Karate Wasantha killing, a warning to Mervyn! 

 

Oct 27, 2015

The killing of Wasantha Wickrama de Soyza alias Karate Wasantha, owner of Panorama night club at Muditha Mawatha, Kada Panaha in Anuradhapura town by a group of armed men on the night of October 24 is also a red light warning to his main patron, former public relations minister Mervyn Silva, say sources close to them.

Alarmed and frightened by the murder, Mervyn summoned his followers to his home yesterday morning (26) and had a long discussion. He told them, to spread that “whatever has happened, Mervyn is OK.’ They are now doing just that. However, Mervyn has decided not even to attend Karate Wasantha’s funeral in view of the risky situation.

Mervyn told his followers that the 57-year-old Karate Wasantha, the of son Alfred de Soyza, a suspect in the notorious Kelettewa murder case, had always tried to conceal details about his father.

It was during the period Mervyn was a minister that Karate Wasantha was given the license and other facilities to start this night club. Karate Wasantha’s friends know that he had paid money to Mervyn every month for that. He had first opened the night club very close to Ruwanweli Seya. Strongly objecting to that, the Mahanayake of the Ruwanweli Maha Seya Vihara summoned Mervyn and asked him to remove the night club immediately. At Mervyn’s request, the night club was shifted to Kada Panaha.

Unconfirmed sources say Karate Wasantha had been murdered on the instructions of a top official in the military by members of the military. It is the result of the repression of a large number of people by Mervyn and Karate Wasantha who had used political powers of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in the past. Mervyn’s son Malaka too, was a close friend of Karate Wasantha. His murder is a red signal warning for Malaka too, say his close ones.

Former Sri Lankan minister to stand trial for 1987 murder in Chennai

A Subramani,TNN

CHENNAI: Former Sri Lankan minister Douglas Devananda is all set to stand trial before a Chennai court through video conferencing from Colombo in 28-year-old murder case.

It was in the preceding night of Diwali in 1987 that Douglas and nine other Sri Lankan Tamils were involved in a shootout at Choolaimedu in Chennai. One person was killed in the incident. Though all were arrested, they absconded after being released on bail.

Non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Douglas who later became a minister in Rajapaksa government.

At the end of civil war in 2009, he was part of a diplomatic delegation visiting India and calling on the President and Prime Minister.

At that time it was TOI which exposed the fact that he was supposed to be an absconding accused with an NBW pending against him. But due to his diplomatic immunity, he was not arrested during the visit.

He didn't return to India after that. However, he moved courts for cancellation of the NBW. On September 10, 2014 Justice C T Selvam of Madras high court permitted him to stand trial through video conferencing.

On Tuesday, the additional public prosecutor filed a petition before IV additional sessions judge M Shanthi seeking to split the case and conduct trial against Douglas who has been cited as third accused in the case.

All the remaining nine accused are still absconding.

Now the case will be split and trial will be held only against Douglas. Others will face trial as and when they are nabbed and brought before the court.

In his order, Justice Selvam said Douglas should appear in the office of high commissioner of India in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for video conferencing as and when it is required.

Referring to his status and attempts made on his life, the judge said: "At every instance when the petitioner is required to appear before the trial court in person, the state shall afford him appropriate protection."

He said: "This order is passed in the peculiar circumstances of the case given the diplomatic status and the effect execution of a non-bailable warrant issued against a minister of the neighbouring state, may entail. This order shall not be seen as a precedent."

‘WTF’: Mysterious artificial space object heading towards Earth

The general distribution of space debris around Earth. © ESA

Published time: 26 Oct, 2015

A mysterious chunk of space debris will hit Earth off the coast of Sri Lanka on November 13. Scientists have no clear idea what it is, other than that it is likely artificial in origin, and have dubbed the object WT1190F.

“It’s a lost piece of space history that’s come back to haunt us,” Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told Nature.

‘WTF’ Mysterious Artificial Space Object Heading Towards Earth by Thavam Ratna

China says U.S. naval destroyer sailing close to Chinese-built island damages peace and stability

By Simon Denyer-October 27 at 12:37 PM

BEIJING — China denounced what it called a “dangerous and provocative” act Tuesday after an American warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese-built artificial island at a center of regional dispute over maritime territory and sea routes.

China Says U.S. Naval Destroyer Sailing Close to Chinese-built Island Damages Peace and Stability by Thavam Ratna

The War to Save Syria’s History

Maamoun Abdulkarim works for Bashar al-Assad’s government, but he says he serves a much higher purpose — saving his country’s culture from anyone who threatens it.

BY THANASSIS CAMBANIS-OCTOBER 26, 2015

DAMASCUS, Syria — Antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim will sound the alarm to anyone who will listen. Palmyra, a symbol of Syria’s ancient culture, will be completely destroyed after six more months under Islamic State control, he warns. Bitter enemies like Bashar al-Assad and the Free Syrian Army can fight it out elsewhere, but Abdulkarim wants them to make an exception there, joining forces against the Islamic State to save what’s left of Queen Zenobia’s historical kingdom.

The War to Save Syria’s History by Thavam Ratna

PA: Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territory is main incitement of violence 

Palestinian Authority 'serious about peace', official says, but critics accuse leadership of 'disempowering the people' by suppressing demonstrations 

Palestinian Authority officers wait for a speech by President Abbas on September 30, 2015 (AFP)

Sheren Khalel-Tuesday 27 October 2015

BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Palestinian Authority officials have told Middle East Eye that it is “Israeli propaganda” to suggest they are responsible for a wave of violence that has rocked Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories in recent weeks.

PA Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian Territory is Main Incitement of Violence by Thavam Ratna

Making music under siege

 The Electronic Intifada-Mousa Tawfiq- 26 October 2015

The Gaza Music School is the only institution in the territory dedicated to the study of the art.

 Mousa Tawfiq

Eight years of suffocating siege, three devastating Israeli assaults and longstanding Palestinian political divide have negatively impacted all aspects of life in Gaza — including its music.

There is only one music school in the tiny coastal territory, and only children are taught there.

The Gaza Music School was opened in October 2008. It was bombed by Israel and destroyed two months later.

Located in Gaza City, the school was rebuilt and has recently become a branch of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in the West Bank.

“Nowadays, we have 207 students in the school, aged between 6 and 12 years old,” said Gaza Music School director Ibrahim al-Najjar.

“We have a highly qualified group of teachers. Some of them are from Russia, Ukraine and Romania, teaching students Western and Eastern musical instruments.”

Encouragement

Seraj Sersawi, 17 years old, is among the school’s advanced students. He is about to graduate after eight years of studying the oud, a traditional Middle Eastern stringed instrument similar to the lute.

“I started going to the school in 2008,” Seraj said. “I wasn’t sure then of my talent, but with time, and the help of my parents and the teachers at the school, I was encouraged to believe in myself.”

The teen said that music has changed his life.

“In 2012, I was chosen to be a part of an exchange project between Palestine and Sweden,” Seraj explained.

“This golden opportunity helped me [discover] other cultures and other types of music,” he said. “It also allowed me to meet a group of highly qualified players, some of them famous, and benefit from them.”

But Seraj will have to travel outside Gaza to pursue further studies in music technology and music production.

“My teachers taught me that music is about being a human,” he added. “For me, I’ll always belong to this place.”

Innovators

Ahmed al-Haddad is 19, too old to study guitar at the Gaza School of Music. But there are few qualified instructors outside the institution, so he turned to the Internet to learn how to play.

“I noticed my interest in music since childhood,” al-Haddad said. “But unfortunately, when I decided to buy a guitar at the age of 15, my family refused for traditional and religious reasons.”

That didn’t deter him.

“When I bought the guitar, I didn’t receive any encouragement or help. But I believed in myself and started watching lessons on YouTube,” al-Haddad said. “I practiced a lot until my family appreciated my talent.”

In more than one way, al-Haddad and others like him in Gaza are paving new ground.

“The majority of the people of Gaza are used to listening to traditional songs and Eastern music, which have no guitars,” he said. “Fortunately, the new generations try to be up to date, so the guitar started to become a very familiar instrument.”

Al-Haddad has even greater ambitions than popularizing his instrument.

“My dream is to travel all over the world, and to have a rock and roll band,” al-Haddad said.

“Nowadays, I play guitar in some bands in Gaza,” he added. “Most of them don’t play the type of music I prefer, but for me it’s the only opportunity to practice and to improve my talent.”

Mousa Tawfiq is a Palestinian student and musician based in Gaza City.

Jokowi says Indonesia will join Asia trade pact

President Barack Obama meets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday. Pic: AP.

By AP News Oct 27, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — Indonesia’s leader has said his country intends to join a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal involving the United States.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo made the announcement after meeting with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, Monday. Indonesia had previously expressed interest in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership but had not committed.

Widodo’s announcement is a positive sign for the pact that the U.S. negotiated with other countries in Asia and North America. The U.S. business community has complained that economic protectionism makes it difficult to do business in Indonesia.

Obama said he and Widodo also discussed climate change and counterterrorism against groups like the Islamic State. He says they also discussed maritime security cooperation. He was alluding to tensions with China in the South China Sea.

Widodo cut short his visit to the U.S. because of the ongoing haze crisis caused by blazing forest fires in Indonesia. He was due to fly home on Tuesday afternoon, cancelling a planned visit to San Francisco.

The official said Widodo was increasingly worried about the forest fires and their humanitarian impact, and he needed to immediately visit the impacted areas.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly about the president’s schedule.

The fires have spread a thick, smoky haze over Indonesia as well as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Japan urged to ban manga child abuse images

UN’s child protection envoy says extreme child pornographic content in comics should be banned but artists call it an attack on freedom of expression

The Akihabara district in Tokyo is a popular shopping destination for lovers of manga comics, animated films and games. Photograph: Alamy

Justin McCurry in Tokyo-Tuesday 27 October 2015

Japan must ban sexually abusive images of children in manga comics, despite claims that such a move would threaten freedom of expression, the UN’s special envoy on child protection has said.

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio praised Japan for passing a law last year that banned the possession of abusive images of children, but said it contained loopholes that allowed exploitation to continue.

“When it comes to particular, extreme child pornographic content, manga should be banned,” De Boer-Buquicchio said at the end of a week-long visit to Japan.

The UN’s special rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, acknowledged that artists and publishers faced difficulty in “finding the right balance” between artistic freedoms and the need to protect children. “I accept that the freedom of expression argument should prevail when it comes to adult pornography.”

In June 2014, Japan banned the possession of child sexual abuse imagery after years of delay, but disappointed campaigners by not including the multibillion-yen market in manga comics, animated films and video games.

There was a grace period of a year to comply, but lawbreakers now face prison terms of up to a year and fines of up to 1m yen (£5,500).

Previously, Japan had been the only G7 country where it was legal to own videos, photographs and other imagery depicting sexual crimes against children, provided there was no intention to sell them or post them on the internet.

Japan’s inaction prompted criticism from overseas, withhumantrafficking.org describing the country as “an international hub for the production and trafficking of child pornography”.

Among the actual images of children not covered by the new law are photographs of children in skimpy outfits but with their genitalia concealed. The material is easily available in DVD and photo book form in Tokyo.

“All these are obviously lucrative businesses. What is worrying is that there is a trend which seems to be socially accepted and tolerated,” De Boer-Buquicchio said.

According to Japanese police, the number of under-18s who featured in sexually abusive images rose to a record high of 383 in the first half of this year, up 58 from the year before. Action was taken against 659 people in 831 cases, the highest numbers since twice-yearly records began in 2000, according to a preliminary report issued by the national police agency last month. About 90% of the victims were female, including 60 who were of elementary school age or younger.

Manga artists and publishers have long resisted government attempts to ban certain images, labelling it an attack on freedom of expression. Dan Kanemitsu, a manga translator, accused de Boer-Buquicchio of “mixing reality with fiction”, adding that there was a difference between abusive images featuring actual children and depictions of childlike characters in manga.

“There is no such thing as manga and anime child pornography,” he said. “Child pornography entails the involvement of children, and we must confront it for that reason. [De Boer-Buquicchio] meant sexualised depictions of childish looking characters in manga and anime. Many male and female artists in Japan draw characters in an art style that looks childish to western eyes. Therefore it is a rejection of an art style popular in Japan.”

Kanemitsu said he did not believe Japan’s resistance to expanding the ban to include manga would damage its international image. “I think many people will see the logic of protecting free speech, as long as no actual people are harmed,” he said.

But Japanese campaigners said they would increase pressure on the government to tighten the law. “Materials of children under 18 that were clearly created for the purpose of fulfilling sexual excitement should be regulated as child pornography,” Shihoko Fujiwara, head of the nonprofit organisation Lighthouse, told Agence France-Presse.

She pointed out that DVDs showing half-naked children were still widely available, adding: “We should teach children about sexual crimes at schools.

Anthrax found in cow in Wiltshire

Anthrax has been discovered in a dead cow in Wiltshire, in the first case of the disease in an animal since 2006.

TUESDAY 27 OCTOBER 2015

The disease was found on a farm, in the Westbury area of Wiltshire, following the sudden death of the cow last week.

The beef cow, which did not produce milk, has been incinerated. Animals from the field where the cow grazed have not entered the human food chain and the farm has been cordoned off.

A nearby footpath has been closed and workers and animals at the farm are being monitored, with Public Health England (PHE) saying the risk to the public is "extremely low".

PHE's Mike Wade said: "The risk of infection in close human contacts of the animal is very low, and we are in touch with any potential contacts to offer public health advice."

Anthrax is a bacterial disease which mainly affects cows, pigs and horses, although all mammals are susceptible to infection. Human cases of anthrax are very rare, with the last occurring in 2008.

'Swift action'

A Wiltshire Council spokeswoman said "swift action" was taken to deal with the risk, adding: "We know any risk is low; however, as you would expect, we are taking this very seriously and we will be doing everything in our power to support the national and local experts to keep Wiltshire safe."

A spokesman for the National Farmers' Union said: "It is unusual but not unheard of. Our sympathies are with the farmer concerned but there is no need for the public to be worried."

The last case of the rare disease was almost 10 years ago on a beef farm in South Wales, where two cattle died. All sudden, unexplained deaths of cattle are investigated for anthrax.

Staring eyes

Cattle and sheep can die quickly from anthrax, but their carcasses may show no obvious signs of the disease. The main signs are high temperature, shivering or twitching, fits, bright, staring eyes and loss of appetite.

Unlike with foot and mouth disease, there is unlikely to be a cull due to the absence of direct transmission from cow to cow or cow to human.

Most people who have become ill from anthrax have worked with infected animals or animal products such as wool, hides or hair.

Thorough cooking of meat will destroy anthrax spores, but eating raw or undercooked meat from infected animals may lead to gastro-intestinal anthrax, although in the UK there are strict procedures in place before slaughter.

India to press drug firms to tackle cough syrup abuse

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: A police officer displays seized cough syrup bottles at a police station near the Bangladesh border in Amtali area of Tripura July 25, 2008.

 BY ADITYA KALRA AND PARITOSH BANSAL-Oct 27, 2015

India plans to step up pressure on pharmaceutical companies to better police supplies of codeine-based cough syrups, concerned the firms have not yet fully complied with directives more than a year old, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday.

The International Narcotics Control Board ranks the abuse of medicines containing narcotics and their smuggling from India among the "greatest drug-related challenges" facing South Asia.

Codeine is a narcotic used in cough suppressants that are prone to abuse by addicts, especially in neighbouring Bangladesh, where it is banned, though smuggled in from India.

Since last year, Indian regulators have been privately asking drug firms to make it easier for law enforcement officials to trace smuggled cough syrup bottles back to wholesalers, a Reuters review showed this month.

In response, companies have cut the number of bottles produced in a single batch, but have resisted other demands, such as selling a single batch to one buyer and changing labelling procedures, the review showed.

RELATED COVERAGE

• › Exclusive: India battles big pharma over cough syrup abuse, reducing supplies

Sales of the drug in India were "unusually" high in some states and companies will again be asked to comply with new norms, said Rashmi Verma, a senior official of the finance ministry, which controls narcotics allocations.

"We are going to put pressure on them," said Verma, adding that the demand would be made at the ministry's next meeting with the drug firms, probably before the end of the year.

Verma did not give details of steps the ministry could take to ensure compliance. She said the government had previously reduced companies' allocation of codeine, distributed only through state-run factories.

U.S.-based Pfizer and Abbott Laboratories are leading players in India's $103-million market for codeine-based cough syrups. The Indian units of both companies did not respond to requests for comment.

Drug companies say they have taken adequate steps to control the abuse of such syrups.

Industry executives also complain that compliance costs have increased, and the measures demanded will swell costs and make inventory harder to manage.

RELATED COVERAGE

• › Exclusive - Abbott tangles with Indian regulators over cough syrup complaint

India seized about 83,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup in the six months through March. In Bangladesh, where the drug was banned in the 1980s, about 750,000 bottles were seized last year.

In July, drug regulators also considered a complete ban on such syrups because of "rampant misuse", the minutes of one meeting of regulators shows.

The government does not want to ban the medicine, however, as there is genuine demand for it, Verma added.

(Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Mix Two Ingredients Before Bed And Never Wake Up Tired Again

In both men and women, the average amount of sleep has been steadily decreasing and in recent years has dropped from 7-8 hours, to 6-7 hours a night. This may not seem like a big difference, but it does make a huge difference to your body!

During the day, your body is working hard to keep up with your day and it requires the appropriate amount of time to rest, recover, and recharge to do it all over again.

Most people think that not getting a good night’s sleep simply means you’ll be a little tired the next day, maybe a little foggy. It’s nothing that a cup of coffee can’t fix, right? Coffee does help, but loading yourself up with caffeine is a band-aid solution and not a permanent fix.

Lack Of Sleep And Health

Lack of sleep is a factor in some of the most serious health problems and can be a trigger for illness and disease. Studies have found that people who have a shortened sleep, which is defined by less than 6 hours, are at an increased risk of heart disease.

In 2011, the European Heart Journal’s review of 15 medical studies involving almost 475,000 people found that people with shortened sleep cycles had a 48% increased risk of developing or dying from coronary heart disease. They also found that these people were also at a 15% greater risk of developing or dying from stroke.

The study also links long sleepers, or people who average nine or more hours a night, to a 38% increased risk in developing or dying from coronary heart disease, and a 65% increased risk of stroke. With sleep, as with most things, balance is the most important thing.

Another similar study found that a lack of sleep predicted higher blood pressure. For most people, the body uses the time you are asleep to lower blood pressure, and with a shorter amount of sleep there may not be enough time for this dip to take place.

Daily Distractions And Technology

The world we live in today doesn’t make it any easier for us to get a good night’s sleep. People are reporting higher levels of stress caused by things like work, current events, family situations, and other factors that didn’t affect past generations. We are also using more and more technology that affects our sleep cycles without us even realizing it.

There are many sleep aids that can be purchased but they are artificial and may even cause dependency with some people. As always, Mother Nature has provided us with a natural solution to this ever increasing problem. The

Ultimate Sleep Recipe 

This simple, two-ingredient recipe is your key to getting a great night’s sleep. It will help your body relax and regroup from the day, and prepare itself for the next morning.

All you need is:

5 teaspoons of organic raw honey

1 teaspoon of pink Himalayan sea salt Mix these two ingredients together and store it in a glass jar.

You can make as much or as little as you want, but a 5:1 ratio works the best. Just put a little bit of this mixture under your tongue every night before you go to sleep and let it dissolve naturally.

Salt & Honey Himalayan sea salt contains more than 80 minerals and elements that your body needs for different processes, aiding your body in recovering from the day. Honey contains glucose with aids in supplying our body’s cells with energy.

This honey and salt combination works to increase serotonin as well, helping us to distress naturally, and allowing us to get the best sleep possible. So try out this natural sleep aid, and rest easy knowing your body will be ready to face the day.

Credits:

webMD

Health Advisor Group

Healthy Holistic

Living Real Farmacy

www.whydontyoutrythis.com

Disclaimer: All information, data and material contained, presented, or provided on WorldTruth.Tv is for educational purposes only. It is not to be construed or intended as providing medical or legal advice. Decisions you make about your family's healthcare are important and should be made in consultation with a competent medical professional. We are not physicians and do not claim to be. Any views expressed here-in are not necessarily those held by WorldTruth.Tv

Sri Lankan president vows to protect 'hard-earned dignity' of army

 

26 October 2015

Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena pledged to protect the country’s military, stating that he “will not allow anyone to degrade the armed forces in any way”.

Addressing the unveiling of a “War Hero Monument” at Panagoda on Monday, Mr Sirisenadeclared:

“I will not let the quality and standards of the Armed Forces deteriorate in any way, nor would I allow any forces to degrade the image of the hard-earned dignity of the Sri Lankan armed forces”.

Referring to his willingness to increase the number of Sri Lankan troops participating in UN peacekeeping missions, the president added:

“The world has recognized your services, and the UN positively responded to my request for allocation of more and more openings for our servicemen to serve in peace-keeping contingents. They would certainly assist us”.

“Despite various criticisms, in front of  this Monument, I assure you that our armed forces would not in any way be weakened, nor it be subjected to any degradation under me,” added Mr Sirisena.
The president also reflected on the end of the armed conflict on the island, stating that “having been exposed and managed to escape from five such LTTE terrorist atrocities, [I] know very well the ferocity and complex nature of terrorism and its fallout”. "No more room should be left for it to rise its head again,” he added.

He went on to discuss the country’s defence budget, vowing that “all possible support would be extended to enhance quality, professionalism and skills among our servicemen”. “Maintenance, renovations and re-designing, enhancement of professional quality and capacity of the forces need to be properly evaluated and I will without fail fulfill those needs for betterment of our soldiers,” said Mr Sirisena.

See similar comments by Mr Sirisena last week in our post:
Sri Lanka president vows he will ‘not allow anyone to disgrace war victory’ (21 Oct 2015)

Also see our earlier posts:

Minister guarantees protection of Sri Lanka’s ‘war heroes’ (06 Oct 2015)

Sri Lankan ministers vow to protect army against war crimes charges (04 Oct 2015)

Triumphant return for president who 'achieved a great victory' at UNHRC, as he pledges 'domestic inquiry' (03 Oct 2015)
‘I saved Rajapaksa from the electric chair’ claims Ranil (03 Oct 2015)

Paranagama Report Self-contradictory- Suresh Premachandran

26/10/2015 

Leader of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), one of the constituents of the four party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), and former Jaffna district parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran told the Sunday Observer in a brief interview that the Maxwell Paranagama Commission report that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tabled in Parliament Tuesday was self-contradictory and held the Sri Lankan army, a responsible state institution, on a par with the LTTE, a militant movement.

The next follow up action of the government on the report would be establishing a judicial mechanism to conduct investigations.One has to wait to see whether the judicial mechanism will be credible, what role members of the international judiciary will play, whether punishment would be meted out to the offenders or whether they will be given a general amnesty, Premachandran said.

Excerpts :

Q: What are your views on the Maxwell Paranagama Commission report that the Prime Minister tabled in Parliament Tuesday?

A: The report that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tabled in Parliament recently touches on various matters relating to the reported war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights violations during the last 12 hours of the final battle. On the one hand, the report blames the LTTE for holding civilians as human shields which, consequently, led to their deaths in the cross-fire.

The report has also accused the LTTE of indiscriminate firing into the ‘no-man’s zone’ where there was a huge concentration of civilians, resulting in a large number of deaths. The report says that the Sri Lankan Army could not differentiate between combatants and non-combatant civilians, mingled together, because they were all clad in civilian clothes.

The army did not have any intentions of killing civilians or attacking civilian hospitals, the report says. But the Army is a responsible government institution and its main function is protecting the citizens of the country, irrespective of ethnicity or race and that is why the Army is known as the security forces. How can Justice Maxwell Paranagama who is a legal luminary having held the highest judicial positions justify the Army killing hundreds of civilians merely because a handful of LTTE cadres had mingled amidst them?

It should have been their prime duty to identify and isolate combatants. The Army is functioning under a government and a President elected by the people. The President, the government and the Army that is functioning under them have a responsibility by the people and it is their primary duty to protect their lives. I do not know what actually happened during the last hours of the final battle but the bounden duty of the government security forces should have been protecting the lives of non-combatant civilians. How can the Commission equate the Army with the LTTE ?

Q: The report has recommended a judicial mechanism, with the participation of the Commonwealth and international judiciary, to go into details of the Channel 4 documentary and killings of top rung LTTE cadres who surrendered with white flags. Your comments?

A: The report also talks about issues that merit investigations under an international mechanism, including the the Channel 4 documentary, killings of those who surrendered with white flags, including Pulithevan, Nadesan and his wife and the killing of Prabhakaran’ son Balachandran, their media coordinator Isaipriya and others.

As far as I am aware the senior cadres who surrendered had contacts with internationally prominent persons and journalists until the last movement. A BBC correspondent was conveying their decision to surrender to the UN and other concerned international authorities.

The then advisor to the UN Secretary General, Vijay K. Nambiar was in Colombo on that day and the message having been conveyed to him was reportedly conveyed to the government hierarchy by him. But, in spite of it, fire was opened at those who surrendered with white flags. Some reports say that they were arrested and killed later. Worse still, some 200 senior and important cadres who surrendered on that occasion were consequently boarded into a bus and there has been no information about them since then. If these are not war crimes or crimes against humanity what else are ?

Q: You are not happy with the Paranagama Commission report ?

A: Not only me, even the people who attended the Commission sittings to give evidence said that they were not happy with the proceedings and the recording of their statements. The international Community, including the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) also criticised the commission inquiries. It is apparent that the reports are efforts to project an altogether different picture to the local and international communities on reported war crimes, crimes against humanity and violation of human rights. But I must point out that there are differences of views within the constituents of the TNA on the matter.

The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchy (ITAK), the main constituent of the TNA , supports the government on establishing a judicial mechanism and holding credible investigations. But I am of the view that a local mechanism, even with the participation of the Commonwealth and international judiciary, will not do justice to the victims and the affected families because we have the bitter experience of all such past exercises. The Tamils have been deceived over and again. We do not know what role the members of the international judiciary will play and what type of mechanism will be established.

Q: There have been many inquiries at local and international level and the reports have been submitted, especially the LLRC report, incorporating recommendations on reconciliation and remedial measures. What kind of justice or compensation do you seek in respect of affected families ?

A: The Tamils are victims of war crimes and the need for justice to them should be recognised and sought for, by all stakeholders. The Sri Lankan legal framework does not have the capacity to mete out justice which the UNHRC too has clearly pointed out. Even the Paranagama Commission report has recommended inquiries on a par with international standards and with the prominent participation of international lawyers and judges. Secondly, demilitarisation should form part of such justice which even the LLRC and the UNHRC have recommended.

The Minister in charge of rehabilitation and resettlement says that the Army is not cooperating with him on the matter of land release. In such a situation how can we anticipate justice and fairplay for the Tamils ? Before we talk about what kind of remedy or compensation should be offered to the affected people, we must make certain that justice is meted out to them.

by P. Krishnaswamy / Sunday Observer