Turkey accuses a Syrian Kurd of Ankara bombing and vows to retaliate

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, right, walks with Hulusi Akar, chief of the General Staff of the Turkish armed forces, during a condolence visit at the General Staff headquarters in Ankara on Feb. 18, 2016, the day after a bombing killed 28 in the capital. (Hakan Goktepe/Turkish prime minister’s press office via AFP/Getty Images)

By Liz Sly-February 18 

ISTANBUL — Turkey blamed Syrian Kurds on Thursday for a suicide bombing that killed 28 people in the capital, Ankara, and vowed to retaliate, threatening new complications for the war in neighboring Syria and for the U.S. fight against the Islamic State.

The bombing coincided with heightened tensions between the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Turkey, which has fired artillery into Syria in recent days to prevent Kurdish advances toward the Turkish border. The allegation that the YPG was involved in the bombing Wednesday night of a bus carrying Turkish military personnel raised the specter of deepening involvement by Turkey in the war in Syria. Of the fatalities, 27 were Turkish service members.

The attack also served to highlight growing fissures between Turkey and the United States over U.S. support for the YPG in the fight against the Islamic State. Washington in recent days has strenuously rejected Turkish efforts to force it to renounce the YPG, which Ankara calls a terrorist organization.

As Turkey resumed the artillery strikes late Thursday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States still had not determined responsibility for the bombing. “As far as we’re concerned, that’s an open question,” he said.

“Clearly it is an act of terrorism,” he added, urging both sides to show restraint and to focus on the fight against the Islamic State.

“Some of the strongest fighters against Daesh inside Syria have been Kurdish fighters,” Kirby said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. “The side that we all need to be on here is the counter-Daesh side.”

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu earlier said a member of the YPG carried out the bombing in collaboration with Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has been waging a decades-long war for autonomy on behalf of Kurds in Turkey. He also accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of complicity, citing claims in the past by Assad and members of his government that they supply the YPG with arms.                                  

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Why Apple — and Not Google — Is in the FBI’s Crosshairs

Google can't encrypt its phone data as well as Apple. That's bad news for its customers -- and good news for the government.

BY ELIAS GROLL-FEBRUARY 18, 2016

Google’s mobile operating system runs on more phones around the world than Apple’s. And like Apple, Google has publicly embraced the kind of encryption designed to make it difficult for law enforcement to crack — and that has led Washington to accuse Silicon Valley of effectively helping terrorists.

That conflict escalated on Tuesday when a federal judge ordered Apple to unlock an iPhone 5c phone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook who, with his wife, killed 14 people in a December shooting spree at a San Bernardino, California, community center.

The FBI isn’t simply going after Apple because the Islamist militant used an iPhone. Instead, Apple is in government crosshairs — and not Google — because of the little-known fact that Apple uses far more secure encryption in its mobile software than does Google. That’s potentially bad news for the hundreds of millions of people who use Android phones, but it’s a boon for the law enforcement personnel who say encrypted communications prevented them from stopping the Paris attacks and could enable more terror strikes in the future.

“The phones of the rich keep them safe, and the phones of the poor leave them vulnerable,” said Christopher Soghoian, the principal technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Together, Google and Apple dominate the mobile phone market, but Android devices are more popular than iPhones. Some 51 percent of American phonesrun Android, compared to the 44 percent that use iOS, and Android devices are much cheaper because they’re sold by a variety of manufacturers, from Samsung at the high end to Alcatel at the low end. An unlocked iPhone 6sstarts at $649; an Alcatel can be had for $174.

But the large number of frequently bargain devices running Android also makes it harder for Google to implement strong encryption, according to Soghoian. He said that creates a “digital security divide” where cheaper Android phones come with worse security.

Google did not respond to requests for comment on its security procedures. The company’s CEO, however, has publicly backed Apple in its fight with the government.

“Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users’ privacy,” the executive, Sundar Pichai, said on Twitter Wednesday. If the government prevails in the case, Pichai said it “could be a troubling precedent.”                                             Read More

Obama to meet Raul Castro, dissidents on historic trip to Cuba

BY JEFF MASON AND DANIEL TROTTA- Fri Feb 19, 2016

President Barack Obama will meet dissidents and President Raul Castro in Cuba next month, the White House said on Thursday, announcing a historic trip that will be another major step towards ending decades of animosity between former Cold War foes.

In the first visit by a U.S. president to the Caribbean nation since 1928, Obama will meet entrepreneurs and people from different walks of life during the trip on March 21 and 22, but he is unlikely to see Fidel Castro, the former president and revolutionary leader, U.S. officials said.

The White House hopes Obama's trip will help accelerate change on the Communist-run island and cement progress made under his watch, but Republicans at home complained that it would give legitimacy to Cuba's oppressive government.

"Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people," Obama wrote on Twitter.

After decades of hostility following Cuba's 1959 revolution, the two countries agreed in 2014 to move to reopen ties, but the U.S. embargo on Cuba remains and Washington frequently criticizes Havana's human rights record.

The opening to Cuba was a diplomatic feat that is likely to form part of Obama's foreign policy legacy along with the nuclear deal he struck with another long-time U.S. foe, Iran.

Officials decided that travelling to Cuba now rather than at the end of Obama's term would give them more leverage to make progress on expanding Internet access and opening up business opportunities for Cubans and Americans.

Obama regularly meets with civil society groups when he travels abroad, and officials said this trip would be no different.

"He’ll be meeting with dissidents, with members of civil society, including those who certainly oppose the Cuban government’s policies," Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, told reporters.

Josefina Vidal, the director of U.S. affairs for the Cuban Foreign Ministry, said the Cuban government is willing to talk with the United States about its concerns.

"Cuba is open to speak to the U.S. government about any topic, including human rights," Vidal told reporters. She said the Cuban government wants Guantanamo Bay returned to Cuba and the embargo lifted before relations can be normalized.

Cuban dissidents gave a cautious welcome to the trip.

"He should take advantage of this opportunity to send a loud, clear message," prominent opposition blogger Yoani Sanchez wrote on her website. "The material and moral poverty that surrounds us is not the responsibility of the United States."

The United States has upheld a strict economic embargo on Cuba for more than 50 years, providing the Cuban government with a strong propaganda tool against Washington.

The longest surviving lie

The lie-detector test is like the ancient practice of ‘trial by ordeal’ used to identify a witch.

A file photo of Indrani Mukerjea and her daughter Sheena Bora (Left) (Photo: PTI)

K N BHAT-Feb 17, 2016, 

In criminal cases when police resort to lie-detector tests it should be concluded that the investigation has reached a dead-end and other methods of discovering evidence or eliciting information, including procuring a confession, have failed. Take the recent instances of Peter Mukerjea in the Sheena Bora murder case and Salwinder Singh in connection with the Pathankot attack case — they both underwent the test and Mr Singh reportedly “cleared it”. Shashi Tharoor, in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar in January last year is facing the threat of the lie-detector test.

In India the most popular form of lie-detector test is “narco analysis”, where the person is injected with a chemical — sodium pentothal — popularly known as the “truth serum”. The subject enters into a hypnotic trance and answers questions without having conscious control over the replies. Another test is the Brain Electrical Activation Profile (BEAP) test, also known as “P-300 wave test”, where electrical waves emitted from the test subject’s brain are recorded through electrodes attached to the scalp.

The subject is then exposed to external stimuli like sound and visuals relevant to the facts being investigated. The theory behind it appears to be that when exposed to material stimuli, the suspect emits P-300 waves on the basis of which the expert draws inferences.

According to Wikipedia, polygraph is a machine that can measure several physiological indices like blood pressure, pulse, respiration and skin conductivity simultaneously — hence named, polygraph — while the subject answers a series of questions.

The belief underlying the use of polygraph is that deceptive or untruthful answers will produce physiological responses that can be differentiated from those associated with non-deceptive or truthful answers. But, ultimately, the polygraph analysis is like any opinion, say that of a handwriting expert. Mr Singh clearing the lie-detector test means nothing because it is an established fact that the body of a habitual liar does not react differently while giving evasive answers or while uttering outright falsehood. At the same time, many innocent individuals passionate to establish their innocence fail the test due to the fear that the findings might possibly go wron

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Donald Trump calls Pope Francis 'disgraceful' for questioning his faith

Trump responds after the pope suggests presidential candidate is ‘not a Christian’ because of his plan to build a border wall between the US and Mexico

Pope Francis: border wall plan shows Trump is ‘not Christian’.

Ben Jacobs in Kiawah Island, South Carolina-Thursday 18 February 2016

Donald Trump has called Pope Francis “disgraceful” over the pontiff’s suggestion the Republican presidential frontrunner was “not a Christian” for his plan to build a wall at the Mexican border.

Flying back to Rome from a trip to Mexico, the pope said: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

Trump responded swiftly at a campaign event in South Carolina, saying: “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful.”

“No leader, especially a religious leader, has the right to question another man’s religion or faith,” he told a packed room at a golf course resort. Trump then accused the Mexican government of “using the pope as a pawn”.

“They should be ashamed of themselves, especially when so many lives are involved and illegal immigration is rampant and bad for the United States.”

During his in-flight press conference, the pope insisted he did not mean to sway any Americans with his comments. “As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that,” he said.

“I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.”

In a press release timed to coincide with his rally, Trump suggested that the leader of the Catholic church would regret not supporting his candidacy. “If and when the Vatican is attacked by Isis, which as everyone knows is Isis’s ultimate trophy,” Trump said, “the pope can have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened.

“Isis would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians.”

But the billionaire said he did not take the pope’s remarks personally. “The pope said negative things about me because the Mexican government convinced him Trump is not a good guy,” he said.                    Read More

Sudan clashes sends tens of thousands of children into flight

Clashes between ethnic minority rebels and troops in Jebel Marra have forced 82,727 civilians to seek shelter, 60 percent of them children


Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sortoni, in Sudan's North Darfur state, who fled their homes following ongoing clashes in the Jebel Marra area on 8 February 2016 (AFP/HO/UNAMID)

AFP-Thursday 18 February 2016

KHARTOUM - Tens of thousands of children fleeing clashes in the Jebel Marra mountains of Sudan's conflict-torn Darfur have faced traumatic escapes, the United Nations children's agency UNICEF told AFP on Thursday.

In the isolated area's biggest civilian displacement in a decade, clashes between ethnic minority rebels and troops in Jebel Marra that erupted on January 15 have forced 82,727 civilians to seek shelter, 60 percent of them children, according to UN estimates.

"Children who already have very little are once again traumatised with what seems to be an endless, endless war," said Geert Cappelaere, head of UNICEF in Sudan.

Jebel Marra sits at the heart of the Darfur region and is a stronghold of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army commanded by Abdulwahid Nur (SLA-AW).

The area has seen heavy fighting before in previous years but had been calm before mid-January when fighting erupted involving ground troops and aerial bombardments.

Cappelaere told of the gruelling flight of  civilians - particularly children.

They have faced "the fear of being attacked, of being hit by bullets, hit by fighting, the fear of losing family members on the road," he said.

"It's an awful journey of trauma they have gone through, one they cannot understand," said Cappelaere.

"Add to that a journey with limited access to water - to drinking water - poor sanitation, children who had to leave school, children who are sick can't be treated, who had to be carried for days, hoping they will end up in a place where they have some minimum assistance."

Nearly 60,000 civilians fleeing the violence have taken shelter around a base at Sortoni in North Darfur belonging to the UN-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

Others have sought refuge at other existing camps for the displaced near Tawila and Kabkabiya.

"Those who end up in Sortoni, in Kabkabiya and Tawila, these are the lucky ones. Once they are in the camp ... we are able to provide them some assistance," said Cappelaere.

But he said there have already been reports of a measles outbreak at Tawila.

It is thought many fleeing the fighting have escaped further into the Jebel Marra area, where UN agencies and NGOs have been unable to access them.

UNICEF said the children displaced by the month-long bout of fighting in Jebel Marra risked missing out on education and vaccinations, adding it needed more funding to support them.

More than 300,000 people have been killed in the Darfur conflict since 2003 and there are some 2.5 million people living there who have been fled their homes, the UN says.

Indonesia backpedals on plan to block Tumblr

by Hanis Maketab-18th February 2016 

THE Indonesian government has stated that it would not block access to popular microblogging and social networking website Tumblr after all.

This statement comes less than 12 hours after it announced on Wednesday that it would block the website from being accessed within the country until Tumblr agreed to remove explicit content depicting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships, as well as pornography.

According to Coconuts Jakarta, Communications and Information Technology Ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu was quoted by Detik yesterday saying that the government would not block Tumblr, but would instead request them to block access to explicit content for Indonesian users.

It is believed that the ministry had backtracked on its plans to block the website due to resounding protests from local netizens over the proposal.

Using the hashtags #savetumblr and #tolakblokirtumblr (“Reject Tumblr block”), many social media users voiced their contention with the government’s plan.

 Follow

Dwilary C. Zumayra @dairakane

The hell is wrong with kemkominfo?! Just because there's a bit negative stuff there they have to block entire site?! #savetumblr

8:10 AM - 17 Feb 2016Follow

Nasya Ayudianti @nasya_ar

Please don't block our source of happiness,It's amazing to appreciate the positive creativity of others,something u shldn't take#savetumblr

6:07 PM - 17 Feb 2016

 Follow

Putri Minangsari @PoetryReading

Haven't been on Twitter for a few days because all the anti-LGBT racket infuriates & gets me down. And now, Tumblr. WTF, Indonesia. WTF.

9:51 PM - 17 Feb 2016

It was reported that the ministry’s e-business director-general Azhar Hasyim had said on Tuesday that the government intended to block Tumblr, along with 476 other websites, for displaying “vulgar” and “pornographic” content, particularly those which were LGBT in nature.

Additionally, the ministry’s censorship panel had met with Indonesian representatives from social media and messaging platforms Twitter, LINE and BlackBerry on Wednesday to discuss the filtering of offensive content.

The panel called for these services to “do more” to ensure that pornographic, radical and “culturally sensitive” material would be filtered in accordance with national laws.

READ MORE: Indonesia warns messaging apps to drop same-sex emoticons

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s most influential Muslim leaders have said that they reject all promotion and support for LGBT groups and encouraged the government to make gay sexual activity illegal.

The statement by the Indonesian Ulema Council, made up of clerics and other Islamic organizations, follows the government’s move on Monday urging the U.N. Development Program to deny funding to programs regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said LGBT programs contradict the social and cultural values of the country.

The Council on Wednesday called LGBT activities “harmful” and “a potential source of diseases”.

Homosexuality is a sensitive issue in Indonesia, which is a Muslim-majority nation, and official statements on LGBT matters range from tolerance to outright condemnation.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.

Michigan's Water Wars: Nestlé Pumps Millions of Gallons for Free While Flint Pays for Poisoned Water

FEBRUARY 17, 2016

As Flint residents are forced to drink, cook with and even bathe in bottled water, while still paying some of the highest water bills in the country for their poisoned water, we turn to a little-known story about the bottled water industry in Michigan. In 2001 and 2002, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued permits to Nestlé, the largest water bottling company in the world, to pump up to 400 gallons of water per minute from aquifers that feed Lake Michigan. This sparked a decade-long legal battle between Nestlé and the residents of Mecosta County, Michigan, where Nestlé’s wells are located. One of the most surprising things about this story is that, in Mecosta County, Nestlé is not required to pay anything to extract the water, besides a small permitting fee to the state and the cost of leases to a private landowner. In fact, the company received $13 million in tax breaks from the state to locate the plant in Michigan. The spokesperson for Nestlé in Michigan is Deborah Muchmore. She’s the wife of Dennis Muchmore—Governor Rick Snyder’s chief of staff, who just retired and registered to be a lobbyist. We speak with Peggy Case, Terry Swier and Glenna Maneke of Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation.

Watch more from the Democracy Now! special report "Thirsty for Democracy: The Poisoning of an American City"

'Thirsty for Democracy: The Poisoning of an American City': Special Report on Flint’s Water Crisis

What Did GM & the Governor Know? GM Stopped Using Flint Water Over a Year Before Emergency Declared

Meet the Flint Official Whose Bid to Restore Safe Drinking Water Was Blocked by an Unelected Manager

Inside How Citizens, Journalists, Doctors & Scientists Exposed the Flint Water Crisis Cover-up

Full Story>>>

Any Type Of Cancer Can Be Cured In Just 2-6 Weeks

Dr. Leonard Coldwell claims that any type of cancer can be cured in just 2 to 6 weeks. Make sure you take a look at the video bellow this article. You will be surprised when you see it. Yes, that’s true, cancer can be cured. I hope you’ll be amazed as I was when I watched the video for the first time.

Cancer is one of the most dangerous and deadly diseases today. A lot of families have lost a family member cause of this deadly disease. My dad died of cancer when I was 17. That was extremely painful experience for me and it had changed my life completely. The worst thing in your life is to look how the cancer eats your closest family members and friends from the inside and you can’t do anything about it. When I saw Dr. Coldwell’s video and article I was so happy and amazed, because I don’t want to see people die from this terrible disease and their closest friends and family suffer if they lose one. Cancer can attack anyone. You can never know who will be its next victim. So make sure you watch this video bellow and start believing that there is hope for all cancer and future cancer patients.

The Cancer Industry is too Prosperous to Allow a Cure for Cancer

You’ve probably heard the term “cancer can be treated with the convention chemotherapy treatments and prescribed medications”. But do you actually believe that these medications can cure cancer? I don’t! We’ve spent everything we had to pay for my father’s chemotherapy treatments and medications. All these treatments cost a fortune, and didn’t help my dad with his disease. They even made it worse. In the last few weeks, my dad suffered from agonizing pains, caused by the chemotherapy treatment. Do you know why the cancer industry still offers the chemotherapy and cancer medications to the cancer patients? It’s all because of money. Nobody from the medical industry actually cares about the patients. They just care about profit and making money on selling medications that don’t work and treat cancer patients with the conventional chemotherapy methods that are killing more good cells, than the cancer ones.

Have you ever heard about Dr. Leonard Coldwell?    
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‘We ask for power to be shared to North-East' – TNA leader

The Long Term Solution To Sri Lanka’s Ethnic Problem

17 February 2016

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan called for power to be shared to the North-East in order to reach a solution to the island’s enduring ethnic conflict.

Speaking to the Sinhala language daily newspaper Divaina, in a piece headlined ‘We ask for the Tamil kingdom that the British handed over to the Sinhalese’ , Mr Sampanthan detailed the history of the Tamils in the North-East. “There was a separate kingdom in the North,” said the TNA leader. “The Sinhala people should know the truth. Sinhala leaders should tell the Sinhala people the truth.”

Calling for the devolution of power, Mr Sampanthan said:

“We all have to come together and share power... It is good for the country and also its people. The Tamil people mostly lived in the North and East. We ask power to be shared to that region.”

He also spoke about his recent trip to Scotland, where he and other TNA members attended a constitutional workshop. “A lot of things have happened in Scotland,” he said. “A referendum was held in 2014. It [the referendum] was to decide if Scotland was to be part of the United Kingdom or not.”

“We gained awareness about it,” added the TNA leader. “It [having awareness] is good.”

Mr Sampanthan also emphasised his support to implement a UN Human Rights Council resolution on an accountability mechanism in full, which included the participation of international judges. The topic filled “most” of his discussion with UN human rights chief Zeid Al Hussein recently, he said, adding “we discussed the need to fulfil completely the matters agreed to in that resolution”.
“We feel it is best to completely fulfil the resolution,” he continued, stating that Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena “has to make a decision regarding this”.

“We expect that he will make a good decision,” he said, however noted that if the president were to reject international judges his party would have to “think about it”.

Sri Lanka: Rising from the ashes, but much left to do

17 February 2016

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has plenty of links to the country’s bloody past but now he needs to look to the future. He has five years left of a generous six year presidential term and will need all that time — and more — to introduce the reforms the country so urgently needs.

Sri Lanka's civil war ended in May 2009, when the military under President Mahinda Rajapaksa crushed Tamil separatist forces in a series of bloody offensives in the country's north east. In January last year, Sri Lankans replaced Rajapaksa, narrowly voting in his former ally and minister Sirisena, who promised to curb corruption, reform the constitution and foster reconciliation. That election success was reinforced in parliamentary elections in August, and the appointment of a new Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, heading a tricky coalition of the nation's two major parties.

Rajapaksa's 10-year rule had become increasingly authoritarian. The new Government is moving carefully to investigate corruption allegations against Rajapaksa, his brothers (including a former minister of economic development and a former secretary of the ministry of defence), and a son suspected of corrupt activity related to allocation of cricket broadcasting rights. Rajapaksa is still in Parliament with a loyal, if diminished, following (his image remains defiantly plastered on roadsides in his rural heartlands), and so has the potential to destabilise the government.

Reconciliation                    Full Story>>>

No turning back

17 February 2016
The past months have seen Tamil victims of Sri Lanka’s decades-long conflict meet with ambassadors from across the world. The recent visit to the North-East by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Al Hussein held particular significance. It symbolised the continued international focus on the future of the North-East and renewed hopes that justice and reform is beginning to take shape, to those who continue to suffer from the consequences of repression and military occupation. 

Mr Hussein’s visit came as victims in the North-East saw both the Sri Lankan president and prime minister backtrack on pledges to deliver on accountability, made to them and the international community. Mr Sirisena in particular has been explicit in his rejection of international judges, a reversal of position on a key element of the UN resolution that Sri Lanka co-sponsored. This is despite it being firmly acknowledged that to address the systematic crimes described in the OISL report, a specialised level of expertise that is not typically available in Sri Lanka is required. Indeed, as the High Commissioner noted, given Sri Lanka’s history is “littered with judicial failures”, international participation is vital to ensure impartial proceedings, and has been resolutely advocated for by the victims themselves. Instead, Colombo appears to move towards obscuring justice, rather than delivering it. 

As calls for justice become more intense, a rising climate of Sinhala nationalism has been fermenting; exemplified by the veracity of protests against the human rights chief and the insidious ‘Sinha Le’ campaign. Against this backdrop, Mr Sirisena’s remarks are unwise - but not unexpected. Whilst raising the spectre of the Rajapaksa regime’s resurgence, his actions reinforce the toxic Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism on which Rajapaksa thrives, rather than challenging it. He has chosen to indulge nationalist sentiment and thus fuel its revival, instead of focusing on regaining the trust of the Tamils and building the reconciled, liberal, inclusive, multi-ethnic state that his government promised. 

Mr Wickremesinghe too has been guilty of pandering to nationalist rhetoric, reassuringparliamentarians that any foreign judges would have to seek Supreme Court approval. Attempts to balance this with nods towards allowing international participation, inspires little confidence amongst many Tamils who have been repeatedly failed by duplicit Sinhala leaders and a flawed justice system. Mr Wickremesinghe’s toing and froing is disingenuous and indicates a policy of obfuscation. The international community must be clear that the prime minister can no longer carry on this balancing act. If the island is to move towards a lasting peace for all, his claimed commitment to liberal peace must be put into practise, and he must heed the victims demands. 

Alongside this, his declaration that the tens of thousands of missing people across the North-East were “probably dead” caused deep distress to those who continue their desperate search in the hope that their loved ones return. It provided no further information on the missing or comfort to their relatives, and was delivered in a manner that runs contrary to the spirit of reconciliation his government claims to extend. If the missing are dead, then as the High Commissioner noted, the prime minister must take responsibility to properly account for their deaths and provide redress. 

The High Commissioner also highlighted two key measures that must be swiftly taken. The removal of the military presence in the North-East, would be a step in the direction towards security sector reform and give civic life in the region much needed breathing space. This goes hand in hand with the release of military occupied land, a move that the High Commissioner noted will ensure a “lingering sore will have been cured once and for all". However, as Sri Lankan army bases become evermore permanent, Colombo has chosen to let these sores fester and deepen. 

Having been pivotal in bringing this government into power last year, the Tamil people were asked to keep their faith in the promise of reform. Despite having repeatedly outlined avenues for action, through the forming of new political bodies, the passing of resolutions and proposals and constant demonstrations, pledges of long-lasting change remain unfilled. Sri Lanka though, seemingly emboldened by a perceived alleviation in international pressure, wavers on its commitments to the victims. The parliamentary appointment of General Sarath Fonseka, the commander who oversaw the massacres of 2009, was yet another chagrin to the victims and their hopes of justice. 

In the coming weeks, as the state begins a consultation process to outline an accountability mechanism, the international community must ensure that no such faltering occurs. International pressure, which has relentlessly driven reform on the island so far, must persist if a justice process where the victims voices take centre place is to be forged. Indeed that was the defining message left by ambassadors who visited the North-East - including the High Commissioner. Mr Hussein’s words in Jaffna encapsulated the victims hopes and brought to the fore the expectations of justice that belie the international community. Having assured them that change will come, the international community cannot fail them again. After years of waiting, justice that is long overdue must finally be served.

To ETCA Or Not To ETCA: What Is The Question?

By Ruvan Weerasinghe –February 17, 2016

Dr. Ruvan Weerasinghe

The metamorphosed version of CEPA, the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) has sparked off various segments of our industry, and our politicians to respond in diverse ways. Much of this has been either of a knee-jerk type or of text-book economic theory. The former reaction is connected with the general dislike of our neighboring big brother, while the latter harps on the size of the market that will open up to us. In this article I want to show why both these reactions are flawed.

Market liberalization

In order to bring some logic into the argument, we first need to take the India factor out of our discussion owing to various, mostly negative connotations that are evoked. In order to do that, we can ask ourselves, is it good to liberalize our service industry to Country X? In order to give some context, we may need to also consider at least two parameters of Country X: its size in terms of population and its political/economic status. In order to focus our debate, we should set both these parameters at higher values than ours.

The rather simplistic argument of many of the politicians has been that it is advantageous for a small country like Sri Lanka to enter into a large market. This assumes that there is an absolutely equal playing field. This assumption is flawed owing to the second parameter: which country on earth that is stronger in terms of its political and economic status than us, would sign an agreement that is more advantageous to us than to them[1]? However, we should avoid throwing the baby with the bathwater. There are many examples of larger, more powerful countries benefiting neighboring smaller countries owing to liberalization, such as possibly Bhutan and recently Myanmar in our region and Vietnam and Cambodia not far from us.

The human resource factor

What we need to then ask is, when is it mutually beneficial for a smaller, less powerful country to open its market to a larger country which most probably will stand to benefit more? Many of the examples that have been proposed as success stories in terms of increased foreign direct investment and exports, have not brought the social costs into their calculations. Even if we leave that aside for the sake of this argument (though we probably shouldn’t), the countries in these examples were mostly not just smaller in size and political/economic status, but also impoverished in terms of the quality of their human resource: something that usually is rarely considered. In our situation, this is clearly not the case for the industries that have been linked with the CEPA/ETCA discussion: medical, engineering and IT professionals. In our case, arguably, the per capita human resource quality is higher than most countries in the region[2].

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