Boko Haram Has Forced One Million Children Out of School

BY SIOBHÁN O'GRADY-DECEMBER 22, 2015

Boko Haram insurgents operating in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger are so committed to keeping children from attending school that their Hausa name translates to “Western Education Is Forbidden.”

And a new UNICEF report released Tuesday claims they are achieving that goal: more than one million children in the Lake Chad region have been kept out of school by the group. Across the four affected countries, 2,000 schools have been closed and hundreds more have been attacked or burned by the group, which wants to establish a caliphate in Nigeria’s northeast and surrounding territory.

These numbers are particularly alarming because Boko Haram, which gained notoriety in the West after militants kidnapped more than 260 girls from their boarding school in the Nigerian town of Chibok last year, has survived in large part by preying on the poor and disaffected.

While other terrorist groups, including the Islamic State, have profited by kidnapping Western aid workers and journalists and then negotiating large payments for their release, Boko Haram has often targeted local communities by kidnapping the poor for meager ransoms. More than 10,000 are thought to have been killed by the group.

Boko Haram’s very emergence can be credited in part to the Nigerian central government’s failures to provide economic opportunity in the country’s northeast, with many children living in the region lacking access to schooling even before the group began to gain strength six years ago.

According to UNICEF, the one million now kept out of school by the group adds to a total of 11 million children from the four countries who were out of primary school even before the group launched its war against government structures. Some 600 teachers have been killed by the insurgents in Nigeria alone. Many classrooms are severely overcrowded, and other school buildings are now being used to house the displaced.

And now the United Nations is warning that unless the group is defeated, the next generation of children from the Lake Chad region will be at risk for radicalization or other social unrest.

“Schools have been targets of attack, so children are scared to go back to the classroom,” Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF’s West and Central Africa regional director, said in a written release accompanying the report. “Yet the longer they stay out of school, the greater the risks of being abused, abducted and recruited by armed groups.”   

Earlier this year, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who beat out incumbent Goodluck Jonathan last March after running on a campaign of increased security, gave his military a December deadline to beat back the group.

But even with some assistance from the United States, United Kingdom, and France, that goal looks increasingly unrealistic. A multi-regional military task force has dismantled some of the group’s strongholds, forcing the extremists to rely on asymmetric tactics. Those attacks, in turn, are increasingly involving children: On Monday, two teenage girls detonatedthemselves in a bloody suicide attack, killing nine and injuring dozens in the northeastern Nigerian district of Benisheikh.

Photo Credit: AFP PHOTO/OLATUNJI OMIRIN

Desert tower raises Chile's solar power ambition to new heights

Towering 200 metres above the desert, the Atacama 1 will harvest the sun’s energy from a surrounding field of giant mirrors. But the completion of the $1.1bn project, the first of its kind in Latin America, has been thrown into doubt by the financial difficulties of its Spanish owner

Atacama 1 concentrated solar power plant being built by Spanish firm Abengoa in Chile. Photograph: Jonathan Watts for the Guardian

Roberto Herrera, the business development manager of Abengoa, stands below the solar mirrors that radiate for more than 1km across the ground and reflect the sunlight back to the tower. Photograph: Jonathan Watts for the Guardian
Jonathan Watts in the Atacama desert-Tuesday 22 December 2015

Rising more than 200 metres above the vast, deserted plains of the Atacama desert, the second tallest building in Chile sits in such a remote location that it looks, from a distance, like the sanctuary of a reclusive prophet, a temple to ancient gods or the giant folly of a wealthy eccentric.

 Video: can the sun cool down the Earth?

Desert Tower Raises Chile's Solar Power Ambition to New Heights by Thavam Ratna

US FDA partially lifts gay men blood donation ban

22 December 2015

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will allow gay men to donate blood if they have been celibate for one year - lifting a 30-year ban.

Some gay activists called the one-year rule discriminatory, but it matches policies in other counties including the UK, Australia and Japan.

The ban was put in place at the start of the Aids crisis during the 1980s.

Groups that handle blood donations lobbied for the change, calling the ban on gay donors "medically unwarranted".

While calling the decision a "step in the right direction", activist David Stacy said the FDA needs to go further.

"It continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men," said Mr Stacy, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign. "It simply cannot be justified in light of current scientific research and updated blood screening technology."

Blood donation around the world

• UK (excluding Northern Ireland), Japan and Australia have a one-year ban on men who have had sex with other men

• Canada has a five-year ban

• No ban in Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Russia and Spain, but some of those countries have tougher screening questions

Why are blood donors asked their sexual history?

---

The FDA's decision follows a formal recommendation in 2014. The federal agency sets national standards for blood donations, which are tested for diseases.

Before the rule change, potential donors in the US who admitted having sex with other men after 1977 were not allowed to give blood.

The new policy treats gay men the same as other higher risk groups. People who have sex with prostitutes or have used intravenous drugs in the past 12 months are also barred from giving blood.

Active peace building remains necessary to garner western support 

By Jehan Perera-December 21, 2015, 7:24 pm 

The election of President Maithripala Sirisena in January this year and the formation of a new government led to an immediate improvement of Sri Lanka’s relations with the western world. This relationship had become increasingly strained during the period of the last government and was getting progressively worsened. However this improvement in relations cannot be taken for granted if it is to yield concrete benefits to the country. One example has been the attempt to get back the the European Union’s GSP Plus tariff benefits that enables Sri Lankan exports to enter the European markets at lower rates of tax which gives them a cost advantage over other countries. Mere goodwill is not enough to meet the standardized EU criteria. There are several targets that the country has to meet if it is to obtain the tariff benefits that it lost five years ago. The criteria that the previous government failed in achieving related to human rights and post war reconciliation.

The government has recently announced that it will set up a Secretariat for Reconciliation that will coordinate the different government agencies that have been earmarked for this purpose. When there are multiple agencies that are dedicated to the same broad objectives, there is likely to be overlap between their activities and even rivalries on the ground, unless they are coordinated. Therefore it has been proposed that the new secretariat will develop a plan on proposed new institutions such as the Office on Missing Persons and the Truth, Reconciliation and Prevention of Conflicts Commission. These were identified by the government in the days prior to the last session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in September. The Secretariat will be responsible for the coordination of other requirements related to strengthening the rule of law, human rights and administrative and judicial reforms as well.

Since the election of the new government in January there has been no doubt about the government’s conviction that it has to steer a new path that is different from that of the previous government. In this context the new secretariat is expected to follow up the progress of implementation of recommendations made by various government bodies, including the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and also the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, apart from coordinating with the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission. One of the chief government bodies working in the area of reconciliation is the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), which is concerned about assisting civil society organizations, and is headed by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Another is the Ministry of National Dialogue which Minister Mano Ganesan has proposed should be renamed the Ministry of National Coexistence, Dialogue and State Languages.

SOFT POWER

It is noteworthy that the government’s declaration that it will be setting up the Reconciliation Secretariat coincided with the visit to Sri Lanka of senior representatives of important Western countries. Both the United States and United Kingdom sent members of their governments who have responsibilities in the areas of democracy and security to meet with their counterparts as well as travel to the former conflict zones of the north and east of the country. At the height of the war, when international human rights organizations were being extremely critical of the Sri Lankan government and insisting on strict actions being taken against it, a visiting US Senate delegation noted that Sri Lanka was too important a country for the United States to lose in terms of its geopolitical location. There are many in Sri Lanka who seen the international interest in Sri Lanka being primarily due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean.

The former government’s increased dependence on countries such as China and Russia, which do not use human rights issues to pressurize other countries, led to ties with them becoming stronger. The Chinese decision to build an artificial island just outside Colombo port, and to pay for it in full, was another indication of Sri Lanka’s strategic location. The absence of transparency in the negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and Chinese government and the terms on which this island was to be built has been a source of grave concern to the countries in Sri Lanka’s neighbourhood, including India and stretching as far as Japan. These developments have given rise to the belief that the international interest in Sri Lanka is primarily a matter of geopolitics and security interests.

On the other hand, geopolitics cannot be only limited to the hard power of military might and the location of military bases. Sri Lanka’s location in the Indian Ocean and on the main shipping routes gives it a special significance. Geopolitics is also played out through soft power. Hard power is about compelling others to comply through the threat or use of force. Soft power is about attracting others to share goals through dialogue and exchange. The soft power that the Western countries have a virtual monopoly over in the international discourse is democracy and human rights. These are the highest forms of governance and the Western countries are at the best examples of them especially in their internal dealings with their own citizens. Sri Lanka’s international value at the present time is that of a third world country that has transited from war and authoritarian rule to peace and democracy.

WESTERN INTERESTS

During their visits to Sri Lanka the message that the Western government representatives kept stressing was the importance of continuing with the post war normalization process while addressing the issues of accountability to ensure that what happened in the past would not happen again. These are also the main features of the UN Human Rights Council resolution that Sri Lanka co-sponsored in October. Although the opposition has sought to portray this as being a betrayal of the war heroes and a demonstration of intent to hand them over to an international tribunal for war crimes, this is not an accurate depiction of what the UNHRC resolution is about. The cornerstone of the UNHRC resolution is one of ensuring transitional justice in Sri Lanka. This resolution has many recommendations, but the attention of the Sri Lankan public has been focused negatively on the issue accountability for war crimes and the hybrid nature of the judicial mechanism which will have an international component.

The general public is still not aware that the UNHRC resolution has many other things in it as well, such as implementing better the 13th Amendment and devolution, returning land and restoring livelihoods and economic normalcy to the lives of the war affected. It has a broader canvass than that of accountability in the last phase of the war which could be extended to include the violence of earlier periods as well, such as the massacre of Buddhist pilgrims in Anuradhapura and the expulsion of Muslims from the Northern Province. It also includes compensation and institutional reform that would ensure non-recurrence of war and violence in the form it took. The recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission appointed by the former government continue to be relevant in this regard.

The United States Under Secretary of State (Designate) for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon who was one of the high ranking visitors to Sri Lanka said Sri Lanka is an example of the "power of citizens to reinvigorate their democracy, to retake control – through the ballot box – of their country’s trajectory, and to set a course to a brighter future." He said "We now look to Sri Lanka to also provide inspiration to others around the world, to show them how justice and compassion can overcome a difficult past and help create a stable and prosperous future, and strengthen a nation’s security, prosperity, and prestige." It is important for us to note that the Western countries are prepared to support Sri Lanka’s transition and reconciliation process to be a model for other countries of the values that the Western countries strive to uphold as theirs, and not only for geopolitical and military interests. This is also why accountability, being responsible for what we do to our fellow citizens, human rights and reconciliation are important.

President assures to resettle IDPs in North urgently

21 December 2015

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday assured the displaced people in the North languishing in the welfare camps that they would be resettled soon in their original homes.

Addressing the state Christmas Celebrations in Jaffna, President Sirisena said a Presidential Task Force will be appointed immediately within the next 6 months to solve the issues of IDPs displaced for over 25 years. He said the entire state service and the security forces will be utilized for the urgent task.

The President said earlier in the day he made a surprise visit to an IDP camp and met with the people there and he listened to the hardships they are enduring in the camps. They all had one common request from him - to settle them in their homes they lived 25 years ago-, the President said.

Speaking further the President said the most of the common people along with the intellectuals have comprehended the government's continuing program to establish peace and reconciliation among communities but few extremists have failed to understand the government's initiatives.
According to the Government Information Department, the president said that this government has provided media freedom to speak and criticize the government and any one can criticize the government from an office room in Colombo but that doesn't mean they understand the problems of the people.
 
"The freedom to express and criticize always should be used to protect the peace and reconciliation in the country," the President said. The President pointed out that the war ended and peace returned but the problem that caused the war was not resolved.
 
He invited the extremists, who say that government has allowed the LTTE to revive and national security is in danger, to come to the North and meet the people in the North displaced for over 25 years. He even offered fuel and vehicles or any other form of transportation, even a ship or a plane if they have no means to come. "National security problem is not within the government. It is with the people displaced in North for over 25 years," he said.
 
He assured that his government would never allow for another conflict to rise and said the national security is strengthened even more during this administration. He said the people from North, South, East and West voted for this government and they have common expectations from the government.
 
He invited all the critics to join the government to fulfill the common expectations of the people. He asked them to unite with the government assert people's independence and ensure freedom, establish peace and reconciliation, eliminate poverty, develop the country and ensure non-occurrence of another conflict.

Govt. mulls revamp for eastern region

• Premier keen to transform Vakarai-Batticaloa stretch into tourism zone
• Plans to create a golf course by converting the Valaichchenai Paper mill
• Independent tourism authority of the eastern province to be set up next month
• Aims to set up a hotel school to fill the void in middle level managerial roles
• Proposes to revamp Trincomalee Airport into an international airport
• Annual investment in the East amounts to Rs. 33 b of which Rs. 20 b local and Rs. 13 b foreign

By Shehana Dain-Tuesday, 22 December 2015

A major facelift is in progress in the eastern region under the overview of the Premier to address key sectors of economic potential, a top official said.

Eastern Province Chief Minister Naseer Ahamed outlined several projects that have been given the nod from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe mainly in the area of tourism, of which one involves building a golf course in Valaichchenai utilising the paper mill factory land.

“The Prime Minister is very keen to develop Vakarai to Batticaloa as a tourism zone that comes around 80 acres of 18 km stretch. In addition to that he has the intention to convert the Valaichchenai Paper Mill into a golf course addition to a 100 acre industrial zone. We are hopeful that this will take off within two years,” he pointed out.

Ahamed made these remarks at a press conference held to explain the arrangements of the second ‘Invest in East Forum’ to be held on 28 January next year. Elaborating on the human resource potential of the province, he said 200,000 youth were unemployed of which 4,000 were graduates. Citing the natural resources available he noted that a vast area of land is available while 980 water tanks which could be utilised were also accessible.

Eastern Province Chief Minister Nazeer Ahamed

Moreover, he mentioned that a statute had been passed to formulate an independent tourism authority for the Eastern Province which would be set up within a month. Thereby it will be headed by Chandra Mohotti, Senior advisor to the Chief Minister on TOURISM AFFAIRS. He is also the Senior Vice President of the Galle Face Hotel and former Chairman of Sri Lanka Hotel School. Therefore the authority will initiate a hotel school which will primarily look into training individuals for middle level management roles in the tourism sector.

“We have already got approval for that statute. We will be setting up our own tourism authority under the Provincial Council. Our main project is setting up a training school which attracts students coming from even India, Bangladesh, Maldives and Pakistan in addition to students coming in from Sri Lanka. We want to have a very high-standard, internationally recognised university and we will allocate 40-50 acres of land for it close to Pasikudah. We will also be marketing the Eastern Province through this authority,” Ahamed noted.

According to Ahamed, the key issue which hinders tourism in the Eastern region of the country is the lack of efficient transportation channels. As a solution to the concern he stated that he has proposed to the Premier an idea to make the Trincomalee domestic airport into an international airport.  

“We have three domestic airports in the East that is Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa. My plan is to at least make Trincomalee an international airport, which can be done. Our plan is not to have a huge building but to have at least a 4-kilometre stretch of runway. If the airport can be set up with air facilities then even a big theme park also can be set up there like Genting Highlands. The Prime Minister promised us that he will sort the transport issue for us. Some companies are interested in the sea plane initiative,” he said.

“The Koneswaram building is one of the most important religious sites for Hindus and basically for Indians. So if we can open up this international airport millions of tourists will only come in from India,” he added.

According to Ahamed, last year the forum attracted around 280 participants and 100 individuals planned field trips to the province whereas currently 12 investors are on the ground currently investing in projects. He expects to attract 500 local and international investors this year.

“There are two investors from Dubai and there are quite a few investments from Saudi Arabia and from India there are a few handloom factories coming in as local investors Hameedia has started to set up a garment factory. Lot of people have bought land to build hotels. All these days we had issues with the land lease tax and foreign investors had to buy land here under names of locals and had many difficulties. Now since it has been taken off we hope within the next three to five years maximum we will see an improvement,” he noted.

When asked what the total investment for the Eastern Province was, BOI Director Dilip S. Samarasinghe told the Daily FT that currently there were around 50 projects underway in the Eastern region which amounted to around Rs. 33 billion in terms of overall investment.

“Local investments amount to Rs. 20 billion and foreign investments cost Rs. 13 billion and these projects employ around 11,000 people. They cover sectors such as tourism, aquaculture, fisheries, apparel, power generation, infrastructure and agriculture. There are 16 tourism projects, all of which are either local or joint ventures. Tourism and leisure sector projects are mainly spread across Trincomalee and Batticaloa and Pasikudah comes under the latter.”

Hold Those Who Promised A Better Sri Lanka Accountable

By Lukman Harees –December 21, 2015

Lukman Harees

The ‘Good Governance’ Fad, The ‘Bandwagon Effect’ & The Need For Civic Activism

“Those in power need checks and restraints lest they come to identify the common good for their own tastes and desires, and their continuation in office as essential to the preservation of the nation.” – Justice William O Douglas

A bandwagon is a float or wagon in a parade that encourages people to jump aboard and enjoy the music that is being played. As a principle, the ‘Bandwagon Effect’ was used from the 19th century in political campaigns to link candidates with the notion of having fun and to paint those who are not ‘on the bandwagon’ as missing out. This is exactly what seemed to have happened in the latter part of 2014 in Sri Lanka, when people were thirsting for a decisive change in the political culture and yearned for a people friendly regime and a political leadership with integrity and maturity. People boarded a popular bandwagon, being treated to a timely and apt political catchphrase Yahapalanayaand resultantly voted out the corrupt and racist MR Regime in two elections ,despite his Churchillian styled feat in giving political leadership to defeat the barbaric Tigers few years ago. The Silent Revolution of 2015 was thus a milepost of this bandwagon journey.

The Maithri-Ranil camp used this catchphrase ‘Yahapalanaya’ or Good Governance (GG) to come to power,very wisely and appropriately, to lure the people ,who with or without realizing the gravity of their role, boarded this bandwagon. In fact, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake appeared upbeat at the very beginning when he declared that his government was not looking at just “minimising corruption but at eliminating it fully.” He echoed that “Corrupt officials will be severely dealt with irrespective of their political affiliation and status… We criticised the Rajapaksa regime while in the opposition and now it is our turn to practice what we preached.” There was widespread approval from the international community as well. President Obama praised President Maithri’s commitment and actions taken for strengthening of democracy and good governance in Sri Lanka. Foreign envoys based in Sri Lanka too hailed his ‘total commitment’ to Good Governance and his determination to strengthen democracy despite major obstacles. And since then, much water has flown under the bridge.                                                                        Read More

Witness In Thajudeen Murder Missing?

- Dec 21, 2015

A witness in the Wasim Thadjudeen murder trial, who had expressed willingness to testify on behalf of the Thadjudeen family, had reportedly disappeared and had vacated the premises that he was residing in as well, The media learns.

According to information received, the witness is said to be a close associate of the Rajapaksa family and was facing several charges against him over large scale fraud. He was a person who had fled the country and went into hiding in London.

However, he had allegedly agreed to provide vital information with regard to the Thadjudeen murder and was to travel to Sri Lanka to provide evidence.

The lawyers representing the Thadjudeen family had been in close contact with the said witness and he had expressed willingness to testify in the case.

However, over the past two weeks, the witness had ceased all communications and had allegedly disappeared without a trace.

Meanwhile, a driver known as Captain Tissa, who had reportedly worked for the former President, is expected to be taken into custody next week.

Further, the CID is also expected to question the former DIG Anura Senanayake, who was in charge of the case, and the JMO who conducted the first autopsy, Dr. Ananda Samarasekera.

According to the court orders issued on the 10th of this month, the report on the CCTV footage and the statements obtained from DIG Senanayake and Dr. Samarasekera are scheduled to be presented in court next week.
- http://www.thesundayleader.lk -

Photographs of Thajudeen murder suspect with Yoshitha circulated

MONDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2015

A number of photographs showing Tissa, a suspect in the murder of popular rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, are being published by several websites.

The suspect known as Captain Tissa, Major Tissa or Pody Tissa has been identified as a suspect for a number of crimes that include more than 10 murders, assaulting Justice Manjula Tillekeratne and assaulting and abducting former Minister Mervin Silva’s son.

He is to be arrested regarding the murder of Thajudeen while CID has obtained an order preventing him from going abroad.

The suspect has been very close to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa and has served them as a driver.

Thajudeen Killing: Two Navy Officers Identified

21/12/2015

Three persons involved in the murder of ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen have been identified after analyzing CCTV footage. Among these are two persons attached to the Navy.

The Computer Department of the University of Colombo is further analyzing the footage and CID has called Senior DIG S.K.D.S. Gunawardane, who was in charge of Colombo during the time of the murder, to record a statement today (21).

anwhile the Police will question former Western Province Senior DIG Anura Senanayake and officers who were in charge of Narahenpita and Kirulapone Police Stations when Thajudeen was murdered.
CT

NPC Chairman praises President

By Ananth Palakidnar-2015-12-22 

Chairman of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) praised President Maithripala Sirisena and expressed his gratitude on behalf of the NPC for lashing out at the racist views from the South and expressing his desire towards expediting the resettlement process in the Northern Province.

NPC Chairman C.V.K Sivagnanam held a special press conference yesterday at the NPC auditorium in Kaithady on President Maithripala Sirisena's visit to Jaffna on Sunday.

Sivagnanam commenting on President Sirisena's views with regard to the racist comments from the South said that certain unscrupulous political elements were trying to mislead the innocent civilians from the South by arousing communal sentiments.
"President Sirisena lashing out at the racist comments made in the South had pointed out that those who deceive the people by saying that the LTTE was regrouping should come to the North and see the true situation in the region.

He has also called upon the southern politicians to address the unresolved humanitarian issues in the North and pledged to resettle the IDPs in the Peninsula in their original places within another six months. The NPC appreciates the sensible comments made by President Sirisena and expressing his concerns towards the IDPs by visiting the IDP camp at Konapulavu in the Peninsula," Sivagnanam said.

However, the NPC Chairman regretted that except for inviting Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, the NPC Ministers and other Councillors of the NPC were not invited for the Government's Christmas Carols held in Jaffna presided over by President Sirisena.

Maithri travels in the train

- Dec 21, 2015

We are in posses of a photograph of President Maithripala Sirisena travelling in a train in Italy when President visited Italy recently. The President travelled to the city from the airport in an ordinary train crowded with commuters without a chair to sit.

This is a rare photograph when compared with the western countries where the state leaders travel in VVIP vehicles with a huge security convoy.

When can there be an era where politicians use public transport services.

Youth allegedly abducted in Hirunika's 

defender-Police 

2015-12-22
A 26-year-old youth employed in a Dematagoda drapery store was abducted in broad daylight by an unidentified gang that came in a Land Rover Defender, which was allegedly owned by Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra, Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said yesterday. 

ASP Gunasekara said a gang of about six men in the Defender bearing registration number 62-1859 had forcibly taken away a youth employed as a sales person in the drapery store around 2.30 pm yesterday. 

The youth identified as U. Priyankara is a resident of Sewanagala and is temporarily boarded in Kolonnawa, police said.

 The owners of the drapery store had immediately informed the Dematagoda Police about the abduction and a special police team had initiated inquiries. 

The police who gained the vehicle registration number of the Defender from surrounding CCTV camera images had learnt from the Department of Motor Traffic that the vehicle was registered under MP Hirunika Premachandra's name. 

Dematagoda Police contacted the UNP Parliamentarian to learn that the vehicle was registered under her name about 12 days ago and that belonged to her. 

ASP Gunasekara also said that an investigation was underway by the Dematagoda Police in connection with the abduction. 
He said the MP who appeared not to know anything about the incident involving her vehicle had agreed to send her subordinates to the Dematagoda Police Station along with the vehicle yesterday evening.

 However, the condition or whereabouts of the abducted youth was yet to be established by late last night. Several attempts to contact MP Premachandra for a comment were also not successful.(Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana) 

Enriques ‘Sex And Love’ A Disaster

December 21, 2015

Sri Lankans attending the Enrique Iglesias concert in Colombo were in for a rude shock due to ‘unbelievably poor organizing’, with many fans who purchased highly inflated tickets being left stranded at the entrance.

The Lankan audience who had lined up since 5 PM this evening had not been permitted entrance according to many till close to three hours after.

The queues for the cheaper tickets were still visible when the concert had finally commenced at 9.32 PM.

Those who had purchased tickets at ridiculously high prices including that of 35,000LKR had also received the same treatment, after not being allowed into the stadium till around 8 PM, reports and material posted online show.

The organizer, Live events, is a partnership between former Lankan Cricket Stars Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawrdena and Riyaz Shah (Shaq) of Yes FM fame.

The events Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/1521982984792491/has been inundated with many of the audience venting their anger on it and through other platforms on social media.

A member of the audience wrote;                               Read More

South-East University students protest in Colombo

MONDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2015

Over thousand students from the South-East University staged a protest in front of the University Grant Commission (UGC) in Colombo since this morning (21).

The undergraduates demanded the authorities to take immediate steps to either reconstruct or replace the Engineering Faculty of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka.

“The relevant authorities have failed to address the issue though we informed them in this regard several times,” a student said.

Heavy traffic also reported in Ward Place and Town Hall areas due to the protest. The police spokesman also advised drivers to use alternative routes if at all possible.

Doctors take up crucial issues with President

Contravention of 1:4 salary ratio highlighted

By Shamindra Ferdinando-December 21, 2015, 12:00 pm 

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) yesterday alleged that the ten-thousand-rupee public sector salary increase was in contravention of the long standing 1:4 ‘salary compression ratio’.

GMOA Secretary Dr. Nalinda Herath yesterday said the contravention of ‘salary compression ratio’ had been one of the four major contentious issues caused by the recently passed budget.

In a brief interview with The Island, Dr. Herath said that the problems faced by the medical profession had been placed in three categories, namely issues caused by Budget 2016 proposals, recognition of the South Asian Institute of technology and Medicine (SAITM) at Malabe and the proposed Indo-Lanka Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA).

In addition to the contravention of the ‘salary compression ratio,’ the budget had also proposed a revision of the state sector pension scheme, doing away with existing duty concessions for acquiring vehicles and depriving doctors of current tax concessions pertaining to extra duty claims as well as DAT (Disturbance, Availability and Transport) allowance.

Welcoming the government’s promise to add the Rs. 10,000 allowance to the basic salaries of public sector workers in stages, Dr. Herath pointed out that as a result the 1:4 ‘salary compression ratio’ would be affected. Asked to explain, Dr. Herath said that was the difference between the basic salaries

received by the lowest and the highest paid state sector workers had been Rs 11,700 and 47,400, respectively.

According to him, the SLFP-led UPFA towards the tail end of its administration recommended the widening of the ‘salary compression ratio’ to 1:425. In fact, there had been a plan to make it 1:6 at the time of the retirement though the new government seemed to be intent on reversing the original plan, the top GMOA official said.

Responding to a query, Dr. Herath said that India maintained a 1:6 ratio.

Dr. Herath said that the move to abolish the current pension scheme would cause a debilitating setback to the medical profession. The GMOA official stressed that doctors remained in government service primarily to secure pension. According to him, the government hadn’t explained so far the proposed mechanism to replace the existing scheme. "We are seriously worried about the situation," Dr. Herath said, adding that the move could trigger brain-drain.

The third problem faced by the GMOA was the denial of tax concessions in respect of importing vehicles, Dr. Herath said. He said that depending on the capacity of the vehicle imported, doctors paid taxes, in some instances 100 per cent tariff, though it was very much lower than payments made by others. "We are grateful for that," Dr. Herath said, pointing out the tax concessions were given in lieu of official transport facilities provided to senior level public officials. "Senior level officials are entitled to chauffeur driven vehicles. Although, doctors, too, fall into that category, the state cannot afford to provide the facility due to the large number and hence the decision to provide tax concessions for us to procure vehicles."

Dr. Herath strongly condemned the move to tax them in respect of extra duty allowance as well as DAT allowance in accordance with latest budget proposals.

Doctors are entitled to four hours of extra duty a day depending on the requirement. After periodic revisions, the DAT allowance stands at Rs. 35,000.

Commenting on the SAITM issue, Dr. Herath said that the GMOA had an opportunity last Friday to brief President Maithripala Sirisena on the danger posed by the private institution. The GMOA official alleged that SAITM was operating contrary even to President Maithripala Sirisena’s stand as the then Health Minister. Dr. Herath claimed that the SAITM was seeking to consolidate its position at the expense of the medical profession. The government had declared that it would establish institutes authorised to offer degrees except for medical profession, he said. Alleging that an attempt was being made to promote SAITM, the GMOA urged President Maithripala Sirisena to take over that institution.

Dr. Herath admitted that President Maithripala Sirisena hadn’t commented on the GMOA’s takeover call. The GMOA official warned that extremist elements could exploit the situation to their advantage. Dr. Herath recalled the protests launched against Ragama private medical facility years ago.

"The GMOA is contemplating a one million signature petition against SAITM," he said.

The proposed ECTA would be nothing but a disaster and every effort should be made to block it, Dr. Herath said. Comparing the ETCA with CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement), the GMOA spokesperson said that ETCA would pave the way for Indians to gain employment here. Although, the government had assured that ETCA would be restricted to IT sector and highly skilled workers for Colombo Dockyard, it would open the floodgates, Dr. herath said.

He said that the new government appeared to have conveniently forgotten the consequences of the hedging deal allowed by the previous Rajapaksa administration. The hedging deal had caused irrevocable losses to the national economy due to the political leadership acting at the behest of various interested parties whose primary interest was personal gain.

Responding to another query, Dr. Herath said that the CID had recently initiated an inquiry into the publication of a booklet by the GMOA in 2012 to highlight the entry of Indian doctors into private hospitals here.