TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE MESSAGE NEEDS TO BE BETTER COMMUNICATED TO PEOPLE 

28.03.16

As befits a democratic government that governs with the consent of the people, the government has launched two major public consultation processes. The first of these public consultations organized by the government was with regard to the constitutional reform process and ended on March 15. The second major public consultation process initiated by the government is led by the National Consultation Task Force comprising civil society members. Their endeavour at the present time is to bring in more civil society groups into the consultation process.

The National Peace Council has been conducting discussions on strengthening the transitional justice and reconciliation process especially at the community and grassroots level focusing on district and community-based organizations from Galle, Hambantota, Kalutara, Puttalam, Mannar, Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Ampara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Kegalle, Trincomalee and Colombo. These consultations with the civil society groups are intended to provide inputs to the government as it develops its Transitional Justice, peace and reconciliation programme.

At the consultations on the transitional justice and reconciliation process conducted with civil society representatives from all parts of the country, two key messages get highlighted. The first is the limited information available to the general population regarding these issues. There is an absence of strong and systematic messaging by the government. Second, the message from the Tamil-speaking participants from the North and East is their scepticism about the ultimate outcome of the ongoing transitional justice process. This highlights the need for greater inclusion of such groups into the process and for trust building with them.

The experience of NPC in taking this message to the people is that there is little or no awareness of what this government framework is. This is in contrast to the educational campaign in regard to an earlier constitutional reform process took place in the period between 1996 when the “devolution package” made its appearance and 2000. A special government public communications unit was set up for taking this message to the people and was called the National Integration Programme Unit which was staffed by leading academics and activists who operated under the government. As a first step it is necessary for the government to carry out a mass education campaign, so that the people who are going to be consulted have a fair idea of what the issues at stake are.

Governing Council
National Peace Council

The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organization that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in which the freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities are respected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by its Governing Council of 20 members who are drawn from diverse walks of life and belong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country.

Voiceless: Stories of the Displaced

by Raisa Wickrematunge 

- on 03/28/2016 

On Friday, Groundviews posted a map to the displaced and marginalised, marking the International for the Right to Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, which falls on March 25.

Each of the stories highlighted on the map had a long history of marginalisation, including years of legal battles. Many of the people featured lost not just their homes, but also prized possessions and even their source of livelihood.

Given this, we publish more details of each case in this story, compiled using Microsoft Sway.

View the story here, or below:

Correct Steps Have Been Taken In Right Direction – Krishantha Cooray

by Camelia Nathaniel-Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Although the Current government criticised the previous regime, there have also been questions over some of the appointments made to several key institutions during the good governance regime. Responding to queries by The Sunday Leader in this regard, UNP Media Head and Working Committee member Krishantha Cooray  said that  a government has to have short-term, medium-term and long-term plans. In an interview with The Sunday Leader he said that ours is a country that is seriously hampered by a human resources problem.  The sad truth he said is that the system doesn’t facilitate the appointment of the right people for the right jobs. There is a need to be scientific and professional in dealing with this problem.  He said there has to be a solid understanding of labour market requirement, not just for today, but in terms of foreseeable changes in economic realities.  There has to be a comprehensive occupational classification, he said adding that the education system needs to be revamped accordingly.  According to Cooray English education has to be revisited so that there is a level playing field and the true talent is identified, trained and properly located in the economy.The truth is that corruption and issues of remuneration have led to people shunning the public sector, he said and   Radical changes are required to address these issues so that we produce solid professionals with unquestionable integrity who can then fit these key positions.  This he pointed out is also applicable to the political sphere. 

Following are excerpts of the interview;

Q:  How do you view the current political climate in the country?

A:  The current political climate has to be assessed in terms of where we were and the challenges produced by that context.  What happened on the eighth of January was extraordinary and unique.  The impossible happened.  A regime thought to be invincible was defeated.  Those who were considered powerless rose to the occasion.  Now we have to remember that voting people out does not mean the structures and political culture that were detrimental to the country’s progress were simultaneously removed.

A proper government was formed only in September 2015.  Reform was and is the primary objective of this Government.  However, reforms have to happen in a particular political and economic context.  It is not easy to transform overnight the political culture of a country.  Neither do we have absolute control over all factors impacting our economy.  Tough and unpopular decisions have to be taken and this has to be done taking the people into confidence.  The truth has to be told, even if it is harsh and it has to be effectively communicated.

So I would say that we are going through a challenging phase.  How the nation rises to these challenges and whether or not the political leadership shows courage, maturity and the ability to communicate the truth of the realities before us will determine whether or not justice is done to the hopes raised by the victory of President Maithripala Sirisena in January 2015.

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Primitive Asgiriya prelates must go back to Dhamma school : Woman becoming C.P. Governess is wrong but woman bringing tooth relic is right..!

(Lanka-e-News -27.March.2016, 10.30PM) It is a matter for deep regret , that the prelates  of the Asgiriya chapter , Kandy have descended to such  lowliest level that they  must be sent again to  Dhamma classes and taught lessons in Buddhism. In fact all Sri Lankans are rudely shocked over their abysmal ignorance of the Dhamma. 

Unbelievably, the Asgiriya chapter prelates  have recently objected to the appointment of Ms. Niluka Ekanayake, a mother of one child as the governess of Central province. Their objection is based on the contention that if she is appointed, a woman would have to be allowed to participate in the affairs concerning the tooth relic in the Dalada Maligawa. 

A group including the deputy prelates of the Asgiriya chapter Vedharuwe Upali, Warakagoda Dhammaratne,Urule watte  Dhammarakitha (Mahiyangana Rajamaha vihara in -charge ), Asgiriya Registrar Anamaduwe Dhammadisi, Gallelle  Sadhatissa, and some monks of the Asgiriya chapter  have conveyed their opposition to ministers Mahinda Amaraweera and S.B. Dissanayake.

Even a child who attends Dhamma school knows how Maha prajapathi Gauthami, Visakha and Patachara of the female gender were accorded due place by Thiloguru Lord Buddha and were treated as equal with the male gender. Hence , the stupid monks of the committee of  Asgiriya prelates raising this objection is tantamount to a betrayal of their ignorance of the elementary knowledge of Buddhism which even a Dhamma school going child will condemn as extreme idiocy and  abysmal ignorance .It is therefore little wonder the true Buddhists of the country are most rudely shocked by this stupid response of the Buddhist prelates.

Every true Buddhist knows that princess Hemamala brought the tooth relic to Sri Lanka by hiding it in her hair locks (Are the Asgiriya prelates  actually ignorant  or feigning ignorance ?) Therefore , if Hemamala belonging to the female gender bringing the tooth relic was not an issue then , how come , the appointment of a woman to the post of governess of Central province become an issue to the Asgiriya chapter prelates ,the guardians of the tooth relic and create  a problem to the Dalada Maligawa ?

Moreover , were these Asgiriya prelates dead when Ms. Surangani Ellawala was appointed as the governess of this same province ? or were they corpses  despite being  alive ? or did they not object at that time because the appointment was made by Mahinda Rajapakse?

Incidentally ,the Asgiriya prelates are also opposed to opening the A 26 road (now closed) in the vicinity of the Dalada Maligawa. But strangely , they saw nothing wrong when Namal Rajapakse team held road races to have fun and frolic  in the nights closing the roads around the Maligawa. On top of that these prelates also had no qualms when they whitewashed the deeds and words of drunkard criminal  monk and scoundrel Galagoda Gnanassara by claiming those actions of Gnanassara were aimed at rescuing the country and religion.

Now, these Asgiriya monks are  opposing  the appointment of a governess to the Central province. Though they  have  no grounds to justify their  action, even a small child who attends Buddha Dhamma school knows the reason why their objection  cannot be justified. Shouldn’t these prelates therefore be ashamed of themselves?

Surely therefore these Asgiriya prelates cannot belong to the pristine Buddhism we know of. In the circumstances ,  it is best in their own interests and for the sake of Buddhism if they go back to Dhamma school and learn Buddhism. 

Interestingly ,the appointment of a governess to the central province has not been an issue to the Malwatte Mahanayake , and naturally  he has won  the awe and admiration of all the true Buddhists . 

---------------------------
by     (2016-03-27 17:32:03)

Truth behind the $ 6,361 loans of the present Government 

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

The accusation by the former President

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been repeating ad nauseam over the last few weeks that the present Government has taken $ 6,361 million in foreign loans in its 15-month lifespan thus far but hadn’t even built a culvert with that money.

He says that he could have built two Mattala Airports, one Hambantota Port, one Norochcholai Coal Power Plant, one Colombo-Matara Highway, one Colombo-Katunayake Highway, not one, but two Colombo Port cities and one 500 MW Sampur Coal Power Plant with that money.

Finally, he says that the present Government is incapable of running the country and that he should be given the opportunity once again to ‘rescue’ Sri Lanka.

  

The calculation of the $ 6,361 in loans

Rajapaksa’s calculation of the $ 6,361 million the present Government borrowed is as follows:

1. Currency swap of $ 400 million in March 2015 and $ 1,100 million in May 2016. So in currency swaps, the total is $ 1,500 million.

2. International Sovereign Bond of $ 650 million in May 2015 and another $ 1,500 million ISB in October 2015. So in ISBs, the total is $ 2,150.

3. Sri Lanka Development Bonds totaling $ 2,711 during the tenure of the new Government.

So, adding together all of the above Rajapaksa comes up with the grand total of $ 6,361 million ‘debt’ that the present Government got into in the last 15 or so months. Let us analyse them one by one.

Currency swaps

What is a currency swap? It is a swap; meaning an exchange. In a central bank currency swap, two central banks exchange a particular currency with another with an agreement to unwind that swap at a given date at a given exchange rate and or a given interest rate.

India has such swap agreements with each SAARC country for up to $ 2,000 million on which they can draw if needed. In fact, during Rajapaksa’s rule, in September 2014, Sri Lanka also entered in to a $ 1,600 million (or Yuan 10 billion) swap agreement with China.

While most of the time currencies are exchanged, sometimes they are not, but is structured as a short-term loan to be paid back with interest. In the recent case of India, I understand it was the latter.

These short term exchanges are, for the most part, used to either tide over currency pressure or to directly settle bilateral trade transactions. And these take place all the time around the world. As at present US, Canada, Euro Area, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, China, Australia, UK, India, Brazil, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Korea besides Sri Lanka and dozens of others have various swap agreements between and among them. They utilise them based on need.

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Can Gotabaya be the unifier of SLFP?


2016-03-28
Last  week, there was this tantalizing proposition from  an anonymous member of the Joint Opposition, who was speaking on behalf of a group of MPs wanting to unify the divided SLFP, suggested to appoint Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a Member of Parliament. Gotabaya, the nameless MP beckoned, would serve as the unifier of the SLFP, now split between the loyalists of the incumbent President and his predecessor.   

Since April Fools’ Day is still a couple of days away, we are compelled to assume that this wasn’t a hoax. Someone who wants to bet on the good luck and charm of Gotabaya should be dead serious about that.Breast-beating Senior Rajapaksa seems to be less keen in a settlement of the internecine conflict though, he wants the government to hand the country back to him for he thinks the incumbent administration is clueless in those complex affairs such as fiscal management (for him read as piling up the exchequer with commercially borrowed loans to build his vanity projects). 

Public service resembles that proverbial hyper inflated frog mom about to explode thanks to  MR, who  turned  it into a job bank, expanding from the earlier 600,000 to current 1.4 million. He thinks it is a crowning achievement, no matter that  many of the new staff ended up being mere passengers.

Why it is believed that Gota is predestined to be the unifier of the SLFP is not fully established. But the theory goes like this:  SLFPers should like at least one of the Rajapaksa siblings, scions or someone in his  inner circle. If they don’t like Basil, Shavindra, Namal, Yoshitha or any other old goons such as Sajin Vas, why should they not like, at least Gota?  He defeated the LTTE and beautified the City of Colombo. So the people should like him!

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An Easter gift for the Catholics in Wattala

- Mar 28, 2016

Reports reaching us confirms the walking lane constructed spending million of rupees in Mabola Kaluela area where majority of Catholics reside has been removed a day before the Easter.

It is learnt that the lane has been removed in order to widen the 15 feet private road running behind this lane.

This private road belongs to a nine acre land which is reserved to build a housing project.

People in the area said a famous minister in Wattala has paid 50 million for the construction of this lane.

Many people in the area who use this lane for physical exercises has shown their protest against this minister.

Sri Lanka: Air force official arrested over the sexual abuse of a foreign national

( March 28, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) An Air force official was arrested for attempting to sexually abuse a foreigner in Ampara, Ragamwela coastal area. She was forcefully dragged to a jungle area by the beach by the official on Saturday ( 26 March).

The victim, an Italian national, had fled the scene and lodged a police complaint.

Police said that the suspect , a 30-year-old , was attached to the Ragamwela Air Force based camp.

FCID to Singapore after Namal's statement

MONDAY, 28 MARCH 2016

A group of officers from FCID and another group of officials from Attorney General's Department have left to Singapore to investigate financial frauds said to have been committed at controversial Krrish Square mixed development project.

The project worth US$650 million planned to be built on a prime 4.3 acre land  in Colombo included a luxury hotel, housing complex, shops and offices.

FCID has taken statements from Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa  regarding financial irregularities connected to the project begun during Rajapaksa regime.

The two teams have left to Singapore after statements were recorded from Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa. The powerful members of the present yahapalana government stated during the elections that close associates of Rajapaksa family had deposited billions earned illegitimately in foreign financial institutions.

Sri Lanka Cop Critical After Man Bites Genitals

The unidentified sub-inspector was trying to break up the fight at a coastal resort. (Representational Image)

March 28, 2016

COLOMBO:  A Sri Lankan police officer was in a critical condition today after a man he was trying to arrest over a drunken brawl bit his genitals.

The unidentified sub-inspector was trying to break up the fight at a coastal resort 70 kilometres (44 miles) south of Colombo on Sunday night when the man bit him ferociously through his khaki trousers.

"The officer is in intensive care. He underwent emergency surgery to re-attach a part that was bitten off," a senior officer in the area told AFP.

"The suspect had been intoxicated at the time, but he is now in custody and will be charged for causing grievous hurt to a police officer."

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Story First Published:March 28, 2016 18:07 IST

From paradise to hell: The inside story of how SriLankan Airlines was skyjacked and plundered

By Our Political Editor-Sunday, March 27, 2016

• Minister Kabir Hashim reveals details of how billions were wasted or pocketed by unqualified political lackeys
• Cancellation of huge Airbus order costs millions, but minister says there is no option; Govt. gives six-month lifeline for turnaround of national carrier
• Economic crisis: Govt. must stop giving top jobs to racketeers who rob people’s money

Public Enterprises Development Minister Kabir Hashim

SriLankan Airlines, the country’s national carrier, that once offered a “taste of paradise” to its clients, is now on life support with Treasury handouts. The enormity of its mismanaged financial debacles unfolded last Wednesday when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe chaired a top level meeting. There, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake agreed to continue Treasury funding for the airline only for the next six months. Public Enterprises Development Minister Kabir Hashim, who is responsible for SriLankan, has been tasked to formulate new strategies within this period to pull it out of its deep financial mess. A number of options are being looked at including a possible tie-up with another airline. Even views of different international consultancy firms have been sought by the airline. They will meet the Premier again when proposals are ready to make urgent decisions.

RANIL REVEALS STATE OF THE ECONOMY

That it comes when the Government faces a serious economic crisis has made matters worse. Premier Wickremesinghe told Parliament on Thursday, “Minister Kabir Hashim informed me that the exact debt concerning SriLankan Airlines could be higher than the amount stated at present. The national carrier may not be able to repay it. We have to decide whether the Treasury is going to shoulder this burden. We will inform Parliament of any such decision as soon as the Cabinet of Ministers decides on it. Within the next month the Government will make a final decision on how to handle the current debt situation of SriLankan.”

Wickremesinghe added, “We have had to amend the Budget proposals from time to time due to the fast changing situation in the global economies. The Government has initiated agreements for a US$ 1.5 billion swap from the Reserve Bank of India, while it had also sought another US$ 1 billion swap from the Central Bank of China to face the prevailing foreign exchange issues. There are also ongoing discussions with regard to the tax proposals.” Some will be implemented, he said, from next month and the rest from September. He said the discussions with the IMF are mainly to deal with the tax system while the discussions on “a loan are secondary.” 

Such a standby loan of US $ 1.5 billion is being sought from the IMF was formally announced for the first time at a news conference by Special Assignments Minister Sarath Amunugama.

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake

At a tea party on Thursday to mark his 67th birthday, an ebullient Premier Wickremesinghe told reporters gathered at ‘Temple Trees’, of course jokingly, that they may have to liquidate the airline if they cannot turn it around. It transpired at Wednesday’s meeting that SriLankan cannot continue to function with the existing structure as the losses incurred on operations do not even support servicing its loans. In other words, the airline is now insolvent. “This joke can become a serious thing,” warned an official who stood close by. As Minister Karunanayake was to tell Treasury officials at a meeting on Friday that Sri Lankans had to pay more for their essential food commodities because the previous Government pumped millions of rupees to an airline which was then known to be failing. He charged that this was one of the worst ‘economic crimes’ of the previous administration. “We have been dumping billions of rupees to a bottomless pit,” he added.

ARROGANCE OF POWER

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Intelligence on alert due to attempt to incite monks, military!

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

Mar 28, 2016

Information has come to light about a conspiracy to destabilize the country by inciting racial and religious hatred among Buddhist monks and members of the armed forces to sabotage reconciliation and good governance of the present administration, say police department sources. Already, heads of the military have placed intelligence units on alert.

A faction of the joint opposition led by Mahinda Rajapaksa is plotting this plan. Its ‘Viyathunge Handa’ is in charge of executing the conspiracy. In addition, certain military officers close to the former Rajapaksa regime have joined them.

They will get disabled soldiers to hold a first of a series of protests against a curtailment of their allowances and demand continued payment until their retirement, and privileges for their dependents. The plotters will also spread falsehoods in the military and their families the government was going to divide the country. Protests will also take place to demand freedom for the armed forces members in custody over criminal charges.

This opposition faction is already using the enforcement of the law against monks who incite racism and religious extremism to spread falsehoods that the government was going to destroy the Sinhala Buddhist country by acting against monks. It has been revealed that it was part of this conspiracy that Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, accused over an elephant racket, has accused the government over the death of Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, that he had been murdered. Elle Gunawansa, Muruttettuwe Ananda and several other monks are involved in this.

In view of this situation, a top government authority has instructed the police department to suspend the arrests of monks and soldiers temporarily, say department sources. Therefore, the government is in danger of giving into whatever request of soldiers and monks in the face of these racist and religious extremist attack.

Why Does The ‘Coffee-Shop’ Liberal Care?

By Navam Niles –March 28, 2016

Navam Niles

In a cynical analysis of a recent protest at the Independence Square, Hafeel Farisz dubbed the protestors involved as “coffee shop liberals”. He certainly didn’t mean this as a compliment. He was not referring to the influence thatcoffee houses had on the Enlightenment or the liberals who ushered in the age of critical thinking on individual rights and duties of citizens. Instead, he meant this as a criticism, referring to people who gathered together in “up-market coffee lounges” to whip themselves into a fervour over first-world problems, while sipping their double-mocha Frappuccinos. He calls these protesters hypocrites for two reasons. First, they practice what they preach only when the offence takes place close to home. Second, they have a remarkable ability to manage cognitive dissonance: for instance, expressing outrage over the meaning of “rape” while ignoring the abuse suffered by women both at home and abroad. But his critique opens a broader question, why do coffee shop liberals care at all?

We are all born with a natural sense of altruism that drives us to care for those in our closest circles: family and friends. According to Peter Singer, a moral philosopher, we are capable of expanding our moral circles over time. In his book, The Expanding Circle, he points out that while our ancestors’ idea of community ended at the boarder of their village, many of us think of ourselves as part of a global community. Why did this change happen? According to Singer, this was because of technology and communication that allows us to actually affect the lives of others outside our immediate circles. We see the plight of refugees at home and abroad in vivid detail and sometimes even in real-time. Our ability to perceive suffering elsewhere is often matched by our ability to mobilise ourselves into action – donating to a cause, petitioning governments, or simply raising more awareness. One only needs to remember the outpouring of global aid that followed the devastating Tsunami in 2004, some of which was surely planned at a Starbucks somewhere in the world. Understanding why “coffee shop liberals” care to all, may help us to create a more caring society.

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Fidel Castro Breaks Silence, Chides Obama

A recent photo of Fidel Castro at his home in Havana.

Barack Obama shakes hands with the Cuban president, Raúl Castro, during their meeting at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, Cuba. 

March 28, 2016

HAVANA TIMES — Former Cuban president Fidel Castro broke his silence today and came out swinging in his first public reaction, before or after, the visit last week to the island by US President Barack Obama, reported dpa news.

“We do not need any gifts from the empire,” Castro, 89, wrote in a “reflection” published on the front page of the official “Granma” newspaper. Fidel said it was his “duty to respond to the speech” pronounced in Havana by Obama to the Cuban people on March 22nd.

“Each of us ran the risk of a heart attack upon hearing the words of the president of the United States,” Castro said in reference to the call for reconciliation in Obama’s address to Cubans, after half a century of hostility between the two countries.

Fidel rejected the idea of reconciliation, “after a merciless blockade that has lasted almost 60 years.” He recalled “those who died in the mercenary attacks on ships and Cuban ports, an airliner full of passengers detonated in midair, mercenary invasions, and multiple acts of violence and force.”

“Besides, I warn that we are able to produce the food and material wealth we need with the effort and intelligence of our people,” said Castro in the article titled “Brother Obama” and in which he also described as “syrupy” the words with which the US president called on both countries to “forget the past.”

Obama visited Cuba from March 20-22 as part of the thaw in relations that both countries presidents publicly announced in December 2014, after decades of estrangement.

Fidel Castro, who ruled the destinies of Cuba and its people from 1959-2006, did not participate in the talks between the government of his brother Raul and the Obama administration. Although he had not rejected rapprochement with the old ideological enemy, Fidel Castro has shown skepticism during the negotiations.

In his top of the Cuban news article, Castro recalled the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 and praised his government’s role in the struggles of African independence.  He accused Washington of having supported the racist apartheid regime in South Africa.

“I do not know what Obama has to say today about this history. I do not know what he did or did not know, although it is very doubtful that he knew absolutely nothing,” said Fidel.

“My modest suggestion is that he reflect and not try to develop theories about Cuban politics,” he said.

In his historic nationally televised address to Cuba last Tuesday,  Obama called for democracy and civil liberties on the island.

Upon leading the 1959 revolution, Fidel Castro erected a communist one-party system that has governed the island for over a half century. The words of the former president, 89, always generate expectations in Cuba, despite living removed from power since 2006.

Fidel Castro is not involved in day-to-day Cuban public life and in recent times rarely publishes his “Reflections”, which he began writing after recovering from the illness that led to his handing over the presidency to his brother Raul.

“A Chilling Playbook”

Over many decades, broader communities or neighbourhoods, better known as “ghettos” have sprung up around industrial towns and cities in Europe. This was as a result of Europe wanting cheap labour to fuel the new industries, steel and coal. People flocked to these towns within cities from the colonies, language ethnicities and willing labour was the attraction.

by Victor Cherubim     

( March 27, 2016, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is one thing to be caught out by unknown threats but quite another, say experts, for a nation’s security surveillance, to miss a known danger quite so spectacularly.

The Paris and the Brussels Molenbeek tragedies had much in common, as well as being so different. Border security, surveillance capacity, coordination between national security services,  are some common aspects.

Not how, but why?

The most difficult question concerns not how, but why the attacks took place? There are a range of theories, some which could overlap, some mutually contradictory. We probably won’t know the answer for sure for some time.

In the case of Paris, most observers state that it was a retaliation of French bombing along with NATO of ISIS in Syria. In the case of Brussels it was, perhaps, tit-for-tat  for the Belgian security services honing in on ISIS network after the Paris attack in November 2015 and the immediate capture of 26 year old, Salah Abdeslam who was on the run. There could however be another slant to this episode. According to some, the opponents of the West, sought engagement with Syria and Iraq in order to drain their resources, to create chaos, but this was not forthcoming.

The background of violence 

Over many decades, broader communities or neighbourhoods, better known as “ghettos” have sprung up around industrial towns and cities in Europe. This was as a result of Europe wanting cheap labour to fuel the new industries, steel and coal. People flocked to these towns within cities from the colonies, language ethnicities and willing labour was the attraction.

It took time to settle in, time to root, and time to form communities. But all the time common language speaking nationalities from once colonies abroad congregated together for their safety, security and solace to form neighbourhoods.

In reality these neighbourhoods were replicate towns of original settlements abroad. Halima, a mother of four who has lived in Belgium all her life recently stated: “In the ‘80’s, Molenbeek was like Marrakech, Morocco. Now it is like Kabul. It is like a war here”.

We now see a shift recently, the space is growing between different communities in Brussels suburbs.

Is this a new normal? 

Absolutely not say some? For every violent action there is a simultaneous non-violent reaction.

In reality, migrants from Africa and Asia have grown up in these neighbourhoods for decades. First were the food shops, then were the language schools, then came the places of worship, the Mosques, Churches and Temples, then came the Masjid’s or religious education.

On the heels of this movement, a close community thrived for years. The first generation were docile migrants, who were satisfied to work long hours, hard labour, tolerating abuse and religious bigotry. With the hard earned cash they bought houses and residences which were generally small by comparison to the local natives.

As more migrants settled in a neighbourhood, the locals felt overwhelmed and usually moved out to adjoining richer non immigrant neighbourhoods and selective work patterns emerged.

Business and banks, traders and investors recruited young immigrant second generation ethnic minorities.

Migrant politicians sprung up and imported issues blighted neighbourhoods. Community cohesion figured prominently, until economic uncertainty made for unrest.

Sooner than later migrant communities become isolated 

Isolation and the effects of downturn in the economies of many European nations caused these migrant communities to turn themselves reluctantly in “Ghetto Suburbs.”

Very soon the isolated immigrant ethnic communities only met their opposite numbers on crowded public transport over distances getting to and from work.

This was and is the reality of contemporary life in Europe, particularly in industrial neighbourhoods.

Recruitment as jihardi’s 

Solitary actors, lone wolves, unemployed youth, under-employed and disenchanted second generation migrants came to share similar interests.

Their unused talents, blank minds meet polarisation in the wall of unwarlike original migrant communities. Here began the story which we all can see is unfolding before us.