa regime, was made deputy minister of Social Empowerment and Welfare, but promptly shared his displeasure over most of his fellow deputies.

“…saddened by some of the appointments but I don’t have a control over it, but I will not stop my fight against them,” he said on twitter in a clear move to distance himself from the rotten rambutans. (Colombo/Sep09/2015)

ENS

Appointment of new ministerial secretaries : Defense secretary post to a most corrupt rogue

(Lanka-e-News -09.Sep.2015, 4.30PM) 44 secretaries were appointed by the government to the new ministries.Except the secretary to the ministry of urban planning and water supply , all others were  appointed.   B.M.U.D. Basnayake the defense secretary who was subject to severe criticisms from the very outset has been replaced by Karunasena Hettiarachi. President Maithripala who is also the defense secretary has appointed Hettiarachi who is from Mathripala ‘s native place.

Appointment of New Ministerial Secretaries Defense Secretary Post to a Most Corrupt Rogue by Thavam Ratna

Why is Mahinda there?

The only soul to lose a presidential election was Mahinda. He happens to be the only defeated President who vied for the Premiership. He is also the only defeated President to become a Member of Parliament. Why is that? Because Mahinda doesn’t want to part with power and retire

by Upul Joseph Fernando

( September 9, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Mahinda Rajapaksa’s re-entry to politics, Parliament and how he plans his political future is the discussion in diplomatic circles, while it’s the topic of the common talk in the town. India and United States views Mahinda’s return to active politics with suspicion, while China has pinned hopes on Mahinda. When Mahinda was defeated at the January presidential elections, he accepted defeat bowing to the people’s mandate given to Maithri and announced he would hand over the party leadership to Maithri. Hardly within a few days after his defeat, Mahinda reverted to say he was not defeated stating his defeat was a conspiracy. He said he never offered the party leadership to Maithri and Maithri grabbed it by force. Mahinda questioned as to how a man who deserted his party could be given the party leadership.

Mahinda who repeated that stance from temple to temple emerged to contest the general elections. He wanted to become the Prime Minister and head towards the Presidency by manipulating that process. Having got nominations, Mahinda boasted he would secure 117 seats in Parliament to be the Prime Minister. He also dreamt to gather the MPs supportive of him to form a new party to grab power. When Maithri decided to offer him nominations, Mahinda thought that his stars were turning brighter. In the end Mahinda only secured 95 seats in Parliament at the August general elections. The percentage was 42.38.

Mahinda is known as a war hero and his supporters viewed him as a king. It must be recalled that after President Premadasa was assassinated, octogenarian D.B. Wijetunga who succeeded him and who battled the Southern Province polls like a ‘battle on the rocks’ secured 94 seats in Parliament though the political breeze blew in favour of Chandrika Kumaratunga after a 17-year UNP rule. Even though Chandrika had that strong breeze in her favour, she could only secure 105 seats. The UNP vote base percentage was 44.09, while Chandrika’s People’s Alliance got 48.94.

J.R. Jayewardene

President Wijetunga who prevented a plunge of his party by getting 94 seats never wanted to remain the leadership. He never sought National List vacancies through the party. He retired and went home. J.R. Jayewardene is not a leader who got his party defeated or himself. After he retired he could have asked for a place from President Premadasa in the National List to become a senior minister. Instead he retired gracefully. He handed over the party to Premadasa as a victorious ex-President and Party Leader. When Chandrika retired and handed over the party to Mahinda, she could have sought an agreement with Mahinda for the National List vacancy created by the death of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. She went home as a victorious ex-President and Party Leader.

The only soul to lose a presidential election was Mahinda. He happens to be the only defeated President who vied for the Premiership. He is also the only defeated President to become a Member of Parliament. Why is that? Because Mahinda doesn’t want to part with power and retire. As he said he accepted defeat after the presidential election, he repeated the same statement after losing the August general elections. However, he said he would remain in active politics. It may be that Mahinda is dreaming to form a government with the 95 MPs elected from the UPFA someday in this Parliament. He may also be thinking to capitalize on differences that may erupt between Maithri and Ranil. Such plans may end up like Mahinda’s dream to become the Premier at the August general election because the majority elected by the UPFA is now supporting the National Government. SLFP seniors backed Mahinda at the general election under the theme ‘Let’s rise with Mahinda’ as they thought Mahinda could give a winning leadership. They wanted to enjoy ministerial portfolios as they did not want to sit in the Opposition after being ministers for twenty years. Since Mahinda is defeated Mahinda is of no use to them. Now they go behind Maithri asking for ministerial portfolios. When the UNP was defeated in 1994, former UNP ministers too, were greedy for ministerial portfolios. The 94-member UNP Opposition at that time tried in many ways to collect 113 in numbers to topple Chandrika’s Government. UNP leaders including Ranil gave notice of six Poya days to topple Chandrika’s Government. Chandrika got hold of UNP seniors greedy to be ministers and pushed Ranil against the wall. Eventually ten UNP MPs crossed over to Chandrika’s side.

None can be certain that the 95 MPs elected in August through the UPFA would stay with Mahinda. If anyone wants to topple the UNP to become a Prime Minister, he needs the support of Maithri. Maithri will never offer the Premiership to Mahinda. Under the Constitution, Mahinda cannot contest the next presidential election. Mahinda cannot pretend to be a baby who knows nothing about those realities. When these developments are carefully assessed, one could conclude that Mahinda has come to divide the SLFP and destabilize the government knowing that he cannot return to power. Or else Mahinda wants to stay in Parliament for the political future of his son and to take parliamentary power to face charges levelled against his family members. Though he now says he would not object to the National Government, he is trying to sweep the charges against his family under the carpet, anti- Mahinda factions predict.

However, China endorses Mahinda’s continuance in politics.

No Charge-Sheet, No Show-Cause Letter, No Inquiry Into Anura Yapa And Susil Premajayanth

September 9, 2015

More than a month after President Maithripala Sirisena sacked the general secretaries of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), Anura Priyadarshana Yapa andSusil Premajayanth respectively, no action has been taken with respect to issuance of charges and inquiry into the same as per usual practice.

The two were sacked unceremoniously on the 14th of August 2015. The President, who is also the Leader of the SLFP, simultaneously appointed Duminda Dissanayake and Prof Wiswa Warnapala to the posts thus made vacant. Dissanayake and Warnapala immediately obtained an interim injunction from the Colombo District Court to stop their predecessors from obstructing them.

The move was seen as an attempt to stymie the UPFA’s election campaign which was being led by Sirisena’s arch rival and former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Premajayanth and Yapa were subsequently inducted into the new cabinet following elections and a pact between the SLFP and the United National Party (UNP).

On August 28, the petition filed by Dissanayake and Warnapala were dismissed after the plaintiffs informed court that their work as General Secretaries of the SLFP and UPFA respectively were not obstructed.

Regardless of agreements that may have been reached by the above parties, with or without the mediation of Sirisena, the scant regard for established procedure is reprehensible, a long time advocate of due process in all matters pertaining to disciplinary action as well as judicial processes, one of the Kurunegala SLFP members Chanaka Herath told Colombo Telegraph.                          Read More    

Dhammika Perera to be removed from Sampath Bank

Sep 09, 2015

A move is afoot to remove wealthy businessman Dhammika Perera as chairman of Sampath Bank and get Haris Premaratne appointed a director, with the ultimate aim of making Premaratne chairman, according to source.

Premaratne, presently a director at Softlogic Group, was the first chief executive of Sampath Bank as well as Cargills Bank.

Perera should retire by August next year, in accordance with Central Bank regulations, after completing nine years as the chairman.

Meanwhile, the bank’s CEO Aravinda Perera is functioning on a service extension, and interviews have been conducted to recruit an outsider as soon as his contract is over.

Presently, Sampath Bank has 12 directors - Dhammika Perera (Chairman), Channa Palansuriya (Deputy Chairman), Sanjiva Senanayake (Senior Director), Deepal Sooriyaarachchi (Non Executive Director), Prof. Malik Ranasinghe (Non Executive Director), Dhara Wijayatilake (Non Executive Director), Annika Senanayake (Non Executive Director), Deshal de Mel (Non Executive Director), Ranil Pathirana (Non Executive Director), Saumya Amarasekera (Non Executive Director), Aravinda Perera (Managing Director) and Ranjith Samaranayake (Executive Director/Group Chief Financial Officer).

When whole country is reformed Dalada Maligawa is deformed : Notorious corrupt Nilanga Dela bribes his way to Diyawadana Nilame post

(Lanka-e-News -09.Sep.2015, 8.00PM) It is with deep regret we break the sad  news to the Buddhists of Sri Lanka that Pradeep Nilanga Delawa , the Diyawadena  Nilame  who is most noted for his corrupt and unscrupulous  activities not only locally but even internationally, has been elected again as the Diyawadana Nilame  by a group that was  baited by him via  bribes . This notorious individual has been made the custodian of Dalada Maligawa, Kandy reckoned as the most sacred place in Sri Lanka by all Buddhists. He was elected on 205 votes  out of a total of 310 votes.

In the final stages, two others contested with him for the post of Diyawadana Nilame. They are : a former Diyawadena Nilame  Neranjan Wijeratne and Nathe Devale Basnayake Nilame Gayan Heenkande ,a  lawyer.
 
The final result : second place was secured by Gayan Heenkande  with 53 votes , and third place was secured by NIssanka Wijeratne with 31 votes.

Those who were qualified to vote were :
1.The present custodians of Rajamaha vihara or  the prelates.
2.The Basnayake Nilames  of Sathara Maha Devale and Pitisarabadha Devale
3.Sinhala , Buddhist male district secretaries of 16 districts within the limits of the lands belonging to  the ancient Udarata Kingdom.

May we recall Lanka e news during the last 3-4 years had been exposing the  so many corrupt and perfidious activities of Nilanga Dela with evidence . Among those  exposures what figured prominently were his illicit sale of lands belonging to Dalada Maligawa, and the illegal  use of gold of the Dalada Maligawa on his car as  parts.

Incredible but true , a number of cases are pending even today against Nilanga Dela in the Kandy courts pertaining to corruption charges .The irony of it all  is , it is Thilak Marapone , lawyer ,and Minister of law and order , and prisons reform  of government of good governance who appeared for this culprit in one of his criminal cases to defend him.( Lanka e news exposed Thilak Marapone in its earlier reports , and warned at the very inception that Thilak Marapone  is not suitable for the  ministerial portfolio  he is holding now.)

A Buddhist leader, a member of the clergy (not from Kandy)  speaking to Lanka e news said , the Buddhists of the country in general are cursing the 210 voters enticed  by bribes who cast their votes for  Nilanga Dela to elect him as Diyawadana Nilame for a further ten years   , while there are criminal cases against him  in the Bribery and corruption commission , special financial  crimes investigations division , and CID.
 
The 210 voters lured by bribes  who voted for Nilanga Dela while knowing very well what a corrupt crook Nilanga Dela and that is as clear as daylight  , will certainly be cursed forever for betraying the true Buddhists out of love for   filthy lucre. This spell of wrath and  curse should not spare even the generations that are to come of these 210 betrayers , he added.

Lanka e news revealed that Nilanga Dela in order to get himself elected distributed  a gas cooker , a gas cylinder and Rs. 300,000.00 in cash among the few voters eligible for voting . It is significant to note that it is Nilanga Dela who introduced for the first time this pernicious precedent of bribing voters to secure the Diyawadena Nilame position , which was considered pure and unadulterated until pollution ridden Nilanga Dela contaminated it.

It is for the 15 million Buddhists of the country to decide whether they are going to stand idle and watch  a most precious  Buddhist heritage that is of value not only to the Buddhists of  SL but those Buddhists of the whole world being ‘sold’ to a pollution ridden corrupt individual who in turn sold  his soul by bribing 210 voters to acquire  a most sacred position ? or are they going to resist this ? 

 (In the photograph is the honeymoon vehicle of Nilanga Dela plated with gold belonging to Dalada Maligawa.)

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by     (2015-09-09 15:53:34)

Coventry man jailed for killing disabled friend

Kirithas Sriskantharajah has been jailed for 32 months after admitting the manslaughter of Arunasalam Arunothayan

09.Sep.2015

A man has been jailed for killing his housebound friend by punching him in the head when he was in bed.

Arunasalam Arunothayan, 48, from Sri Lanka, died from a bleed to the brain following the attack in his Coventry home, police said.

Kirithas Sriskantharajah, 34, admitted manslaughter and was jailed for 32 months at Warwick Crown Court on Tuesday.

The victim's wife said: "My husband was everything to me...I lost everything."

Mr Arunothayan, known as Arun, suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash and lived with his wife above a shop on Foleshill Road.

Sriskantharajah, also a Sri Lankan national, of no fixed address, went to the flat with three others on March 4. The pair argued and Sriskantharajah punched his friend in the head.

Sometime later Mr Arunothayan complained of feeling ill and was taken to hospital, where he died of a subdural haematoma.

His wife, Suthayini Arunothayan, said: "I am devastated by the death of my husband Arun. He was taken from me too soon by no fault of his own."

Det Insp Martin Slevin, said: "The death of Arunasalam Arunothayan at the hands of Kirithas Sriskantharajah was a needless and vicious act.

"The impact of his callous actions not only leaves behind a grieving widow, but has left a void in the lives of his family around the world."

He thanked Coventry residents and the Sri Lankan community for helping with the investigation.

Ven. Dhammakeethi Thera of Avukana Rajamaha Vihara : 'Nilanga Dela offered Rs. 500,000.00 to become Diyawadana Nilame' (Video)

(Lanka-e-News -09.Sep.2015, 9.00PM) Nilanga Dela in order to become the custodian of the Dalada tooth relic has offered Rs. 500,000.00 as bribe to Avukana Rajamaha Vihara prelate Ven. Shastravelliye Dhammakeethi Thera, which was rejected by the latter .Ven. Dhammakeethi Thera revealed this  to Lanka e news.

Nilanga Dela has spent Rs. 100 million as bribes to secure the 210 votes to become the Diyawadana Nilame .The above exposure is a further confirmation that Nilanga Dela has bribed his way to the post of Diyawadana Nilame.

It is a well known fact that giving such bribes is a very grave offense under the laws in Sri Lanka (SL). In the circumstances the commissioner of Buddhism must immediately suspend  this appointment , and launch an investigation with a view to holding elections for the post again sans corruption. 

The minister of Buddha Sasana acting in the true spirit of Buddhism  shall give this order to the Commissioner of Buddhism .Based on the evidence of Ven. Dhammakeethi Thera , the Bribery commissioner shall punish the culprits.

View videotape of  speech of Ven Dhammakeethi Thera of Avukana Raja maha vihara 

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by     (2015-09-09 20:27:32)

Foreign minister enforce law against an offending commuter who drove a BMW

Sep 09, 2015

Foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera has told the police to take stern action against a commuter who has rebuked a Russian diplomat in foul language inside the Hyde Park car park.

This Russian diplomat has met foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera and complained about the incident. Foreign minister has asked for an apology behalf of the people of Sri Lanka and told the police to take stern action against this person.

This commuter who has come in a BMW car into the Hyde Park car park has castigated this diplomat in foul language during a vehicle block. The latter who has wrongly parked his car in a prohibited parking place has pushed this diplomat and rebuked in broken English foul
language and intimidated the diplomat in front of his family. A video clip of this incident has been in circulation in the facebook.

The person who came in this BMW has been identified as Manjula Wijekoon. It is reported that this person is alleged selling a drug named “exteasy” and the latter is a bosom pal of the former notorious minister Sajin Vaas Gunawardana who is now in remand custody.. Further
it was reported that this person has bought a luxury Audi car from the money he robbed from his girl friend. During investigations it was revealed that this person is involved in an assault occurred in the Cool Planet in Rajagiriya and few other places. It was reported that this person was using the political powers of Sajin Vaas and slipped from law.

The foreign minister has already lodged a complaint to the police and the latter is reported to be arrested this week.

Hands free causes more accidents: Report

2015-09-09
Using Bluetooth headset while driving increased the chances of accidents by 75 percent, a senior officer at the Police Traffic Headquarters said.

He said people were more vigilant when using phones, while driving or crossing roads but careless when they used Bluetooth headsets.

A Parliamentary sub-committee had been appointed last year to look into the measures to prevent road accidents and it had suggested that Bluetooth headsets and lack of back seat belts had caused more accidents, injuries and deaths during the past years.

“We won’t ban the use of Bluetooth headsets, unless a directive came through Parliament.

“However, the 351 clause of the publication by Parliament sub-committee, which convened on 2014 December 12 had suggested the use of Bluetooth headsets cause more accidents,” he said.

Meanwhile, acting Police Spokesman SSP Priyantha Jayakody said they had still not taken measures to ban the use of the devices or to implement the use of back seat belts as Parliament had not yet recommended to do so. (LSP and SD) - See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/86673/hands-free-causes-more-accidents-report#sthash.66B19AD4.dpuf

Fleeing Syrian children washed ashore in Turkey

While Saudi ruler displays his wealth and ignorance in America

by Latheef Farook-September 8, 2015

The bodies of five year old Galip and his three year old brother Aylan Al Kurdi washed ashore   along the Turkish beach is clear indictment on all western leaders, Israel and their Arab stooges.

These include leaders of United States, Britain, France and of course Israel and their Arab stooges who call themselves rulers in the Middle East. They were   responsible for protecting the Syrian tyrant Basher Al Assad whose barbarity destroyed his own country and ruined lives of millions who were forced to flee for life.

When the Arab Uprising began sweeping North African countries, brutalized and oppressed Syrians too came out with peaceful demonstrations seeking political reforms. Tyrant from the minority Alawite Shiite Basher in the predominantly Sunni Muslim Syria responded with barbarity forcing Syrians to demand his removal.

However Syrian demand for freedom is not important. What is important is what US, UK, France, Israel, Russia, China and their Arab stooges wanted for Syria. They decide Syria’s destiny as in the case of all Arab countries. 

Russia, China and Iran fully supported tyrant Assad and triggered off a war which turned Syria into a grave yard.

 Arab tyrants closed their doors for fleeing Syrians. Inevitably Syrians turned to Europe       to escape by any means. Aylan, his brother Gylip and mother Rehan tried to reach Europe in a dingy boat. 

The three were said to have been happy’ and 'so excited' about the prospect of getting to Europe. However few hours later their bodies were found washed up on a beach in Bodrum by the Turkish police officer Mehmet Ciplak .The image of Aylan’s lifeless body   sparked international outrage over Europe's migrant crisis.

Young Syrian boy, who drowned in his family’s attempt to reach Greece from Turkey, lies in the surf near Bodrum, Turkey. 

The family had been making the treacherous journey across Turkey to Europe in the hope of joining Abdullah’s sister, Teema Kurdi, a hairdresser who has lived in Vancouver, Canada for more than 20 years.  “Abdullah paid €4000   for his family to get on a 5m-long dinghy from Bodrum to Greece. He borrowed money.  

“When in the dinghy, the sea got rough. Turkish smuggler abandoned boat, left passengers struggling. Boat capsized after one hour.  “After it capsized, the family clung to the boat. Mr Abdullah tried to hold his two children and wife with his arm, but one by one they were washed away by waves.” "When the boat flipped upside down and the waves kept pushing down, those two boys were in his arms," she said through sobs. "He tried with all his power to push them up above the water to breathe and they screamed: 'Daddy, please don't die'."

Soon, she said, Mr Abdullah realized that Galip had already died, so he let him go. "He tried to save the second one,   Aylan. He looked at him and there was blood coming from his eyes. So he closed his eyes and he let him go. He looked around for his wife. She was floating in the water. He said: 'I tried with all my power to save them. I couldn't."

She added that she had spoken to her two nephews on the phone just a fortnight ago, and that the elder one, Galip, was hoping to be bought a new bicycle when he reached Europe. She said she now regretted sending the family the money that facilitated the journey that ended in tragedy, but that Mr Abdullah had told her: "Don't blame yourself. You did it to help us.

Their bodies were later brought to their hometown of Kobane in Kurdish region which has been reduced to rubble by the Islamic State-ISIS- founded, trained and equipped by US and Israel and financed by their Saudi Arabia-shameful collaborator in the US led  war against Islam and Muslim countries.

 Scores of casually dressed mourners clustered around as the bodies were laid in the dry, bare earth of the Martyrs Cemetery. Clouds of dust rose as dirt was shoveled over the graves. I want from Arab governments - not European countries - to see (what happened to) my children, and because of them to help people," he said in footage posted online by a local radio station.

While this was the plight of Syrians fleeing for life disgraceful SUPER-RICH Arab tyrants have   refused to give asylum to a single Syrian refugee.

Saudi tyrant Salman bin Abd al Aziz has taken no refugees. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – all relatively close to war-ravaged Syria and said by commentators to have the capacity to quickly house refugees – are yet to take any of the five million Syrians fleeing the region.

And although the tragic death of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi has seen European attitudes to the crisis change overnight, campaigners have slammed gullible Gulf Bedouin sheikhs’ unwillingness to change tack.

Amnesty International's Head of Refugee and Migrants' Rights, Sherif Elsayid-Ali, said: "The records of Gulf countries is absolutely appalling, in terms of actually showing compassion and sharing the responsibility of this crisis... It is a disgrace."

The oil-rich nations – none of which signed the 1951 Refugee Convention – all rank within the world's top 50 wealthiest countries, and combined spend £65 billion annually on the military.

Meanwhile Saudi King Salman was severely criticized by the western media last weekend for occupying the entire Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown during his visit to Washington DC on 3 September 2015 aimed at arresting a faltering relationship with the United States, even as the world is reeling with shock over the photo of Syrian toddler dying face down on a beach.

To accommodate King Salman the hotel also underwent a royal makeover before the visit. New red carpets were laid down in the hallways and gilded furniture - "gold mirrors, gold end tables, and gold lamps" - was said to have been delivered in advance of the Saudi monarch's arrival.  Georgetown's streets lined with Cadillac SUV's belonging to his entourage.  A fleet of luxury cars, a hotel covered in gold, and even red carpets laid down in the parking lot.

Rooms at the Four Seasons run from $500 per night for regular digs up to $2,000 for suites. The rate for the hotel's Presidential suite - and the entire hotel for that matter - is not listed.

So was the scene in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. this week upon the arrival of the King of Saudi Arabia, who met with President Obama at the White House on Friday.

Saudi Arabia, along with five other oil-rich Gulf kingdoms - Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain - have been identified by Amnesty International six countries that as have ''offered zero resettlement places to Syrian refugees,'' making the Washington DC excess all the more stark.

These Saudi and other Gulf sheikhs also claim that they are Muslims and have human feelings. The irony is that they come from the land of Islam.(Note-Details gathered from agencies) 

  

The haunting last image of little Aylan Kurdi emerged, showing him sleeping peacefully just hours before he drowned while trying to reach Europe with his family.

Aylan’s family home

 Funeral: Friends and relatives of the Kurdi family stand by the coffins of the young boys and their mother at the funeral in Koban 

Exclusive: Russian troops join combat in Syria - sources

Election poster of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) are seen on a car at al-Qardahah town near Latakia city May 26, 2014.

REUTERS/KHALED AL-HARIRI/FILES

 BY GABRIELA BACZYNSKA, TOM PERRY, LAILA BASSAM AND PHIL STEWART-Wed Sep 9, 2015

Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday.

The sources, speaking to Reuters on condition they not be identified, gave the most forthright account yet from the region of what U.S. officials say appears to be a new military buildup by Moscow, one of President Bashar al-Assad's main allies, though one of the sources said the numbers of Russians involved so far were small.

Two U.S. officials said Russia has sent two tank landing ships and additional aircraft to Syria in the past day or so and has deployed a small number of naval infantry forces.

The U.S. officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the intent of Russia's military moves in Syria remained unclear. One of the officials said initial indications suggested the focus was on preparing an airfield near the port city of Latakia, an Assad stronghold.

The moves come at a time when forces of Assad's government have faced major setbacks on the battlefield in a four-year-old multi-sided civil war that has killed 250,000 people and driven half of Syria's 23 million people from their homes.

Syrian troops pulled out of a major air base on Wednesday, and a monitoring group said this meant government soldiers were no longer present at all in Idlib province, most of which slipped from government control earlier this year.

Moscow confirmed it had "experts" on the ground.

But Russia has declined to comment on the exact scale and scope of its military presence in Syria. Damascus denied Russians were involved in combat, but a Syrian official said the presence of experts had increased in the past year.

Officials in the United States, which is fighting an air war against the Islamist militant group Islamic State in Syria and also opposes Assad's government, have said in recent days that they suspect Russia is reinforcing to aid Assad.

Washington has put pressure on countries nearby to deny their air space to Russian flights, a move Moscow denounced on Wednesday as "international boorishness".

Moscow's only naval base in the Mediterranean is at Tartous on the Syrian coast in territory held by Assad, and keeping it secure would be an important strategic objective for the Kremlin.

Two of the Lebanese sources said the Russians were establishing two bases in Syria, one near the coast and one further inland which would be an operations base.

"The Russians are no longer just advisors," one of them said. "The Russians have decided to join the war against terrorism."

Another of the Lebanese sources said that so far any Russian combat role was still small: "They have started in small numbers, but the bigger force did not yet take part ... There are numbers of Russians taking part in Syria but they did not yet join the fight against terrorism strongly."

The Syrian official said: "Russian experts are always present but in the last year they have been present to a greater degree."

Reflecting Western concern, Germany's foreign minister warned Russia against increased military intervention in Syria, saying the Iran nuclear deal and new U.N. initiatives offered a starting point for a political solution to the conflict.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said reports of growing Russian military activity in Syria were a cause for concern, while France said it made finding a political solution to the crisis more complicated.

Thus far in the war, Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah have the main sources of military support for Assad, but momentum turned against him earlier this year.

In the latest major battlefield setback, state television reported government troops had surrendered an air base in northwestern Syria to a rebel alliance after nearly two years under siege.

The loss of the base meant the last government troops had now withdrawn altogether from central Idlib province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that monitors the conflict.

Coalitions of rebels, who range from hardline Sunni Islamists like al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate the Nusra Front to more secular nationalists, have made gains in the northwest and southwest of the country. They often fight against both the government and Islamic State fighters who control much of the east of Syria as well as northern Iraq.

Russia says the Syrian government must be incorporated into a shared global fight against Islamic State. The United States and Assad's regional foes see him as part of the problem.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow would consider additional military measures needed for fighting terrorism in Syria if it deemed them necessary.

"WORRISOME"

A senior U.S. official said on Saturday Washington had detected "worrisome preparatory steps," including transport of prefabricated housing units for hundreds of people to a Syrian airfield, that could signal that Russia is readying deployment of heavy military assets there.

Russia has in recent days set out the case for supporting Assad in the most forthright terms yet, likening the Western approach to Syria to failures in Iraq and Libya.

Part of the diplomatic quarrel has centred around use of air space for flights, which Moscow says bring humanitarian aid but U.S. officials say may be bringing military supplies.

To avoid flying over Turkey, one of Assad's main enemies, Russia has sought to fly planes over Balkan states, but Washington has urged them to deny Moscow permission.

On Tuesday Bulgaria refused a Russian request to use its airspace for flights due to doubts about the cargo on board. It said on Wednesday it would allow Russian supply flights to Syria to use its airspace only if Moscow agreed to checks of their cargo at a Bulgarian airport.

Turkey has not officially confirmed a ban on Russian flights to Syria but says it considers any requests to fly over its air space to Syria on a case by case basis.

FALLEN BASE

On Wednesday the Syrian army withdrew completely from Idlib province after insurgents captured the Abu al-Duhur military airport there, said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory. Members of a local pro-government militia remained in just two Shi'ite villages in the province, he said.

Rebel sources said the Nusra Front had played a leading role in the capture of the airport. Nusra is part of a coalition of Islamist groups called the Army of Conquest which has seized most of Idlib province this year.

Syrian state television said in a news flash that the army garrison that had defended the military airport had evacuated.

Another major base east of Aleppo, Kweiris, is currently besieged by ultra hardline Islamic State militants.

Nusra Front made gains in northwestern Syria alongside other insurgent groups since May, seizing the city of Idlib, the town of Jisr al-Shughour and moving closer to coastal areas vital to government control of western Syria.

(Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; Writing by Tom Perry, Sylvia Westall and Peter Graff; Editing by Giles Elgood)