Torture of wild elephants and destruction of wildlife and environment 

Magistrate as an owner of an elephant

Tuesday, 7 June 2016

‘Thilina Gamage’ is a pleasant young non-controversial magistrate, who was charged with public property act, and for the possession of a baby elephant valued at 6.9 million allegedly without a valid licence. It is also alleged that he has been avoiding/evading the courts awaiting the outcome of his application for anticipatory bail. His defence is said to be the possession of a valid receipt from the person he has bought the elephant calf from. Many other cases are pending with more wrongdoings and inquires which are shelved and under the carpet due to obvious reasons.

Another owner of an elephant calf has been a powerful member of legislature of the previous regime who has become a multi millionaire within a few years and it is unlikely his matter will come to the surface because he has agreed to cross over and divulge information. Thilina’s matter is given wide publicity as the other case of a famous Buddhist Monk allegedly possessing an elephant baby unlawfully. Presumably he may have crossed the path in some way to get into this soup unlike many other illegal elephant owners unconcerned and unaffected.

The elephant is our treasure and a symbol of culture from the time of kings who respected and protected the animal, which is a part and parcel of our environment and wealth

There are cases pending and our area of discussions are limited and restricted to general information and facts that are of public interest. Wide publicity is given to this case and the facts which is somewhat unusual which concerns environmentalists, activists, professionals and media. Whether a magistrate could afford to purchase and maintain the young elephant calf is a matter left to him, but whether he has complied with the Fauna and Protection ordinance 1937 amended in 2009 is the main issue to be considered.

Section 23 of the act states that any elephant which has not been registered under S/23, shall be presumed to be taken or removed without lawful authority such elephants deemed to be public property.An elephant needs 150 kg of food and 150 litres of water per day and the cost of maintained with the caretaker is extremely expensive for an average citizen. These facts are common to all involved in the illegal trade still flourishing with the help of the rich and powerful.

Elephants are intelligent social animals

Elephants are intelligent, social, society inclined, socially complex animals living in herds with a leader and bonded together in a loving and peaceful environment. They keep away from other animals and other animals keep elephants at arm’s length except tigers, and scavengers taking immature calves as pray with ferocious resistance from the mother. They are full of family bonds, social and lovable harmless animals unless they are threatened and habitat is disturbed.

They are a part of the environment preserving the environment, strength and the beauty of the jungle and jungle life. Elephants are connected to the Sri Lankan culture and customs and during kings the wealth was assessed by the ownership of the number of elephants. This system trickled down for generations considering elephant as a symbol of social status. Kings and the rich only could own elephants presented and permitted to be owned by the decree of the king. The situation changed after colonisation when British started to kill elephants as a sport and to reduce the number for convenience. Due to import of heavy vehicles and the introduction of the train the use of the elephant was confined to customary rituals such as ‘Pereharas’, a status symbol, and a touristattraction. Today the elephant has become the most expensive merchandise.

Snatching baby elephants from the jungle

Snatching baby elephants from the jungle has attracted the illegal traders due to millions of rupees in the illegal trade as or more lucrative than drug trade. It is a simple operation with the help of politicians, powerful and rich, with the staff of the Wildlife Department who are supposed to protect the elephants and the wildlife from rouges. The mother is shot and killed to separate the calf tied or transported out and veterinary surgeon’s certificate and the birth certificate is taken for the name to be entered in the elephant registration book which is a controversial book discussed in a number of cases against the Leader ‘Ali Roshan’  (Elephant Roshan) and other illegal elephant traders.

It is a well-established and invested illegal trade with large acres of land and heavy vehicles for the transport of calves and lot of money to spend on politicians, Wildlife Department and the cronies in the system which is reported in Ceylon Today and many papers and case records of Ali Roshan and other members of the group are accused of other cases which has been given wide publicity. Vijitha Vijumuni Soysa has been the Wildlife Minister for a considerable period until he crossed over to Yahpalanaya. Good Governance for safety absolving himself of any wrong doings. He said most elephants in Sri Lanka are illegal and will take steps to make it legal. He makes funny and controversial statements now and then on the matter.

"Elephants are intelligent, social, society inclined, socially complex animals living in herds with a leader and bonded together in a loving and peaceful environment. They keep away from other animals and other animals keep elephants at arm’s length except tigers, and scavengers taking immature calves as pray with ferocious resistance from the mother. They are full of family bonds, social and lovable harmless animals unless they are threatened and habitat is disturbed. "

Way forward

The elephant is our treasure and a symbol of culture from the time of kings who respected and protected the animal, which is a part and parcel of our environment and wealth. They go through torture in captivity with no food and additional torture during transit and living with conditions below standard. Methods used for captivity are barbarous, torturous and illegal. Human-Elephant conflict is due to the invasion of their habitats by unplanned deforestation and developments.

We are proud to have 8,873 elephants which are decreasing rapidly due to human elephant conflict and lack of coordination and implementation of the act and the preventive measures. Organised groups snatch elephant calves from the jungle to sell for millions with forged papers which are controversial with information of loss and alteration of the Elephant Registration Book. We do not need outsiders to ruin us and our culture. We ruin ourselves, our environment, and our cultural heritages in temples and wildlife with the most uncommon animals in the globe.

Historically foreigners invaded us to ruin us. Now we ruin ourselves. It is time to demand zero elephant private ownership and minimise the use of elephants in Pereharas in the interest of the future of the nation in grief. Thickly elephant populated areas such as Habarana to be declared areas for elephants with protected wires and providing the Chena cultivators alternative land. One must read the campaign for elephants’ welfare in the countries with no elephants or greenery. We do not realise the value of the elephant and the culture and environment connected to it because we are fortunate to possess this rare environment’s beauty and the animals as a part of our wealth. Citizen is not concerned or worried about the cases and the parties involved, but if something good is the outcome of the cases they will be happy and contended. Citizen wishes and prays this message will reach the powerful people in power.

(The writer is Solicitor/Attorney- at-law and a former Ambassador. He could be reached at sarath dw28@gmail.com).

Defense secretary Hettiarachi and Wegapitiya perpetrate a tender fraud ! Whither SL ?

-Chief Accountant of ministry who opposed transferred !

(Lanka-e-News- 05.June.2016, 11.30PM)  The Chief Accountant of defense ministry who did not permit the perpetration of a  tender fraud was transferred with immediate effect to the  Water supplies by defense secretary Karunasena Hettiarachi, and an Accountant as well as  a close sidekick  of the Water supplies who were for some time aiding  and abetting in the corruption activities of Hettiarachi  earlier have been transferred to the defense ministry .

It is the defense ministry that can call for tenders for  the forces which are in excess of  Rs. 25 million in value. Accordingly, two tenders  to the value of Rs. 55 million were called by   the defense ministry .Two days before the tender bids were opened the defense secretary has summoned the chief accountant M.J. Gunasekera  ( a most qualified and competent officer) and told him ahead ,the bidder who is to be awarded the tender is arriving there , and a meeting with him is being arranged .

Later , it was the most unscrupulous  Laugfs gas chief  Wegapitiya , a pro MaRa  notorious wheeler dealer who had arrived to meet Hettiarachi. The latter had introduced Wegapitiya to Gunasekera , and instructed Gunasekera after Wegapitiya left to award the two tenders to him , and with that in view to do the needful.

Gunasekera , an officer who had maintained a clean slate and acted with a backbone from the time Gotabaya was the defense secretary had replied , as the defense secretary is the  chairman of the tender board , it is better he   expresses  that before others.  Gunasekera  ,a government officer of a rare breed in Sri Lanka  had frankly and fearlessly told Hettiarachi to his face ,    he cannot do anything illegal that transgresses the tender procedures.

How progressive will Sri Lanka be if there are more honest officers like Gunasekera and fewer officers like Hettiarachi in our Public service !

Hettiarachi who flew into a rage had taken immediate steps to transfer ‘Kamani’ an incompetent and least qualified Accountant (with whose aiding and abetting Hettiarachi   played his sordid games earlier) of the Water Supplies, and sidekick  ‘Janaka’ to the defense ministry with immediate effect  , while transferring Gunasekera to the Water Supplies.

Last Wednesday , the decision on the tender bids valued at Rs. 55 million  were to be taken . The defense secretary enlisting Kamani  awarded the two tenders to wheeler dealer Wegapitiya , and  went abroad. 

---------------------------
by     (2016-06-06 02:59:22)

Can't stay with govt. if Gota comes in: CBK


2016-06-06

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Sunday said she could not stay in the government if the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was trying to bring Gotabaya into power. 

“We brought this government in order to wipe out the looting of the country. If the SLFP is trying to bring Goatabayas into power we cannot stay in the government any longer,” the former President said addressing an event in Attanagalle, where she distributed flood relief items to those who affected by the recent floods in the area. 

She also said she was with her children abroad when the country had to face the flood situation. “I am here now to see what I can do for the affected people. I got a large number of telephone calls when I was abroad asking whether I was paralyzed. A website had carried a story saying I was paralyzed. Whoever the persons who carried the story should be asked whether I was paralyzed or not,” she added. (S.U.W.K.Jayawardane-Watupitiwala)

Israel has destroyed $74 million worth of EU projects

A Palestinian man inspects the ruins of a playground demolished by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank village of Zaatara, near Nablus, on 12 April. The playground, paid for by Belgium, is among tens of millions of dollars worth of European-funded infrastructure Israel has destroyed.Nedal EshtayahAPA images

Charlotte Silver-5 June 2016

An $11-million farming project in the Jordan Valley, a $61,200 playground near Nablus and an elementary school serving a Bedouin community east of Jerusalem: all have been destroyed by Israel.

These are just a few examples of the at least 150 European-funded structures in the occupied West Bank that Israel demolished in the first three months of 2016.

Israel has destroyed more homes, businesses and public infrastructure in these months than in all of 2015, according to a new report by the non-profit Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, or Euro-Med.

Each month, an average of 165 privately and internationally funded structures were demolished or partially destroyed, representing a more than three-fold increase from the previous rate of 50 demolitions per month between 2012 and 2015.

More than 900 Palestinians have been made homeless this year, according to UN statistics, and thousands more have had their livelihoods affected by the wave of destruction.

Euro-Med says that the UN deputy coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Robert Piper, has suggested the increase in demolitions is a response to the escalation of violent confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli occupation forces that began in October 2015.

But Israeli politician Moti Yogev, who has applied pressure on Israeli occupation forces to ramp up demolitions,said, “I have no doubt that the government’s firm stance is in part a result of the unilateral measures taken by Europe,” referring to the EU’s decision to label settlement products late last year.

If so, the demolitions can be likened to the “price tag” attacks on Palestinians and their property carried out by settlers as a form of revenge for policies they don’t like.

EU inaction

The discrepancy in explanations may be due in part to the fact that European officials have tried to downplay the extent of Israel’s destruction of EU-funded infrastructure in order to avoid embarrassment, according to Euro-Med researcher Cécile Choquet.

In 2012, Chris Davies, a UK member of the European Parliament, and Štefan Füle, the former European commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, submitted a list of EU-funded projects Israel had destroyed in the first eleven years of the millennium.

The 82-item list amounted to $56 million worth of losses.

But since then European Union bureaucrats have kept this kind of data classified, according to Euro-Med, which estimates that the total amount of EU aid squandered since 2001 totals $74 million. Some $26 million of this was destroyed during Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in 2014.

While European diplomats have issued condemnatory statements, they have yet to call into question the military and economic trade deals that undergird EU-Israel relations.

Last month, for instance, the EU criticized the “regrettable trend of confiscations and demolitions, since the beginning of the year, including of EU-funded humanitarian assistance,” after Israel destroyed the shelters of a Bedouin community near Jerusalem.

But the statement contained no hint of any measures to actually hold Israel accountable.

According to Haaretz, increasing political pressure is being placed on EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to confront Israel on the demolitions of EU-funded projects.

Mogherini reported that some EU members are demanding compensation from Israel.

The EU envoy to Israel, Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen, reportedly warned senior Israeli officers last week that if the demolitions remained at this level, EU-Israel relations could be harmed.

The EU mission in Tel Aviv did not respond to a request for comment from The Electronic Intifada on what the consequences, if any, would be if Israel did not halt the demolitions.

Another meeting between EU officials and Israel’s foreign ministry is scheduled for later this month to discuss a freeze on demolishing EU-funded structures.

Impossible to build

Demolitions overwhelmingly occur in Area C, 60 percent of the occupied West Bank that is under total Israeli control under the terms of the 1993 Oslo accords.

More than 70 percent of the Palestinians in that area are not connected to any water network. Between 2000 and 2014, Israeli authorities approved only 1.5 percent of Palestinian applications for building permits in Area C.

But COGAT, the Israeli occupation bureaucracy that administers military rule of Palestinians in Area C, has insisted the demolitions are measures “against illegal building.”

Far-right Israeli organization Regavim has co-opted the language of international groups who criticize Israel’s settlement building, describing EU projects in the West Bank as “illegal constructions in Area C.”

The EU’s investment in Area C is in keeping with its political commitment to what it calls the two-state solution.

To that same end, the EU is the biggest donor to the Palestinian Authority. Since 1994 it has provided $6.3 billion in aid to the entity that nominally rules over Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Most of the aid the EU funnels to the PA is to support daily operations: salaries of employees and security forces.

Between 2007 and 2015, the EU allocated $2.8 billion for PA governance. Since 2000, the European Commission, the EU’s executive, has allocated $792 million towards the basic humanitarian needs of the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The EU and its member states, meanwhile, have continued their arms trade with Israel.

French political scientist Caroline du Plessix told Euro-Med, “There is no Palestinian state today. The question is: What are we funding? Are we helping Israel to maintain the occupation, or are we truly helping the Palestinians build their independence?”

Nato countries begin largest war game in eastern Europe since cold war

Ten-day military exercise, Anaconda-2016, will involve 31,000 troops and thousands of vehicles from 24 countries

Preparations for Anaconda-2016 take place in Drawsko Pomorskie, north-western Poland. Photograph: Marcin Bielecki/EPA

Alex Duval Smith in Warsaw-Monday 6 June 2016

The largest war game in eastern Europe since the end of the cold war has started in Poland, as Nato and partner countries seek to mount a display of strength as a response to concerns about Russia’s assertiveness and actions.

The 10-day military exercise, involving 31,000 troops and thousands of vehicles from 24 countries, has been welcomed among Nato’s allies in the region, though defence experts warn that any mishap could prompt an offensive reaction from Moscow.

A defence attache at a European embassy in Warsaw said the “nightmare scenario” of the exercise, named Anaconda-2016, would be “a mishap, a miscalculation which the Russians construe, or choose to construe, as an offensive action”.

Russian jets routinely breach Nordic countries’ airspace and in April they spectacularly “buzzed” the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.

The exercise, which US and Polish officials formally launched near Warsaw, is billed as a test of cooperation between allied commands and troops in responding to military, chemical and cyber threats.

It represents the biggest movement of foreign allied troops in Poland in peace time. For the first time since the Nazi invasion of Soviet-occupied Poland began on 22 June 1941, German tanks will cross the country from west to east.

Managed by Poland’s Lt Gen Marek Tomaszycki, the exercise includes 14,000 US troops, 12,000 Polish troops, 800 from Britain and others from non-Nato countries.

Multinational operations publicised so far include an airdrop involving 2,000 parachutists over the northern Polish city of Toruń on Tuesday, engineers building a bridge to carry 300 vehicles over the Vistula river and a night-time “assault” involving 35 helicopters.

Marcin Zaborowski, a Polish defence analyst at the Centre for European Policy Analysis in Warsaw, said: 

“In Poland we see the exercise as a reassurance measure from the US and Nato. The defence needs of central and eastern Europe are real. The scope and numbers of Anaconda are no match for the Russian exercises that go on all the time just across the border.”

But Zaborowski also acknowledged that the backdrop to the exercise was “tense, and accidents can happen”.

Anaconda-2016 is a prelude to Nato’s summit in Warsaw on 8-9 July, which is expected to agree to position significant numbers of troops and equipment in Poland and the Baltic states.

It comes within weeks of the USswitching on a powerful ballistic missile shield at Deveselu in Romania, as part of a “defence umbrella” that Washington says will stretch from Greenland to the Azores.

Last month, building work began on a similar missile interception base at Rezikowo, a village in northern Poland.

The exercise comes at a sensitive time for Poland’s military, following the sacking or forced retirement of a quarter of the country’s generals since the nationalist Law and Justice government came to power in October last year.

So harsh have the cuts to the top brass been that the Polish armed forces recently found themselves unable to provide a general for Nato’s multinational command centre at Szczecin.

Insiders say morale has fallen to an all-time low since the appointment of Antoni Macierewicz as defence minister.

Professional soldiers are particularly worried about a lack of clarity surrounding the creation and role of a 17-brigade territorial army, drawn in part from the 35,000 members of Poland’s gun clubs and paramilitary groups, some of which, it is feared, are linked to the country’s racist football hooligans. Two of the volunteer brigades are set to assist the professional Polish army during Anaconda.

The Guardian understands from military sources that there has been little consultation over politicians’ long-term vision for the volunteers, described last week by the plenipotentiary minister Grzegorz Kwaśniak as “a fifth force after land, sea, air and special forces”.

A western defence expert confirmed that there was concern about government interference in Poland’s military. “Poland is highly regarded internationally. In the past 15 years, they spent a lot of money and created one of the best armies in the region. They made big sacrifices in Afghanistan. They lost 40 soldiers. It is not clear what the government thinks it needs to improve,” he said.

SitRep: China Reacts Angrily to Defense Secretary Carter’s Comments

BY PAUL MCLEARY, ADAM RAWNSLEY-JUNE 6, 2016

“I’m not, you are!” Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Chinese military’s Joint Staff Department put the Pentagon on full blast over the weekend, flatlyrejecting Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s repeated assertion that Beijing’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea were isolating it from the world community.

“We were not isolated in the past, we are not isolated now, and we will not be isolated in the future,” Adm. Sun said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He added that many countries maintain a “Cold War mentality” when dealing with China, saying they may only “end up isolating themselves.” The comments were a direct response to Carter’s accusation last month that China was building “a Great Wall of self-isolation” in the South China Sea. Carter repeated the line on Saturday in Singapore. “We do not make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble,” the Chinese officer said.

South China Sea Trouble, again. In a related bit of news, Taiwan Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan said Monday that Taiwan won’t recognize Chinese air defense zone over the South China Sea.

Fallujah. Shiite militias want in on the fight for Fallujah, and things are getting tense. The Iraqi army’s assault on the city has stalled, and head of the Iranian-backed Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri, insisted over the weekend, “no one can stop us from going there.” Amiri gave civilians in the Islamic State-held city 10 days to flee before he said his men would go in. He alsocriticized American advice that has prioritized the eventual assault on the Islamic State-held city of Mosul in the north, which also appears to be stalled. The Iraqi army has been struggling to fix its broken equipment and sustain troops in the field without massive amounts of American planning, and help.

Droning. On Friday, the U.S. Central Command announced it had taken three airstrikes on al Qaeda targets in Yemen in February and March, killing what the military claims were 81 militants. That brings the total of publicly acknowledged U.S. strikes on the group in Yemen this year to nine — but wait! According to the Long War Journal, there have been a total all 16 U.S. strikes in Yemen this year including several either carried out by the CIA, or not acknowledged by the Pentagon just yet. And those strikes? Looks like they killed about 107 alleged militants.

As Bobby Chesney writes over at the Lawfare blog, “this would seem to put us on pace for the highest number of US airstrikes there since 2012. It is certainly possible this is just the luck of the draw, with actionable intelligence arising unusually often of late. But it’s also possible that something has changed in terms of policy constraints or available resources.” Just recently,FP’s Dan De Luce and Paul McLeary wrote as much when they reported on President Obama’s still very active “signature strike” drone tactic.

Moving on. Recently retired U.S. Army General John Campbell might not be commanding American and NATO forces in Afghanistan any more, but he has been appointed to the board of directors for defense behemoth BAE Systems. In a statement, Michael Chertoff, chairman of the company’s board of directors — who is also founder of the Chertoff Group, a D.C. advisory firm, senior counsel of mega law and lobbying firm Covington & Burling LLP, and former secretary of the Homeland Security Department — said Campbell’s “knowledge and perspective on the U.S. military’s needs around the world will be highly valuable.” BAE employs over 32,000 people in the U.S., UK, Sweden, and Israel, and had sales of over $10 billion in 2015.

Good morning again from the Sitrep crew, thanks for clicking on through for the summer 2016 edition of SitRep. As always, if you have any thoughts, announcements, tips, or national  security-related events to share, please pass them along to SitRep HQ. Best way is to send them to: paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley

David Gilkey, Zabihullah Tamanna, RIP

On Sunday, NPR Photographer David Gilkey was killed in Afghanistan along with his Afghan interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna while they were embedded with an Afghan army unit that was attacked by the Taliban in Helmand province. They were traveling with NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, who were riding in another vehicle, but were unhurt.

China

In the wake of what the U.S. Navy says was a risky intercept by Chinese fighter jets of a U.S. spy plane this spring, U.S. Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris is saying that China’s fighter pilots have been minding their manners better over the past few months. Harris made the comments during the Shangri-La dialog, according to Bloomberg, and cited recent “positive behavior” from Chinese military personnel. The incident, in which two Chinese fighter jets reportedly came within in 50 feet of a U.S. Navy E-P3, is “rare,” according to Harris.

Russia

There’s a new undersea “Battle of the Atlantic,” according to Navy 6th Fleet commander Vice Adm. James Foggo III. Foggo writes in the latest issue ofProceedings that Russian submarine activity has grown more active after Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea. Foggo draws a parallel to U.S.-Soviet undersea jousting during the Cold War, as well as between the U.S. and the Germans in both World Wars, to highlight what he labels as Russia’s increasingly aggressive attempts to probe and challenge American naval defenses.

Syria

Russian airpower is getting more involved in the fight against rebels seeking to topple the Assad regime, Reuters reports. The London-based monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says Russian and Syrian jets carried out at least 50 strikes on targets in Aleppo and locals tell Reuters that both countries’ warplanes have also struck in Idlib. The uptick in air operations follows a purported withdraw from Syria by some Russian forces in March, after which Moscow brought home some of the aircraft it had deployed to its base in Latakia. Russia agreed to a cessation of hostilities in February, proscribing attacks against rebel groups other than the Nusra Front and the Islamic State.

Syrian army troops have ventured into Raqqa province, home to the capital of the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate, Al Jazeera reports. Syrian forces haven’t been in Raqqa for the past two years. The troops are reportedly headed to Tabqa, where U.S.-backed forces are currently duking it out with the Islamic State.

The Islamic State

The Islamic State is tearing itself apart on a mole hunt in search of spies tipping off the United States, according to the AP. The group killed at least 38 of its own members in an attempt to find the culprit (or culprits) who leaked information that may have lead to the death of Abu Hayjaa al-Tunsi, a senior commander in the jihadist group who was killed in a drone strike. Islamic State members have accused those killed of dropping small “chips” which can be used to mark locations for airstrikes and have tried to flush out spies by strategically leaking information about the movements of group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and checking to see if U.S. airstrikes align with the false information.

Afghanistan

It’s not just opium that fuels the Taliban’s war in Afghanistan. A new study by the anti-corruption group Global Witness says the illicit mining of Afghanistan’s valuable minerals is filling both the Taliban’s coffers and enriching corrupt Afghan officials. The group says that the trade in deep blue lapis lazuli is particularly valuable for the militant group and the mineral should be considered a conflict mineral. Global Witness officials say that half of illegal mining proceeds go to the Taliban.

Cuba

The U.S. and Cuba may be working on a prisoner swap, according to NBC News. The talks are reportedly still tentative and no firm commitments have been made but the U.S. has reportedly considered trading convicted Cuban spy Ana Montes in exchange for Joanne Chesimard, who fled to Cuba after being convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1979. Montes was sent to prison in 2002 after federal authorities discovered that the high-ranking Defense Intelligence Agency analyst had been secretly working for Cuba and funneling classified information to the communist country.

Japan

A U.S. Navy sailor allegedly involved in a car accident has been arrested and accused of drunk driving. The incident follows the high-profile arrest of a U.S. military contractor in May, accused of killing an Okinawan woman. Both President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter have offered apologies for the incident, but tensions between local community and U.S. military personnel remain high, and the U.S. Navy says its trying to do something about it. On Monday, the Navy slapped a drinking ban on all 18,600 personnel in Japan, and canceled all off-base liberty.

Photo Credit should read ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Children drown fleeing clashes as battle for Fallujah intensifies 

Hundreds of families have been attempting to flee Fallujah across the Euphrates river 

Iraqi women and children who fled the violence in their village of Saqlawiyah, north west of Fallujah, wait to receive aid at a military point outside their village, on 3 June 2016. (AFP) 

Monday 6 June 2016

At least two children have drowned in the Euphrates while fleeing Fallujah, where anti-Islamic State forces have been making drives against the militants in recent days and, on Monday, seized control of southern parts of the city. 

Head of the local provincial council Shakir al-Essawi said hundreds of families had been attempting to cross the river and that the bodies of two children, a woman and an older man, had already been recovered. 

Doctors at the al-Amariya hospital, however, told the New Arab website that the death toll could be as high as 18, with the dead including seven children and three women.

IS has reportedly being shooting at civilians attempting to flee Fallujah, as the Iraqi army and its allies continue to advance further into the city.

According to a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Sunday, civilians have been shot as they tried to cross the Euphrates River.

"Our biggest fears are now tragically confirmed with civilians being directly targeted while trying to flee to safety," said Nasr Muflahi, the NRC country director in Iraq, according to AP.

"This is the worst that we feared would happen to innocent men, women and children who have had to leave everything behind in order to save their lives."

Mass graves 

Following reports that Iraqi forces had retaken the south edge of the city, a more grizzly discovery was made further to the north.

In Saqlawiya, northwest of Fallujah, Iraqi forces found a burial site thought to contain the bodies of around 400 people, most of them soldiers executed by IS in 2014 and 2015.

"The security forces of the federal police, the army and the Hashd al-Shabi [largely Shia militias also known as Popular Mobilisation Units that are allied to Baghdad] found a mass grave in the Shuhada neighbourhood during a mine clearing operation," a police colonel said on Sunday.

He said most of the victims, whose remains were being transferred for identification, appeared to have been shot in the head.

"The mass grave also includes civilians executed by Daesh [IS] on various charges such as spying or breaking the organisation's rules," said Rajeh Barakat, a member of the provincial council of Anbar, where Fallujah is located.

Iraqi forces launched a vast operation on 22-23 May to retake Fallujah, which lies only 50km west of Baghdad and is one of IS's most emblematic bastions, a dense city where US soldiers in 2004 suffered some of their worst losses since the Vietnam War.

The first phase of the operation was aimed at sealing the siege on the city by cutting the group's supply lines in outlying areas, including in Saqlawiya, but the Iraqi forces have been moving slowly, only making some forays into some southern neighbourhoods.

Growing numbers of families reaching camps south of Fallujah told horrific accounts of how IS shot at them as they fled, but there was still no escape for the 50,000 people still believed trapped in the city centre.

"The operation to liberate Fallujah could have been completed in days but we put the safety of civilians first," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said.

Out of the approximately 18,000 people who have reached displacement camps south of Fallujah since the offensive began two weeks ago, only a handful lived in the city.

Claims of abuse

The premier's spokesman said that the government will investigate claims of abuses committed against the civilian population by Iraqi forces in the course of the operation.

He said Abadi had ordered the creation of a human rights committee to examine "any violation to the instructions on the protection of civilians".

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most revered Shia cleric in Iraq, has issued guidelines intended as a code of conduct for forces fighting IS and aimed at curbing abuses.

Officials including Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri have expressed concern over reports of abuses committed by the forces involved in the operation to recapture Fallujah.

Jabouri spoke on Thursday of "information indicating that some violations were carried out by some members of the federal police and some volunteers against civilians".

The Hashd al-Shaabi taking part in the Fallujah operation is an umbrella organisation that includes Sunni tribal fighters but is dominated by powerful Tehran-backed Shia militias.

It is nominally under Abadi's authority, but some of its most powerful groups answer directly to Iran.

Those groups have been repeatedly accused of fuelling sectarianism, and their involvement in the Fallujah battle was seen as potentially explosive.

Their role so far has been confined to the initial phase of shaping operations, but their top military commander said on Sunday they would move into the city if progress was too slow.

"We're partners in the liberation, our mission is not yet done," Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis said at a press conference.

"We are still in the area and we'll continue to support (them) if the liberation happens quickly. If they are not able, we'll enter with them," he said.

Will Afghans See Better Days?

The matter of high concern is like several other governments in Asia and Africa, Afghanistan also suffers from rampant corruption in administration involving senior politicians and government officials. There is lack of rule of law and it is not due to the activity of the militants alone but due to poor governance of the Afghan government.

by N.S.Venkataraman

( June 6, 2016, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Afghanistan , a land locked country bordered by Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China and with a mix of central highlands and peripheral foothills and plains, has always been vulnerable to the influence of the neighbouring countries and a highly divisive population under the control of sectarian leaders.

In the last few centuries, Afghanistan has remained as one of the most under developed countries in the world with large section of population remaining underfed , uneducated and with little contact with the outside world.

Unfortunately, such conditions continue to exist even today, with Afghanistan becoming a play field for terrorists (talibans) and countries like Russia, America and even Pakistan as well as Iran to some extent . The ground reality is that the people of Afghanistan now live with low confidence and practically without any hopes of immediate improvement in their conditions.

With 30% of the territory still under the control of the militants who strike and hit at their will and the Afghan government looking forward to the US government for survival, people of Afghanistan are living under stressful conditions. While the American forces have brought some semblance of governance in Afghanistan, it is unfortunate that the politicians who happen to control Afghan government today, after the formation of the National Unity government, have not been able to bring around significant changes for the better.

The matter of high concern is like several other governments in Asia and Africa, Afghanistan also suffers from rampant corruption in administration involving senior politicians and government officials. There is lack of rule of law and it is not due to the activity of the militants alone but due to poor governance of the Afghan government.

It is true that militants control part of the territory but such conditions exist even in India today to a lesser extent and Sri Lanka suffered from such conditions for a long time. This situation cannot be considered as adequate reason for not developing Afghanistan to it’s full potential by the Afghan government.

What Afghanistan badly needs today is economic and industrial growth appropriate to the conditions in the country, which is very much feasible.

Despite being one of the poorest nations in the world, Afghanistan may be sitting on one of the richest deposits of minerals in the world, which is valued as high as nearly $1 trillion by experts.

The surveys reveal that Afghanistan may hold 60 million tons of copper, 2.2 billion tons of iron ore, 1.4 million tons of rare earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium and neodymium and huge deposits of aluminium, gold, silver, zinc, mercury and lithium. For instance, the Khanneshin carbonatite deposit in Afghanistan’s Helmand province is valued at $89 billion, full as it is with rare earth elements.

Apart from mineral deposits, there are also enormous potentials for developing the agricultural sector in Afghanistan, appropriate to it’s soil and climatic conditions.

The primary requisite to realise the full potentials of Afghanistan is to focus on human development and women empowerment. The government of Afghanistan should seek international support to promote massive educational and technical institutions in Afghanistan, that would lead to the building up of technological and engineering skill apart from expertise in other areas. The efforts to develop the human resources will certainly pave way for progress towards better conditions in the course of time.

Certainly people of Afghanistan are viewed with sympathy world over for the difficult conditions that they have undergone which they continue to face. Afghanistan needs international support which will readily come, if only the Afghan government can create the appropriate conditions and implement the right policies.

It is a good sign that India has been helping Afghanistan in forging ahead.

A parliament building has been constructed in Kabul and $300 million Salma dam project in Herat province has been inaugurated with the support of government of India.

The need of the day is that the morale of the Afghans should be built and sustained in spite of the militant threat and other problems. While Afghan government has to improve it’s governance, the educated and enlightened citizens of Afghanistan need also to play an active role in building up the country.

‘Don’t f**k with me’: The words and wisdom of the Philippines’ next president

Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

Crowds cheer as Pope Francis passes by in Manila. Pic: AP.

by A. Azim Idris -6th June 2016

JUST when we thought controversial Philippines President-elect Rodrigo Duterte couldn’t be any more audacious after saying journalists were killed for being corrupt last week, the foul-mouthed Davao city mayor on Friday dropped the ‘F-bomb’ in a veiled threat against media groups who called for a boycott of his press conferences until he apologizes.

But the tirade against the media may be little surprise, given that the 71-year-old has delivered a series profanity-laced speeches and press conferences lately. And there seems to be no sign of him stopping.

His abrasive comments, though, have not stopped the popularity he enjoys in his country, with more than 15 million Filipinos for voting for him in the last election.

While his public vulgarity may leave a bitter taste in the mouths of journalists covering him, his remarks somewhat mirror his prudence in running the country, which the Filipino public and the world at large highly anticipate when he takes office come the end of June.

‘Don’t Fuck With Me’

Responding to a call by international media group Reporters Without Borders to boycott him for saying journalists were killed for being corrupt, Duterte said pressmen “think too much of themselves”.

“Kill journalism in this country. Stop journalism in this country, if you are worth your salt. If not, then I will think lowly of you. [That would mean] that you are cowards,” Duterte told reporters in Davao City, as quoted by the Inquirer.

Asked to clarify on his response, Duterte said the media can stop covering him in Davao, but not the entire country.

“I cannot stop you.
“I was saying, you idiots, do not threaten me. I said I’m ready to lose the presidency, my honor or my life. Just do not fuck with me.”

The following is a recap of other controversial statements Duterte has made in recent weeks and months:

Catcalling a married female reporter

During a press conference that aired on national television, Duterte inappropriately wolf-whistled at Mariz Umali, a news anchor and reporter for the the GMA network.

This was the same press conference in which Duterte said all journalists who behaved like a “son of a bitch” could not expect to be exempt from assassination.

Her husband, Raffy Tima, also a news anchor and reporter, wrote a Facebook post titled ‘Catcalling My Wife Is Wrong On So Many Levels’, saying that while he expected it from Duterte, that didn’t make the action right. The post vent viral after being widely shared by Filipino netizens.

Duterte is known to flirt with female reporters, and has been dubbed a misogynist for his comments on a dead rape victim previously.

Accusing the Roman Catholic Church of hypocrisy

Despite the fact that the Philippines is considered a bastion of Catholicism, Duterte on May 22 called the dominant Roman Catholic Church  “the most hypocritical institution”, alleging it was fraught with graft and requests for favors from politicians.

He questioned the relevance of Catholic bishops who apparently persuaded Filipinos against voting for him in the election which he won by a landslide margin.

Accusing them of benefiting from public money, Duterte cursed the bishops, calling them “sons of bitches” as the poor could not even afford food and medicine. He later apologized for the comments.

Even the Pope was not spared from being called a ‘son of a bitch’ during state visit

In January this year, the firebrand mayor called Pope Francis a “son of a bitch” during his visit to the country, accusing the latter’s entourage during their visit to the Philippines of being the cause of massive traffic jams.

In his apology, Duterte said he intended to visit the pope in the Vatican city to ask for forgiveness. He later retracted the intention, opting to send a letter to the religious leader instead.

“I will kill my kids if they do drugs”

This was the response the mayor gave when asked what he would do if he found out his children were involved in narcotics use. He said this during the third and final presidential debate at the University of Pangasinan on April 24.

However, he said he was confident that none of his children were into drugs, one of the scourges he has fought as a city mayor.

Hard criminals will be killed

During his campaign trail in April, Duterte renewed his vow to kill criminals following his pledge to kill 100,000 criminals and dispose of many of them in Manila Bay so that the “fish will grow fat” from feeding on them.

“The drug pushers, kidnappers, robbers, find them all and arrest them. If they resist, kill them all,” he said. “Go ahead and charge me with murder, so I could also kill you.”

Known for his hardline tactics against criminals, Duterte – branded by TIME magazine as “The Punisher” – has been accused of supporting extrajudicial killings, including pulling the trigger in at least three shooting incidents involving criminals, as well as pushing a drug suspect out of a flying helicopter.

No apologies for rape comments

On April 17, a video emerged of Duterte speaking about the 1989 gang rape and murder of an Australian missionary worker by prisoners, making inappropriate comments about the victim’s beauty and how the rapists had gotten to her first.

“In my utter anger – that’s gutter language, street-speak – when I opened [the sheets covering the corpse], I was speaking angrily, ‘She’s so beautiful, she looks like an American actress. Son of a bitch, they beat me to her. Kill them all.’”

Though Duterte said he would not apologize for what he said, he did issue a general apology to the Filipino public, reported Philstar, saying: “I am sorry in general. I am sorry for the Filipino people. It is my style. It is my mouth. I said that in the heat of anger. But listen to the story behind.”

After earning criticism from the Australian and U.S. envoys in the country, Duterte told them outright that their governments could sever ties with the Philippines.