India to get over $1 billion from World Bank for Modi's solar goals

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim (C) attends a meeting with India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (R) in New Delhi, June 30, 2016.REUTERS/ADNAN ABIDI

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim (C) attends a meeting with India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (R) in New Delhi, June 30, 2016.REUTERS/ADNAN ABIDI

Thu Jun 30, 2016

The World Bank said on Thursday it would lend India more than $1 billion for its huge solar energy programme, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought climate change funds from its visiting head.

Modi is banking on India's 300 days a year of sunshine to generate power and help fight climate change rather than committing to emission cuts like China.

The World Bank loan is the global lender's biggest solar aid for any country and comes as India has set a goal of raising its solar capacity nearly 30 times to 100 gigawatts by 2020 and is attracting mega investment proposals from top companies and institutions.

"Prime Minister Modi's personal commitment toward renewable energy, particularly solar, is the driving force behind these investments," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement released after he met Modi. "The World Bank Group will do all it can to help India meet its ambitious targets, especially around scaling up solar energy."

India is the largest client of the World Bank, which lent it around $4.8 billion between 2015 and 2016.

Modi's office said he told Kim about the need for climate change financing for countries like India that are "consciously choosing to follow an environmentally sustainable path".

India wants the share of non-fossil fuel in total installed power capacity to jump to 40 percent by 2030 from 30 percent currently, but there are challenges including weak finances of state distribution companies forced to sell subsidised power, difficulties hooking up solar projects to grids, and access to affordable capital.

Still India reckons its renewable energy industry could generate business opportunities worth $160 billion this decade, making it a lucrative market that has already attracted big global players such as Japan's Softbank Corp, Taiwan's Foxconn, First Solar, Trina Solar Ltd and Finland's state-controlled utility Fortum Oyj.

German development bank KFW has already agreed to offer India low-interest loans of around 1 billion euro over the next five years to fund roof-mounted solar panels, and the construction of solar energy farms and self-contained solar power facilities not connected to the grid.

(Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Ed Davies)

Merkley Statement Re: His "NO" Vote on Puerto Rico

Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after voting against S.2328, the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA):

Jun-29-2016

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - “Puerto Rico faces a crisis, and needs support from Congress to get on its feet. But the 3.5 million Americans living there shouldn’t have to sacrifice their right to self-governance in order to get the help they need.

"Puerto Rican citizens are American citizens. They pay taxes and they fight in our Armed Forces.

"These are our fellow Americans, and they deserve to have a say in their future, not to have Congress’s will imposed on them from afar.

“Unfortunately, this legislation turns Puerto Rico from a territory into a colony.

"It’s unacceptable and contrary to our ‘We the People’ vision of government for Puerto Rico’s future to be governed by an unelected board that has no voting members chosen by the people of Puerto Rico.

"I’m also deeply troubled by provisions already in the bill designed to give workers less power and lower wages, and the possibility of a powerful control board giving huge profits to bond holders while shortchanging critical services for the Puerto Rican people.

“Congress has no claim on self-righteousness when it comes to the dire straits Puerto Rico is now in.

"It was Congress that started Puerto Rico’s economy on a downward spiral in 2006 through the repeal of longstanding business tax incentives. And it’s Congress that has shortchanged Puerto Rico in a range of ways, from block-granting Medicaid, to excluding Puerto Rican residents from the Earned Income Tax Credit, to limiting the number of children that the child tax credit covers, and more.

“Puerto Rico faces an extremely difficult situation, with the prospect of the crisis deepening and potentially disrupting essential public services such as health, security and education. So I understand why colleagues, whom I greatly respect, voted for this legislation.

"I fully agree we need to act, and to do so with great urgency. But that does not mean we cannot do better by our fellow Americans than the bill we voted on today.”

Malaysia: Senior opposition leader Lim Guan Eng charged in graft case

Lim supporters claim the legal action is a move to protect Prime Minister Najib Razak's political position.

Malaysian oppoisition leader Lim Guan Eng has been charged in a graft case involving land deal and purchase of a bungalow - File photoReuters

By Ananya Roy-June 30, 2016

Malaysian authorities have charged Lim Guan Eng, the secretary-general of Democratic Action Party (DAP), with two counts of misuse of power in a graft case involving a land deal and the purchase of a bungalow. Critics of the government have called it a political move aimed at suppressing opposition to Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Lim, the chief minister of the opposition-held state of Penang, was charged on Thursday (30 June) in the Penang sessions court. He pleaded not guilty to both the charges. He was granted bail for 1 million Malaysian ringgit (£185,700, $248,000).

Lim was accused of misusing his position to clear a land deal and is said to have allegedly purchased a two-storey bungalow in the island state at below market price in July 2015. The court, while granting Lim bail in the case, asked him to notify the high court two days in advance if he travels overseas. Meanwhile, his supporters from the Pakatan Harapan opposition pact condemned the charges levelled against him.

Reuters quoted senior DAP leader Lim Kit Siang as calling the legal action the latest move "to destroy the opposition and defend Najib's political position". Criticising the swift action taken against Lim, Azmin Ali, deputy president of opposition partner the People's Justice Party (PKR), pointed out the absence of legal action against Najib despite "innumerable reports" lodged against him.

Najib is embroiled in a scandal involving his pet project1Malaysia Development Berhad – also being called the 1MDB scandal. Many have demanded his resignation after the project came under the scanner over alleged money-laundering in at least six countries including the US, Switzerland and Singapore. The prime minister, who is accused of $681m in monetary gains from the project, has denied any wrongdoing. 

Attorney-General Apandi also cleared him in January of any corruption or criminal offences.

Stung by a betrayal, former London mayor Boris Johnson ends bid to lead Britain

June 24, 2016Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron speaks after Britain voted to leave the European Union, outside 10 Downing Street in London. Stefan Wermuth/Reuters


By Griff Witte June 30 

LONDON – It was a scene lifted from the scripts of Shakespeare — or perhaps a binge-watching session of “House of Cards.”

When Thursday morning broke, Boris Johnson, the transparently ambitious former mayor of London, was preparing to give the speech of his life — one that would vault him out of the political mayhem wrought by last week’s referendum on the European Union and straight to the job he had long sought: British prime minister.

But the man who was to be Johnson’s campaign manager had a different idea: Michael Gove, the bookish justice secretary who has repeatedly denied any aspiration to higher office, was getting ready to stick a dagger into Johnson’s chances, and twist.

By day’s end, Britain would be reckoning with one more betrayal in a political season full of them. This one stunned an already dazed nation, and left no doubt, if any had remained, that Britain is divided,
directionless and leaderless as it prepares for a leap into the unknown of life outside the E.U.

[The mess in British politics, and how to govern in a time of no confidence]

Remain' supporters hurled insults and jeers at former London mayor Boris Johnson as he left his house after the Brexit vote was called. Johnson has been named as a possible replacement for Prime Minister David Cameron.(Twitter/Charlotte Wright/LBC)

Johnson, the mop-headed rogue who had been considered the odds-on favorite to take the keys to 10 Downing Street, has now been shunted to the sidelines of the contest to lead the Conservative Party and, by extension, the nation.

In his place, Gove will vie with Theresa May, the no-nonsense domestic security chief, for the privilege of running a country in the midst of an existential crisis. The current prime minister, David Cameron, has said he will step down by Sept. 9 after losing the campaign for Britain to remain in the E.U.

The narrowing of the field of likely winners to Gove and May leaves behind two candidates who are expected to drive an especially hard bargain with the E.U., meaning the country could be in for years of contentious and costly negotiations no matter who emerges as leader.

Johnson had been seen as a possibly more pliant figure in those talks: Although he was the face of the campaign for “leave,” most observers thought he took that stand less from a sense of ideological conviction than from a barely concealed well of political opportunism.

In the days since the vote, he had begun to walk back the promises of Brexit, signaling he would fold easily on immigration — the “leave” campaign’s signature issue.

[Michael Gove just turned British politics into a ‘House of Cards’ episode]

It may have been that malleability that prompted Gove, a Brexit true believer and the campaign’s intellectual architect, to undercut his ally. Or perhaps it was just Johnson’s legendary disorganization.
Either way, Gove struck like a bolt from the blue: Less than three hours before Johnson was to declare his candidacy, Gove emailed a statement declaring that he had come “to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.”

Instead, Gove wrote, he would run for prime minister himself.

Gove, who has been nearly invisible since last Thursday’s vote, did not release any detailed vision for the country’s future, which he said would be unveiled “in the coming days.”

But the split in the pro-Brexit camp brought an immediate stampede of defections, with Johnson supporters abandoning their candidate in favor of a man who had been unceremoniously demoted to chief whip less than two years ago and who has long insisted he is temperamentally unsuited for Britain’s top job.

Later in the morning, with the clock ticking down on a noon deadline to enter the fray, Johnson broke his silence with a speech that had all the makings of a campaign kickoff.

[London mayor begins own autonomy push]

He boasted of his achievements as London mayor and laid out a vision for making Britain a fairer and more prosperous society outside the E.U.

His supporters applauded lustily. But when Johnson came to what he called “the punchline,” he unleashed a stunner, saying that the country needed a leader to take it in a new direction but that “I have concluded that person cannot be me.”

The words brought tears to the eyes of his backers. But they also brought incredulity from critics, who wondered how he could simply walk away.

“Boris engineered the largest constitutional crisis in post-war history but won’t even put his name forward to clear it up?” tweeted University of Manchester political scientist Rob Ford.

Gove’s decision to ambush Johnson also brought immediate recriminations from both men’s corners.
Asked by the BBC about Gove, Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson, replied: “ ‘Et tu, Brute’ is my comment on that.”

Gove backer Dominic Raab told the network that Johnson had been “cavalier” in his approach to the campaign. “We’re picking a prime minister here to lead the country, not a school prefect,” he said acidly.

[Boris Johnson says the darndest things]

Gove’s turning on Johnson is just the latest in a string of betrayals at the highest reaches of British politics.
Earlier this year, Johnson and Gove spurned Cameron, their friend and sparring partner since their days at Oxford, by campaigning for “leave.”

As the pro-Brexit camp splintered on Thursday, May presented herself as a unifying candidate for prime minister who, despite backing “remain,” could bring together the badly fractured Conservative Party.

She was introduced Thursday by Chris Grayling, a prominent Brexiteer, and described herself as the candidate best prepared for the tough talks ahead with E.U. leaders, having spent years wrangling with other European security chiefs as the country’s home affairs minister.

“I have not just done it. I’ve delivered on those negotiations,” she said.

Despite supporting “remain,” May said there would be no going back.

“Brexit means Brexit,” she said. “The country voted to leave the European Union, and it is the duty of the government and of Parliament to make sure we do just that.”

[Europe’s remaining leaders meet to safeguard fractured union]

May was considered only a reluctant E.U. backer, with a long record of Euroskepticism and a hard line against mass immigration.

May would be the second female prime minister in British history, after Margaret Thatcher. May’s unsmiling public persona and hard-line conservative politics have drawn occasional comparisons to the Iron Lady.

Britain’s next prime minister will not be picked by the public. Instead, he or she will be selected in a two-stage process within the governing Conservative Party. First, the party’s members of Parliament will whittle the field — which includes a number of dark-horse candidates — down to two over the next two weeks. Then the party’s rank-and-file members will select the winner.

In addition to Gove and May, three other candidates were nominated Thursday: Stephen Crabb, Liam Fox and Andrea Leadsom. All are considered long shots.

[Brexit, illustrated]

Cameron has said he will not formally trigger Britain’s exit and will leave that task to his successor. Once that happens, the next prime minister will have two years to negotiate a new deal with the E.U.’s 27 remaining members.

Europe has already signaled that it will refuse to budge on likely British demands that the bloc relax its rules requiring freedom of movement for workers across national borders. European leaders say that if Britain wants access to the single market, it will have to accept free movement.

As the political winds shifted throughout Thursday, the pound swung between gains and losses. Overall it is down about 10 percent against the dollar compared with where it was before the referendum.

While the pound has taken a hit, stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic have bounced back quickly after steep declines last week. The FTSE 100, a key index on the London Stock Exchange, climbed 2.27 percent Thursday and has reclaimed all its losses since Brexit. So have U.S. markets.

[Brexit leader mocked E.U. by saying its lawmakers never had ‘proper’ jobs. He’s wrong.]

Britain’s political unrest has not been limited to the Conservatives.

The internal warfare among Tories has been matched — and even exceeded — within the opposition Labour Party.

Pressure continued to build Thursday on party leader Jeremy Corbyn to resign after what was seen as an ambivalent effort to rally party supporters to the pro-E.U. cause.

He has already lost an overwhelming vote of no-confidence among his Labour colleagues in Parliament, and he faced more defections Thursday. Plans to mount a formal challenge, however, were put on hold because mutinous members suggested they did not want to compete with news coverage of Thursday’s meltdown across the aisle.

Even by the occasionally bloody standards of British political history, the past week has been especially laced with treachery.

“You couldn’t make it up,” Tory member of Parliament Nigel Evans told the BBC. “It makes the ‘House of Cards’ look like ‘Teletubbies.’ ”

Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

Syria’s Refugee Children Have Lost All Hope

Young Syrians living in Lebanon are attempting suicide in ever greater numbers.

BY SULOME ANDERSON-JUNE 29, 2016

TRIPOLI, Lebanon — At a makeshift refugee camp just south of this northern city, a 12-year-old Syrian girl named Khowla sits on a dirty mattress in her tent. The roof is made of blue plastic tarp that does little to protect her from the intense sunlight. Though there hasn’t been rain in a few days, the concrete floor is damp and covered in a slimy film.

Khowla is strikingly beautiful, with delicate features, nut-brown skin and large, dark eyes. She’s wearing her favorite dress, black with white stripes.

“When I tried to kill myself, it was like the devil filled my head,” she says, twisting her hands in her lap, her voice flat and expressionless. “I don’t remember much about it. All I could think about was that we have nothing, our lives will never improve, and I could relieve my mother of another burden.”

In February, Khowla’s mother, Sanaa, came back to their tent to find her lying on the floor, foaming at the mouth and vomiting. She had swallowed rat poison she found in the camp. Khowla was in intensive care for 18 days.

“She was between life and death,” Sanaa says, stroking her daughter’s hair. “I asked her,‘My daughter, why did you drink the poison?’She said, ‘Mama, there are seven of us and you work and work to feed us, but you can’t keep up. Without me, there will be one less person to feed.’ When she said that, I couldn’t stop crying.”

NGO workers say the dismal living conditions for Syrian refugees have contributed to a rash of suicide attempts. Over 1 million refugees are registered with the United Nations, and the number of unregistered refugees fleeing the civil war next door is thought to be much higher. Lebanon forbidsthe construction of permanent refugee camps, so some Lebanese set up temporary camps on private land, sometimes forcing refugees to payexorbitant rent. Given the lack of governmental oversight or accountability for these landlords, known as shawishes, refugees living in their camps are often mistreated and can be evicted at any time. The Lebanese government also forbids Syrian refugees from working, while simultaneously establishing an arduous process for receiving a residency permit, which costs far more than many Syrians can afford.

Under these circumstances, Syrian children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to mistreatment and abuse. Forced prostitution and rape have become commonplace: In April, 75 Syrian women were rescued from sexual slavery at a brothel in Lebanon. They had been beaten, tortured, electrocuted, and compelled to have sex over 10 times a day. Increasing numbers of teenage Syrian girls are entering early marriages in order to receive financial and physical protection from their adult husbands.

Given the misery to which their lives have been reduced, it should be no surprise that many Syrians are turning to suicide as an escape. According to a 2014 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) study, 41 percent of Syrian youths in Lebanon say they have had suicidal urges. Local NGO workers say they have been unable to compile precise statistics on suicide attempts and completions, because much of the refugee population is deeply religious and suicide is considered a grievous sin in Islam. But they do say that incidents of suicide attempts by adolescent Syrians are being reported with increasing frequency.

“The problem [of suicide] is very frequent among Syrian refugees, especially adolescents and young adults,” says Hala Kerbage, a psychiatrist who has worked with NGOs to treat displaced Syrians in Lebanon. “These young people are very affected by a change that they feel is not reversible. Most of them feel as though they’re suspended and there’s no prospective future for them.”

Kerbage says there is only one way to prevent young refugees from reaching the level of despair that would prompt a suicide attempt: investing in their future. “Giving them a purpose to their life is absolutely necessary, because when they drop out of school and they’re in the camps all day long, of course they’re going to have behavioral disturbances,” she says. “Doing group activities, community activities, recreational activities, creating child-friendly environments — this is what a lot of NGOs are trying to do right now.”

In a dark room at an educational center for refugee children in the Bekaa Valley run by a Lebanese NGO that has asked to remain anonymous, Soha, 14, whose name has been changed, begins to cry. She has a nervous smile that belies the tears she’s trying to fight back.

“My father is very cruel to me,” she says. “Two days ago, my mother and father were fighting. They were screaming at each other…. I get very bad migraines, and I started crying. He said, ‘Why are you crying?’ and I told him I had a headache. He asked me why I had a headache, and I said it was because of all the screaming. So he told me, ‘If you don’t like it, you can go away and kill yourself.’”

Asked if she’s ever tried to commit suicide, Soha nods, looking at the floor.

“One time, my father hit me very hard and tried to stab me, so I locked myself in a room and cut my arm with a knife,” she says quietly. “I wanted to die.”

Soha says that coming to the NGO’s educational center is the only way she can get through the day. “I love the music lessons,” she says. “I feel calmer when I play music. When I come here, I never want the day to end. It gives me hope.”

Outside, the chatter of children emanates from seven or eight makeshift, tented classrooms. Brightly colored children’s paintings line the walls of each tent. At the center’s administrative office, Rima, one of the NGO’s social workers, whose name has also been changed, explains how the center tries to act as a safe haven for these children.

“Less than 1 percent of them say they have any hope when they first arrive,” she says. “When I ask them to draw things for me, they draw pictures of guns, bombs, and things related to war. I put colors in front of them, and they always choose black.”

The educational center is critical to rebuilding the children’s lives. The Syrian children, who are encouraged to interact with other refugee kids, are offered classes where they cannot only continue their education but express themselves through music and crafts. “We try to provide them with the tools to develop a sense of self,” she says. “If a person is in a deep hole and they see even a little ray of light, they just want to reach out and grab it.”

But the woman who runs the NGO says this center, and others like it, is slated to close by the end of the summer due to funding cuts by UNICEF.

“They said that places like this are not sustainable,” she says bitterly. “We have three months to prepare the children to tell them that we’re leaving.… The new model [for the U.N.] is to work with governments in regards to refugees. It’s all very political. They want to make the Lebanese government responsible for taking care of the refugees. But we don’t have basic health services even for the Lebanese, and there is barely anyplace in schools for Lebanese children, let alone Syrians.”

UNICEF is suffering from a shortage of funds to meet the needs of the refugee population. As of May, the organization reported that it required $479 million to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon, but had received only 39 percent of the necessary funds.

“UNICEF’s partnership with local and international NGOs is a key component in how we respond to the needs of children in Lebanon,” Salam Abdulmunem, a UNICEF spokesperson, wrote in an email. “We work with around ten NGO partners to help children get back to (and stay in) school through activities that take place in the informal settlements themselves, at NGO centers but also in public schools with the Ministry of Education. Our NGO partners are a vital part of our response just as much as strengthening government systems is, both are linked.”

That response is cold comfort to the Syrians at the center.

“When this place closes, all our services will end,” Rima says. “The girls will all get married and if they can’t find work, the boys will become criminals. Lebanon will become less safe not only for the Syrians, but also for the Lebanese.… It’s like we took them halfway and abandoned them. What kind of a future will they have now?”

Khowla, who has no access to schooling or psychological services, says she doesn’t want to have a future at all under these conditions. Asked if she intends to attempt suicide again, she is matter-of-fact.

“In Syria, we were living a poor life, but at least it was a life,” she says. Her brown eyes are empty, haunted — the eyes of an exhausted old woman, not a 12-year-old girl. “We had our pride and dignity. We came here, and we have nothing. If the situation doesn’t change and our lives stay like this, we should all kill ourselves.”

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Brexit 'will make NHS staff shortages worse'

Image copyrightSCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

By Nick Triggle-30 June 2016

The vote to leave the EU risks making staffing shortages in the NHS worse, health leaders are warning.

The NHS Confederation said doctors and nurses from Europe may be put off accepting jobs after the referendum.

If that happened the NHS could face some major problems, it said.

The organisation, which represents health managers, said there were currently 130,000 EU health and care workers in the UK, including 10% of doctors and 5% of nurses.

Elisabetta Zanon, the director of the NHS Confederation's European office, said: "There is a real risk the uncertainty and the falling value of the pound will make people think again.

"If that happens, we could see shortages in some key areas get worse."

A report earlier this year from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee warned the front line in England may be as many as 50,000 staff short - out of a workforce of slightly more than 800,000 clinical staff.

Ms Zanon also said Brexit could have an impact on medical research and the free healthcare Britons received when abroad.

But she said the workforce issue was the most pressing, as the impact could be felt straightaway.

And there were signs this had already started happening, with reports that an EU recruitment drive in West Yorkshire had already run into difficulties.

To counter the problems, the NHS Confederation has even launched a Twitter campaign called #LoveOurEUStaff.

Image copyrightSCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Speaking at a conference in London, the former Health Secretary and Tory peer Lord Lansley agreed there were many areas of concern.

"The EU may not tell us how to manage our NHS, but it impacts in many ways," he said.

Lord Lansley said the medical research community was clearly "distraught" and leaving the EU would require steps such as writing the UK's own competition law for the public sector.

And he called on the sector to help put the case in the coming months for why it was important to protect the rights of people from the EU working the NHS.

"If we don't have enough people coming from the EU, our care sector cannot deliver."

Sarah Pickup, of the Local Government Association, which represents councils, which are in charge of services such as care homes and home help, said that sector would be affected too - an estimated 5% of care workers come from the EU.

She said while it was still early days, the impact on social care "needed thinking about".

Jeremy Hunt, England's health secretary, has tried to reassure EU health workers. "You do a brilliant job for your patients, you are a crucial part of our NHS and as a country we value you.

"We must all now do everything we can to ensure our whole workforce feels secure - because that is the only way we'll ensure we can deliver high-quality care for all."

Submission to Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms

Photo Amantha Perera/IRIN

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@groundviews making a submission before CTF at today's consultation with media orgs #srilanka #lka #pubconsl

2:01 AM - 28 Jun 2016

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Groundviews, along with Maatram and Vikalpa, were invited to present submissions to a Sectoral Meeting of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms, held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institution (SLFI) on 28 June 2016.

The invitation from the Consultations Task Force (CTF) laid out the framework for the submission and also had a helpful FAQ to guide our understanding of what was expected. As noted in the FAQ, the consultations will focus on mechanisms to be established for reconciliation. The Government has already stated that it will be considering the following mechanisms:

1. A Judicial Mechanism with a Special Counsel
2. A Truth, Justice, Reconciliation and Non-Recurrence Commission
3. An Office of Reparations
4. An Office of Missing Persons

The CTF is seeking suggestions on these and other mechanisms, processes and measures that would bring about justice, truth and reconciliation.

The written submissions and supporting documents presented to the CTF are available below. Though we specifically focussed on a Truth, Justice, Reconciliation and Non-Recurrence Commission and an Office of Reparations, we repeatedly noted that what we outlined was applicable more broadly and across all four mechanisms.

1. Submission to the CTF
2. Media output and content production strategy by theme (supporting document)
3. Media output and content production strategy by institution (supporting document)
4. Media output and content production strategy by phase (supporting document)

A recording of our submission can be listened to here, or below.

In response to the questions posed by the CTF, Groundviews emailed a detailed submission to the CTF on 29 June. This submission, which builds on the one submitted verbally and in writing on 28 June 2016 is anchored to questions around the nature of violence against the media as well how the Consultation Task Force (CTF) could raise awareness around (1) the consultations process (2) the buy-in to the four mechanisms, amongst in particular the population in the South.

Download it here.

Follow-up-submission-to-CTF-by-Groundviews.org_.pdf by Thavam Ratna

RECONCILIATION DOES NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT & ROAD AHEAD IS CHALLENGING – SAMARAWEERA

( Minister Samaraweera speaking at a Side event on 28 June 2016 at HRC 32 ©sunanda deshapriya)

29/06/2016

In his statement at the 32nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council today (29 June 2016), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Mangala Samaraweera insisted that ‘reconciliation does not happen at once, overnight. It requires effort, hard work, commitment, and careful, continuous, concrete action. It is not an end that can be reached where no further work is required. It is not a box that can be ticked as achieved. It is a journey that requires constant striving.’ He further said that‘the road ahead is certainly challenging, but it is powered by our determination and resolve to achieve reconciliation. There are some who doubt our sincerity to do so, and also a few who want us to fail. For those of our friends who are genuinely concerned, and want Sri Lanka to succeed, every delayed second seems to appear as an eternity, and they fear that the Government has lost its way and the political will to succeed.’

The text of the speech follows:

Mr. President,
High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Excellencies.
Distinguished delegates.

At the 30th Session of this Council last October, Sri Lanka, by co-sponsoring the Resolution 30/1, ‘Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka’, broke away from the years of disengagement, self-isolation, and confrontation that preceded the election of President Maithripala Sirisena in January 2015.

Sri Lanka, hailed at Independence in 1948 as a potential “Switzerland of the east”, was now ready to come to terms with the many tragedies we have had to face as a nation in the past, and move forward as a brave new country in order to harness the peace and prosperity that our people truly deserve.

President Sirisena, in his Address to the Nation on the 68th Independence Day anniversary on 4th February this year, reiterated his commitment to fulfil the provisions of Resolution 30/1, in working out the contours of a new Sri Lanka.

He said that Sri Lanka is committed to implement the Resolution to protect the dignity of our State, our People and our Security Forces and that we will implement the proposals with patience, discipline and restraint. It will be freedom, democracy and reconciliation that will be reinforced by implementing the provisions of the resolution.

When Sri Lanka’s unity Government marks its first year in office in August this year, there will be many achievements to look back on, with a certain sense of satisfaction.

While consolidating many of the democratic changes achieved within the first 100 days, we have begun taking action on all fronts related to strengthening good governance and the rule of law; promoting and protecting human rights; fostering reconciliation; and achieving economic development; while engaging and working closely with the international community in a constructive manner that benefits the people of our country:

-In order to ensure that the setting up of the reconciliation mechanisms is done effectively, a Secretariat for Coordinating the Reconciliation Mechanisms has been set up under the Office of the Prime Minister;

The Government recognises that, in order for the transitional justice process to be effective in achieving the desired objectives, the necessary mechanisms should be properly sequenced, integrated and coordinated. Some have started raising alarm bells that sequencing of mechanisms is a delay tactic or means to omit the component of justice. This is incorrect. The Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms is already consulting experts and is working on obtaining the required training and capacity-building for the relevant mechanisms – investigating techniques, forensic expertise, prosecutorial strategies – so that when the designs are in place, following the Consultation Process, the required expertise for the mechanisms will also be in place;

-A Task Force consisting entirely of civil society representatives has been appointed to seek the views of the public that will inform the designing of the truth-seeking, justice, accountability and reparations mechanisms;

-The task of working on the wider issues of reconciliation aimed at achieving non-recurrence is being coordinated by the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation which comes under the purview of the President, and is led by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga;

-The draft Bill approved by Cabinet to establish a Permanent and Independent Office on Missing Persons, which is an essential component of the truth-seeking process and the first mechanism in the transitional justice programme, has already been gazetted and included in the order paper of Parliament. This, to us, is a milestone in Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process;

-A Bill to amend the Registration of Deaths (Temporary Provisions) Act No 19 of 2010 to enable the issuance of Certificates of Absence in respect of Missing Persons was approved by Cabinet and gazetted earlier this month. This too will be tabled in Parliament to be taken up in July;

-The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance was ratified and the draft legislation to give effect to the provisions of the Convention will be presented to the Cabinet in July, for gazetting and presentation to Parliament;

-A ‘National Policy on Durable Solutions for Conflict Affected Displacement’ has been evolved through wide consultations, and with technical support from the UN. The Policy is presently before Cabinet for approval, and has been released to the public as well;

-A Committee is now putting the final touches to the first draft of the new counter-terrorism legislation that will replace the much criticised and much abused Prevention of Terrorism Act, in keeping with Sri Lanka’s commitment and obligations to human rights and countering terrorism. Technical assistance for this purpose has been sought from the UN Counter-terrorism Committee Executive Directorate;

-Despite the Government maintaining a zero tolerance policy on torture, its incidence has not ceased, although reduced. We are seized of the seriousness of the issue and have also sought the assistance of the National Human Rights and Police Commissions in Sri Lanka to create greater public awareness and initiate the necessary public discourse required, in addition to training programmes for the Police and other measures aimed at combating and eliminating torture including addressing the need for prosecution and conviction;

-A Cabinet approved Inter-Ministerial Committee has been tasked with drafting the National Human Rights Action Plan for 2017-2021;

-Last week the military released another 701 acres of land to the District Secretary of Jaffna, out of which, 201.3 acres were handed over to their original owners on 25th June. The Government has clearly instructed the military that all the land obtained from civilians must be released latest by 2018, and that the owners of whatever land that may be required for national installations or development purposes would be fully compensated.

-The three principle pillars on which the architecture of the new Sri Lanka is built, are democracy, development and reconciliation. The Government is also working towards a new Constitution for Sri Lanka. This Constitution, while entrenching the democratic gains we have achieved during the last year, will also be a celebration of Sri Lanka’s diversity as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual country that will guarantee equal rights, justice and dignity for all, and address some of the issues that have plagued us since Independence and has stood in the way of our unity as a nation. The Public Representations Committee tasked with seeking the views of the public for the new Constitution has just completed its work, and their Report has been handed over to the Government;

-Sri Lanka is also now open to the world and engages with the international community with courage and confidence. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance, the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers and the Special Rapporteur against Torture visited and shared with us their observations, which are being acted upon. The Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparations and Guarantees of Non-recurrence visited us thrice in one year, in a technical-advisory capacity. We were also pleased to receive you, High Commissioner, in February; and we are hopeful that Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon will visit us this year as well.

We invite all who are interested in Sri Lanka’s progress to visit us, including all those who criticise us, fairly or unfairly. We are ready and willing to accept praise as well as criticism in the correct spirit, and use both for reflection and improvement.

One of our weaknesses has been our failure to communicate our strategies and plans, effectively. We are already planning on starting a communication drive to address this essential requirement.

Mr. President,

Reconciliation does not happen at once, overnight. It requires effort, hard work, commitment, and careful, continuous, concrete action. It is not an end that can be reached where no further work is required. It is not a box that can be ticked as achieved. It is a journey that requires constant striving. A commitment towards which our nation should be bound across generations, and a central tenet of governance, because the price to pay if we falter, is not one our nation can endure once again after over thirty years of bloodshed that has spared no one.

I would say that we are following what the ancient Romans would have called, a policy of festina lente – making haste slowly. This may make it seem for some that the progress we are making is too fast, and too slow for others.

What we have achieved so far since January 2015 may seem like ‘baby steps’ for some, but for us they are ‘giant leaps’. Some alleged that we are being optimistic, upbeat and hopeful. I must say that we are. How else do we work towards achieving our objectives? What is important is that our optimism is not based on delusion. It is based on the actual results of what we have managed to achieve so far, and the knowledge that our Government is working on a comprehensive strategy that will enable us to pursue different processes in a coordinated, integrated and appropriately sequenced manner.

While dealing with the low-hanging fruit immediately, we have strategies and plans to deal with the more serious and controversial issue of setting up a judicial mechanism with international assistance. Sri Lanka is no stranger to international assistance and participation with many investigative and forensic experts having worked with us in the past. Of course, there are varying views on the nature, level and role of international participation. Divergent views are indicative of a healthy democracy and consultative process. Despite such divergent views, however, I can assure you that the mechanism that is finally set up will be one which has the confidence of the stakeholders, especially the victims, with fair trial and due process guarantees.

The road ahead is certainly challenging, but it is powered by our determination and resolve to achieve reconciliation. There are some who doubt our sincerity to do so, and also a few who want us to fail. For those of our friends who are genuinely concerned, and want Sri Lanka to succeed, every delayed second seems to appear as an eternity, and they fear that the Government has lost its way and the political will to succeed. Then there are others who are misinformed and misled and therefore, disbelieve or are unaware of the achievements so far. And of course there are those who pray that we won’t succeed. These are the forces of extremism on both sides of the divide, who, in league with the ghosts of the past, wait to rejoice to see Sri Lanka fail to succeed in its journey of reconciliation. For the extremists of course I have nothing to say, but to all the others, I wish to say that the Government is united and firm in its commitment to achieve reconciliation, development and ensure non-recurrence. Let us have the benefit of your doubts in order to take forward this extremely challenging yet essential process for our nation.

As I mentioned before, Sri Lanka is open to the world, and I invite all our friends to come and see what we have done, and assist us in this historic journey.

When I come back here in March next year, the contours of the new Sri Lanka we aspire to build, I believe, will be far clearer.

We appreciate greatly, Mr. President, the role of those who are helping Sri Lanka in this challenging journey in numerous ways – through advice, through technical assistance, through resources and investment. We are also deeply appreciative of the support of the High Commissioner and his Office. We note that the High Commissioner’s Report acknowledges our achievements. We appreciate the observations made which help us reflect, and take action to address areas of concern, and we look forward to continue to work in close cooperation with the international community in our journey towards economic and social progress, reconciliation, and achieving durable peace for our people. I urge all of you to support our journey with patience and perseverance.

Thank you.

UN Human Rights Chief Wants Sri Lanka To Investigate Cluster Bombs Used In War, Underscores Need For International Judges

June 29, 2016

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has called on the Sri Lankan government investigate the use of cluster munitions by the military during the final stages of the war against the LTTE, which also resulted in civilian deaths.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein – The UN HR Chief

“In light of recent reports on new evidence that has emerged on the use of cluster munitions towards the end of the conflict, following similar allegations in the OHCHR investigation report, the High Commissioner calls for an independent and impartial investigation to be carried out,”Zeid said in his annual report, which was submitted at the 32nd session of the Human Rights Council on June 28, 2016.

While emphasizing upon the need for the Sri Lankan Government to quickly build public and international confidence in its determination to pursue accountability, and to meet its obligations under international human rights law, Zeid also underscored the need to bring in international judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawyers into the judicial mechanism to probe war crimes.

“The High Commissioner remains convinced that international participation in the accountability mechanisms would be a necessary guarantee for the independence and impartiality of the process in the eyes of victims, as Sri Lanka’s judicial institutions currently lack the credibility needed to gain their trust,” he said in the report.

Zeid also expressed his discontent over the slow progress made in several crucial murder investigations, even thought they were initially fast tracked during the first few months the Government was in office.

“During its first months in office, there were a number of high profile breakthroughs and arrests made in a number of prominent cases, for instance the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, the killings of newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and Tamil MPs Joseph Pararajasingham and Nadarajah Raviraj, and the murder of rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, but progress has since slowed, he said.

Zeid said that the early momentum established in investigating emblematic cases must be sustained, as early successful prosecutions would mark a turning point from the impunity of the past. “Continuing allegations of arbitrary arrest, torture and sexual violence, as well as more general military surveillance and harassment, must be swiftly addressed, and the structures and institutional culture that promoted those practices be dismantled, to show there will be no tolerance for practices of the past,” he said in his report.

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