Cabinet meeting explodes on Avant Garde anger

• Champika, Rajitha, Ravi K breathe fire over Marapana’s remarks
• President, PM deny associations with Avant Garde Chairman, promise to issue formal denials
• Wijedasa, Marapana under fire at Cabinet meeting; hot exchange lasts 30 minutes
• Marapana explains Avant Garde case will be hard to prove
• Junior ministers expected to raise the issue again at UNP ministers meet today

By Dharisha Bastians-Friday, 6 November 2015
Heated exchanges took place during the weekly cabinet briefing yesterday, with senior Government ministers taking umbrage at Law and Order Minister Thilak Marapana’s staunch defence of Avant Garde, the controversial maritime security firm embroiled in a Defence Ministry corruption case.
 Daily FT learns that Urban Development Minister Champika Ranawaka kick-started the fracas, by demanding whether the remarks made by Minister Marapana in Parliament on Wednesday was an official Government position on the Avant Garde corruption scandal.
Highly placed sources said Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne then pitched in, charging that a certain UNP Minister had brought Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi to meet President Maithripala Sirisena.
 Senaratne charged that this meeting had given the head of the controversial company the idea that he would not be held accountable for his actions, the sources said. An angry Minister Senaratne also claimed that there were several members of the Cabinet who were making ‘deals’ on the side and derailing the corruption investigations and prosecutions.
 Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake also chimed into the heated debate, saying that it was despicable that the same cronies of the Rajapaksa administration, who had actively sought to derail the 8 January campaign, were now being permitted to cozy up to the new administration.
 The Ministers insisted that Marapana could not be in charge of the Avant Garde case, when he had provided legal services to the company before he was appointed a minister in the UNF Government.
 President Sirisena who was chairing the Cabinet meeting told his ministers that Senadhipathi was being offered no protection from his office. President Sirisena added that he would be shortly making a statement to the press denying these allegations.
 Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who was also attending the Cabinet meeting denied having any association with the Avant Garde chairman. “I don’t know him at all,” the Premier told his ministers. Wickremesinghe said his office would also ensure this perception was corrected, sources told Daily FT.

Daily FT learns that the heated exchange regarding Minister Marapana’s defence of Avant Garde in Parliament on Wednesday continued for about 30 minutes during the Cabinet meeting. Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakse, who has also been criticized for his comments on the issue in Parliament on Wednesday, was also under some fire during the meeting, the sources said.  Minister Rajapakse also defended the private security firm, but denied accusations that either the Attorney General’s department had taken bribes to cover-up the scandal.

Minister Marapana, who was in attendance, tried to explain his remarks in the House, saying that while there were many accusations leveled against the Avant Garde company, these charges were incredibly difficult to prove.

In Parliament on Wednesday, Minister Marapana said Avant Garde had been trying to help the Defence Ministry to locate lost weapons, and accused the Police Department of trying to “score a point” after the fall of the last Government, with its raid and investigation of the Avant Garde floating armoury docked in Galle. The Minister also admitted to having provided legal advice to Senadhipathi, during his speech in Parliament. He then proceeded to launch a stoic defence of the private security firm, to the shock and horror of many of his own party MPs.

The issue and Marapana’s conduct is expected to be raised again at the UNP ministers meeting scheduled for today, with more fireworks expected then, sources said. Several junior UNP ministers and deputy ministers are furious about the positions taken by Ministers Marapana and Rajapakse. Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake told Parliament that Government members had been bribed to cover-up the case, while Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera said the IGP and the Attorney General should be summoned to Parliament to explain their conduct in the Avant Garde case. 

Double Doctor, Doublethink and the Culture of opportunists

After hearing the speech delivered by the Minister Rajapakshe, a fundamental question is being placed in the society that yearns for good governance. Are we killing the time, with a double doctor who followed an Orwellian doublethink? Elected representatives have the moral authority to bring an impeachment against the subject, if someone is misshaping the fundamental issues of the constitution in this nation. Isn’t that so, Mr. President?

EDITORIAL

( November 6, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Once upon a time….no, let’s be honest, very often in this country there were men and women, one after another who were willing to become meek stooges to achieve whatever they dreamed off but were never capable of achieving through the genuine procedure.

Double Doctor, Doublethink and the Culture of Opportunists by Thavam Ratna

Sri Lanka's new regime faces major split over arms scandal

By Our Political Correspondent-Nov 05, 2015

ECONOMYNEXT - Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's coalition faced the first major threat of a split Thursday as two key ministers threatened to either quit or bring down cabinet colleagues defending the Avant Garde arms scandal.

Clashes erupted at Thursday's cabinet meeting which followed a parliamentary debate during which two government ministers made stunning declarations that were diametrically opposed to the government's own stand on the issue.

Law and Order Minister Tilak Marapana shocked both sides of the House on Wednesday by declaring that there was nothing illegal about Avant Garde’s operation that involved using government weapons and hiring them out to foreigners. Marapana said, contrary to police claims,  Avant Garde did not require a licence as they were using weapons of the Sri Lankan state.

Marapana also accused the police, which is under his ministry, of trying to “score political points” and trying to ingratiate themselves  with the new regime by raiding the arms ship, the M.V. Mahanuwara, that had been anchored at the Galle harbour soon after the change of the president.

The minister trashed the "B" report of his own police and praised Avant Garde for bringing millions of dollars into the country. By the ministers’ argument, all the allegations made by his own United National party (UNP) and his own leader Ranil Wickremesinghe  are not only false, but malicious allegations made out of jealousy.

At Thursday's cabinet meeting, ministers Champika Ranawaka and Rajitha Senaratne were livid to the point of going to blows with those who had "sold the government down the drain," a top political source said.

The reaction of Marapana and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe  were not immediately known. Rajapakshe claimed it was he who intervened to stop the police arresting former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa over the alleged illegal transfer of weapons to Avant Garde.

Minister Ranawaka threatened to resign while Senaratne said he would fight the corrupt individuals within the government.

"We wil not allow these fellows to take us down," an exasperated minister said adding that as fireworks were going off inside the cabinet room, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had left the room. President Sirisena was forced to put off the discussion on Avant Garde and he promised to call a separate cabinet meeting to discuss future action.

President Sirisena who chaired the cabinet meeting was also furious with cabinet minister Vajira Abeywardena who was accused by the JVP of leading efforts to defend Avant Garde.

Top political sources said the current crisis in cabinet sparked by the Avant Garde issue could lead to greater polarisation within the so called unity government and degenerate into a regime change unless the regime changed its ways.

Strong Sirisena loyalists were already discussing the possibility of demanding the sacking of Marapana and Wijeyadasa.

In the alternative, they were ready to drum up support of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MPs to oust Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe through a no confidence motion if he failed to take action.

Many were speculating that there would have been a re-play of Chandrika's sacking of Ranil's government if not for the 19th amendment that has taken away the president's power to prematurely dismiss parliament.

"The president can't dismiss parliament, but he can call for a resolution for the removal of the Prime Minister and have a new government of his choice," a top source close to Sirisena said. "We may be headed down that road."

President Sirisena ticked off UNP Galle district MP and minister Abeywardena for keeping quiet and tacitly confirming an allegation by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake that Avant Garde boss had secretly met the president in his company.

'Why didn't Vajira deny this in parliament," the President had asked. A visibly angry President told ministers that he would get his media secretary to issue a formal denial that he ever met with Avant Garde boss.

-Avant Garde lawyer in the House-

Marapana, who now is responsible for the police as minister of Law and Order had been retained as attorney for Avant Garde before he became a minister. Cabinet colleagues pointed out a conflict of interest, but Marapana brushed it aside saying Avant Garde was no longer his client, but he was aware that they were innocent and it was only the fault of the police for carrying out a raid.

He expressed surprised over the action of police in Galle in raiding the Avant Garde floating armoury, the m.v. Mahanuwara,  ship earlier this year after the fall of the Rajapaksa regime.

He called the police raid a political move and compared it to the "Millennium city" raid carried out by a UNP government that came to power in 2002.

Rajapaksa's administration had subsequently criticised the raid as a betrayal of military intelligence units which had maintained a secret safe house within the Millennium City complex in Athurugiriya.

Although Marapana criticised the Millennium City raid, he neglected to mention that at the time, he was in fact the defence minister and the raid followed a claim by his prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that claymore bombs had been stored at Millennium City to attack him and other UNP leaders.

Sustainable development minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera reminded his colleagues that he had complained about an alleged Avant Garde operation to terrorise his constituents during the election campaign.

Minister Perera was shocked by cabinet colleague Marapana's amnesia.

Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake in a hard-hitting speech in parliament accused several in his own government of taking bribes to sweep corruption cases under the carpet.

JVP’s Bimal Ratnayake said both Marapana and Rajapakshe sounded like they were members of former president Rajapaksa’s cabinet, an allegation rejected by Marapana while Justice minister Rajapakshe was unavailable.  (Colombo/Nov06/2015 - Update I)

Anura Kumara Names 10 Large Cases of Fraud and Corruption

06/11/2015

24 serious charges of plunder of public assets committed during Mahinda Rajapaksa regime and a special revelation regarding frauds and corruption of the present government were presented by the JVP Leader Anura Dissanayaka in Parliament on the 4th.

Also, frauds and corruption committed during the UNP regime that existed until 1994, frauds and corruption of the People’s Alliance (PA) government that ruled until December, 2001 and frauds and corruption committed during the 2002 – 2004 UNP regime and all other frauds and corruption committed by all governments were exposed.

Among these were three mass scale frauds and corruption committed by the 100 day regime formed after Mahinda Rajapaksa regime was defeated on 8th January and the coalition government formed after the 100 day affair.

Among the frauds that have been exposed so far are the controversial bond scam, mass scale Avant Garde transaction and awarding a tender for coal. Despite exposing frauds and corruption of six governments, attention has been directed only to the Avant Garde incident which is a loophole for Mahinda Rajapaksa associates to avoid responsibility.

In such an environment, it is interesting to note that a majority of ministers of the UNP as well as the UPFA, Rajapaksa associates such as Wimal Weerawansa, Dinesh Gunawardene, Udaya Gammanpila and many politicians outside the Parliament attempt to hit back at Mr. Anura Dissanayaka using only the Avant Garde incident. Officials and politicians have rallied to defend Avant Garde when it is evident that a colossal sum of money has been spent to obscure Avant Garde fraud.

Several of large scale frauds and corruption exposed by Mr. Anura Dissanayaka are:-

1. Spending Rs.600 million from the funds of Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to buy ‘Sil’ clothes to be distributed as a part of propaganda for the presidential election.

2. Denying Rs.2800 million to Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation of the government by launching CSN channel and grabbing the right to telecast cricket matches.

3. Frauds in ‘Siriliya Saviya’, a Non Governmental Organization.

4. Incurring a loss of Rs.1037 to the government when getting down 8 ships of petroleum

5. Defrauding Rs.713 million by launching company called CWG Hambantota 2018

6. Defrauding funds of ‘Divi Neguma’ bank

7. Frauds and corruption in Ports Authority

8. Making available US$150,000 from state owned Company to Pushpa Rajapaksa Foundation.

9. Non-payment of loans obtained from People’s Bank by former Parliamentarian Sajin Vaas Gunawardene.

10. Spending public money for D.A. Rajapaksa museum.

– Lanka Truth

An Urgent Appeal for immediate removal of Marapana

( November 6, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) An urgent appeal seeking for immediate action was sent to the President and the Prime Minister by the Decent Lanka, a group of concerned citizens for the good governance, is follows.

To
Hon. Prime Minister
Ranil Wickramasinghe
Prime Minister’s Office
Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha
Colombo 07 e-mail – info@pmoffice.gov.lk
Copy for information & necessary action

To
HE the President
Maithripala Sirisena
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo
e-mail – presec@presidentsoffice.lk
Dear Mr.Prime Minister,

Appeal for immediate removal of Cabinet Minister Thilak Marapana from portfolio appointed to

We note with much dismay and disgust that President’s Counsel Thilak J Marapana who was legal advisor to Nissanka Senadhipathi, Chairman of Avant Garde the company embroiled in controversy over the floating armoury and heavily loaded with allegations on illegal weapons deals, violation of law on explosives and firearms, on money laundering and bribery is a cabinet minister in your government as a member of your political party brought to parliament on the National List.

With the January 08 presidential elections that defeated President Rajapaksa labelled and stamped as “dictatorial, nepotistic and corrupt” in your election manifesto and then the defeat of Rajapaksa leadership in August elections, there is no ethical or moral right for you and your government that was voted in with the promise of a “New Country in 60 Months” on a 05 point programme to include a person who accepts he was legal advisor to Chairman of Avant Garde, Nissanka Senadhipathi as an important minister in the cabinet of ministers.

Senadhipathi is a businessman accused of serious crimes and corruption and known to have been very closely associated with the Rajapaksa regime. In fact a report attributed to an Additional Solicitor General Vasantha Navaratne Bandara infers charges can be filed against 05 persons including Nissanka Senadhipathi and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa for 01.Unauthorized Importation of Fire Arms to Sri Lanka under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and Fire Arms Ordinance 02.

Possession of Fire Arms and ammunition without valid licenses under the Fire Arms Ordinance and Explosives Act and then 03. Conspiracy, aiding and abetting to commit the above offences.

Although the AG opted to decide otherwise, President Sirisena was compelled to re start investigations on Avant Garde through PRECIFAC under heavy pressure from many quarters.

It cannot be out of ignorance that Marapana was brought to parliament through the national list and made the minister of Law and Order and Prison Reforms. In such context, Minister Marapana’s own admission he was legal advisor to Senadhipathi after the January 08 “change” for Yahapalanaya and the strong defence made in parliament as a cabinet minister on 04 November (2015) on behalf of Senadhipathi then as his client makes your government culpable in all crimes, violations of law and corruption the Avant Garde and its Chairman Senadhipathi is accused of. Accused in parliament itself by many MPs including a deputy minister of your government as well, who said there are many in your government including ministers who were well treated by Senadhipathi. We therefore hold you and this government wholly responsible in breaching the trust of the people and the promise for a cleaner and a saner government for which the people voted your party and its allies to power.

In an effort therefore to at least arrest this slide back to a typical Rajapaksa era, we demand that you immediately remove Mr. Thilak Marapana from his ministerial post and all other responsibilities he may hold in your government.

Thank you.
Yours sincerely,

Signatories ;
Attorney at law Neville Ananda
Attorney at Law Sujeewa Dahanayake
Social activist Muditha Karunamuni
Journalist Kusal Perera
Trade union leader Anton Marcus
Attorney at law Srinath Perera

Contacts –
Attorney at law Neville Ananda – 0777876811
Attorney at Law Sujeewa Dahanayake – 0777324062
[Sinhala version follows in next page]

Another drama ends

Editorial-November 5, 2015, 7:52 pm 

The government with both the UNP and the SLFP at its helm  is like a two-headed donkey struggling to move in different directions at the same time only to get nowhere and make a spectacle of itself. What a song and dance some of its top guns once made, a few moons ago, about an ‘illegal floating armoury’ in Sri Lankan waters! Now, we are told officially that there has been nothing illegal about that arms ship.

The Avant Garde floating armoury became one of the main planks of the UNP’s election platform with some of its vociferous leaders claiming that their political opponents had run an international arms racket; they even called for the arrest of the former defence bigwigs including Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. In Parliament on Wednesday, no less a person than Minister of Law and Order and Prison Reforms, Tilak Marapana, who had looked after the interests of Avant Garde as its lawyer, gave the lie to that claim. Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, too, defended that company to the hilt.

Lawyers defend their clients in courts. But, in an interesting turn of events a client has had the rare privilege of being defended by its legal consultants at the national legislature!

Strangely, even the UPFA notables who usually don’t see eye to eye with the UNP virtually on anything chose to go to the mat with the aforesaid ministers. They did not raise any issues such as conflict of interest, ethical dilemma etc. Only JVP leader and Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake tried to challenge the government’s position, but he was only ‘floating like a bee and stinging like a butterfly’.

Thus came to an end the Avant Garde drama with an anti-climax. Many had lost interest in it long before the final curtain. Some of the government allies have let out a howl of protest against what they call letting Avant Garde off the hook, but what really matters is the government decision.

One can’t help asking oneself whether an ordinary company in a similar predicament, defended by lawyers sans political connections, would have been as lucky as Avant Garde.

Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake has told Parliament that some ministers strike deals with crooks and line their pockets. He has named no names, but struck a responsive chord with the discerning public. This is why we keep arguing that there must be tough laws to ensure transparency and accountability as regards party and campaign finances.

At present moneybags involved in illegal activities can go scot free by parting with a fraction of their ill-gotten wealth to grease the palms of powerful politicians who not only make laws but also bend them to help their crooked cronies. Curiously, none of the champions of good governance have demanded that new laws be brought in to impose a ceiling on campaign expenditure and make it mandatory for all parties and individual politicians to disclose the sources and amounts of funds they receive.

In the end, the blame for making an issue of the Avant Garde arms ship was pinned on the police who, Minister Marapana said, had, in a bid to curry favour with their political masters, blundered by raiding the arms vessel. He drew a parallel between that raid and the now infamous police swoop on the Millennium City army safe house in 2002.

The Millennium City raid which exposed the identities of army long-rangers and their intelligence operatives most of whom perished at the hands of the LTTE as a result, obviously, had the blessings of the then UNP-led UNF government. The long-rangers had been vilified and accused of trying to kill some key Opposition politicians before the 2001 general election and the ground prepared for the subsequent raid.

It is time the police, notorious for their servility, refrained from offering their services as women of easy virtue to crafty politicians who don’t hesitate to betray even their mothers when they are up the creek without a paddle.

The government owes an apology to the people for providing them with misleading information about the Avant Garde arms ship and then making a volte-face which has thrown them into confusion.

Rajitha hits out at Wijeyadasa and Marapana

BY Zahrah Imtiaz-2015-11-07 

President Maithripala Sirisena has called a Special Cabinet Meeting on Monday (9) to discuss the controversial Avant Garde investigation, which threatens a serious split in the Yahapalana Government.
Cabinet Spokesman Rajitha Senaratne addressing a Cabinet media briefing yesterday... ... (6) said serious concerns have arisen within the Cabinet over statements exonerating Avant Garde of wrong doing by Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Minister of Law and Order Thilak Marapana although the issue has plunged the owning company into a slew of controversies over their floating armouries and the origins of their weapons.

Cabinet Ministers had strongly criticized the statement made by Minister Marapana as he had not received prior Cabinet approval before making that statement in Parliament and was furthermore totally contrary to the official stance of the government.
"Soon after the 8 January Election we had a discussion with the National Executive Council and we brought this issue up. The meeting was held on a Tuesday and the Attorney General (AG) said that they had enough proof to arrest everyone connected to the Avant Garde case by Thursday. A senior official in the AG's Department had also prepared a document for the arrest of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

We made inquiries about the case when there were no arrests made even after Thursday and the AG's Department said that they had not prepared the Tamil translation of the indictment and this caused the delay. After a week's lapse they said it was a civil case and not criminal. A person from the AG's Department said there was intense pressure from a minister not to make the arrest. One person had got seven calls in a day from that minister", Minister Senaratne said.
He added that the Prime Minister had directed two Ministers with considerable legal experience to advise the AG's Department on the Avant Garde case.

Senaratne added that "One of the ministers had earlier represented Avant Garde in Court and his recommendation to the AG's Department was that Nissanka Senadhipathi should not be arrested".

Minister Rajapakshe in the meantime said in a statement to Parliament he had prevented the arrest of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
"We are not against anyone. There are no personal vendettas against Nissanka Senadhipathi. I heard that he had spoken on my behalf many times with Gotabaya. The first time I met him was at the Gold Centre opening" Minister Senaratne said.
He added, "The question is, why was this government formed in the first place? The people expected one thing from us and that was to bring an end to large scale corruption. We have not been successful in this case so far". The minister explained that investigations into the case had been completed but the issue was that no arrests were being made.
In addition to this, he alleged that certain documents were tampered in favour of Avant Garde during the previous regime.
He also lamented the fact that many of the ministers who were on the payroll of Mahinda Rajapaksa were in the current Cabinet with the ministers who fought against the Rajapaksa regime.

"We asked the President about allegations that he too had met Nissanka Senadhipathi on 10 January. He said that it was completely false. There were thousands who had come to congratulate him on that day and he did not know who Senadhipathi was".
Minister Senaratne said he, along with the ministers who helped establish the 'Yahapalanaya' Government would have to take a decision on their political future if no action is taken against Avant Garde.
"We have not been betrayed by the President or Prime Minister. We still have faith in them. It will all be settled after Monday" Minister Senaratne said.

Attack On Students & The Larger Crisis

By Harini Amarasuriya –November 5, 2015

Dr. Harini Amarasuriya

Last week’s brutal attack by police on protesting HNDA students, exposes yet again, the severe problems in the country’s education sector. Images of riot police chasing after students and beating them with poles, and the bloodied faces of young female students, has created a furore and to a certain extent, a backlash against the police action and indeed the government. The government has responded as every government in the past has done: the appointment of committees to conduct inquiries. Of course, the fact that this time around the new Police Commission has also initiated an investigation and the reconstituted Human Rights Commission has received a formal complaint from the students is reflective of at least some positive changes. Yet, the true test of the intentions of the newly elected government can only be assessed based on their responses to the conclusions of the various inquiries and their actions in the weeks and days to come.

My intention here however, is not to go into the specifics of last week’s incident or its aftermath. Rather, I want to locate this particular incident within the larger crisis in the education sector. Recently, I met a group of school students, mostly from International Schools at a workshop to which I was invited. On that very day too, university students were on a protest and they marched past the hall where I was conducting the workshop. Ironically, I had been invited to speak on education and equity. One of the participants at the workshop stated that university students should not be protesting – that their job was to study. They should not be wasting tax payers money but instead, just knuckle down and get on with what they were really supposed to do: study. Reading some of the comments on social media, especially the English language social media regarding the HNDA incident, certainly, this is a common point of view. Student protests are described as disruptive and unnecessary. The traffic jams and inconvenience due to the protests were strongly condemned. By and large, the response to student protests was disapproving. State universities and university students were viewed extremely negatively.

In a parallel universe, there are advertisements galore offering various degrees and courses in all types of private ‘universities’ ‘campuses’ ‘colleges’ ‘institutes’. The pictures accompanying these advertisements show happy and smiling young people, dressed in the latest fashions, carrying all kinds of electronic devices looking ready to take on the world, armed with their ‘globally competitive’ degrees and certificates. The contrast between the images of the HNDA students and the ‘students’ featured in these advertisements could not be greater. One set of images represent chaos, violence, disorder; the other, stability, fulfilment and satisfaction.Read More

80 policemen protect four Tamil detainees

- Nov 06, 2015

Around 80 policemen of various ranks are undergoing harassment, at the hands of TID director SSP Nalaka Silva and chief inspector Lal Gamage, who are obedient followers of retired DIG Wagista, at the Boossa detention centre of the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID), where they are supposed to be in charge of the security of the Tamil detainees.

Boossa OIC Lal Gamage is getting the policemen to do all the work at Wagista’s home, including caring for this goats and the dragonfruit plants. TID vehicles and fuel are being used for the purpose.

 

Gamage is using the powers of the retired DIG and is not allowing the policemen to visit their homes on leave. Since he is a resident of Galle, he is trying to prevent closure of the Boossa camp in order to retain his powers.

 

This camp needs only five policemen, but they are staying owing to fear of Gamage. When Wagista retired, Gamage threw a party, and made TID men to contribute Rs. 500 each, but he had the money deposited into a personal account of his.

Nepal: A Messy Situation

The killing of an Indian national raised some concern in India on the law and order situation in Nepal. The Indian  Prime Minister, personally spoke to his counterpart in Nepal and made two points- one that he is concerned and two- that an early and an effective solution may be found. 

by Dr. S.Chandrasekharan

( November 5, 2015, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is a pity that the situation in south Nepal ( Madhes) is getting more and more messy  with no prospect of an early solution. 49 people have so far been killed and another 729 have been injured of whom some are in a critical condition.

The Police continue to use heavy-handed methods and are now shooting to kill.  The protestors on the other hand  continue to defy the ban and are resorting to indiscriminate stone throwing.

There have been four rounds of talks and all have ended in failure except for the last one where the Madhes Groups were willing to consider splitting the five controversial districts- a new development, but names of two more districts Mahottari and Nawal Parasi have also emerged for splitting.

The ruling party instead of going ahead with the opening they got, have continued to remain stubborn. The negotiating team wanted to consult their leaders!

What is surprising is that the senior leaders of the ruling party are still insisting that there should be a political solution and having said that, are still insisting that agitating groups – the UDMF should await the recommendations of the Federal Commission to be appointed for reviewing the provincial boundaries.

On 31st of October, the agitating Terai-Madhes groups threatened that they would abandon talks with the government if the ruling parties failed to lay out a concrete plan on State delineation.  In the absence of any response from the government, the leadership of the agitating parties decided on 1st November to “intensify” the agitation.

On the 2nd of November there were major incidents in Birgunj when the Nepal Police decided to clear the obstruction in the no man’s land near the Shankaracharya gate.  Unfortunately, one Indian national got a bullet on his head and died instantaneously.  There was also another incident of firing near the crowded Ghantaghar area.  Scores of people were also injured.

The killing of an Indian national raised some concern in India on the law and order situation in Nepal. The Indian  Prime Minister, personally spoke to his counterpart in Nepal and made two points- one that he is concerned and two- that an early and an effective solution may be found.

The Indian citizen who was a resident of Birgunj – Ashish Kumar should not have been in the crowd that was protesting and according to Nepal’s official sources had indulged in stone throwing.   A bullet on his head was not a remedy either.

The decision to clear the no man’s land in Birgunj made it clear that the so-called blockade was not “India inspired” but was done by the Nepalese citizens themselves.  Having allowed the protestors to group and block all the incoming vehicles so long, it is not clear why even after this incident, the political leaders of all hues in the valley are still blaming India for the “unofficial” blockade!

The upshot of the blockade at the Indian border was that Nepal approached China for the supply of fuel.  An agreement for regular supply of fuel was also reached.  The first supply of fuel was sent from Kyirong with vehicles of Nepali registration going upto Kyirong to receive the supplies.  A total of 1.2 million litres of fuel was being supplied and this is being given as grant by China.  Future supplies will be paid for.

Kyirong lies on  the ancient route to Kathmandu from Tibet and had been the only route in earlier times connecting Kathmandu valley to Tibet.  From Kyirong, the road goes via Rasuwa Gadhi, to Nuwakot and then on to Kathmandu.  It is not an easy route either.

It is a good thing that Nepal has started getting supplies from China.  At least, so far as India is concerned, the elite in Kathmandu cannot complain henceforth that Nepal is “India blocked.”  It is now shown by them that Nepal is also “China blocked.”

With supplies coming from China too ( the authorities in the ministry have already hailed it as a long term solution), India should no longer enter into any product exchange agreement with Nepal on the supply of other petroleum products.  In my view India should not react adversely on this development.

More important, Prime Minister K.P.Oli needs to be reminded that fuel from China will not solve the Terai  problem.  As I had said earlier, he has to come down from his perch, be a little flexible and considerate on a problem that may divide the nation permanently, if steps are not taken right now for an early and an effective solution as Prime Minister Modi has requested.

VIDEO: Undercover Israeli agents at clashes in Bethlehem 

MEE saw three undercover agents, who had pretended to be demonstrators, pull out handguns and carry away a Palestinian 
Undercover Israeli agents pull out handguns during clashes outside the luxury Jacir Palace Hotel in Bethlehem (MEE) 

Sheren Khalel and Abed al Qaisi-Friday 6 November 2015

West Bank - Abdelraham Hassan, 23, was at the frontline of protests in Bethlehem when what looked like six Palestinian protesters pulled out handguns and moved to grab the young men surrounding them. 

It immediately became clear that the six men, wearing T-shirts and jeans with scarves and masks covering their faces, were in fact undercover Israeli agents. 

"It was really quiet around the time of the protest - [the Israeli soldiers] weren't shooting tear gas or bullets or anything," Hassan said. "There were around 30 guys at the front during the calm [period]. Then out of nowhere six of them pulled out guns and everyone ran." 

Hassan was taking photos, not filming, when the chaos erupted. Before he could begin filming he said one the undercover agents came up to him and another journalist he was standing with and held a gun up to their heads, telling them to leave. 

"He didn't have time to deal with us, and we kind of just felt like we weren't their mission. They were there to arrest the protesters, and they'd already had one on the ground, so I just started filming," Hassan said. "But it was terrifying: we know that these guys, undercover agents, have orders that allow them to shoot to kill under any circumstances."

The undercover agents managed to detain one young man. Protesters initially thought they had caught three people, but the two others got away.

One of the young men who was almost detained, struggled and managed to get away with a red scarf one of the agents had been wearing. Protesters passed the mundane-looking scarf around, the only tangible evidence of what had just happened on their street.

Protesters passed around a scarf worn by one of the agents, a symbolic Palestinian keffiyeh (MEE/Abed al-Qaisi)

The incident is the second time in less than a month that Israeli forces have been caught on camera using undercover agents to capture Palestinian protesters. 

In October several journalists in the al-Bireh area of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank filmed Israeli forces arresting and shooting several young men during a raid. The video of the event quickly went viral.

Hassan said he hadn't seen an undercover raid like Friday's since the second intifada, when Israeli forces attacked and detained a classmate as he and Hassan made their way home from school together.

Israel is known to maintain a cadre of undercover police units, whose members are well versed in the Arabic language and local culture.

The word used by Palestinians to describe Israelis who infiltrate their communities, mustarabiin, means someone who is disguising themselves as an Arab.

At protests in which there are youths from a variety of neighbourhoods, it is common practice for protesters to tuck their shirts into their trousers and to question anyone not doing so. The point of the practice is to prove that you do not have a gun around your waistline.

Hassan said that young men in Bethlehem have already begun discussing different ways to stop Israeli forces from infiltrating protests again. 

"The boys are saying they don't want anyone to wear anything on their faces now," He said. "[At the moment] they wear scarves to try to hide their identity so the Israelis don't detain them later. But now they're saying: 'Enough, if you're scared don't come.'"

Israeli soldiers kill father of three-week-old baby

Mourners carry the body of 22-year-old Palestinian Ibrahim Skafi, who was shot dead after he allegedly rammed his car into an Israeli troops on Wednesday injuring two of them, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Hebron on 5 November.

Ali Abunimah-6 November 2015

Israeli forces shot dead Fadi Hasan al-Froukh on Sunday, claiming that the 27-year-old had tried to stab one its soldiers guarding the entrance to Sair village, near Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Soldiers Kill Father of Three-week-old Baby by Thavam Ratna

Obama: 'There is a possibility' bomb was aboard Russian jet

None of the 224 people on board survived the flight, which was headed toward St. Petersburg.

Here's what we know about the deadly Russian plane crash that killed all 224 people on board Saturday, Oct. 31. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

By Andrew Roth and Griff Witte-November 5 at 9:38 PM

MOSCOW — President Obama and other senior Western officials said Thursday that a bomb may have caused a Russian passenger jet to crash in Egypt last weekend, redoubling speculation about a terrorist attack despite heated protests from the governments of both Russia and Egypt.

Obama 'There is a Possibility' Bomb Was Aboard Russian Jet by Thavam Ratna

Canada’s New Defense Minister Made His Own Gas Mask to Work With His Sikh Beard

BY SIOBHÁN O'GRADY-NOVEMBER 5, 2015

In 2006, Canadian Army Brig. Gen. David Fraser was deployed to Afghanistan and tasked with choosing one soldier to serve in a key intelligence role. Whomever he chose would need to balance knowledge of the local community with a keen understanding of military intelligence and act as the bridge between Canadian troops and Afghan officials to help beat back the Taliban.

He looked no further than Harjit Sajjan, a former detective who spent part of his 11-year career in the Vancouver Police Department investigating gang warfare and specializing in organized crime.

“I picked him because of his experience in dealing with gangs because the Taliban were nothing more than bunch of thugs and gangs,” Fraser told theGlobe and Mail.

This week, that experience paid off again. Newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Sajjan, who returned to Afghanistan again in 2009 and 2011, as Canada’s new minister of defense.

Sajjan, the first religious Sikh to serve in the role, replaced outgoing minister Jason Kenney. Like U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Kenney did not have an active-duty military background prior to taking the job.

In the United States, there are roughly 1.4 million active-duty members of the military. Only three of them are Sikh men, and they all serve in noncombat roles. Except under very rare circumstances, the Pentagon prohibits active-duty service members from having facial hair and wearing religious headwear. Sikh leaders in the United States have long pushed for reforms to policies they say deter Sikh men, whose beards and turbans are considered nonnegotiable articles of faith, from joining the military.

One reason the Pentagon prohibits Sikhs from wearing beards is because they argue they are not compatible with gas masks. But while serving in the Canadian military, Sajjan created his own version of the gas mask, which he later patented, in order to keep his beard. In 2011, when he served as an advisor to U.S. Lt. Gen. James Terry in Afghanistan, he noted the paradox of his situation.

“It’s ironic,” he said. “There I was advising the top generals, and the U.S. Army doesn’t allow Sikhs [in turbans] to join.”

Sajjan was born in India but moved to Canada at age 5. He wasn’t baptized as a Sikh until he was a teenager, when he fell in with a tough crowd and decided Sikhism would steer him on a straighter path. As a police officer working in Vancouver’s drug and gang units, he went on to arrest some of his former high-school classmates.

And when he first joined the military, his background as a religious Sikh who grew up speaking Punjabi helped him integrate in the communities where he served. During his tour in Bosnia, he was able to act as a neutral party in the conflict between Muslims and Christians. And while on tour in Afghanistan, he used his knowledge of Punjabi to communicate with Afghan elders, who could understand the language because of its similarities to Urdu.

For him, Sikhism built a natural path toward the military.

“It wasn’t really a religious thing. It was an identity thing,” he told theVancouver Sun. “I needed the commitment because I knew it would keep me on the right path. I found the true meaning of Sikhism, and I loved the warrior aspect of it.”

Sajjan has received 13 honors and medals for his service, including the Meritorious Service Medal, which he was awarded for his role in the fight against the Taliban in Kandahar province. Shortly after returning home from Afghanistan in 2011, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and named commander of the Duke of Connaught’s Own, a British Columbia reserve regiment, making him the first Sikh to command a Canadian army regiment.

Sikhs account for less than 2 percent of Canada’s population, but they are influential in the Liberal Party. In Trudeau’s 30-person cabinet, four ministers come from a Sikh background — double the number in the Indian cabinet.

And for Sajjan, his roles in the military and in the government align with what he values most in his religion.

“It’s important to defend your own rights,” he said. “But there is a requirement that you must defend the rights of others.”

Photo credit: Twitter