| Towns across North-East shut down in support of Tamil political detainees 13 November 2015
 Several towns across the Tamil-dominated North-East have nearly completely shut down in a hartal in support of Tamil political prisoners.
Shops, restaurants, banks, schools and other institutions, owned by Tamils and Muslims are closed in Batticaloa, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee and Vavuniya, locals told the Tamil Guardian on Friday. President Maithripala Sirisena was forced to cancel a visit to Batticaloa, where he was due to take part in the opening of a court complex.
Some business owners in Jaffna town and Nelliyadi opened their shops after they were threatened by unidentified individuals, however later took part in the protest action, despite the threats.
A heavily armed police presence was reported in Jaffna town. Local and central government institutions were amongst those that closed.
The hartal was planned by the Tamil National Alliance and the Tamil National People's Front, in order to protest the continued detention of Tamil political detainees.
Two Tamil activists were arrested for distributing pamphlets urging participation in the hartals on Thursday. The activists belong to the Tamil National People’s Front political party.
Hundreds of Tamil political prisoners are thought to be detained under the PTA, which allows for indefinite arbitrary detention without trial.
The Tamil political prisoner have continued a hunger strike, amidst a long ordeal that saw 31 prisoners released on temporary bail and taken back to prison before finally being released on Thursday.
Some hunger strikers were forcibly hospitalised on Thursday.
Protests in Jaffna continued on Thursday calling for the release of all Tamil political prisoners that had been arbitrarily detained by the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). |
Peace for the World
First democratic leader of Justice the Godfather of the Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Honourable Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Friday, November 13, 2015
Samantha Power and US Sri Lanka Policy
With a transfer of power in Colombo, the Obama administration looks to put Sri Lanka in the win column for U.S. democracy promotion efforts.
Samantha Power, U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, recently spoke at the Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Mexico City. As she mentions at the outset, this is an initiative that deals with “the ideas of getting governments to work with civil society to create more open, accountable institutions and societies.” Officially created in 2011, the Open Government Partnership is something that merits support.
Surprisingly, Power devotes a noticeable part of her remarks to Sri Lanka, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean that’s still recovering from a twenty-six year civil war that some suggest left 80,000 to 100,000 dead.
Here’s Power towards the end of her speech:
The experience of Sri Lanka, I think, embodies so much of what is at stake in this enterprise. It shows us the profound costs of impunity and corruption. It shows how a determined and persistent civil society that would not give up can swing the pendulum back toward greater accountability and transparency. And it shows how much leaders can achieve, even in a short period of time, when they are willing to engage the people they serve.
To her credit, she adds a dose of realism in the following paragraph when she mentions “all the challenges that lie ahead.” Nonetheless, it’s still peculiar that a speech like this would have referenced Sri Lanka in such detail.
Since the newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in January, Colombo has made a multitude of promises, including on the transitional justice front, although much remains to be done.
Power’s days as a journalist seem so far away. She reported from various global hotspots and authored several books, including “A Problem From Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide. In the book, Power criticizes American foreign policy and recounts how, over the years, the U.S. government has consistently looked the other way or failed to act resolutely when mass atrocities take place, among other claims.
Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in 2009. There are a range of opinions about how many people died during the war’s final phase, when the Sri Lankan government militarily crushed the Tamil Tigers, a ruthless separatist group that was fighting for a separate Tamil state in the northern and eastern parts of the country. That said, there’s now little doubt that there were massive civilian casualties. A recently concluded U.N. investigation has documented horrific abuses including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and torture.
The unexpected ouster of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has meant that America’s Sri Lanka policy has been evolving. Power’s optimistic take had already been iterated by several senior officials in Barack Obama’s administration (and Obama himself), and was prominently on display when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited the country in May and delivered a speech in Colombo, the capital.
It’s been more than ten months since Sirisena came to power; now would be an opportune time for the U.S. to recalibrate its rhetoric on Sri Lanka. That said, if Washington is going to continue to embrace the Sirisena administration and perhaps even look the other way on accountability – punishing perpetrators for crimes committed during the war, possibly including war crimes – then the U.S. may feel compelled to continue building up a specious narrative of progress.
The reality is that it’s not clear how sincere the new government really is about embracing transparency, accountability or deeper reforms. Besides, if we’re using the last days of the increasingly authoritarian Rajapaksa regime as a reference point, then asserting that things have improved isn’t saying all that much.
There have been a few steps in the right direction and Sirisena probably won’t rule as autocratically as Rajapaksa did. That said, there are many areas where things are not changing that much, or where aspects of the reform agenda remain largely incomplete. Let’s take the numerous corruption investigations as an example. Many people, including this writer, must be wondering if these investigations are on a road to nowhere. Corruption was a huge problem when Rajapaksa was in power and this was a major campaign issue during the presidential and parliamentary elections. It’s unfortunate that there’ve been few indictments and littleaccountability in this area.
With American foreign policy being criticized from both the left and the right, the Obama administration wants to put Sri Lanka’s recent transfer of power in the win column for U.S. democracy promotion efforts. Nonetheless, it’s imperative that the administration make honest, accurate assessments about Sri Lanka’s progress. The truth is that nobody really knows the lasting significance of Sirisena’s ascension and we won’t know for some time. Suggesting otherwise undermines U.S. credibility and could complicate future efforts to encourage change in complicated, post-war countries.
Families of Tamil disappeared hold demo as UN working group visits Jaffna office
12 November 2015
12 November 2015
Families of the disappeared staged demonstrations to welcome United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID) to Jaffna on Thursday.
The demonstrations took place outside the UN Jaffna office, where a member of the visiting UN team was holding consultations. Mr Seong Phil Hong met the demonstrating family members of the disappeared following his meeting at the UN office in Jaffna.
The UN working group is expected to gather information on disappearances cases, and advise the government on tackling prevailing issues of enforced disappearances.
The international experts are expected to start and end their visit in Colombo, whilst travelling to Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Batticaloa, Matale, Trincomalee, Ampara and Galle. Amnesty calls on UN Working Group to investigate Sri Lanka’s mass graves and secret detention camps (09 Nov 2015) |
Sri Lanka politics, law and the media - Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena
Nov 12, 2015
Ghosts of governments past
Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena reflects on the alarming trends of media suppression in Sri Lanka, and the challenges that must be faced to bring about change.
For much of post-independent Sri Lanka, State violence has shaped and defined the parameters of human existence. Particularly in recent decades, coercion was exercised on the media through the shadowy tentacles of a deep security State.
For much of post-independent Sri Lanka, State violence has shaped and defined the parameters of human existence. Particularly in recent decades, coercion was exercised on the media through the shadowy tentacles of a deep security State.
A death chant for democracy
Failing To Pay Rs.142 M To CTB: Court Issues Summons On MR
November 13, 2015
The Colombo Commercial High Court today issued summons on former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and six others to appear before court on 10 March, 2016, over charges that they failed to pay the monies owed to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) amounting to Rs.142 million.
The court summoned Rajapaksa and his election committee when it took up a law suit filed by the SLTB which mentioned that the above accused had failed to pay monies owed to the SLTB for using its buses for the 2015 presidential election campaign.
The SLTB has filed the case against the former president and his election committee members.
In addition to Rajapaksa the complaint names Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Susil Premajayanth, Amal Senadhilankara, Gamini Senarath, as respondents among others.
Meanwhile SLTB says that Rajapaksa used its buses during the presidential election to bring people to rallies, and on some days even 600-700 buses had been used.
According to the SLTB, the total monies owed for such transport facilities was Rs. 192 million, but Rs. 50 million had been paid as an advance.
In a similar controversy where Rajapaksa is accused of the non-settlement of dues to the Independent Television Network (ITN) for telecasting his advertisements prior to the January presidential election, the former President has said it was the United Peoples Freedom Alliance’s responsibility to pay out standing payments.
Govt. takes over Avant Garde arms
By Shamindra Ferdinando-November 12, 2015, 12:00 pm
Police headquarters yesterday said that the weapons they handed over to Rakna Araksha Lanka Ltd. (RALL) on the instructions of the Defence Ministry under the previous government had been found on Sri Lanka Shipping Company-owned Avant Garde (formerly MEROU) tug chartered by the Avant Garde Maritime Services (AGMS).
Police headquarters stressed that there hadn’t been any weapons transfers to Avant Garde and the guns had been given to fully-state owned RALL. The police were responding to our front-page story yesterday, headlined ‘Arms issued to police ended up with Avant Garde.’ The report was based on a statement made by Health Minister and Cabinet spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne early this week.
Addressing a public rally at Warapitiya in the Aluthgama electorate, Dr. Senaratne said that weapons issued to Nikaweratiya and Elpitiya police stations had been found on board Avant Garde. Avant Garde carried over 800 assault rifles of two different types.
Retired Maj. Gen. K.B. Egodawela had been the Chief Executive Officer of RALL with work force of 4,000.
The vessel was returning to Galle at the end of its three-year deployment when the Navy took it into custody on Oct. 6. Avant Garde had been based at the Port Sudan in the Red Sea. Well informed sources told The Island that AGMS informed Sri Lanka Shipping Company of its decision to send back the vessel was due to decline in business in the Red Sea area. Avant Garde had been engaged in the lucrative business in providing security to foreign merchant vessels.
Sources said that that many had been confused over the naming of the tug Avant Garde as the hiring party, too, was Avant Garde.
Meanwhile, authoritative sources told The Island that all weapons on board Avant Garde had been placed under the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) pending further investigations. All weapons on board Avant had been acquired locally, sources said, adding that a second ship, Mahanuwara, chartered by AGMS carried weapons secured from overseas. Sources said that weapons from Mahanuwara would be taken over by the navy and moved to a base. Sources said that hence no private firm would be allowed to handle weapons on land or sea. Mahanuwara was due to be sold for scrap.
Wijeyadasa Lies, AG Wanted Criminal Prosecution Of Avant Garde
November 13, 2015
Self proclaimed ‘clean man’ Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has continuously lied on the Avant Garde scandal to the public, previously revealed documents by the Colombo Telegraph shows.
Rajapakshe who has maintained that he has had no ties with the company implicated in large scale corruption amounting to billions of rupees, said that he is only basing his opinion on the advice of the Attorney General.
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe
Rajapakshe said in several interviews that the Attorney General had consistently maintained that there was no criminal case against the Company.
However, contrary to Rajapakshe’s recent claims the Colombo Telegraph is in possession of a memo sent by an Additional Solicitor General to the Attorney General on the above matter.
The Attorney General department works on a case by case basis, with the Attorney General himself usually playing no part in the proceedings.
A case is usually handed over to a senior officer such as a Additional Solicitor General or a Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) who is completely in charge of the case.
The scandal was under the purview of ASG Wasantha Nawarathne Bandara who specifically called for the prosecution of the Company and officials including its Chairman Nissanka Senadipathi, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa among others to be arrested.
However, the arrest was prevented. It is learnt that both Rajapakshe and Tilak Marapana were completely behind the move to stall the case.
A senior member of the Attorney Generals Department confirmed the influence of the duo
“We were supposed to work independently and there was enough evidence to prosecute them. What could have been done was at least to arrest and if not arrest impound their passports but the Justice Minister and then Advisor to the Prime Minister, Marapana said no” he said.
Senadipathi whose passport was impounded earlier this year, thereafter traveled to countries including Nigeria.
“Obviously the purpose of the travel was to cover the tracks. Why else would anyone specifically want to go to Nigeria. It was done under the patronage of these two and everyone in the Department knows that as a matter of fact” he said.
Under Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s watch former Presidential Secretary Lalith Weerathunga and Anusha Palpita were presented before the High Court instead of the Magistrates Court in September this year and were granted bail.
The offences under which the duo were granted bail, come within the purview of a Magistrate, and are non-bailable offences.
Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris thereafter berated the Police for producing the two suspects before the High Court instead of the Magistrate Court.
The offences they were charged with include misappropriation of millions of rupees from Sri Lanka Telecom.
We reproduce the memo sent by ASG Wasantha Nawarathne Bandara to the AG in full below.
President to hand over Avant Garde to Navy :Rescinds agreement, ignores laws, imitates MR ; whither justice ?
(Lanka-e-News -12.Nov.2015, 11.00PM) The government has decided to rescind all agreements that existed between Avant Garde maritime Co. and the government. All the activities and affairs of the Co. are to be brought under the control of the Navy , minister Rajitha Senaratne revealed , according to media reports.
At the discussions held last evening at about 4.00 p.m. , chaired by president Maithripala Sirisena ,this decision was taken. The IGP , Attorney General , defense ministry officials ,Naval Commander , Rakna Lanka representatives , Rajitha Senaratne , Wijedasa Rajapakse , and Patalie Champika Ranawake who has nothing to do with this subject participated in the discussions, based on media reports.
What was revealed by Lanka e news by a report 10th had been proved right by this development. Lanka e news reported , mean and manipulative moves are under way to bring a most lucrative business of supplying security to vessels at sea under the control of the cronies of the president.Among those who are eyeing this business are a company under the name of Maritime security of notorious Kili Maharaja ; a close minister friend of the president owning 7 ships ; and Arjuna Ranatunge who is in the process of forming a new Company with this in view.
What were revealed by Lanka e news had been proved right because, though the president said yesterday this business has been taken control of by him , no revelation was made by him of the legal grounds which necessitated this decision which is supposedly a sequel to the investigation. May we recall, 20 days ago, the government of good governance led by the incumbent president declared Avant Grade Co. is running its business legally , and that the president signed an agreement with it. Hence , if the agreement that was signed 20 days ago is to be rescinded lawfully , a court verdict should be there to support it.
The president taking arbitrary action according to his fancies against businesses in operation in this country is only reminiscent of the lawless actions of his predecessor Mahinda Rajapakse a byword for lawlessness and his regime. Mahinda too acted this way taking the law into his hands outrageously and arrogantly.
The Rajapakse regime too similarly took over the Sevanagala sugar factory belonging to Daya Gamage which had a turnover of Rs. 350 million per day ,and gave it over to his stooges; After imprisoning Lalith Kotalawela , the regime’s cronies and lackeys plundered his businessess worth billions in this manner.
The good governance government however came into power to implement the laws and uphold rule of justice, and to put things right and not to do wrong , at least for the sake of the masses who elected them to power , no matter how many crooks ,criminals and corrupt of the previous regime were allowed to creep into it by the president.
Earlier on grave charges were mounted against Avant Garde Co. of engaging in unlawful businesses by the opposition and Lanka e news. When that is the situation , it is imperative a transparent and unerring investigation be coonducted based on the allegations , and it is the court that should make a decision on that – not the president and his stooges. When did the president acquire the judicial power to deliver a decision on it today after taking it under his control yesterday ? This action is full of portents for the future . The hands of a cut-throat that strangle justice will not hesitate to slit the throats of the people.
When Lanka e news inquired from a high rung officer of the Navy about the decision taken by the president today , he said , initially the Navy tried to conduct this business of supplying security to foreign vessels , but that flopped.Owing to this failure , the private Co. took it over , and according to his knowledge , even today Avant Garde Co is supplying security to over 75 vessels , and towards this 3000 of their private soldiers have been deployed. Bringing the entire operation under the SL Navy is not feasible at all , he added.
When has after an agreement signed by a private Co. with another private international shipping Co. pertaining to supply of security , been taken over at once by the Navy ? he questioned.
The Navy only provide security only within SL’s territorial waters , and an international business coming within the territorial waters beyond ours cannot be taken over by the SL Navy. Only the Navy can compete with the international shipping companies , he elaborated.
Based on the explanation offered by the Naval officer ,it is abundantly clear the president has ulterior motives and he is seeking to delude and dupe the people .Under the pretext of entrusting the operations to the Navy ,he is stealthily manoeuvering to give that business over to his henchmen. Need we remind , Rajapakses too indulged in these same sordid shameless activities to the detriment of the country.
Our efforts to establish contact with a spokesman for Avant Garde Co. to get more information proved futile
---------------------------
by (2015-11-12 23:25:54)
by (2015-11-12 23:25:54)
Confusion worse confounded
Editorial-November 12, 2015, 7:43 pm
The floating armoury issue has taken a dramatic turn. President Maithripala Sirisena has yielded to pressure from some of his trusted lieutenants who are all out to bring criminal charges against the Avant Garde high-ups and their political associates including the Rajapaksas. There is an air of prosecutorial zeal and judicial abandon about the present dispensation whereas its predecessor was notorious for letting even criminals off the hook.
It was only the other day that the then Minister of Law and Order and Prisons Reforms Tilak Marapana, PC and Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC told Parliament that Avant Garde operations had been legal. They even claimed the Attorney General (AG) had declared that there were no grounds for legal action to be taken against that company. Minister Rajapakshe even had a slanging match with his erstwhile friend, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, in a bid to prove his point.
Minister Rajapakshe told Parliament that he had convinced both President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that there had been nothing illegal about the Avant Garde operations. He had also defeated efforts in some quarters to have former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa et alarrested, he said. But, a few days on, President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered that all Avant Garde operations be discontinued immediately and its floating armoury handed over to the Navy. He is also reported to have ordered that the suspects concerned be prosecuted. One is intrigued. Does the AG subscribe to the legal position Marapana and Rajapakshe took on Avant Garde in Parliament? Did he hold that there were no grounds for legal action to be instituted against that company? If so, how can he prosecute it now?
Minister Marapana resigned from the Cabinet under duress over his defence of Avant Garde in Parliament, but he insists that he has told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Minister Rajapakshe tells us that some of his ministerial colleagues are out for his scalp because he, too, has told the truth. The critics of Avant Garde including Minister Rajitha Senaratne insist that they are also telling the truth. There can be only one truth. The question is who is lying?
What are the legal implications of the takeover by the Navy of the Avant Garde floating armoury? Is it that the anti-piracy operations have been wound up? If so, what will be the reaction of the countries which benefited from the floating armoury? If not, does the law permit the Navy to carry out the same operations as a private company? Opinion is divided on this score.
If Avant Garde, or any other company for that matter, has been on the wrong side of the law, it has to be severely dealt with according to the law, but whether to prosecute it or not is best left to the Attorney General. The state prosecutor should be free from political pressure to act independently. Most of all, neither the defenders of Avant Garde nor its critics calling for action against it should seek to advance their hidden agendas. Those who have spoken in favour of the floating armoury have been accused of benefiting from Avant Garde largesse; they claim their critics either want the Rajapaksas and former navy chiefs thrown behind bars or are working for some businesses eyeing the lucrative anti-piracy operations. Sadly, the truth has become a casualty of their political war.
Sri Lanka’s contribution to the anti-piracy operations has stood the vessels threatened by Somali pirates in good stead. The floating armoury has also helped generate employment opportunities for ex-service personnel and bring in a considerable amount of foreign exchange. It is hoped that the government will sort out the Avant Garde issue fast without letting vested interests play politics with it.
Regrettable Component Of GDP
By Hema Senanayake –November 13, 2015
Hema Senanayake
This is a period of time that most of the concerned citizens are interested in economics globally. This is especially true for Sri Lankans because the national budget debate of Sri Lanka would begin in this month. Therefore, this period of time is more appropriate to discuss about certain economic concepts which would have an impact on the people. Regrettable component of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is one of such concepts.
During the budget debates which will take place in the parliament or outside the parliament as well, there will be special emphasis on the economic parameter known as GDP. The reason is that the economic wellbeing of citizens mostly related to the growth of GDP.
All economists agree that GDP is a fairly good measure of value of the total output (or goods and services produced) of a country within a given period of time usually within one year. But this measure of value of output has its own weaknesses too. One important and significant weakness is that GDP includes a component which does not contribute to the increase of economic wellbeing of citizens. That is the component we define here as the “regrettable component of GDP.” Why is this important?
Let us take an example. It has been reported that IMF has predicted that Sri Lanka’s GDP would be increased at a rate of 5 to 5.5% in the year 2016. Let us just assume that the said GDP increase would be resulted from the increase of the “regrettable component of GDP.” In the event, it means that there will be no increase in the general wellbeing of citizens. Unfortunately, as at now, this component of regrettable GDP is not accounted or calculated. Yet understanding about it might give policy makers, politicians and the general public to have an enlighten view in regard to the efficiency of the economy because regrettable component of GDP is at minimum in a highly efficient economy which ensures the highest wellbeing of the people. Let us investigate this matter further.
There are a few methods of calculating GDP. But most popular and common method of calculating GDP is by adding up four variables. So, we can write GDP = C + I + G + NE whereas, C = consumption, I = investment, G = government expenditure and NE = net exports. Do not worry about the calculation of GDP. Our focus here is to understand as to how and where the component of regrettable GDP is accounted. Let us take a couple of examples first.
The variable “G” is government expenditure in the above GDP equation. It means that if Rs.100 is expended by the government that Rs.100 will be added to the variable “G.” If this Rs.100 is expended on education or to provide additional health care by that amount the wellbeing of people would be increased. If this Rs.100 is expended to meet the expenditure of the Jumbo Cabinet, that too includes in the GDP under the variable “G.” Will the Rs.100 expended on Jumbo Cabinet increase the general wellbeing of our people? Most people of the country would say “NO”; hence, this is the component of regrettable GDP because the GDP is increased but no increase of the wellbeing of general public. Read More
Fonseka admits attacking a no fire zone with heavy weapons (video)
Nov 13, 2015
Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, who led the Army on behalf of the then government, has admitted having launched a heavy weapon attack on a no fire zone, radiogagana.com reports quoting its sister channel IBC Tamil TV.
In an interview in Colombo, Fonseka said Pudukudirippu Hospital was targeted in a heavy weapons attack, but that it was a mistake.
His remark challenges the then government’s continuous claim that it had not carried out such an attack.
According to international war conventions, attacking hospitals is a war crime and a crime against humanity.
The ex-Army chief said he was prepared to take responsibility if any war crime had been committed.
The UN and the Maxwell Paranagama presidential commission have described the killing of LTTE political chief Balasingham Nadesan and head of the peace secretariat Seevaratnam Pulidevan while trying to surrender to the military on 18 May 2009 on a promise by the government on their safety as a war crime, and stressed the need for an independent inquiry.
Fonseka too, said an international investigation should definitely take place.
Another war crime charge against the Sri Lanka military is sexual abuse and killing of arrested female LTTE cadres, with UN citing several video footage, in which LTTE television announcer Isaipriya and several cadres are seen under military arrest.
An Army document said the 53 brigade killed Isaipriya on 18 May 2009.
Fonseka described it as a deplorable act, and said he should have known had it taken place when he was the commander.
Uda muktha03 600px 15 11 13 The ex-Army chief said the UN reports that around 40,000 civilians had been killed in the war were completely false, and said ex-UNHRC chief Navi Pillai’s statistics were unreasonable.
Satellite footage published by the UN and human rights groups show destruction caused to populated areas of Wanni due to bombings.
Fonseka said the military had the hi-tech equipment to know what happens in the ground during an attack.
He stressed that he had led the war in accordance with international and human rights conventions.
The military maintains secret camps, he said, adding that Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman too, was hidden in one such camp following his defection from the LTTE.
Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has rejected allegations by UN and human rights groups that persons were being tortured at undeclared camps.
Fonseka said secret camps were an essential part of military intelligence, but accused the former president and the ex-defence secretary of having maintained paramilitary groups.
He went onto say that Mahinda Rajapaksa had turned down his offer to build a bunker for his safety at a low cost during the war.
The underground building at the president’s house had been built by the former Navy commander, who has had a special connection with Rajapaksa, he added.
- SLM-
- SLM-
Sri Lanka Takes up Human Rights in Maldives, Expresses its Concern On Recent Developments.
13/11/2015
Democratically elected former president Nasheed, being arrested in Male, Maldivesm File photo)
For the first in recent times the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has taken up the human rights and rule of law issues in a neighboring country. Issuing a statement on the recent developments in Maldives the foreign ministry says that ‘Sri Lanka is concerned by the impact of the State of Emergency on the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of the Maldives and urges the Government of the Maldives to uphold the commitments it has made – including as a member of the Commonwealth and signatory to the Commonwealth Charter – to the universal and Commonwealth values of democracy and the rule of law.’
This mark a clear break form the Rajapaksa era, when dictators were welcomed and supported by the GoSL.
Statement on recent developments in the Maldives
Sri Lanka is deeply concerned about recent developments in the Maldives and events that have impacted on Sri Lanka, including the recent arrest of two Sri Lankan nationals in the Maldives, the questionable removal of a Maldivian social media activist who was in possession of a valid Sri Lankan visa, the stabbing of a Maldivian national in Sri Lanka, as well as the state of emergency that has been declared in the Maldives and the impeachment of the Vice-President.
Sri Lanka is also concerned by the impact of the State of Emergency on the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of the Maldives and urges the Government of the Maldives to uphold the commitments it has made – including as a member of the Commonwealth and signatory to the Commonwealth Charter – to the universal and Commonwealth values of democracy and the rule of law.
Having endured similar challenges in its recent past, the new Sri Lankan Government is committed to the principles of democracy, good governance and the rule of law. We also believe that the right to dissent is an integral part of a functioning democracy. Unlike the previous regime in Sri Lanka which silenced dissenting voices in the guise of fighting terrorism, the new administration is committed to the fundamentals of democracy.
It is in this context that the Government finds it deeply disturbing that Sri Lanka, a country which has always maintained the closest friendly relations with the Maldives is being used to initiate questionable action against political and social media activists. Sri Lanka encourages the Government of the Maldives to ensure that recent developments are not allowed to escalate into a source of regional instability.
Sri Lanka hopes that the Maldives will take steps to end the state of emergency, initiate measures to respect and protect freedom of expression and ensure that recent developments will not reverse Maldives’ hard-won democratic achievements.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
10 November, 2015
10 November, 2015
Sobhitha Thera – The Bridge Between Mosque & Temple
Dr Ranga Kalansooriya
The demise of the Most Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Nayaka Thera not only created a vacuum within the social fabric in fighting for social justice, but also symbolized the role of a Buddhist religious leader in creating national unity and ethnic harmony in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the iconic monk told us a story how an extreme nationalistic fundamentalist could become a role-model in creating ethnic harmony and national reconciliation.
I have never seen a funeral of a Buddhist monk before where other religious and ethnic communities took a prominent role to such an extent, not only in respecting the deceased but also in providing facilities to the massive crowd gathered to pay their homage.
If one spent a few hours near the remains of Most Venerable Sobhitha Thera, hundreds of Muslims and other ethno religious representatives could be seen queuing up to pay their respect to this leading Buddhist prelate. They provided bottled water and food for the visiting crowds – who were mainly Buddhists, displayed banners and cutouts expressing their sympathies on the demise of their trusted Buddhist leader.
It was senior journalist Latheef Farook who wrote the first appreciation on Sobhitha Thera just after his death and circulated via social media. Non-Buddhist religious leaders volunteered in mobilizing their communities to pay homage to the prelate and visited Naga Viharaya from every corner of the country.
Why Muslims love Sobhitha Thera so much, I asked N M Ameen, veteran media practitioner and President of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka. “Because he was the only Buddhist leader who stood with us when we were in trouble,” said Ameen. There were extreme circumstances where our community was facing uncertainties (during previous regime). We had no any other person to seek assistance, but it was Sobhitha Nayaka Thera and he openly appeared for our cause, he said. “Other Buddhist leaders would accept our existence and agree to our requests, but they would never appear openly on our behalf. But it was a totally different story with Sobhitha Thera. Therefore, Muslims from all over the country are visiting Naga Viharaya to pay their last respect to this great Buddhist leader,” Ameen added.Read More
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