Veterinary surgeons island wide in strike action

Aug 09, 2016

All Veterinary surgeons island wide have commenced a strike on a number of demands. They are for salary revisions, to make the district government veterinary post to be as 1st class, to fill in all vacancies they have struck work. With affect from today the 09th instant.

It has been reported by them that these demands had been requested from the related ministry over the years but no solutions have been received to the demands. The Secretary of the government Veterinary surgeons society veterinary surgeon PL Kumarawadu had revealed. In this context all of them are to report sick today and tomorrow.

The sick notes are to be sent by all government veterinary surgeons in all districts, those at the zoological gardens, offices of district veterinary surgeons, veterinary surgeons at the Katunayake airport, those at wild life department, those at municipal councils amounting to about 700 persons are to attend in this two day strike.

The motive of the strike it is told is not to inconvenient the public but to draw attention of the related authorities of the ministry in regard to their pending demands.The secretary of the union had added that although there services have been restricted in the case of an emergency a veterinary surgeon would be made available.

For the Kandy Esala perahera the services of veterinary surgeons have been made available. It has also been said as it is a duty of the veterinary surgeons to be present at the port and airport to inspect about bird fever and pig fever the services would not be disrupted at these places. However the normal services at these places would not be made available because of the two day strike.

The secretary of the veterinary surgeons union PL Kumarawadu had added that the two day sick note strike will be extended to an all island strike action if the government officials fail to resolve their pending demands.

Disability can be conquered through determination

2016-08-10

True intelligence is not measured by book-learning alone but also through how people counter daily challenges. Kasun Chamara, 25, from Matara recently graduated from the prestigious Sri Jayawardenepura Management faculty. He has a muscle growth disorder, inherited from birth where his muscles cannot grow and thus he is disabled.   

Despite all odds against him -- whether it was his disability or stifling financial issues -- he has succeeded in reaching academic greatness. His father is a driver in the University and his mother is unemployed. He is the eldest in his family and has two other siblings.   

“From my childhood, I was fond of learning. Learning has always been a hobby to me. When I received my letter from the university, I was so ecstatic. It was the happiest day in my life. From that day onwards I knew that I was somehow going to  become a degree holder and serve the nation,” he said.  

He also elaborated about his condition, “I found a very slow growth of my muscles. This has been so since my birth. Previously I used to undergo physiotherapy, but now I have turned towards Ayurveda medicine and discontinued physiotherapy and I am not sure it is curable.   

“I am extremely grateful to the various societies in the university who supported me and helped me either physically or mentally. Before I received a wheelchair, which was given to me by a monk after my A/Levels, it was my mother who used to carry me to the class. From the time I attended Montessori, I was carried to school in her arms. She is my true pillar of strength. The University Vice Chancellor, staff, lecturers, the management and friends helped me immensely. The University staff and administration never discriminated me because of my disability; on the contrary, they were extremely supportive and wanted me to perform to my full potential.  

He said, “My dream at the moment is to get a job at ‘Bank of Ceylon’. If I would get an opportunity to work there, I would be extremely happy. I still want to learn and will never stop learning. But I need to look at the practical side as well. I need this job, because my family cannot survive with my father’s meagre salary alone. I need to contribute to my family. If someone would help me fulfil my dream, I would greatly appreciate it.”   

Addressing all disabled people who face arduous difficulties grappling through their disability and sometimes through poverty he said, “Never lose hope. Work aim high. The higher the goal, the higher the success. I worked positively and never really thought I was disabled.” 

He has taught us that only when our heart and mind are disabled that we’re truly disabled and that if we believe in ourselves and our potential, and if we never think of barriers and our shortcomings so pessimistically, the true glory and success will envelop us.
If you want to contact Kasun Chamara to provide any form of help, 
please call 071-7480020.

Sustainability now: Let’s leave the waste stigma behind

Ecco Ponto co-operative’s depot, where Rio 2016’s waste pickers will sort through recyclable goods from the Games

Wednesday, 10 August 2016

Despite the controversies associated with the Rio 2016 Olympics, some news seem promising. 

Recently the Guardian Newspaper has shared an article on the experiences of Brazilian waste pickers who faced severe stigma due to their occupation before being formally contracted to handle recyclable waste during the Olympic Games 2016 within a program started by Rio 2016, a large corporate and the Brazilian Government. They now earn more than double per day in addition to their share from the sale of the recyclable goods.

Hiring the waste pickers cost the organisers the same as hiring a private cleaning business, however with a much great social benefit. It is estimated that the pickers would be handling not less than 3,500 tons of recyclables over the course of the games.

In neighbouring India, occupations related to waste are still linked to stigma where even the envisioned profit from recycling or waste to energy cannot convince many businesses to engage in this sector, therefore being a barrier to innovative waste management solutions which India desperately needs.

In Sri Lanka we have a number of waste pickers who are sometimes independent and sometimes linked to the CMC or private companies. Where the corporate side of the waste management system seems respected, the waste pickers themselves face a similar situation as their counterparts in other countries. Their services are hardly recognised. Their contribution to less landfill (when segregating the recyclable items from the rest) and clean roads and public spaces is not sufficiently appreciated – yet no one of us would want to imagine a Sri Lanka without waste collectors.

Some weeks back I have visited a kids’ movie premiere in one of the renowned Colombo cinemas which was very well attended, by children and parents. After the movie finished and visitors left, the auditorium was covered in waste. Milk and juice was spilled on seats and the entire floor between the rows was filled with packaging, food and drink items. The carelessness of the visitors was shocking.

What about the educational effect on the children, who learn from small age onwards that littering in such a way is actually ok? That we have the “right to litter” to which extent we feel and someone else will come and clean it up anyways? That it is actually a part of entertainment and events to litter. The cinema cleaning team despite their efforts was not able to clean the venue until the next movie started.

It happens in each country that some people couldn’t care less about a clean environment; however the degree of littering and unsustainable waste management practices in Sri Lanka is shockingly high. Each spot where buses and vans hold for lunch breaks or people gather, even along the roads where intercity buses run, a vast amount of litter can be found. Why is that?

Sometimes there might not be bins available at certain places especially outside the cities, however instead of throwing the garbage on the ground or into the sea, why not keeping a bag and taking it to the next bin (as it is practiced in other countries)? One person’s litter can be easily taken, however as soon as even a small amount is disposed into the nature, other people see the spot as dumping ground and they continue to add their litter.

It seems that it is self-understood that someone else comes and cleans our dirt. And if not, it also doesn’t matter much, because we will then burn it or dump it somewhere where we can’t see it anymore – neglecting the fact that our waste behaviour is already backfiring on us – be it via the ground water, the soil and vegetables as well as animals we consume or air pollution.

In Sri Lanka we are very particular about what we are and foremost what we are not – an employee at an office or shop will rarely bend to pick up a piece of litter on the ground, the cleaning person needs to come to pick it up. We are too “good” for it.

Talking to officials within waste management organisations reveals that it is the prevailing opinion of residents that the sole responsibility for waste management lies with the respective organisations; even educational and awareness raising efforts to include the citizens in keeping our country clean fail due to this widespread attitude. Still, complaining and sometimes drowning in waste is perceived better than becoming active ourselves.

It is self-understood that each country needs a comprehensive waste management system which includes primarily government, private companies and civil society organisations. However a successful waste management system is heavily dependent on the contribution of each and every citizen starting from consumption patterns, ending with disposal behaviour.

In other countries, citizens are fined for not segregating or for littering. There is one way of introducing and executing strict laws, there is another one to increase the understanding of the harm of unsustainable waste disposal for each and every one, and the benefits of a sustainable system.

To develop Sri Lanka up to its potential we first and foremost need a shift in mindset. A shift in attitude related to waste and those who deal with it. We need to educate our children to be more aware of their own consumption and littering, to appreciate a clean environment, about the harm of an unsustainable waste management system and the benefits of a functioning one. We need to understand that each and every one of us is influencing how we live here.

Where it is the main responsibility of organisations to set up a solid system, we also have to contribute to it: in terms of segregation, recycling, not littering on roads, parks and other public spaces or less consumption overall. It is a bit of a chicken and egg situation; who needs to start – organisations or consumers? Truth is both! There will be only change if we understand our own responsibility as consumers and as citizens.

Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse countries in Asia, if not globally, including extensive fauna and flora which is admired by those living here and those visiting. It is not only our human nature to live atone with a healthy environment, it is also our duty as citizens to contribute to a clean and zero-waste Sri Lanka. If others can do it, why not us?

Rio 2016’s waste pickers

MiG Deal Documents Gone Missing

August 9, 2016

Vital documents in connection to the controversial MiG deal has gone missing, the FCID informed Court today. This was revealed when the case was taken up before the Fort Magistrate.

Gotabaya – Ex secretary to MOD

The documents were vital in building a case against former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga over his involvement in the alleged fraud during the purchase of MIG aircrafts in 2006 for the Air Force under the term of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s. Weeratunga, who is Mahinda Rajapaksa’s first cousin, is currently in hiding overseas.

The Magistrate has ordered the FCID to immediately begin an investigation to verify how these vital documents went missing. She also told the FCID officials not to hesitate in taking action against any official who may have been involved in the cover up operation.

Related posts;-Read More

Engineering mafia in the Army!

- Aug 09, 2016

De Silva is an officer of the engineering regiment. The service extension given him by the president ends on the 22nd of this month. He is planning to make sure that his successor too, is from the same regiment.

The incumbent expects that he will be given another extension, and he is these days going after politicians in order to get the president’s approval for the same. If he is given a six month extension, he is planning to get Maj. Gen. Channa Gunatilake to succeed him, and if it is one year, to get Maj. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake appointed the next commander. Both Gunatilake and Senanayake are from the engineering regiment.

Major general promotions for unqualified.

Meanwhile, de Silva made recommendations in the past few months to grant promotions to the major general ranking for several brigadiers in the engineering regiment without proper qualifications. The Army has 51 major general rank officers, and unqualified engineering regiment brigadiers Lal Gunasekara, Dhananjith Karunaratne, Dhammika Weerasekara and Keerthi Rajapakse were given the promotions.

FOUR EX-OFFICIALS UNDER PROBE

09/08/2016

Revealing another aspect of investigations into the alleged misappropriation of million of rupees granted by Indian Real Estate Company Krrish Lanka Pvt. Ltd, the FCID yesterday informed Court that former Sri Lanka Tourism Board Chairman Nalaka Godahewa and three others are being investigated over a land deal involving Rs. 40 million in Puttalam with the Krrish Company.

The FCID made this revelation, when the case against MP Namal Rajapaksa, concerning a misappropriation of Rs. 70 million belonging to Krrish Company was taken up for inquiry before Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne.The FCID alleged that Godahewa who was then Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Board had obtained Rs.40 million on the promise of providing a land in Puttalam to the Krrish Company by presenting a forged deed.

The FCID said a person named Dinusha Dewwandi had also obtained another Rs.7 million from the Krrish Company for preparing a project proposal and an individual named Abdul Badurdeen had coordinated with lawyer Sujith Rohitha Perera to prepare a forged deed.

Police are expecting to name Nalaka Godahewa and three others as suspects in due course.

Godahewa also served as the former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Managing Director of Sri Lanka Insurance.

Meanwhile, Police told Court that they have concluded investigations against MP Namal Rajapaksa and sought the Attorney General’s advice in this regard. He was arrested for allegedly misappropriating Rs.70 million granted by Indian Real Estate Company Krish Lanka Pvt. Ltd, for the development of rugby in Sri Lanka. He is currently out on bail.

The FCID alleged that Krish Lanka Pvt. Ltd had granted Rs. 70 million for the development of rugby in Sri Lanka and the amount was given to Ceylon Premium Sports President Nihal Hemasiri Perera.

The FCID said Krish Company had remitted the money to a HSBC bank account belonging to Nihal Hemasiri Perera and he had later given the money to Rajapaksa on two occasions.

The FCID alleged that the complaint by Wasantha Samarasinghe had alleged that the money granted by Krish Company had been misappropriated by the suspect without utilising them for the real purpose of the company. Further magisterial inquiry was fixed for October 31.

Defence Counsel Sampath Mendis appeared for Namal Rajapaksa. Chief Inspector Anura Premaratne prosecuted.

Lakmal Sooriyagoda /CDN

Govt. closes $ 100 m tender to give citizens digital key 

Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando addressing the Cyber Security Summit 2016 – Pic by Daminda Harsha 

By Uditha Jayasinghe -Wednesday, 10 August 2016

Forging ahead in building digital infrastructure, the Government has closed the largest-ever information system tender for a National Digital Identity system budgeted at $ 100 million to provide every citizen with a cryptographic private key, a top official said yesterday.

Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando addressing the Cyber Security Summit 2016, organised by the Daily FT and CICRA Holdings, noted that the step would revolutionise transactions countrywide as it would empower every Sri Lankan to do online transactions, sign and dispatch documents digitally and reduce costs exponentially.

“The Government cloud system has been tendered and will be implemented before the end of the year. The Government network will link 960 locations at 100MBps this year. A National Payment Platform for facilitating payments for every citizen with a bank account is currently being implemented,” he said.

Given Sri Lanka’s strong mobile penetration of 110.4% “there are more mobile phones than toothbrushes,” he quipped.

Statedigital arm, the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) is already working closely with the Central Bank and other institutions to set up a digital platform for online payments to be enabled for a range of key institutions including Customs, Inland Revenue and Excise Departments.

In addition, as many as 65 other projects are also being rolled out by ICTA, the Minister said.

“It is important to ensure that we protect our digital infrastructure against cyber security attacks. It is important for our citizens to feel safe. ICTA is also spending over Rs.1 billion on the National Security Operations Centre for cyber security and the Government will also ensure legal frameworks are in place,” he assured.

Minister Fernando recalled that Sri Lanka was the first South Asian country to ratify the Budapest Cybercrime Convention and the only Asian sitting on the Budapest cybercrime governing council.

He said ongoing and planned measures can make Sri Lanka the digital hub of Asia and Sri Lanka could become a source of cyber security experts for South Asia.

“Today’s event clearly shows the industry contribution to digital Sri Lanka and I thank Daily FT and CICRA Holdings for organising this all important Cyber Security Summit for the fourth consecutive year. We appreciate your contribution to the Sri Lankan economy by raising the awareness of cyber security preparedness amongst the top corporate and Government personnel.”

Sri Lanka has remained at the forefront of telecommunications and digital infrastructure, pointed out Minister Fernando, expressing pride at the ICT sector becoming the fifth largest revenue earner for the country and becoming the first country in the region to liberalise its telecom sector. Sri Lanka currently has five mobile operators and multiple international gateways.

Featuring international, regional and local experts, the fourth annual Daily FT-CICRA Cyber Security Summit was a sell out with over 350 participants.

The EC-Council Cyber Security Summit 2016 was co-organised by CICRA Holdings – Sri Lanka’s pioneering cyber security training and consultancy provider – and Daily FT.  Supported by the ICT Agency, the strategic partners of the 2016 Cyber Security Summit were Microsoft and CISCO, the electronic payment gateway was LankaPay, the insurance partner was Sri Lanka Insurance, the creative partner was BBDO Lanka, the printing partner was OfficeMax, the hospitality partner was Cinnamon Lakeside and the electronic media partner was MTV and MBC Radio. Deakin University and EPIC Lanka also extended their support to the Summit.

Warning of new rival telecom provider 

by Sanath Nanayakkare-August 9, 2016, 6:49 pm

Harin Fernando, Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure rang an alarm bell on Monday for Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) slamming its complacency and sluggishness in getting things done, and went on to warn that a rival semi-government telecom company would be formed if the worst came to worst.

"SLT is excessively unionized and getting things done productively is very difficult. 48% of SLT's operational expenses constitute employees' salaries. For Dialog, this figure is only 7%. Aware of this situation, I haven't given a single job for anyone in the SLT. SLT employees apparently feel too complacent with the monopoly they enjoy. Although SLT comes under my purview, I have told them that they have to fall in line or otherwise a new semi-government ICT company will have to be established", the minister said.

But in the next breath the minister said that SLT chairman is a chartered accountant and SLT Group CEO is a well-qualified engineer in whom he has faith for a turnaround.

The minister made these comments at Q&A session with the media after the first Sri Lanka National Broadband Forum-2016 (themed 'a Better Connected Sri Lanka') was held at the Hilton Colombo. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure and Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), which was co-organized by Huawei.

SLT’s monopoly status in the high capex fibre network space and the last mile fibre optic connections are thanks to government control via a 49.5% stake in the company.

Referring to e-government services, the minister said," It has been accounted that a sum of US$ 2 million a day is wasted in the absence of a proper e-government portal. Anomalies in pension payments, Customs revenues, bureaucratic procedures etc. lead to this figure. By 2017, we will have streamlined government services online. However, as a result of it, no-one will lose their jobs. Instead, there will be more jobs in the ICT sector. So it will be a matter of acquiring new skills to fill those jobs".

The minister further said,"The telecommunication industry of the country has shown significant improvement over the recent years as a new era of rapid worldwide development has dawned on the global broadband industry. However, there are challenges on the way. 250 WIFI sites have been commissioned in the country, but they are not fully accessible to everyone. For example, SLT doesn't allow a Dialog subscriber to connect to the WIFI within their zone and Dialog does the same thing in turn. After identifying this issue, we got a new single portal developed. Now all five operators; SLT, Dialog, Lanka Com, Lanka Bell and Mobitel have agreed to provide their services through this portal. By November, We will be able to have 400 WIFI sites up and running in the country allowing ready access to any subscriber".

According to Ovum’s research, Sri Lanka trails leading markets such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, where both DSL and FTTH penetration rates are far higher.. Comparatively, fixed-broadband household penetration remains low, with DSL penetration of 10.3% at the end of 2015. Low household penetration and the lack of a strong FTTH market correlates closely to Sri Lanka's lower ranking in terms of average download speeds.

Wang Shunli, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Sri Lanka said, "Huawei began its operations in Sri Lanka in 2005. We cooperated with local operators to achieve one of the fast growing market in Southern Asia, with a 10-year CAGR of 17.3% and 44.4% in mobile and fixed broadband sectors, and today, serving 15 million Sri Lanka’s citizens." Huawei, as the global leading ICT solution provider, is very glad to share our knowledge, solutions and experience and to face the ICT development challenge together".

State to take over all land owned by money launderer Basil!

Aug 09, 2016

The cabinet that met today (09) unanimously decided to immediately takeover all land bought by Mahinda Rajapaksa regime’s economic development minister Basil Rohana Rajapaksa using the money he had earned through unscrupulous means, reports say.

Submitting a paper to the cabinet, law and order minister Sagala Ratnayake proposed that a land at Katana be taken over to build an additional police training college. He also said the 16-acre land owned by Basil and located near the banks of the Kelani at Malwana, near Colombo was better suited for the purpose. It was said that this land could be taken over more easily than the one at Katana.

Fully supporting the minister’s proposal, president Maithripala Sirisena said, “These are land bought by exploiting the people. Take over the land immediately for the police training college.”

Brown’s Hill land in Matara too, to be taken over.

Submitting a proposal to the cabinet, foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera said the land at Brown’s Hill in Matara, owned by Basil’s sister in law and her husband, should be taken over to locate a hotel school.

Responding, the president said, “Land bought to launder black money should be taken over by the government as soon as possible.”

Accordingly, the cabinet decided that both plots of land should be taken over very soon for public good.

The Nauru files: 2,000 leaked reports reveal scale of abuse of children in Australian offshore detention

 Allegations involving children make up more than 50% of the 2,000 leaked reports of the Nauru files from the detention centre on the remote Pacific island. Composite: The Guardian Design

Paul Farrell, Nick Evershedand Helen Davidson-Tuesday 9 August 2016

The devastating trauma and abuse inflicted on children held by Australia in offshore detention has been laid bare in the largest cache of leaked documents released from inside its immigration regime.

More than 2,000 leaked incident reports from Australia’s detention camp for asylum seekers on the remote Pacific island of Nauru – totalling more than 8,000 pages – are published by the Guardian today. The Nauru files set out as never before the assaults, sexual abuse, self-harm attempts, child abuse and living conditions endured by asylum seekers held by the Australian government, painting a picture of routine dysfunction and cruelty.

The Guardian’s analysis of the files reveal that children are vastly over-represented in the reports. More than half of the 2,116 reports – a total of 1,086 incidents, or 51.3% – involve children, although children made up only about 18% of those in detention on Nauru during the time covered by the reports, May 2013 to October 2015. The findings come just weeks after the brutal treatment of young people in juvenile detention in the Northern Territory was exposed, leading to the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, announcing a wide-ranging public inquiry.

The reports range from a guard allegedly grabbing a boy and threatening to kill him once he is living in the community to guards allegedly slapping children in the face. In September 2014 a teacher reported that a young classroom helper had requested a four-minute shower instead of a two-minute shower. “Her request has been accepted on condition of sexual favours. It is a male security person. She did not state if this has or hasn’t occurred. The security officer wants to view a boy or girl having a shower.”

Some reports contain distressing examples of behaviour by traumatised children. According to a report from September 2014, a girl had sewn her lips together. A guard saw her and began laughing at her. In July that year a child under the age of 10 undressed and invited a group of adults to insert their fingers into her vagina; in February 2015 a young girl gestured to her vagina and said a male asylum seeker “cut her from under”.

In the files there are seven reports of sexual assault of children, 59 reports of assault on children, 30 of self-harm involving children and 159 of threatened self-harm involving children.

The reports show extraordinary acts of desperation. One pregnant woman, after being told she would need to give birth on Nauru in October 2015, was agitated and in tears. “I give my baby to Australia to look after,” she pleaded with a caseworker, adding: “I don’t want to have my baby in PNG, the [Nauru hospital] or have it in this dirty environment.”

The files raise stark questions about how information is reported on Nauru, one of Australia’s two offshore detention centres for asylum seekers who arrive by boat. They highlight serious concerns about the ongoing risks to children and adults held on the island. They show how the Australian government has failed to respond to warning signs and reveal sexual assault allegations – many involving children – that have never been previously disclosed.

The most damning evidence emerges from the words of the staff working in the detention centre themselves – the people who compile the reports. These caseworkers, guards, teachers and medical officers have been charged with caring for hundreds of asylum seekers on the island.

The publication is likely to renew calls for an end to the political impasse that has seen children in Australia’s care languish on Nauru for more than three years.

Nauru is the world’s smallest island state, home to fewer than 10,000 people. Australia supplies aid and buys services from Nauru’s government and companies, leading to accusations Nauru is effectively a “client state”. On the last official count at the end of June, 442 people – 338 men, 55 women and 49 children – were held in the Nauru regional processing centre. The other offshore centre, on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, was holding 854 people, all men. Australia’s policy has been criticised regularly by the UN.

The Guardian is publishing the files because it believes Australians have the right to know more about the regime at the Nauru and Manus centres, which costs Australian taxpayers $1.2bn a year.

The documents cover the period examined in a review into allegations of sexual assault, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into children in detention as well as the period examined by a Senate inquiry and beyond. They encompass the final days of Labor’s time in government and the ruling conservative Coalition’s time in office since September 2013.

In each successive inquiry, the Australian government and its contractors, including Broadspectrum (formerly Transfield Services) and its subcontractor Wilson Security, have maintained that they are improving conditions and reporting measures to raise the quality of life on the island.

In April 2015 the Australian immigration minister, Peter Dutton, said he wanted to make Nauru a “safe environment”. He said he had “instructed the department to do whatever they possibly can, both domestically within the detention network here and with our partners in the regional processing centres, to make sure that the standard of care is as high as it possibly can be”.

Wilson Security has previously told the Australian parliament it had “robust policies, procedures and processes that support the operations in Nauru”.

It continued: “Allegations of sexual assault are treated in a timely and sensitive manner. Where Wilson Security receives an allegation we take immediate action following disclosure or notification.”

But the files show a very different picture. Rather than serious events diminishing, they continued – and in some cases escalated – during the course of 2015. A vast number of incidents from across the timeframe have never before been reported.

Many asylum seekers held on Nauru were unable to leave the detention compounds during the period covered by the files. Some had been granted permission to leave on day trips but were closely monitored to ensure they returned before curfews. Those found to be refugees were released into the Nauruan community – yet still remain effectively detained on the remote island.

The primary evidence from the files backs up testimony from former immigration detention staff members interviewed by the Guardian as part of its investigation.

Access to Nauru is tightly controlled. Events on the island are reported sporadically through refugee advocates and whistleblowers, but the Australian government’s policy of shrouding its offshore detention centres in secrecy has prevented the reporting of many serious incidents. The Nauru files shatter that secrecy.

No sweet relief for Gaza watermelon farmers

A staple during Gaza’s hot summer is increasingly out of reach for consumers.
Ezz ZanounAPA images

Isra Saleh el-Namey-

9 August 2016

When Ghassan Salem tries to think of a treat for his children, watermelon is the first thing that springs to mind.

A big sweet juicy watermelon is the perfect antidote to the sweltering summer heat in Gaza.

But to his great consternation, the father of six now finds, along with most other Palestinians in Gaza, that watermelon, once a common treat on Gazan tables and one grown locally, has become prohibitively expensive.

What started out as an attempt by authorities to minimize Gaza’s dependence on Israeli products has had the unexpected result of raising prices, lowering production and causing tensions between local farmers and the authorities as the latter have had to turn back to Israeli imports to manage supply.

Ordinary consumers have been paying the price.

“If I want to buy a watermelon for my family, I cannot afford anything but a small one of around 4 kg that costs 10 shekels [approx $2.50]. This can never be enough for a family of eight,” Salem, 37, said.

Spending more than $10 to buy three or four watermelons for the family is too much for a government-employed teacher.

Under the Israeli blockade and with nearly a decade of political division between the West Bank and Gaza, government salaries are paid only irregularly and not in full. Salem cannot expect to receive his salary every month, and must make do with less than half, since the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in the West Bank still refuses to recognize those who work in the public sector in Hamas-run Gaza.

“I have to manage my expenses very carefully, so I can secure the most important essentials for my family,” Salem said. “But I really want to avoid bringing my children into this misery every time they ask for watermelon.”

First imports in eight years

This season has seen unprecedented high prices for watermelon. And it is causing an angry dispute between farmers and Gaza’s authorities.

For the first time in eight years, in June the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza imported watermelons from Israelin order to protect consumers. The ministry was going to try to import one ton of watermelons in a three-day window but, according to ministry spokesperson Fayez al-Sheikh, Israeli intransigence at the Kerem Shalom crossing, where goods and materials can enter Gaza, led to the ministry securing only 300 kg.

Al-Sheikh partly attributed the high prices this year to the amount of land farmers allocated to seed and plant watermelons. Last year, the ministry spokesperson said, more than 3,000 dunums of land — a dunam is the equivalent of 1,000 square meters — were used to plant watermelons. This year less than 2,000 dunums were used.

But he also blamed farmers for trying to make too much from a limited harvest.

“Farmers want to make as much profit as they can, but there should be a limit to this,” al-Sheikh said.

Some farmers, he said, tried to limit the quantity of watermelons available at markets as a way to keep prices high at peak harvest in the middle of July, ensuring good profits until the end of the season. This, al-Sheikh said, is what triggered a response from the government.

“When we import from Israel, prices automatically fall. We succeeded in bringing the price down to about 10 shekels for 7 to 8 kg,” al-Sheikh added.

The imports ended about a week after they began when a deal was agreed between the government and local farmers to increase the supply of watermelons to local markets to keep prices stable and reasonable.

Costly crop

But farmers are struggling in a dire economic climate. According to Zaki Sawarka, who has been farming watermelon for 30 years, this year proved very challenging for farmers.

The uncommonly cold weather in the first months of the year and very powerful storms that lashed the area in January meant a struggle for farmers to save their crops.

“The plummeting temperatures during January and February, which is exactly the start of season, were very disruptive. This winter has cost us dearly,” Sawarka told The Electronic Intifada.

Watermelon grown during winter should be covered with plastic sheets — sheets that were not always available to farmers due to Israeli import restrictions — in order to keep the cold off the crop.

The long and regular power outages in Gaza — also a result of Israeli policy and Palestinian political division — exacerbated the situation since Sawarka had to secure fuel to run a generator that supplies his farm with electricity during the power cuts, and in order to keep temperatures under the plastic sheets up.

“We have to cover all those costs on our own, we do not get support, and we still sustain losses because of the increasingly unbearable situation in Gaza,” the farmer said.

Sawarka estimated that one dunum of watermelon would cost him not less than $1,000 to bring from seed to harvest. And yet, for all the cost, he also admitted a deeper attachment to what is a family trade.

“My father taught me all the secrets of how to grow an excellent watermelon; it is part of our heritage. I always feel that it is my duty to grow the best watermelon possible,” Sawarka said.

“Don’t let our enemies profit”

In the past, in markets flooded with Israeli produce, watermelons were cheap. But the situation changed when Gaza’s authorities began striving for self-sufficiency back in 2008.

Tahseen aI-Saqa, an official in charge of monitoring imports at the ministry of agriculture, said authorities are working hard to support the watermelon industry in Gaza to avoid the need to import from Israel.

“This is a direct interest for us. First of all: we do not let our enemies profit from us; and second, it is a chance to help our farmers improve their skills,” al-Saqa told The Electronic Intifada.

The ministry has organized several courses to teach farmers modern and sustainable methods of growing watermelon that are not reliant on the use of pesticides, the official said.

“We hope that we can continue in this way, but our farmers need to know we are committed to protecting the consumers,” he noted.

Fadi Hassan, from Khan Younis, has been farming watermelon for the last 15 years. He supports the initiative to become independent of Israeli imports, but said Gaza’s authorities also need to understand that under current conditions, Gaza’s farmers are finding it very hard to make ends meet.

“We rely on our yield of watermelons to earn a living,” Hassan told The Electronic Intifada. That yield, he said, is dependent on the right weather conditions, but also on broader economic conditions. He cited as obstacles the Israeli blockade and the Egyptian clampdown on smuggling tunnels, which has left farmers reliant on more expensive Jordanian fertilizer, rather than the Egyptian kind that used to be smuggled in.

The blockade, he asserted, has increased costs for farmers, who are then forced to pass those on to the consumers. Nevertheless, Hassan said, striving for self-sufficiency was the “right thing to do.”

“Instead of letting the Israeli farmers earn, we are giving a full chance for the Gazan farmers to do well on their land,” Hassan said.

Isra Saleh el-Namey is a journalist from Gaza.

Libya: Free Saif ! Free the Nation!

by Eric Draitser

( August 9, 2016, Boston, Sri Lanka Guardian ) The news that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the assassinated leader of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Muammar Gaddafi, has been released from captivity is one of the most significant developments in Libya in some time. For while the Western corporate media would like people to believe that the Gaddafi name is dead and buried, the fact remains that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, and the surviving members of the Gaddafi family, are seen as heroes by many in Libya. Moreover, Saif’s release has the potential to transform the political situation in the country.

Although details are few and far between, what we do know is that according to his lawyer at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Saif Gaddafi “was given his liberty on April 12, 2016.” Indeed official documents (which remain unverified) seem to support the assertion that Saif has, in fact, been released. 

Considering the statements from his attorneys that Saif is “well and safe and in Libya,” the political ramifications of this development should not be underestimated. Not only is Saif Gaddafi the second eldest and most prominent of Col. Gaddafi’s sons, he is also the one seen as the inheritor of his father’s legacy of independent peaceful development and the maintenance of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

This last point is of critical importance as his release is a clear signal to many Libyans that the resistance to the NATO-imposed chaos and war is alive and well. And while there have been isolated upsurges of pro-Gaddafi sentiments at various times in the last five years, they mostly remained underground. Perhaps it might soon be time for the resistance to once again become united as it moves to drive out the terrorists and opportunists who have torn the jewel of Africa apart these last five years.

Libya: Chaos Reigns Thanks to NATO 

In order to answer the question of what Saif Gaddafi’s return to political life would mean for Libya, one has to first understand the nature of the Libyan state (if one can even call it that) today. Libya has become a fractured nation made up of at least two governments – one aligned with Al Qaeda in Tripoli, the other moderate, non-Islamist government based in Tobruk – with the vast majority of the tribes having at least some ties with the Tobruk government, and its sometimes backers in Egypt. Indeed, it is the tribes who in many ways dominate political life as much of Libyan society has fallen back on tribal affiliations and loyalties in the wake of the destruction of Gaddafi’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya government.

With disunity having been created by the NATO war on Libya, and the introduction of longtime CIA asset General Khalifa Haftar into a political equation already exhaustingly complex with myriad factions and shifting loyalties, it becomes rather difficult to know exactly where each group and alliance stands. As if to complicate the matter further, Saif has been held since 2011 by the militias centered in the city of Zintan; the Zintanis were no friends of Gaddafi, but have steadfastly refused to cooperate with the Al Qaeda-Muslim Brotherhood allied factions dominating Tripoli as part of the so-called “Libya Dawn” coalition.

Of course, one cannot forget about Abdelhakim Belhadj and the fighters of his Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) which played a key role in the NATO-backed overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. Belhadj, the darling of western intelligence and political elites like John McCain and Lindsey Graham (who posed for pictures with the infamous Al Qaeda terrorist), had been accused of being involved in training ISIS operatives in Eastern Libya, though sources in Libya have denied the claim, instead maintaining that Belhadj remains holed up in the Tripoli airport, commanding his fighters in alliance with his longtime Al Qaeda comrades.

All of this is to say that the political map of Libya is like broken glass, fractured into dozens of pieces strewn about by the destruction of the once peaceful and prosperous nation. But in the midst of all the chaos, there have been moments of hope, moments when it seemed a pushback from the people of Libya might soon come.

One key element of the political situation in Libya that is often ignored is the role of Egypt’s President Sisi. While Sisi has a dubious human rights record of his own, in the Libyan context his government has seemingly provided air support to the Tobruk government and its allied tribal groups fighting against ISIS/Daesh terrorists, and potentially also against Al Qaeda-affiliated groups. Sources inside Libya have conveyed that, contrary to rumors on social media, Egyptian forces have been closely collaborating with some key Libyan factions, including representatives of the tribes whose loyalty remains with the Gaddafis.

In this convoluted political picture, one must see beyond simply “good guys” and “bad guys,” and instead understand that while there are indeed good guys and bad guys, some of the good guys are sometimes bad, while some of the bad guys are sometimes good. Got it? Good.

The Leader Libya Needs, the Leader It Deserves 

It is against this dizzying political backdrop that one must examine the significance of a potential return for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. Saif remains a hero to many Libyans who see in him the inheritor of the independent spirit of his father, a man whose education and erudition, and most importantly wartime experience, make him a natural leader.

It should be remembered that Saif was the main advocate of the rapprochement between Libya and the West in the early 2000s, spearheading the campaign for Libya’s disarmament of its nuclear and long-range ballistic missiles program. However, by 2011 and the US-NATO illegal war on Libya, Saif had changed his tune, regretting terribly his having taken western leaders at their word. In a now infamous interview with RT conducted in the midst of the NATO war, Saif stated:

“Many countries, Iran and North Korea are among them, told us it was our mistake to give up, to have stopped developing long-range missiles and to become friendly with the West. Our example means one should never trust the West and should always be on alert – for them it is fine to change their mind overnight and start bombing Libya… One of our biggest mistakes was that we delayed buying new weapons, especially from Russia, and delayed building a strong army. We thought Europeans were our friends; our mistake was to be tolerant with our enemies.”

One could sense the penitence in Saif’s voice, a man who acknowledged his own responsibility in weakening his country and opening it to foreign invasion. But Saif’s contrition, almost a plea for forgiveness from his people, was also seen by many Libyans as the mark of his true character, a man who forthrightly accepted responsibility while simultaneously standing defiant against the most powerful military alliance in the world, and its terrorist proxies overrunning his country. Indeed, for many, this was the moment – along with his appearance at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli before a crowd of stunned reporters and Libyans – when Saif ceased to be simply the favored son, and instead became a bona fide leader.

And today, nearly five years later, Saif remains the chosen son of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya – a man who has endured five years of confinement at the hands of his one-time enemies, who has remained defiant of the US and of its puppet institutions such as the International Criminal Court. His is the man who for so many represents the promise of a better future by symbolizing a better past.

And this is why factions inside Libya, and their backers in the US and Europe, are terrified of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi; they understand perfectly what he represents. They know that Saif commands the loyalty and respect of the majority of Libyans, far more than any other single faction. They know that Saif is backed by the most influential tribes in the country, as well as what remains of the Green Resistance which has emerged at key moments in the last few years, including the brief takeover of a critical air base in the southern city of Sabha in January 2014. They know that Saif is the only individual leader left in Libya who can unite the disparate political formations into a single force prepared to finally defeat the jihadist elements backed by the US-NATO.

But the fear of Saif runs even deeper than just the theoretical leadership that he represents. Rather, the powers that be fear the political force he already is. When Saif’s death sentence was handed down by a kangaroo court in Tripoli, supporters of Gaddafi and the Jamahiriya took to the streets in Benghazi, Sirte, Bani Walid, and a number of other cities across the country, despite ISIS and Al Qaeda terrorists in control of much of those cities. At the risk of their own lives, these Libyans carried portraits of the assassinated Col. Gaddafi and Saif al-Islam, chanting their names and calling for a restoration of the socialist government. Consider the devotion necessary for followers to risk life and limb in a show of political support. Now imagine what would happen with Saif free.

Sources in Libya, and among those who have fled to neighboring countries, as well as Europe, have noted that elements of the former Gaddafi government have been working closely with the Sisi government in Egypt. While it is difficult to confirm independently, such a move is entirely plausible considering the common jihadi enemy both face in Libya which shares a long, porous border with Egypt. Assuming that the collaboration is true, it presents yet another reason why the US and its proxies, to say nothing of the terror groups inside Libya, would greatly fear Saif’s freedom. With the backing of an assertive Egypt, the all-important tribal councils, and elements of the disparate factions on the ground, Saif would instantly become the single most powerful man in Libya.

And for those in the West, it is incumbent on everyone to vigorously and publicly defend Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, and to redouble efforts to back him. Saif represents a chance for Libya to be rebuilt, for the country to be pulled from the morass of chaos manufactured by the US and its NATO partners. Saif is the hope of the Libyan people who have suffered unspeakable horrors these last five years. Even those who have no love lost for Gaddafi understand the importance of reconstituting a single, united Libya under a single, united government. Only Saif al-Islam Gaddafi can do that now. And that’s why freedom for Saif might one day mean freedom for Libya.

Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City, he is the founder of StopImperialism.org and OP-ed columnist for RT, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”