Inside Saudi Arabia: Butchery, Slavery & History of Revolt

( December 17, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Meet the new head of the United Nations panel on Human Rights: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Abby Martin takes us inside the brutal reality of this police-state monarchy and tells the untold people’s history of resistance to it. With a major, catastrophic war in Yemen and looming high-profile executions of activists, The Empire Files exposes true nature of the U.S.-Saudi love affair.

Defense secretary: ‘Hard’ year ahead in Afghanistan as militant threat grows

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

By Missy Ryan and Pamela Constable-December 18

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter predicted Friday more tough fighting ahead in Afghanistan as the United States seeks to help local forces beat back a surge in Taliban attacks and contain an emerging threat from militants linked to the Islamic State.

Carter touched down at Operating Base Fenty in Afghanistan’s Nangahar province — along the Pakistan border east of Kabul — where an array of armed groups pose a major test to Afghan forces as the bulk of foreign troops withdraw.

Violence has surged across Afghanistan this fall amid a power struggle among Taliban leaders.

In October, Taliban fighters overran the northern city of Kunduz before being driven back. The group also mounted sustained attacks in the southern Kandahar and western Helmand provinces, straining morale within struggling Afghan forces despite a decade of foreign training.

[Attacks on U.S. forces during “non-combat” missions]

“I expect in the next year for the fighting to be hard, too,” Carter said following talks at the base with acting Afghan Defense Minister Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai.

It was Carter’s first visit since President Obama announced in October that the United States would keep a force of 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan into 2017, abandoning his earlier ambition to withdraw all U.S. troops before he leaves office.

The Pentagon is also slowing the pace of troop reductions next year, a recognition of the ongoing reliance of Afghan troops on foreign military power, and of the continued insurgent threat that a 14-year U.S. and NATO operation has been unable to extinguish.

According to a Pentagon report released this month, insurgents are improving their ability to “find and exploit” Afghan government vulnerabilities.

The increasingly tenuous situation in Afghanistan is a reminder that Obama’s hopes of ending the insurgent wars begun under his predecessor have not played out as planned. In addition to extending its presence in Afghanistan, the United States has returned to combat operations in Iraq and is expanding its military role in Syria.

Under current plans, the U.S. military will remain at a major air base in Bagram, north of Kabul, along with several other facilities throughout Afghanistan. While much of the future effort will focused on training and advising Afghan forces, the Obama administration has also laid plans for substantial counterterrorism operations focused on al-Qaeda.

[Al-Qaeda loses major training camp]

 

“This year was all about trying to show control” by militant factions amid the exit of NATO forces, said Gen. John Campbell, the U.S. and NATO military commander in Afghanistan.

Speaking to reporters, Stanekzai said Afghanistan would require “long-term support and help of international friends” to sustain it. According to U.S. statistics, casualties among Afghan security forces increased by nearly 30 percent during the first 11 months of 2015.

While Carter renewed promises Friday of long-term support to Afghanistan, it is the next president who will decide how long U.S. troops will stay. U.S. lawmakers will have control over U.S. military aid to Afghanistan, which can pay for only a small share of its annual security costs. The U.S. contribution now stands around $4 billion a year.

Stankekzai added that military action was only one part of the government response needed to combat groups such as the Islamic State, in addition to measures related to the economy, employment and regional diplomacy.

[Spending watchdog probes Pentagon bills in Kabul]

Fighters from the Islamic State, also known as Daesh, first entered the province last year, making their barbaric mark by forcing a group of village men to sit on explosives and then detonating them. Since then, the black-clad fighters have gained control of several districts, where they have closed schools, declared the right to take widows and unmarried girls, and meted out regular brutal punishments to enforce sharia law.

Until now, most Islamic State-affiliated forces in Nangahar have been Afghan Taliban defectors, Pakistan-based militants and Islamist fighters from Uzbekistan.

Three days ago, in a sign of its growing reach, the Islamic State launched a radio broadcast in Nangahar, called “The Voice of the Caliphate,” which urges young men to join its holy war and issues propaganda against the government.

Residents have said they fear it will attract jobless young men. Afghan officials have not been able to locate its source, but provincial officials said it was being broadcast from across the border, presumably in the tribal regions of Pakistan.

[What happened during U.S. airstrike on aid hospital?]

“Nangahar is the region that most distresses us now,” Gen. Dawlat Waziri, senior spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said in an interview Thursday. He said Afghan forces have defeated the Islamic State in several other provinces and are now aggressively fighting them in four districts of Nangahar, where they have killed between 300 and 400 militants in recent months.

But after fleeing to the mountains, he said, the militants “reemerged” and are now fighting to take three districts again, in some cases in alliance with Taliban fighters and in other cases against them. The Islamic State forces “have money,” Waziri said. “They buy Taliban commanders, and weaker Taliban groups switch sides.”

Constable reported from Kabul.

Missy Ryan writes about the Pentagon, military issues, and national security for The Washington Post.

 

Pamela Constable covers immigration issues and immigrant communities. A former foreign correspondent for the Post based in Kabul and New Delhi, she also reports periodically from Afghanistan and other trouble spots overseas.

African Union Set to Deploy 5,000 Peacekeepers in Burundi

With the small Central African country spiraling toward chaos, the AU may be about to make an unprecedented decision to force a peacekeeping mission.

BY TY MCCORMICK-DECEMBER 18, 2015

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — The African Union Peace and Security Council on Friday authorized a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force for Burundi, where months of grinding conflict between supporters and opponents of President Pierre Nkurunziza are threatening to explode into a full-blown civil war. Burundi now has 96 hours to signal its acceptance of the mission or else risk that the 54-nation body will invoke a special rule that allows it to deploy an intervention force without the host government’s consent.

“Africa will not allow another genocide to take place on its soil,” the AU’s Peace and Security Council declared as its members convened Thursday for a special session on the crisis in Burundi.

Reached for comment before the agreement had been finalized, Burundian presidential spokesman Willy Nyamitwe said he was “surprised to hear that the AU can think of sending 5,000 troops to a place like Burundi.” He blamed the European Union for the peacekeeping plan, which he said AU diplomats had circulated under pressure from Brussels. “It is as if Burundi were under fire, as if Burundi were burning,” he said in an interview. “We do believe that this general narrative is brought only to disturb the peace.”

The authorization of peacekeepers comes just one week after Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital city, saw its worst single day of violence since a bloody 13-year civil war ended in 2005. What began last Friday as a pre-dawn rebel assault on three military installations ended with what witnesses described as dozens of summary executions by uniformed security services, who stormed into opposition neighborhoods and rounded up suspected dissidents. The government put the official death toll at 87, but watchdog organizations say the number could be much higher. According to the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights, 154 people were killed and roughly 150 more are still missing.

“Burundi is at bursting point, on the very cusp of a civil war,” U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Husseinsaid on Thursday.

Top U.N. diplomats have been sounding the alarm on the deteriorating situation in Burundi for months, but an international response has been slow to materialize. Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recommended stepping up the U.N.’s presence in the country in order to promote political dialogue, but stopped short of advocating for the deployment of blue helmets. An assessment of how best to proceed, led by Jamal Benomar, Ban’s special advisor on Burundi, is expected to wrap up early next month. But no action at the Security Council is expected until then, experts and diplomats said.

With the U.N. effectively in a holding pattern until early next year, the AU proposal represents the most significant step toward getting a force focused on protecting civilians on the ground. According to the communiqué,published online Friday, the AU plans to authorize a 5,000-strong force known as the African Prevention and Protection Mission in Burundi (MAPROBU) for an initial period of six months. Its military and police regiments would be drawn from the Eastern Africa Standby Force, a regional force created for peace support operations that includes troops from Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, among others, and is mandated to protect civilians under imminent threat and support political dialogue.

“If you look at debates in New York, the AU can reasonably claim that the U.N. is lagging behind here,” said Paul D. Williams, an expert on peacekeeping at the George Washington University. “They want to lead on this issue, so with this communiqué they are taking the lead. And their hope is that the Security Council will follow their lead.”

The AU plan also breaks new ground by recommending that if the Burundian government rejects the proposed deployment, member states invoke Article 4(h) of the African Union’s Constitutive Act, which allows the continental body to force a peacekeeping presence on recalcitrant members in order to prevent “genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.” Article 4(h) has never before been invoked to justify a peacekeeping mission, and all previous AU deployments have been deployed with the consent of the host government. As a result, the AU proposal likely sets the stage for a showdown at the United Nations.

Unless the African Union is prepared to defend its intervention as “illegal but justified,” as NATO defended its intervention in Kosovo, it would need a Chapter VII authorization at the U.N. Security Council. Since China and Russia would likely oppose such a measure — as they have in Syria — the Burundian proposal could be stymied in New York.

Yet U.S. Ambassador to Burundi Dawn Liberi told Foreign Policy that the United States is prepared to fight for a U.N. Security Council authorization.

“Moving toward the Eastern Africa Standby Force, the resolution of the African Union is a necessary next step.… No one wants to stand by and watch the violence escalate,” Liberi said in an interview on Friday. “This is a position that the United States very much supports in terms of what the African Union has taken and it is something that we would move forward with in terms of our position in the U.N. Security Council.”

News of the AU troop authorization was welcomed by critics of President Nkurunziza, who have fled to neighboring countries in droves since the crisis began in April.

“It is clear that the army is divided and can no longer play its role as protector of the people. So it falls to the international community to intervene to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity,” said Vital Nshimirimana, a lawyer and human rights activist who heads the Forum for Strengthening the Civil Society, a coalition of Burundian civil society organizations. “We are in a situation where acts of crimes against humanity have been committed since April — acts of murder; torture; cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment and imprisonment under circumstances that are detrimental to the dignity of humans.”

But a peacekeeping presence is only part of the solution. The Burundian crisis, which erupted in April when Nkurunziza defied protests to seek a third term in office, is fundamentally political in nature: Opponents of the president claimed that Nkurunziza violated the constitution by standing for re-election; his supporters maintain that he was eligible because he was not popularly elected to his first term. Things came to a head in May, when Nkurunziza cracked down hard against the protesters, many of whom have since taken up arms against the government.

The president was re-elected in July in a vote that was boycotted by the opposition and condemned by the international community. Since then, the violence has intensified, with efforts to promote dialogue falling by the wayside. The East African Community, a regional trade bloc that includes Burundi, tapped Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to lead a mediation effort. But the septuagenarian leader has seemed distracted with his own re-election bid, delegating many of his duties to his defense minister. In the five months he’s been leading the talks, no serious dialogue has taken place, and regional and Western diplomats alike have grown impatient.

“We have continuously said we support the efforts of Museveni. However, we would like to see the process start and are a bit concerned that it has taken a few months for this process to move forward,” said Liberi. “I can’t urge enough that the timing is really of the essence now. I think that frankly we’ve really run out of time.”

Last weekend’s sudden escalation in violence brings the death toll since April to well over 400, according to the United Nations. Another 200,000 people have fled to neighboring countries. And while the authorization of an AU peacekeeping mission comes as welcome news to many, it will be months before troops arrive on the ground, even under the best of circumstances. The AU Assembly, which would have to vote either by consensus or a two-thirds majority to invoke Article 4(h), is not slated to meet again until January. The battle for authorization at the U.N. Security Council looms after that.

“The African Union’s decision is unprecedented, but it’s still too early to say there is going to be 5,000 African peacekeepers arriving in Burundi any time soon,” said Evan Cinq-Mars, an advocacy officer at the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. “The government has 96 hours to respond, and the Union’s resolve to prevent further chaos in Burundi could be seriously tested if Nkurunziza does not accept.”

Photo credit: MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images

Nepal: Tripartite Talks Fail: The Show goes on

Some of the leaders in Nepal are making irresponsible statements that Nepal should go to international entities with their complaints against India. It is hoped that good sense will prevail and if India has to correctly follow the international rules, it is Nepal that will suffer. It looks that Nepal has not really understood the new political dynamics of its neighbouring country- India. How else can one explain-India inviting the agitating Madhesi leaders to Delhi and discuss the ongoing agitation with the decision makers in Delhi?

by Dr S.Chandrasekharan

( December 17, 2015, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) On the 10th of December, after many false starts the agitating Madhesi Group UDMF consisting of its four leaders met the representatives of the ruling coalition and the Nepali Congress leaders at Singha Durbar to discuss the demands of the Madhesi leaders.

Dahal in his capacity as coordinator of the High-Level Political Coordination committee (HLPCC) was also present.

While the Madhesi leaders pressed for considering their 11 point demand made earlier and asked the three major parties take a common stand, the leaders of the government and the Nepali Congress were only willing to go ahead with the amendments to the constitution relating to proportional representation in State Organs and deciding on the number of constituencies based on population, they were unwilling to make any change in the boundaries of the proposed seven provinces. At best they said that they could settle the question of provincial boundaries within three months through a political mechanism.

The assurance of a political mechanism within three months was vague and the Madhesi leaders pointed out that the government, therefore, was not keen on any settlement. What they wanted was a “package deal” and the bottom line was the “demarcation of federal boundaries.”

It was no surprise that the talks failed. Laxman Lal Karna- the chief spokesman of the UDMF declared that “Unless the major parties show flexibility to address our concerns, we cannot say that the talks are positive. We gave the 11 point demand to major parties a long time ago but they are yet to come up with a common stand vis-a-vis our demands.”

Oil Supplies from China:

Though a tentative agreement was signed with China for trading in oil, its modality, import quantity, transport and viability, so far only1333 Kilolitres have been received. In the beginning, of this month over 600 Nepali containers were stranded at Rasuwa Gadhi and the line of waiting trucks extended up to Syaberu bansi, a distance of over 5 Kms. The problem was said to be that the Chinese declined to issue “one day passes” to go to Keyrong- the supply point.

It is now being realised that importing oil from China is not a viable option and one of the NOC (Nepal Oil Nigam) privately admitted that he was not very optimistic about importing fuel from China.

It is not clear whether Nepal is aware that the districts adjoining China like Rasuwa, Mustang, Humla, Mugu, Dolakha and Sndhpalchok are being fully taken care of by China in the matter of supplies without any reference to the central government in Kathmandu.

It is good that Nepal tried to import oil from China and in fact, should try to get more commodities from China. It will be realised only then that how Nepal had it easy to get fuel supplies so smoothly and cheaply through India and how difficult it would be to find an alternate source and route through China. It is understood that Nepal has approached Saudi Arabia for 20,000-kilolitres of fuel and here again, there will be problems as the fuel trucks will have to pass through the Terai where the agitation is continuing.

K P Situala’s Admission:

In one of the recent meetings, K.P. Situala, a top leader of the Nepali Congress admitted that the new constitution would not bring political stability in Nepal. For this, he has to squarely take the blame as he was the chairman of the drafting committee. He never consulted the Madhesi or the Janajathi leaders who form more than forty percent of the population and thought that with the brute majority he had with the two other leading political parties, could ride rough shod over their interests and promulgate the new constitution. Technically he was right as he had most of the members of the constituent assembly backing him but forgot that “over forty percent” is not a small number and by no means the constitution be called an “inclusive” one.

For Situala’s arrogance Nepal is paying not only an economic price but a political price too. In one our notes -Note 752 dated 20th November 2015, we had pointed out howBhutan has gained considerably while Nepal lost by its big and brash moves in dealing with India. India bashing continues at all levels of the government and of the media too. India can afford to sit tight but Nepal cannot continue on this “mode” indefinitely.

Some of the leaders in Nepal are making irresponsible statements that Nepal should go to international entities with their complaints against India. It is hoped that good sense will prevail and if India has to correctly follow the international rules, it is Nepal that will suffer. It looks that Nepal has not really understood the new political dynamics of its neighbouring country- India. How else can one explain-India inviting the agitating Madhesi leaders to Delhi and discuss the ongoing agitation with the decision makers in Delhi? It is the time that some way is found to end the Madhesi agitation and a package deal that would save the face of both the government and the Madhesi leaders could end this crisis.

Earlier it is done, better it would be for both the parties and India too. At a later stage, with a new government elected under the new constitution, Nepal’s leaders could decide on what kind of relationship they should have with India so that the differences that have risen now could be avoided in future.

Delhi High Court declines to lengthen jail time for gang rape convict

Plainclothes policemen escort a teenager (head covered with towel) after he was sentenced at a juvenile court in New Delhi August 31, 2013.REUTERS/ANINDITO MUKHERJEE/FILES

Dec 18, 2015

The youngest of six men convicted of the 2012 gang rape of a woman, in a case that shocked India, moved closer to being freed on Sunday, after a court said it could not extend his three-year sentence.

The case turned a global spotlight on the treatment of women in India, where police say a rape is reported every 20 minutes, and the sentence for the young man sparked debate over whether the country is too soft on youthful offenders.

The court was hearing a petition by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Subramanian Swamy demanding a longer sentence for the man, who was 17 at the time of the crime, after he had received the maximum punishment of three years from the Juvenile Justice Board. The Delhi High Court judges said they could not halt the man's release because his sentence complied with existing law.

"We don't want to interfere in the Juvenile Justice Board," the two judges said in their ruling on Friday.

A lawyer for the man declined to comment.

In 2012, the man and five adult companions lured the 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist and her male friend onto a bus in Delhi, where they repeatedly raped the woman and beat both with a metal bar before dumping them on to a road.

The woman died two weeks later of her injuries. Four of the adults were sentenced to death while the fifth hanged himself in prison. The death sentences have not yet been carried out.

Police accused the teenager of being violent, and said he pulled out part of the woman's intestines with his hands.

"I want every woman to protest on the streets of the country to stop his release," Asha Devi, the victim's mother, told Reuters. "There is no way that society can allow a dangerous man to walk free."

India responded to the public outcry over the rape by fast-tracking tougher laws against sex crimes, and members of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have pushed to change the juvenile law and reduce the age of attaining adulthood to 16, from 18.

The petition was filed by Subramanian Swamy, a politician in Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP, who called for the law to be reinterpreted.

The final call on the man's release would be made by a management panel of the Juvenile Justice Board after assessing if he had been "socially mainstreamed", Swamy told Reuters.

(Reporting by Rupam Jain Nair, Andrew MacAskill and Suchitra Mohanty; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

10 Worrying Signs Of Thyroid Problems That 

You Should Be Aware Of

Dec 13, 2015

Maybe 59 million Americans have problem with the thyroid. Most of them are not aware of the problem. The thyroid is located on the neck and it is main gland that controls the metabolism. If the thyroid stops to work it will have a bad influence over your health, including your weight, energy level and depression.

If the thyroid problems are not discovered in time it may lead to obesity, depression, anxiety, hair loss, infertility, heart disease and many other health problems. You may not have all of the symptoms but these are the most common signs that you may have thyroid problem.

1. Pain in the muscles and the joints, problems with the carpal tunnel/tendonitis

If you have aches in the muscles and in the joints, if you experience weakness in your arms and if you sometimes have carpal tunnel in the hands, plantars fasciitis in your feet or even tarsal tunnels in the legs you may be having problems with the thyroid.

2. Pain in the neck

If you feel like you neck is swollen or you experience discomfort with the neckties or visibly large thyroid it means that you maybe have a goiter. That is the term for enlarged thyroid and it is sign for a thyroid disease.

3. Changes in your hair or skin

Hair loss and many skin problems are connected with thyroid problems. If you suffer from hypothyroidism your hair may become coarse, dry, and brittle and may easily fall off. Concerning the skin it will be dry, scaly and thick. In case of hypothyroidism people often experience unusual loss of the hair that is on the end of the eyebrow and in case of hyperthyroidism the skin becomes very thin and fragile.

 4. Constipation

If you experience constipation for a longer period of time or if you have sever constipation it can mean that you are suffering from hypothyroidism, while hyperthyroidism is connected with irritable bowel and diarrhea.

5. Menstrual cramps or problems with fertility

If your periods are more frequent or heavier it may be sign for hypothyroidism. On the other hand hyperthyroidism is connected with infrequent, shorter or ever lighter periods. Problems with fertility are often connected with thyroid conditions that are not diagnosed.

6. Family

The problems with the thyroid may be hereditary and if someone from your family had it you may have it as well.

7. Cholesterol

The low cholesterol sometimes is connected with hyperthyroidism and the high cholesterol, that it is not regulated with diet or exercise sometimes is connected with hypothyroidism.

8. Anxiety or depression

Both of them are connected with problems with the thyroid. The panic attacks or anxiety are symptoms of hyperthyroidism while depression with hypothyroidism. If a person who suffers from depression does not respond to medication it may be a sign of problems with the thyroid.

9. Changes in the weight

If you are trying to lose weight and you eat healthy foods, exercise regularly but you still do not have any changes in your weight it may be a sign of hypothyroidism. If you are attending a group for losing weight but you are the only person that do not lose weight it maybe mean that you have thyroid problem. If you cannot decide what causes your unplanned weight gaining or losing you might suffer from hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

10. Fatigue

If you sleep 8 to 10 hours and you are still feeling tired and you cannot function the entire day without napping you may have problems with the thyroid. The opposite of this, staying up all night and having insomnia is connected with hyperthyroidism.

Video: Restore fertilizer subsidy: farmers urge govt. 

2015-12-17
A group of span-cloth wearing farmers staged a protest march today from Colombo Fort to Temple Trees via the vicinity of Town Hall against some of the budget proposals.Pix by Nisal Baduge 

Slain media persons and comensation: Points to ponder

By C. A. Chandraprema

-December 17, 2015

Speaking during the committee stage debate on the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Mass Media and Parliamentary Affairs, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that a compensation plan would be implemented for 44 media persons who were killed due to political reasons under the former regime. He said that President Maithripala Sirisena had also supported the move to pay compensation to these murdered journalists. When he speaks of 44 media personnel having been killed during the previous administration, he is referring to the list put out by media NGOs such as the Media Movement for Democracy (MMD).

Slain Media Persons and Comensation Points to Ponder by Thavam Ratna

Lighting the lamps

Source: NSiddhu via CC

Dec 16, 2015

Last week Dr Chaminda Weerawardhana wrote an article for the Colombo Telegraph in which he defended the right of victims of Sri Lanka’s civil war to commemorate Maaveerar Naal, or “heroes day”. It is incredibly rare to hear a defence of Maaveerar Naal outside of Tamil circles, and to hear one now is a promising sign. A more nuanced and calmer discussion of grief and mourning in Sri Lanka is long overdue.

Maaveerar Naal – a problematic commemoration

Of course there are many reasons why commemorating Maaveerar Naal makes some feel uncomfortable. For many years it was entirely synonymous with the Tamil Tigers (LTTE). The days in question, November 26th and 27th, correspond to two key dates in the history of the militant group: the birthday of the Tigers’ supreme leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, and the day of the first ever LTTE casualty, Lt. Shankar AKA Suresh. Strictly only the latter day, the 27th, constitutes Maaveerar Naal, but commemorations often spanned both days.

The name Maaveerar Naal itself is problematic. Talking about the dead in militaristic terms as “heroes” or “martyrs” underplays the fact that most of the casualties of the civil war were civilian, and that many did not fully support the Tigers.

The LTTE also inflicted much suffering, particularly upon Sri Lankan Muslims, who perhaps suffered most at the Tigers’ hands, but also upon the Tamil activists and rivals that the LTTE murdered, the children they forcibly recruited, and the Sinhalese people who lost family members in suicide bombings. For those groups, Maaveerar Naal is a commemoration that can be deeply alienating.

Moreover, while it may provide comfort to some to think of their loved ones as heroes who died fighting for a noble cause, it is a notion which tends to preclude the sort frank and honest reckoning with the legacy of the LTTE that is required for reconciliation. Noble as the cause of self-determination may have been, the LTTE were a fascist organisationled by cowardly and incompetent individuals whose utter disregard for the lives of their own followers and civilians trapped in the crossfire led them to continue fighting long after the situation was clearly hopeless. The LTTE forced a large section of the community to stay with them, with the effect that most did not die fighting, but were helplessly and needlessly slaughtered long after the war was effectively lost.

No incorrect way to grieve

That said, the act of lighting lamps on November 26th and 27th is the primary means through which many Tamil people in the north of Sri Lanka choose to grieve. This is a tradition that predates the Tigers. It has its roots in Hindu mythology, and in the festival of Karthiaai Vilakkeedu (Karthiaai Deepam), which commemorates the formation of Murugan (the god of the Tamil people) and which falls roughly, and often exactly, on these dates. Some would argue that this, coupled with over 30 years of continual cultural practice in the north and east of Sri Lanka, means that Maaveerar Naal is a commemoration whose meaning cannot be claimed exclusively by the Tiger’s and which in reality holds much wider significance to the community as a whole.

While this is debatable, it is true that the Government of Sri Lanka’s ruthless suppression and co-opting of other means of memorialisation (bulldozing graveyards, building tasteless war memorials, and turning the anniversary of the war’s end into a triumphalist celebration of the Sri Lankan army) has left the Tamil community with little other outlet for its collective grief.

The Tamil areas of Sri Lanka are in the grips of a mental health epidemic, with studies indicating extremely high rates of war-related psychological trauma and the various forms of social breakdown that accompany it. Grieving for the dead, in whatever form the grief stricken wish to do so, is an important part of the healing process. Memorialisation in Tamil culture is primarily done through ritual, and Maaveerar Naal is without a doubt the most widely observed one.

Banning mourning

Under Mahinda Rajapaska the commemoration of Maaveerar Naal was ruthlessly suppressed, in violation of rules regarding free speech and freedom of assembly. This added to the feeling of persecution and oppression felt by the Tamil community in the north and east, and the feeling that grief itself had been criminalized.

Three weeks ago Maaveerar Naal was marked with an unease which has been a common feature of this year; indicative of a Government which, while less heavy handed than its predecessor, continues to deploy surveillance and subtle intimidation by the security sector to maintain the north and east’s ongoing climate of fear. There were several reported incidents of commemorations being actively suppressed and a prevailing feeling among Tamil communities in the north that they were still unable to mourn openly.

This is not healthy. For all the problems associated with Maaveerar Naal, Sri Lanka can only heal and reconcile if people are allowed to grieve for their dead however they see fit, and without fear of reprisal. Nor are the interests of the Government of Sri Lanka best served by having Maaveerar Naal continue to be observed in secret, as it inevitably will be. This means that the mythology surrounding the war will be tightly controlled by a select few, without any of the scrutiny – and perhaps reflection – that a more open commemoration might bring.

In the interests of reconciliation the Government of Sri Lanka would do well to signal that it is bringing to an end its war on mourning. In 2016 we hope that people will be able to grieve openly by lighting lamps on the 26th and 27th of November – free from government interference, and we hope, freer also from the spectre of the LTTE.

Sri Lanka: Right to Information law must be adopted

The following press release issued by the ARTICLE 19

( December 17, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) ARTICLE 19 urges the Sri Lankan parliament to adopt the draft Right to Information Act put forward by the cabinet, which if passed as is, would be one of the best in the world.

“The draft Right to Information Act put forward by Cabinet would firmly protect the right in law and therefore we urge parliament to adopt the Act without changes, so that the people of Sri Lanka can being to use it,” said Thomas Hughes, ARTICLE 19’s Executive Director.

“Once adopted, the next few years will be a crucial test: having a good Act does not necessarily result in a transparent and accountable government. Experiences from neighbouring countries show that the hard work is about to begin: to ensure that information officers are quickly appointed and trained, and civil society needs to begin requesting as soon as possible.”

On 2 December 2015, the Sri Lankan Cabinet approved the draft Right to Information Act and sent it for discussion at the provincial level before being put to parliament. The draft Act has a number of excellent features:

• It provides for a strong and independent information commission that will be able to order the release of information being withheld by public bodies
• It provides seats on the information commission for civil society and media representatives
• It includes a broad public interest test for nearly all exemptions. This test will limit the application of exemptions where there is a greater public interest in the release of the information. Furthermore, many of the exemption also contain a specific public interest test too
• It specifically overrides other existing laws that may conflict with it
• It limits the restrictions on information that is over 10 years old.

There are a number of provisions that could be improved by Parliament:

• The draft Act limits the right to Sri Lankan citizens only. However, information, like other human rights, should be available to everyone. Many marginalised people or those displaced by conflict may not have citizenship or evidence of citizenship and would therefore be denied their right
• The exemptions on information relating to defence, national security and trade negotiations could be further limited with a requirement that the exemption only applies to the release of such information that is likely to cause serious harm
• The long time limits could be reduced. Currently, officials are given 14 working days to decide whether to release the information, and a further 14 days to actually do so. Officials also have the ability to extend the deadline for a further 21 working days. In total, 49 working days, or 10 weeks, is a comparatively long time.

A law protecting the right to freedom of information was a key manifesto pledge of the current government. ARTICLE 19 reviewed an earlier draft of the bill in February and May 2015, and met with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in May to discuss the bill’s shortcomings as part of a post-election media freedom mission.

Upon Sri Lanka adopting the law, South Asia will become one of the leading regions in legislating to protect the right to information. A map of states with right to information laws is available on the ARTICLE 19’s website, which includes the laws in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan.

ARTICLE 19 reviewed all the right to information laws in the Asia region, pinpointing their strengths and weaknesses in the report ‘Asia Disclosed’ published September 2015.

Canada Supports Sri Lanka's Peace-Building Efforts

A MAG demining team in Mannar District, with Minister Samaraweera [third from the left] and High Commissioner Whiting [fifth from the right], who observed demining activities.

Author: Mike Fryer-Thu, 17 Dec 2015

Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The Canadian Government continues to support efforts to rid the country of landmines in villages ravaged by years of Sri Lankan civil war. An effort with an end in sight.

The Government is providing CAD850,000 in 2015-2016 to non-governmental organization Mines Advisory Group (MAG) to keep thousands of men, women and children safe from the mines and unexploded bombs that continue to litter the land six years after the end of the country's long conflict

Speaking from a minefield in the northern district of Mannar today, the High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanka and Maldives, H.E. Shelley Whiting said: "The demining activities that we had the honour of seeing today underscored for me the critical importance of demining work in Sri Lanka.

"Clearance of landmines is a necessary precursor to peace and security for all Sri Lankans and is a key component of Sri Lanka's broader plans for reconciliation and resettlement. Canada's support to MAG is playing an important role in helping Sri Lanka meet its objective of being mine-impact free by 2020. Seeing MAG's work today and noting the level of strong and constructive coordination with government at all levels, I am confident that this objective will be met."

These deadly remnants of war prevent farmers from being able to use their land, restrict access to water sources, and hinder resettlement plans for thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were forced to flee during periods of prolonged fighting.

With continued international support, MAG anticipates that the entire country can be free from the impact of mines by 2020.

Speaking today, MAG Sri Lanka Country Director Alistair Moir said: "Sri Lanka remains a country where MAG removes a staggering amount of landmines. Each one that is removed brings greater safety and less fear for families whoíd been living with the daily threat of death and injury. Safe land means people can move around freely and use farmland, which has such a sustained and positive impact on their lives and livelihoods.

"This is the tangible nature of our work, and we very much look forward to the Government of Sri Lanka declaring a status of 'mine impact free' before 2020. Canadian funds have been and remain vital in achieving this."

During 2015, MAG removed 8,776 landmines and unexploded bombs in Sri Lanka. In addition, more than 25 million square metres of land has been released in 2015 - either cleared of danger or deemed to be safe following survey - enabling thousands of people to rebuild their lives.

High Commissioner Whiting added: "Canada's support builds on the significant work already undertaken in mine clearing in the country by the Government of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan army and international demining organizations such as MAG.

"The devastating impact of landmines on civilians is without question. It is my hope that the considerable work undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka with the support of partners such as Canada, will save lives, facilitate returns and lead to eventual accession by Sri Lanka of relevant international treaties aimed at bringing an end to the use of these indiscriminate weapons."

Context:

Sri Lanka's 25-year civil war left large areas of the Northern and Eastern Provinces heavily contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Following the end of the conflict in 2009, this became a major impediment to the resettlement of thousands of IDPs and was identified as the main priority of the Government of Sri Lanka during the post-war period.

Mine action agencies, including MAG, were tasked to use all available resources to clear residential areas and their immediate surroundings in order to facilitate safe returns.

By the end of 2012, a total of 467,553 IDPs had come back to the north and east. As the returning population grew, however, people set up home beyond areas that were cleared during the emergency response, in close proximity to hazardous areas.

Now classified as high priority for mine and UXO clearance, these sites include vast areas of agricultural and forested land, on which the majority of returnees are dependent for food, firewood and building materials.

Sri Lanka now considers itself to be in the final phase of demining and significant progress has been made. It is important that momentum continues, and the support for international agencies over the next two years will be critical..

Sri Lanka Hate Speech law: Weliamuna Vs. Civil Society

17/12/2015

In a rather disturbing development well-known human rights lawyer J.C. Weliamuna has come forward to defend the government’s proposed hate speech law in the face of growing opposition to the draft law as a suppressive act.

Issuing a joint statement group of concerned civil activists and organisations called on the government to withdraw the bill, as soon the law came be known. The law was tabled in the parliament by the media minister on 11th December.

The statement signed by known human rights defenders like Brito Fernando, Chandra Jayaratne, Chandraguptha Thenuwara, Jehan Perera, Gamini Viyangoda, Manouri Muttetuwegama, Nimalka Fernando,Fr. Jeyabalan Croos, Ratnajeevan H. Hoole, Shreen Abdul Saroor,Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Ruki Fernando etc., stated that “ the new offence under the Penal Code is particularly problematic as it is a near verbatim reproduction of the language in Section 2(1) (h) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The offence as provided in the Bill is overbroad and general, and is not a permissible restriction in relation to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution and by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Furthermore, the proposed amendment, if enacted, could lead to a culture of self-censorship and perpetuate a chilling effect on free speech”.

Tamil National Alliance too issued a statement urging the government to withdraw the proposed law.

Now speaking to a London based web site Mr. Weliamuna has justified the proposed law saying that “ a clause like this even included in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) and LLRC has recommended enacting such a law.” But he has not provided the relevant clause of the UDHR. LLRC has made only a general recommendation not a specific model law. Mr. Weliamuna has further said that those who have oppose the law must be ignorant.

Based on Mr. Weliamuna’s comment the website has branded those 100 odd civil activists who signed the statement as lunatics!

Although Mr. Weliamuna has defended the proposed law government today announced that it will not take up the draft law for discussion on 8th January 2016.

– Comment by SLB

Penal Code (Amendment) Bill and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill not to be taken up on 8 Jan.

The Penal Code (Amendment) Bill and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill will not be moved for debate on January 8, Leader of the House Minister Lakshman Kiriella said in Parliament today.

DEC 17 2015

He added Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe informed him that the said two bills would not be taken up in Parliament on January 8 as previously scheduled.

The minister made this observation in response to a point of order raised by UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena.

MP Gunawardena asked the Government whether the two bills would be withdrawn. “There is marked opposition to these bills. About 22 civil organizations and almost all the MPs in the Opposition have demanded the Government to withdraw them” he said.

Minister Kiriella said a decision whether they would be withdrawn or not would be taken later.

Chief Government Whip and Minister Gayantha Karunathilake presented the two bills in Parliament on December 11. The Penal Code (Amendment) Bill seeks to insert a new section 291c in the Chapter 19 of the Act, as “Whoever, by the use of words spoken, written or intended to be read, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, intends to cause or attempts to instigate acts of violence, or to create religious, racial or communal disharmony, or feelings of ill-will or hostility, between communities or different classes of persons or different racial or religious groups, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years”.

The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill seeks to amend section 135 of the Act No, 15 of 1979 by including section 291c of the Penal Code in paragraph (e) of subsection 1, and the legal effect of the section as amended is to make the Attorney General’s sanction a pre-requisite to take cognizance of an offense punishable under section 291c.