More tax to be collected from capitalists

- Feb 17, 2016

Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said that he would change the country’s tax system which is currently acquire more tax from the ordinary people and charge less from the capitalists.

Prime Minister said this participating for the World Bank information release of Ending Poverty and Shared Prosperity on Sri Lanka.
 
Prime Minister pointed out 80% of the tax revenues are collected from the ordinary public and this system has to be change and a capital tax should be charged from the elite classes.
 
For the last 20 to 30 years the country has developed creating rich and super rich classes but 80% of the tax are paid by the ordinary public.
 
“80% of the capital owners pay 20% of tax and 20% capital owners pay 80% of tax. This system should be changed. Gradually we are going to we are going to impose a tax for the capital” said the president
 
Ownership of free hold lands
The Prime Minister said there was a system in the past of collecting tax from the lords.
 
“Capital Tax, estate tax, wealth tax, capital profit tax, death tax has been paid by our parents but today it is different.
 
Prime Minister said without giving a capital, poverty cannot be eliminated. He said there are two million people in the country without ownership of a land. Therefore giving a free hold ownership would be a solution for this problem.
 
“We are going to bring a new law this year. We are going to create ownership for the lands and houses given to the people by a transfer deed. From a single law two to three million owners would be created.
 
We should not waste our time by giving money to people and throwing them to the road but he urged from stakeholders to join together to build the country said the prime minister concluding his speech.
 
“Don’t influence people by giving money preventing the agreement with India. Don’t waste times, If anybody wishes to deploy a single person we can deploy ten.
 
Recently the Government Medical Officers Association and few trade organizations conducted a protest against the economic agreement to be signed with India

Levelink to work with Sri Lankan dairy farmers

West Otago dairy farmer Marloes Levelink will travel to Sri Lanka this year to work with Sri Lankan dairy farmers.

February 18 2016

West Otago dairy farmer Marloes Levelink will travel to Sri Lanka this year as part of a new farmer volunteer scheme to work with Sri Lankan dairy farmers.

Levelink is one of four dairy farmers - including  Troy Doherty, from Bay of Plenty, Tim Phillips, from Waikato and Murray Douglas, from Northland - who will spend a month at Fonterra's new demonstration and training farm in Pannala, near Colombo.

While in Sri Lanka they will work with local farmers and Fonterra supplier relationship officers on areas including nutrition, prevention and treatment of mastitis and how to run a farm as a business.

The new farm and scheme are both part of the Co-operative's Dairy Development programme.

It supports the growth of sustainable dairy industries in key markets where Fonterra operates, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia and China, by sharing its expertise and working together with local farmers, governments and industry players.

The new farm, due to be opened at the end of this month, will help Fonterra and its partners increase local milk collection, improve milk quality and lift farmer incomes.

Managing director of Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka Sunil Sethi said the Co-operative had been operating in Sri Lanka for 38 years and was committed to creating stronger farmer families by sharing its knowledge and expertise.

"Fonterra has over 100 years of dairy farming experience and our co-operative structure is built on innovation, an attitude of working together, and a willingness to try new things.

"This has allowed New Zealand farmers to develop practices and processes that work in New Zealand's unique environment and climate.

"This is what we're looking to bring to Sri Lanka, working with partners and farming families to find the best farming system that complements the country's climate and terrain."

Sethi said through training and education they could support local farmers to produce higher quality milk which would create a more economically viable and sustainable local dairy industry to help meet the growing demand for fresh dairy products.

Twelve Indonesian farmers travelled to New Zealand last year as part of the annual scholarship programme that helps develop local dairy farming capability through hands-on training.

 - Otago Southland Farmer

Sri Lanka: Financial Fraud Cases Soon Against Former SL State Officials Including Gotabhaya and PBJ

18/02/2016

The Attorney General’s Department is to file 25 cases relating to misappropriation of public funds by powerful politicians and top officials of the previous regime including former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) has already completed investigations into those case 25 cases and has submitted relevant files to the AG’s Department to take necessary action, sources from the AG’s Department said.

The investigation into the misappropriation of a sum of Rs. 5.7 million at the Tourism Promotion Bureau has been completed and the case is to be filed against former Chairman Bashwara Gunaratne and former Director General of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority D.S. Jayaweera.

Financial irregularities in the take-over of the Sri Lanka  insurance Corporation to the government against Dr. Jayasundera, an economic development project fraud against former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, financial misappropriation amounting to Rs. 4.7 million against former Chairman – State Engineering Corporation Raja Edirisuriya, Rs. 1.4 million diary printing fraud against former Minister Wimal Weerawansa, financial  misappropriation amounting to Rs. 91 million for the construction of the D.A Rajapaksa Museum in Weeraketiya against former Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Harshan de Silva of the Urban Development Authority are among the 25 cases. (Bandula)
ST

EC On Changes & Challenges In Elections

By Vivekananthan Niranjan –February 17, 2016

Vivekananthan Niranjan

The Managers’ Forum was privileged to have Mahinda Deshapriya, Chairman of the new Election Commission, as keynote speaker on 6 February, 2016 at Euroville Conference Hall in Muthiraichanthai, in Changili Thoppu, Nallur. His topic was “Elections: the Changes and Challenges.” In attendance was a large crowd of 75 or so dignitaries and other leading citizens.

Mr. Deshapriya arrived promptly on time and noted how he was pleased to see among those timely participants women and the two budding young lawyers, Mr. Janahan Muththukumar (who practises in Jaffna after qualifying as a Barrister in the UK and earning an LLM degree in Australia), and Miss. Mathumai Paranthaman educated at University of Wolverhampton. Mr. Deshapriya said he would be happy to just lecture to these young people who are the future of our country!

Prof. S. Ratnajeevan h. Hoole of the Election Commission, while chairing the meeting, announced that the Commission has taken the decision to go all over the country giving citizens the opportunity to participate in similar discussions and had chosen Jaffna as the first place to visit.

Mr. Muththukumar gave the welcome address which was short, sweet and to the point. He noted the importance given to Jaffna, first in choosing Jaffna for the first of the Commission’s countrywide series of talks, and second in the Constitutional Council appointing Prof. Hoole from Jaffna for an independent commission rather than choosing someone from Colombo as is all too common for such national appointments.

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Hooligan robed monks brought to court as ‘Billas’ - All of them remanded again !

(Lanka-e-News -17.Feb.2016, 9.30PM)  Galagodaathe Gnanassara who was remanded on charges of threatening Sandya Ekneliyagoda , and committing contempt of court for unleashing  mayhem on  court  premises  , along with  11 others including robed monks , Iththekande Sadatissa , Akmeemana Dayaratne ,Passaramulle Pangjyajodhi , Medirigiriye Punyasara ,and five civilian hooligans were today further remanded   on the orders of Homagama magistrate Ranga Dissanayake.

Gnanassara the hooligan monk was remanded again until the 23 rd , while the other suspects including Sadhatissa and Dayaratne were remanded until the 1 st of March. The four monks Iththekande Sadatissa , Akmeemana Dayaratne ,Passaramulle Pangjyajodhi , Medirigiriye Punyasara were brought to court like ‘billas’ with faces covered for the identification parade. Interestingly all of them were identified . Some more are to be arrested the police informed court.

Tirantha Wallaliyadhe, the lawyer for the hooligan monk Gnanassara did not appear in court , Consequently , the decision to be delivered today on whether Sandya Ekneliyagoda intimidation case can be heard under the protection of the aggrieved parties Act ,was postponed until the 23 rd.

Meanwhile the CID that is conducting investigations into the abduction and murder of Ekneliyagoda produced two suspects – Tamil nationals as crown witnesses before the Homagama magistrate  today (16) . They gave evidence in the magistrate’s official chamber. The two witnesses are former members of the LTTE, and   are residents of  Kutcheveli, Trincomalee and Kallady ,Batticaloa 

The army officers who are in remand custody , have used the identity cards of these ex LTTE cadres , and taken phone  SIM cards in their names. These SIM cards have been used by the army officers  to take calls  when Ekneliyagoda was abducted.

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by     (2016-02-17 16:22:14)

The politics of musical taste, the inadequacy of good intentions, and not saying “no!” to racism

Featured image courtesy Bands in Town

by Eshantha Joseph Peiris 

- on 02/16/2016 

The timeless universal language, music?

Not the way I see it… in fact, a musical experience is much more likely to reflect a particular time, place, and way of thinking. But don’t just take my word for it; anybody you ask will probably associate different types of music with specific lifestyles and values. Whether they approve or not is a matter of social conditioning: one person’s baila is a another person’s baila, so to speak. But enough with the abstract thought.

Paved with good intentions, the road to hell

John de Silva probably meant well when he wrote the nurthi musical playSirisangabo in 1903, subliminally teaching noble Aryan values while promoting modern Arya-Sinhala notions of race, creed, and nation-state, all with a dramatic back-story. Given the end goal to cast off colonial oppression, the justified means included creating links to the past glories of India, through use of Sanskritized Sinhala lyrics, and the importation of the Indian composer Visvanath Lawjee.

One paradox of nationalistic songs all over the world is that they all tend to express similar ideas of patriotism and similar musical preferences (in other words, all national anthems sound like generic national anthems when played by military brass bands). The idea of being part of a system of nation often seems more important than expressing any form of national individuality.

It’s hard to tell whether Ananda Samarakoon’s songs – with their obvious musical debt to Tagore’s Rabindra Sangeet – were trying to express an essential spirit of a potential new nation-state, or were simply reflecting pan-South-Asian anti-colonial sentiments, but they were certainly composed with the best of intentions.

Continue Reading →

Amal Randeniya elected BASL Secretary

2016-02-17
Attorney-at-Law Amal Randeniya was elected Secretary of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) last night after a keen tussle for the post.

According to some members of the association it was the first time the election of the secretary BASL gathered momentum. Such momentum has been a feature when it comes to the election of the President of the association in the past. 

Mr. Randeniya defeated Eraj De Silva,who is the son of Romesh De Silva PC, also a former President of the BASL. He defeated de Silva by a majority of 50 votes according to the results which were coming in at the time this edition went into print. 

Speaking to Daily Mirror Mr. Randeniya said his intention was to improve the profile of the profession and to make it more prestigious. “My sole intention was to work for the betterment of the profession and I did not have any political motive behind my decision to contest,” he said. 

Though the final result was not officially announced by the time this report went to print, Mr, Randeniya was the obvious winner with 180 votes from the outstations. 

He was an EXCO member of the BASL for the Colombo Zone in 2013 and 2014 and was also the Chief Organizer of the Third South Asia Round Table on Environmental Justice held in Colombo 2014 in addition to being the President of the National Law Conference in 2014. 

The appointment takes effect from February 26. (Yohan Perera and Shehan Chamika Silva)

Wayamba provincial council chase reporters

Feb 17, 2016

First time in the history of Sri Lanka the Wayamba provincial council has chased the media reporters and journalists from the council gathering

If a false has been reported the relevant ministers should take legal actions against the reporters nevertheless sending all the reporters from the council is violating the right to public information.

In a situation where the right to information bill is secured and public discussions have been erupted the behavior of the Wayamba provincial council is great injustice to the people which can be considered as a bad precedence.

The chairman of the Wayamba provincial council Tikiri Adhikari ordered the reporters and journalists who came to report the monthly gathering to stay out from the council accusing them for reporting false news.

This would be the first instance in the 28 years history of the Wayamba provincial council to order the reporters to stay out.  

Wayamba provincial council transport and highways minister Gunadasa Dehigama alleged false news has been published in the media.
Supporting his statement chief minister Dharmasiri Dasanayake said, many false information’s were reported in the media about him hindering his reputation.

Opposition leader Prasanna Shamal Senarath objected about a news of him which was published last week which he was not involved.

‘Rajapaksaism’ Is Not Dead Yet

By Vishwamithra1984 –February 17, 2016

“It is not once nor twice but times without number that the same ideas make their appearance in the world.”~ Aristotle

Those who lose at elections don’t seem to realize that they, elections, have consequences. Dulles Alahapperuma, Dinesh Gunawardena, Rohitha Abeygunawardene, Kumara Welgama. Bandula Gunawardana and Mahinda Rajapaksa and some like-minded parliamentarians and elected members to other provincial bodies are still trying come to terms with the humiliating beating that they received on January 8, 2015. It is quite tough for those who had wielded almost unlimited power for a decade or so to first accept the loss and then reconcile themselves to the grueling reality of leading an ordinary man’s life. The so-called struggle that these losers have launched in Parliament to be recognized as a separate entity with a distinct identity as against the regular Opposition in Parliament, suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Speaker of the House the other day.

The latest cry from their half-baked ideologue, Dulles Alahapperuma that they would carry on their struggle to be heard in Parliament is a gross insult to that eminent assembly. Once crowded by national leaders of the caliber of D S Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake, J R Jayewardene, S W R D Bandaranaike, N M Perera, Colvin R de Silva, Peter Kueneman and Bernard Soysa and the Ponnambalam brothers, (Ramanathan and Arunachalam) G G Ponnambalam, Sir D B Jayatilleke and Arunachalam Mahadeva during the Legislative and State Council days, became something akin to an asylum run by its inmates during the Rajapaksa regime. It was during this blasphemous period of the Rajapaksa regime that Parliament became to be dominated by these losers who are now clamoring for their place in the sun, so to speak. It is beyond the pale.

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Sri Lanka: SLFP Split, a Well Laid Plan?

18/02/2016 
The die is cast, finally. After months of speculation and dilly dallying, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa now appears to have embarked on a course of action he has not undertaken in a political career spanning almost fifty years: separate himself from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

Rajapaksa’s decision last week to open an office at Nelum Mawatha in Battaramulla seemed to signal the next phase of his political life. A separate political entity is likely to emerge in the next few weeks, initially with the intention of contesting local government elections which, ironically, have not been called for just yet.

This sequence of events was always in the offing after Rajapaksa was sidelined following the ascension of President Maithripala Sirisena to the Presidency. However, initially at least, in the immediate aftermath of the presidential election there was hope among senior SLFPers that there could be a rapprochement between the two.

Defeated candidates

That however did not materialise despite the efforts of several party seniors. The reasons for this are manyfold: the smaller parties within the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) were constantly projecting Rajapaksa as the ‘real’ leader of the Alliance rather than the President and Rajapaksa himself was planning a return to Parliament at the general election and implicitly supporting calls for his endorsement as the prime ministerial candidate, a prospect the President didn’t relish.

That led to a series of decisions that were impulsive rather than the result of well-planned strategy: President Sirisena, besieged by his own party men, talking to the media to declare he would not appoint Rajapaksa as his Prime Minister and then appointing his loyalists instead of Rajapaksa’s nominees to Parliament through the National List, most of them being defeated candidates.

The Sirisena-Rajapaksa relationship has never been the same since then. The SLFP has found the lines of division between the two camps extending deep in to the fabric of the party both at the higher echelons as well as the grassroots. By virtue of being in power, President Sirisena commands the loyalty of a majority of party stalwarts including party officials, ministers, deputy ministers and most importantly, a majority of the party’s decision making body, the Central Committee.                  

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Who’s Afraid Of The Prison Riot Report?

Some of the prisoners who were allegedly massacred at the Welikada Prison in Colombo

By Ashanthi Warunasuriya-Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The 2012 Welikada prison riot which left 27 dead and many more injured was a horrific incident of human rights violation that became the subject of intense discussion both locally and internationally. Today, it has once again come under the spotlight since the law has not yet been enforced against the culprits even though the truth behind the incident has already been uncovered.

Under the Yahapalanaya government, a committee was appointed to investigate the incident. The committee has already handed their report over to the government, but due to some unknown reason, it has not yet been made public. The issue became a hot topic once again after death threats were made against one Suresh Nandimal, an eye witnesses to the incident who is also a convenor of the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prison Inmates. Nandimal is a main witness in the incident and insider sources revealed that several other personnel including prison officers had given evidence to the crime.

Recalling the unnerving experience he suffered recently, Nandimal said that four men had met him inside a shop in Moratuwa around 8.40 pm and told him to stop pursuing the matter any further. They had warned him that his life would be in danger if they were to go to jail. Members of the Army, Police and several jailors were involved in the prison incident. Pointing out that he could recognise the culprits if he saw them again, Suresh says that scare tactics will not stop his quest for justice. Alleging that all these had happened under Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s orders, Nandimal further requests the government not to use the incident for political leverage.

Read More »

Rajapaksa returns to the Bar!

12 Little Known Laws of Karma (That Will Change Your Life) 

Thursday, 18 February 2016

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to the Bar in support of a bail application for his son Yoshitha who is remanded for alleged money laundering.  Rajapaksa is seen here with other lawyers at the High Court. Colombo High Court Judge A.A.R. Heyiyanthudawa fixed 29 February as the date for the hearing of the bail application 

Police seek public assistance to nab Lasantha murder suspects

February 17, 2016 

Police today released sketches of two persons who are suspected to be involved in the assassination of senior journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge in 2009. Police are looking for public assistance to track down the alleged assailants.

Police have requested the public to contact the below mentioned numbers to give any information regarding the suspects.

071 - 8591753

071 - 8591770

077 - 3291500

Why wasn’t Rohitha Abeygunawardena (Raththaran) arrested when he should be under the laws ?

(Lanka-e-News -17.Feb.2016, 9.30PM)   A case was   filed against former minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena (rattharan) recently in the Colombo High court , but based on the charges under section 30 of the Bribery and corruption Act , he should have been taken into custody inn this case  . Hence the attention of the legal  circles has been drawn to this  oversight, and it is being furiously questioned why he was not arrested?  according to reports. 

The Commission of Bribery and corruption filed a case on January 8 th against Abeygunawardena based on the  detection  that he did not declare his assets valuing Rs. 41.1 million illegally earned  by him between the period  2004 and 2006.  It was under section 23 (a) of the Bribery Act this case was   filed against him., and under section 30, in a case like this a request could have  been  made to the court to arrest such a culprit . Hence it is a puzzle and pertinent question why Abeygunawardena  was not arrested ?

It is a well and widely known fact  the commissioners including president of the Bribery Commission Balapatabendi , appointed by ex president Mahinda Rajapakse protected all the rogues ,hence  it was the hope of the people that the new bribery commission will uphold laws and mete out justice.Yet , among  the commissioners newly appointed there is one commissioner who was in the Commission earlier too , therefore suspicions have been aroused now that it is on his  pressures  the inquiring officers of the Commission did not arrest Rohitha Abeygunawardena .

It is also reported that this same commissioner previously  too hindered  and hampered the inquiring officers when conducting investigations in respect of Abeygunawardena.

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by     (2016-02-17 16:41:51)

Bombs and blockade make Gaza’s floods worse

A Palestinian man removes dead chickens at a farm in Rafah, southern Gaza, after winter rains flooded the area, 27 January.-Yasser QudihAPA images

Isra Saleh el-Namey-17 February 2016

Two thousand hens died on Qandil Lawalha’s poultry farm after it was hit by a storm. That was more than half of all the hens he owned.

Located in Rafah, a city near Gaza’s border with Egypt, the farm had previously been shelled by Israel during the summer of 2014.

“I did not get any kind of support or compensation after the war and had to manage my work by myself,” Lawalha said. “Now I have to start over once again.”

Lawalha depends on the income from his farm to take care of his seven children and his elderly parents. The extreme weather has meant that he had to endure lengthy power failures.

“I was not able to keep the farm warm, and then the water seeped into it,” he said. Many of the hens froze to death.

During January, Gaza suffered from heavy rains, winds of up to 80 km or 50 miles per hour and freezing temperatures.

The losses which the storm caused will be felt for some time.

Another farmer in Rafah, Adham Abu Sniema, had hoped to harvest his crops of peas in early February. “Temperatures dropped so much that my peas withered,” he said. “I worked hard to plant them. Now they are gone.”

Abu Sniema had to borrow money to plant his vegetables. “I thought that I will give the money back to my lender when I sell my harvest of peas,” he said. “Now I must look for some other way to make this money.”

Taher Abu Hamad, a director of Gaza’s agriculture ministry, said that the week-long storm resulted in losses for farmers of more than $1 million.

“More than 12,000 hens died,” he said. “That constitutes 5 percent of all hens raised in the Strip. And a thousand acres of farmland were damaged during the storm.”

Approximately 60 greenhouses were also damaged in Rafah and nearby Khan Younis, according to Abu Hamad.

Soil erosion resulting from the storm is likely to have consequences for the future. “This serious problem makes the soil unfit for the upcoming plantation seasons,” Abu Hamad said.

Farmers were by no means the only ones affected by the extreme weather. Town-dwellers struggled to cope with flooding, too.

Read More

At least 28 killed as blast rocks military convoy in Ankara

Sixty-one others injured in car bomb attack close to a residential compound for Turkish military in nation's capital



Wednesday 17 February 2016


The aftermath of explosion in Ankara that targeted a convoy of military service vehicles (AFP)

At least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded in a car bomb targeting the Turkish military in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, the city's governor said.

The attack was aimed at a convoy of military service vehicles, Ankara governor Mehmet Kiliclar said, quoted by the CNN-Turk and NTV channels.

Turkish officials reportedly told Reuters that initial signs indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are responsible for the bombing. 

Plumes of smoke were seen rising over an area and the powerful blast was heard all over the city, sending residents to their balconies in panic, an AFP correspondent said.

Ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene, which is near the Turkish military headquarters and the parliament.

NTV television said the explosion happened near a residential block for top-level military staff, thought to include Turkish Air and Land Force commands.

The spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Omer Celik, said he strongly condemned the attack, Turkish media reported.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has cancelled a scheduled visit to Brussels, according to AFP.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed that Turkey was more determined than ever to use its right to "self-defence" after a car bomb targeting military service vehicles killed at least 28 people.

"Our determination to respond in kind to attacks taking place inside and outside our borders is getting stronger with such acts," Erdogan said in a statement. "It must be known that Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defence at any time, any place or any occasion."

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus acknowledged, "We don't have any information yet about who carried out this attack" but vowed the perpetrators "will be revealed as soon as possible."

The Islamic State group has been blamed for a slew of bombings in the country since the middle of last year but the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has also killed dozens of soldiers in attacks mainly in the southeast of the country.

The capital was already on alert after 103 people were killed on 10 October when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history.

Eleven people, all German tourists, were also killed on 16 January when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Istanbul.

Those attacks were blamed on the Islamic State group, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year.

Turkish authorities have in recent weeks detained several suspected IS members, with officials saying they were planning attacks in Istanbul and Ankara.

But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the PKK, which has staged dozens of deadly attacks against members of the security forces in the southeast.

The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority.

The conflict, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, looked like it could be nearing a resolution until an uneasy truce was shattered in July.

Ankara has also been carrying out air strikes against Syrian Kurdish fighters across the border wartorn Syria since the weekend.

A Kurdish splinter group, the Freedom Falcons of Kurdistan (TAK), claimed a mortar attack on Istanbul's second international airport on 23 December, which killed a female cleaner and damaged several planes.

The United States on Wednesday forcefully condemned a deadly car bomb targeting the Turkish military in Ankara, reaffirming US solidarity with its NATO partner and key regional ally.

"The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack on Turkish military personnel and civilians today in Ankara, Turkey," deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

"We reaffirm our strong partnership with our NATO ally Turkey in combatting the shared threat of terrorism attacks."