action against truant SLFP MPs

2015-09-26
Preparations are underway to take disciplinary action against Parliamentarians of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) who left the Parliament boycotting the debate on approving provisions under the Appropriation Bill and engaged in protests while issuing statements to the media. It is reported that a certain group of the SLFP is engaged in discussions to report this incident to President Maithripala Sirisena on his return to the island.

Although there is no bar to SLFP parliamentarians seated in the Opposition criticizing wrongdoings, fraud and irregularities of the government, if any, when implementing policies of the government in Parliament, making accusations and opposing them have been prohibited by the President.

As these parliamentarians have violated the instructions given when the President met the group, it is the opinion of the group who are going to submit facts to the President regarding this incident that a disciplinary inquiry should be held.
They pointed out that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party joined the Good Governance Government according to a decision made by the Executive Committee and the Central Committee of the SLFP and acting against that decision is a violation of discipline.

Minister Navin growls at FCID officers

FRIDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2015

Edward Rienzi has recently bought more than 30 businesses in Sri Lanka. He is a powerful agent of Rajapaksa project that converts black money into white. It is reported that FCID has launched investigations into this person’s moves.

Officers of FCID took statements from the person on the 23rd and had asked him to come to the FCID today (25th) for further investigation.

However, he failed to appear at the FCID for the statement and later it was found out that he had been admitted to a private hospital for treatment.

A group of police officers including a Superintendent of Police had visited him at the hospital to hand over the notice for another date for him to appear at FCID.

Minister Navin Dissanayaka, who is a close associate of Edward Rienzi and who had been present has reprimanded the police officers, threatened them and had chased them away.

DIG of the FCID Ravi Vidyalankra has taken measures to report the incident to the President and the Prime Minister.

Rajapaksa property could be confiscated!

- Sep 26, 2015
According to findings of investigations done so far by the FCID and the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC), it has become possible to confiscate the property of the Rajapaksa clan, the 'Sath Handa' reports.

Special investigations are underway to ascertain how the investments were made to the business ventures of the Rajapaksa family. Serious charges such as misusing state assets, misusing funds, money laundering have been proved with evidence, the newspaper adds.

The probe on the TV channel - Carlton Sports Network is reaching conclusion and investigations have revealed that investments for the venture were done in a corrupt manner.

Although the CSN administration has attempted to feign that the company did not belong to the Rajapaksa family, investigations have proved otherwise.

It has also been proven that investments for the venture had been done in a corrupt manner and the money laundering activities were done by a Singaporean company.

Under this backdrop, there is a possibility of the CSN channel being confiscated, legal units state.

In its' today's edition, the 'Sath Handa' newspaper has published a detailed article on the CSN network.
- SLM-

Non-payment of ITN bill:MR faces public hearing

PB, Lalith, Keheliya, Dallas and Anura, too, face inquiry

by Shamindra Ferdinando-September 24, 2015, 12:00 pm 

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa now faces a public hearing over the alleged non-payment of Rs. 115 mn owed to the state-run Independent Television Network (ITN) for carrying advertisements during the last presidential campaign.

 Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges on Wednesday recorded former President’s statement at his Mirihana residence.

 Secretary to the Commission, Lacille de Silva yesterday told The Island that a special police team headed by ASP Lalith Abeysekera had recorded the former president’s statement. The team included Chief Inspector Geethika Bodhipaksha.

 Responding to a query, De Silva, formerly of the top level administration staff of parliament said the ITN file would be soon brought to the notice of the presidential commission. The Presidential Commission comprises four High Court judges, namely Preethi Padman Surasena (Chairman), Amendra Seneviratne, Vikum Kaluarachchi, Gihan Kulathunga and former Auditor General P. A. Premathilake. The Attorney General’s Department is represented by Senior State Counsels Sudarshana de Silva and Janaka Bandara.

 Lacille de Silva said that the hearing of the ITN case would be the third since the launch of the commission during the Maithripala Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration’s 100-day programme. Controversial Negombo lagoon development project, as well as Rakna Araksha Lanka Limited, is being heard before the presidential commission at the BMICH.

 The official said that a retired president had never been compelled to give a statement to the police.

The presidential commission recorded statements from Secretary to the Treasury Dr P. B. Jayasundera, presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga, MP Keheliya Rambukwelle, MP Dallas Alahapperuma and then ITN Chairman Anura Siriwardene.

 Former President on Wednesday alleged that the presidential commission was engaged in a media circus.

The Death Penalty: Why It Is Not the Panacea For All Crime

What would serve as true deterrent would be an effective criminal justice system, a system where perpetrators are caught and effective sentences are imposed based on the severity of the crime to all equally regardless of external factors such as race, religion, political connections and so on.

( September 26, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The debate on the death penalty is back in the fore-front in Sri Lanka and the Law and Society Trust (LST) is dismayed by President Sirisena’s stance in bringing back the death penalty which albeit remains effective in law has not been implemented in practice since 19761.

The Death Penalty Why It is Not the Panacea for All Crime by Thavam Ratna

Johnny and Arundhika back on ethanol racket

- Sep 26, 2015

Two prominent MP’s who were involved in the ethanol racket during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime is reported to have started their illegal racket again by taking part in the Good Governance.

The two henchmen’s has been identified as Minister Arundika Fernando representing the Puttalam district and minister Johnston Fernando representing the Kurunegala district.

Besides the ethanol racket these two people’s representatives are involved in the Aricanut and tile rackets.

Recently finance minister Ravi Karunanayake exposed facts about businessmen are who has illegally imported 61,000 liters of Ethanol during the previous regime. One of the people involved was Muththiah
Sashidaran a brother of the famous cricketer Muthaiah Muralidaran. The other person involved was one Jayalath Krishan with whom Arundhika Fernando is closely involved in these illegal rackets.

Is Sri Lanka Prepared For Impacts Of Droughts, Floods & Sea Level Rise?

By Vositha Wijenayake –September 26, 2015 

Vositha Wijenayake

This week of September is a key week which addresses world’s development agenda and the ways to move forward in addressing the grave impacts of climate change, termed as loss and damage under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. With 2015 being the year for a new legally binding agreement on climate change, and also the year of deciding the sustainable development goals for the global development which does not leave the vulnerable and marginalized behind, understanding the concepts relevant to this discussion, and impacts of slow onset events such as floods, droughts, sea level rise play a key role in developing policies to address these issues.

Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) in collaboration with Asian Pacific Network (APN), ActionAid International and Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN) organised a workshop on loss and damage from slow onset events of climate change impacts in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the 22nd and 23rd of September, 2015.

The inauguration and the initial technical sessions of the workshop were held on the 22nd of September, with technical sessions extending to the 23rd. The inaugural ceremony was held with the participation of the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management Dr. S Amalanathan, Mr. Ranga Pallawala CEO Janathakshan (Gt. Ltd.), Ms. Visaka Hidellage Assistant Country Director of UNDP ,Ms. Nilmini Ranasighe Environment Management Officer of Ministry of Environment and Mahaweli Development, Mr. Sarath Ekanayake Board Member of Climate Action Network South Asia, and various stakeholders representing the government, private sector and the academia.

The workshop focused on the international mechanism to address loss and damage, and discussed the international policy making processes and the development of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and slow onset events, as well as the emerging nature of the subject and the difficulty in coming to an international consensus on how to address loss and damage.Read More

The Attorney General – A difficult role

Saturday, 26 September 2015

Patrick Hastings who was made Attorney General in the Labour led government of Ramsay Macdonald is said to have described his tenure of office as ‘my idea of hell!’ It was not a position eagerly sought by him but only willy-nilly thrust upon the labour MP.
The hastily created Labour/Liberal coalition government of 1923 had only a handful of Kings Counsel in their ranks, out of whom Hastings being the least objectionable. Although with the office came a knighthood and the recognition as the head of the bar, Hastings later commented: “If I had known what the next year was to bring forth I should most certainly have declined.”

The Attorney General – a Difficult Role by Thavam Ratna

Israel’s assaults on Palestinian education amount to genocide

Israeli policies violate Palestinians’ most basic right to education. Mahfouz Abu TurkAPA images

Nada Elia and Rima Najjar The Electronic Intifada 25 September 2015

A strike by staff and students at 47 Palestinian Christian schools in Israel had been taking place for a few weeks before the American broadcaster NBC took notice.

Israel’s Assaults on Palestinian Education Amount to Genocide by Thavam Ratna

Russia's moves in Middle East put US on back foot

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R), Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) attend the opening ceremony of the Moscow Central Mosque in Moscow, Russia on 23 September 2015 (AFP) 

Rasha Elass-Friday 25 September 2015

In Syria and in relation to arms sales to Iran, Russia is taking the initiative while Obama struggles to respond 

As Russia flexes its military might in Europe and the Middle East, the US appears to be exercising prudence. But while some in Washington are downplaying these moves as Russian psychological posturing, others warn that Russia is now the main “existential threat” to the US.

“It’s a mix of fact and fiction that Russia is the only existential threat to the US today,” Patrick Skinner of the Soufan Group told Middle East Eye. Skinner is a former analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency.

He is referring to the latest heated rhetoric in some Washington circles with regards to Russia’s behaviour. Top military brass have been at odds with the US State Department’s diplomatic language on Russia, with the former insisting that US-Russia relations have reached a new low in the post-Cold War era. 

“We just have to face the fact that Russia is coming back,” retired General Wesley Clark said in a CNN interview on Wednesday, echoing a general sentiment among the rank and file at the Pentagon. “Putin wants to rebuild the Soviet space … and send a warning to the rest of the world. This is a threat to the stability of the international order, and the system that we’ve taken for granted since the collapse of the Soviet Union.”

Missiles for Iran

Lately it is in the Middle East that Russia is flexing the most muscle, starting with Iran. Moscow has agreed to move forward on the sale of S-300 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to the Islamic Republic, a move considered controversial by the US and its allies. If received, the missiles will significantly boost Iran’s meek aerial capabilities, potentially putting it on par with its Arab rivals in the Gulf, or with Israel.

This particular military deal has long been something of a playing card in US-Russia relations. When the two superpowers have been in harmony, Russia has refrained from SAM talks with Iran. But as Cold War-style tensions rise, Moscow now is pushing to make the deal with the Islamic Republic.

Then there is Syria, a former Soviet ally. Earlier this month, Russia has expanded its port facilities and airfield there, both located along Syria’s Mediterranean coast. The Russian navy base in Tartous is Moscow’s only one outside the former Soviet bloc, and has long held a strategic and symbolic value to Moscow, which built the base in 1971.

Russia has also deployed fighter jets and ground military hardware including advanced tanks, Humvees and vehicles with high-frequency signal and jam-resistant equipment.

Russians on move in Syria

In the past month, civilians in Syria say they have been seeing Russian military vehicles driving on the highway from the coast to the capital, Damascus. Some told MEE that hundreds of unmarked trucks have also been spotted transporting unknown cargo to Damascus and the coastline.

The Russians have additionally deployed some 2,000 prefabricated houses, possibly to house Russian marines and personnel rumoured to be arriving at the coastal airfield, situated near Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ancestral village of Qurdaha.

Pentagon officials say they have now identified Russian drones and several manned flights in Syrian airspace, apparently familiarising themselves with the terrain. The US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) operates in the north and east of Syria, presenting an uncomfortable possibility of an encounter with Russian warplanes. 

“Russia’s behaviour is an unprecedented direct military partnership with Assad, just like Iran and Hezbollah,” said Skinner. “It’s remarkable that in the fifth year of Syria’s war, Russia decided to pivot and do airstrikes in conjunction with Assad,” said Skinner.

A source familiar with Russia’s long military history in Syria have told MEE that there have always been off-limit Russian military installations in Syria.

“There are places where no Syrian military personnel are allowed to enter. Only Russian personnel,” said the source on condition of anonymity. “And in spite of Israel’s periodic sorties into Syrian airspace, none of these military assets have been activated, because the strategy is to not reveal what they have.”

'Join us or else'

If this further complicates the war in Syria, it brings US-Russia relations into an absurd but precarious dynamic unseen even during the Cold War.

“The Russians are saying: ‘Hey, US, join us or else. But the US can’t join a fight alongside Iran and Hezbollah,” said Skinner. Iran and Hezbollah are staunch enemies of IS.

But with his latest manoeuvres in Syria, Putin has already scored points against Obama, forcing his hand on Assad. Putin has repeatedly said that ousting Assad is not an option, and now the Obama administration has begun to budge on this issue. After four years of insisting that the Syrian president has lost all legitimacy and must step down as a condition for peace, US officials now say Assad can be part of a political solution in the country.

Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in London, said he would seek “common ground” on Syria, accepting that Assad could transition out of power over a short time period.

Critics of Obama say he has been absent on many foreign policy issues, and blame his inaction in Syria for the latest chest-pumping behaviour by Russia. With little over a year left in his term, Obama is unlikely to change course on Syria, or become confrontational with Putin, whom he considers to be a thug, according to White House insiders.

“Obama has no intention of increasing pressure on Russia. We’re not going to start a war over Ukraine. As for Syria, we might think it’s okay for Russia to take the lead, as long as we get what we want, and that’s eliminating IS,” said Skinner.

“But the next administration must face the question of what to do with Russia acting aggressively.” he said.

- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/russias-moves-middle-east-puts-us-back-foot-1250511000#sthash.2g1J3kHk.dpuf

How the people of Burkina Faso foiled a military coup

With arrested leaders reinstated and elections back on track, analysts say negotiated deal is a victory for democracy

Anti-coup protesters sing the Burkinabé national anthem in Ouagadougou. Photograph: Joe Penney/Reuters

Simon Allison-Friday 25 September 2015

If there is one thing that Burkina Faso has proved, it is that the country has an almost unlimited capacity to confound the predictions of even the most seasoned observers.

When citizens protested against then president Blaise Compaoré last year, no one expected the mass movement to work – or to see the much-feared Compaoré, who had clung to power for 27 years, retreat into exile. And last week, when the head of the presidential guard arrested the interim leadership and declared himself in charge just three weeks before planned elections, few thought that General Gilbert Diendéré would be forced out within the week.

Yet this is exactly what happened.

The major reason for the coup’s defeat was that it was instantly unpopular. When the military takeover was announced on 18 September, there were spontaneous demonstrations in the capital Ouagadougou. In October 2014, it was protests just like these – organised under the banner of the Balai Citoyen (Citizen’s Broom) movement – that forced Compaoré out of office.

Emboldened by this success, the Burkinabé were not afraid to challenge the latest threat to democracy.

“The [popular protests against the coup] demonstrated that the Régiment de sécurité présidentielle [the presidential guard] did not have control over the vast majority of the country and would not be able to rule for long,” said Eloise Bertrand, a researcher from the University of Warwick and expert on Burkinabé opposition movements.

The second major factor was the resistance from the regular army, who made it clear that they were willing to act against the elite presidential guard. By ordering that Ouagadougou be surrounded, army chiefs told General Diendéré – in a language that the long-time military man would understand – that he would have to fight to maintain his grip on power.

The third reason was that Diendéré and his loyalists – who have strong ties to the Compaoré regime – were surprised by the vehemence of the continental response. The coup was instantly condemned in the strongest possible terms by the African Union (AU), while regional body the Economic Community for West African States (Ecowas) scrambled together a high-level mediation team.

“The AU considers the announcement by the military of the ‘dismissal’ of President Michel Kafando and the attempt of substituting him with ‘new authorities’ as null and void,” said the AU chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in a statement.

This is unusually strong language for an institution that has a reputation for hedging its bets.

Ecowas played a more direct role. It was only after talks with the Ecowas mediation team that interim president Michel Kafando was returned to office, with the mediators instrumental in persuading Diendéré to accept the deal.

“Ecowas played a highly significant role that demonstrates the potential for effective regional intervention,” said Frank Charnas, CEO of risk analysis firm Afrique Consulting. Charnas said that the Senegalese president, Macky Sall, had initially led the efforts to resolve the situation. But when civil society groups questioned his apparent willingness to grant immunity to the coup leaders, the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, took the lead.

This high-profile involvement has helped burnish Buhari’s credentials as an African statesman. “Certainly, this may aid his image with regard to foreign diplomacy … in the silent war for continental diplomatic influence betweenNigeria and Ecowas, and South Africa and Sadc [the Southern African Diplomatic Community], the Burkina situation as it currently stands could be chalked up as a victory for the west Africans,” said Charnas.

David Zounmenou, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, agrees that Buhari’s role was pivotal. “Given his status as a former coup leader and now democratically elected president, [Buhari] might have been decisive in calling for the return of the interim president, and that message was directly conveyed to the coup-makers,” he said.

For Zounmenou, the peaceful resolution of the Burkina Faso situation reflects improving governance in the region as a whole. “Burkina Faso will be a reminder that coups or military intrusion can no longer be tolerated in west Africa. It is a strong signal to send coup-makers home empty handed. This is the third leader removed from power in disgrace, including Dadis Camara[Guinea], Amadou Sanogo [Mali] and now Gilbert Diendéré. Democracy has promising days ahead in the region,” he said.

In a further sign of progress in the region, Ecowas leaders narrowly failed to pass a resolution in May outlawing all third terms for presidents in the region (the move was blocked by Togo and Gambia).

Attention turns now to what happens next in Burkina Faso, where elections are tentatively planned for November.

Before they can go ahead, the country must tackle the issues which led to the short-lived coup in the first place: the outsized role of the presidential guard in government, the candidacy of members of Compaoré’s former ruling party in the upcoming poll, and impunity for officials implicated in crimes committed during Compaoré’s rule – including the death of the legendary former president Thomas Sankara, with which Diendéré has repeatedly been linked.

“It is a step in the right direction in the sense that the transition has been preserved … it shows that the Burkinabé people are still ready to defend what they fought for in 2014 and to prevent anyone from confiscating their revolution,” said Bertrand.

Nigeria Scores Rare Victory Against Boko Haram

BY SIOBHÁN O'GRADY-SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

In the largest surrender since Boko Haram launched their violent insurgency in northeast Nigeria in 2009, at least 200 extremists gave themselves up to the Nigerian Army in Banki, a fishing town on the border with Cameroon, the Nigerian Army declared Friday.

The military’s official Twitter handle announced the news using #OperationLafiyaDole, which translates roughly from Hausa as “Peace with Force.”

https://twitter.com/HQNigerianArmy/status/647395283274493952

According to Nigerian newspaper the Daily Trust, Army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said the town was liberated from Boko Haram control Thursday by a joint effort of the Nigerian Air Force and the Cameroonian Army. The two militaries are working alongside troops from Benin, Chad, and Niger to beat back the extremists, who have killed more than 17,000 people and displaced millions more since launching their local reign of terror six years ago. The U.S. and France have contributed to the task force’s fight by providing training and intelligence, but have not answered Nigerian requests for military equipment. The United States is reluctant to provide arms due to repeated human rights violations by the Nigerian military while conducting counterterror operations.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who took over the presidency from Goodluck Jonathan in May, ran on a platform of increased security. In August, after naming a number of new military chiefs, he gave his troops an ambitious ultimatum to extinguish the extremists in just three months. Although the military hasn’t made significant progress since those instructions last month, winning back Banki is a critical success.

The Nigerian army said soldiers in Banki destroyed a number of improvised explosive devices, as well as seven different camps belonging to the extremists. The army underscored the strategic importance of the town’s recapture. “It is important to note that major economic and trading activities between Nigeria, Cameroon and Central African countries take place in the town,” Usman said in a statement late Thursday.

The liberation of Banki is particularly significant because Boko Haram extremists have gained momentum in large part by interrupting the fish trade between countries in the Lake Chad basin.

Earlier this year, Niger banned the cross-border fish trade with Nigeria after militants took advantage of trucks carrying fish to travel discretely between the countries. The ban on the trade, though deemed necessary for security purposes, hammered the local economy. And according to Toby Lanzer, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General who coordinates humanitarian services in the Sahel, fishermen aren’t alone. Lanzer tweeted Thursday that more than 70 percent of Nigerian and Cameroonian farmers living in areas affected by Boko Haram have been forced away from their fields and will miss the next harvest because of the group.

In the months leading up to Nigeria’s presidential election in March, the army claimed a number of major successes that were later disputed by Chadian forces, who claimed they were not adequately supported by the Nigerian army.

ALI KAYA/AFP/Getty Images

The Latest from the UN summit: Malala hopes to return to Swat Valley

Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old girl from Pakistan who was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating education for girls. Pic: AP.

By AP News Sep 26, 2015

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Latest developments at the United Nations summit to adopt an ambitious blueprint to eradicate extreme poverty and other global goals. (All times local).

The Latest From the UN Summit Malala Hopes to Return to Swat Valley by Thavam Ratna

How AIPAC-OFAC Are Working To Maintain Sanctions Targeting Iran And Her Students – OpEd

ranian grad students at Iran's Shahid Beheshti University discussing their hopes and concerns with an American visitor about relief from US-led sanctions still targeting students and their countrymen. Sept. 2, 2015. Photo credit: Sam Shakiba. 

By Franklin Lamb-Saturday, September 26th, 2015

Only a small percentage of Iran and America’s population has ever met face to face. Almost none of both countries citizens under the age of 35 have ever engaged in long, often fascinating and passionate conversations. Perhaps an exception being Expats who left Iran decades ago for various reasons and have taken US citizenship.

How AIPAC-OfAC Are Working to Maintain Sanctions Targeting Iran and Her Students – OpEd by Thavam Ratna