Peace for the World

Peace for the World
First democratic leader of Justice the Godfather of the Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Honourable Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

SC intervention sought to obtain list of 77 imported vehicles-MPs’ duty free permit racket:


palitha-thewarapperumas-brand-new-toyota-land-cruiser-is-now-for-sale


by Shamindra Ferdinando-November 16, 2016, 10:45 pm


The Supreme Court has been moved against Director General of Customs and Attorney General in the wake of the former turning down requests to furnish a complete list of all vehicles imported on the tax free permits issued to sitting members of parliament.


The petition has been filed in keeping with Article 126 of the Constitution. The SC has been requested to intervene on behalf of attorney-at-law Nagananda Kodituwakku, who sought relevant information on Oct 28, 2016 and Nov 10, 2016.


Public interest litigation activist Kodituwakku has, in his petition, alleged that denial of information as requested by him violated Article 14A of the Constitution and Section 3 of the Right to Information Act No 12 of 2016.


Kodituwakku alleged that the first respondent was constitutionally bound to act in accordance with the Article 28 of the Constitution in addition to collection and protection of government revenue as stipulated by Section 2 of the Customs Ordinance. The former head of the Customs Revenue Task Force asserted that the AG had been made a party to the application in terms of Article 134 of the Constitution.


The petitioner has alleged that issuance of tax-free car permits to MPs and their transfer to third parties have caused a colossal loss to government revenue running into several billions of rupees while ordinary people had to bear unbearable tax burden imposed on almost every commodity including water.


The petitioner has said that confirmation was obtained from the Department of Motor Traffic pertaining to the transfer of 20 vehicles imported on MPs’ permits to new owners. The 20 vehicles had been among 77 vehicles imported during June-Nov 2, 2016 period by members of the government and the Opposition. Seventy seven members had received tax exemptions amounting to approximately Rs. 30 mn each with one receiving a staggering Rs 44 mn exemption.

You’re Sakkili without breed or birth - a response on behalf of Ampitiye Sumana

You’re Sakkili without breed or birth - a response on behalf of Ampitiye Sumana
Nov 17, 2016
Responding to the article we published under the heading , a person who can be from his own Nikaya has sent us a response via an email identified as V.D. That response is published below without any change, and our response should be considered a reply to the more than 100 persons who had commented via facebook as well.
Editor,
This pertains to the article on Ampitiye Sumana.
We know that if we keep on preserving millions of discipline and continence, persons like you, who are intent on making money by brainwashing people after receiving money from the Tamil diaspora rascals and Muslim extremist pigs, will cut this country into pieces like pieces of cake. From the beginning, you have been writing on behalf of the Muslims and Tamils.
Like that monk says, why don’t you file a case against Bathiudeen? At least think that there should be a majority of Sinhalese to at least read your commercial advertisements. You are worms who destroy the nation. You were born as Sinhalese, but you make attempts throughout the day to destroy the Sinhala nation. But, remember, even if you have money, you will not live long. Buddhism will be protected only as long as the Sinhala nation exists. Worldly forces will not allow a destroying of Buddhism. It will be there for 5000 years.
Those who try to do evil against the Sinhala nation will be ruined. Wait and see what will happen to your families. What should happen to them might well have happened already. Earn money like gentlemen. Don’t ruin your own people. You are Sakkili without breed or birth. Sinhalese in this country keep silent not because they are scared. That is because of the Buddhist philosophy. See, what happens in Muslim countries. Do they have any morals? Remember this well. By now, your families may have ruined. At least a child will have to pay for it.
Editor’s note: First of all, we thank the unnamed person (V.D) for having sent us this response on behalf of Ampitiye Sumana. This person V.D has mixed things up between Buddhist philosophy and Hinduism. Buddha taught the theory of causality, not about a result of past actions. What he taught to the world was ‘Kin Sachcha Gavesi’, not ‘Kin Kusala Gavesi.’ Please, study Buddhism well before coming to argue with us.
V.D, you belong to a Buddhist sect of suicide cadres descending from the sect of Devdath. Christian extremists, Muslim extremists and Buddhist extremists are doing an irreparable harm to their respective religions. V.D boasts that Buddhism will be protected only as long as the Sinhala nation exists. What we say that when a Buddhist becomes a Sinhalese he first misses Lord Buddha. What Lord Buddha preached was ‘the world has only one race.’ That race is not the Indian race or the Sinhala race. From the time of the conservative India to 2600 years ago, what Buddha preached was that ‘the world has only one race. That is the human race.’
The world over, racists and tribals who are raising their heads should first study what Buddha had preached. Lord Buddha is the foremost liberal pioneer the world has seen. For Sinhala Buddhists, liberal is yet another word for dollars. They accuse us of writing for money by obtaining dollars from the Tamil diaspora and Muslim extremists. If someone is able to prove that Lanka News Web or any of its affiliate websites has accepted a cent from an extremist organization, we will forthwith close down our website.
Now, let’s go to the topic of what we published. What we published was a fraudulent act committed by Ampitiye Sumana. V.D does not say one word about that. According to those who made comments on facebook, that is a falsehood published by us. We will publish proceedings of the case pertaining to this presently being heard in the Batticaloa magistrate’s court. After we published the article, we are receiving further information about this robed person presently out on bail from the magistrate’s court. We are double-checking that information as well. After getting confirmation, we hope to publish that information too. If what we publish is false and malicious, Ampitiye Sumana and fools like V.D who worship persons like him can go to the Press Council or the district court and file defamation cases. Then, the Buddhists world over will come to know the truth.
What we are striving to do is not going after popularity. We are trying to protect Buddhism from Ampitiye Sumana, Galagodattte Gnanasara, Ittekande Saddhatissa and others who abuse the devotion of Buddhists. For that, we are prepared at any time to face a debate like civilized persons with any pundit or the learned about what Buddha had really preached.

Video showing monk’s ‘death threat’ to Tamil officer goes viral

Expressing deep concern, civil society organisation says such incidents could affect reconciliation

Return to frontpageA Buddhist monk’s death threat to a Tamil village officer in Batticaloa — in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province — has gone viral on social media, worrying many who are hoping for speedy reconciliation in the war-torn country. Such incidents could adversely affect ongoing efforts towards reconciliation, civil society organisations have noted with concern.

The video shows the monk using foul language at the provincial government staff. The angry monk, identified as Ambitiya Sumanaratna Thera by local media, is also seen shouting at the village officers in Sinhala, “you all [are] Tigers, you all [are] Tigers”, referring to the LTTE.

Located along Sri Lanka’s east coast, the Tamil-majority district of Batticaloa is also home to a sizeable population of Muslims, and a tiny population — about 1.3 per cent — of Sinhalese, as per records of Sri Lanka’s Department of Census and Statistics.

The monk’s remarks, according to local Tamil newspaper Veerakesari, were made in the context of a controversy surrounding illegal occupation of land, reportedly by the Sinhalese people. The Tamil officers, seen standing quietly in the video, were there for follow-up action, reports said.

A senior government official in Colombo said such incidents would not be tolerated, as they “damage reconciliation efforts”.

“The police will soon refer the matter to the Magistrate Court in Batticaloa, and we are keen that an impartial investigation be undertaken for due legal action,” Ranga Kalansooriya, director-general, Government Information Department. told The Hindu.

Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka have in the past made news for resorting to hate speech. Two years ago, leader of hard-line Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Power Force), Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thera, made a controversial speech with derogatory references to Muslims in the coastal town of Aluthgama, a town to the south of Colombo. His remarks sparked violent communal clashes, claiming three lives and injuring nearly 80 people.

However, the country has also had Buddhist monks at the helm of the campaign for reforms that preceded the country’s historic January 2015 elections. “This very small minority of violence-prone and foul-mouthed monks are not only profaning a religion of peace, but also disgracing the memory of such champions of civility and reconciliation as the late Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, an architect and inspirer of the reforms now taking place,” observed the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a Colombo-based advocacy organisation.

Referring to recent incidents of hate speech, including the monk’s outburst in Batticaloa, the organisation observed that the disturbing events come at a time when the country is still less than halfway through the political and constitutional reforms that were popularly mandated. “They imperil the establishment of the necessary foundations of reconciliation, justice, and good governance — which are the bedrock of our future peace, prosperity, and happiness — and threaten to take us back to a dark and rancorous era from which we were at last emerging,” the CPA said in a statement.

Police Arrests Thawheed Jamath Secretary Razick, After Gnanasara’s Ultimatum

Colombo Telegraph

November 16, 2016
Just hours after Bodu Bala Sena’s Galagoda Atte Gnanasara issued an ultimatum to carry out a blood bath in the country, the police has arrested Abdul Razick, the Secretary of Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamath (SLTJ) group. He was arrested this morning by the Maligawatte Police.
Razick
Razick
According to a statement from the Police Headquarters, Razick was arrested following a complaint lodged with regard to a statement made by him at a protest on November 3 in Maligawatte.
Incidentally, Razick’s arrest comes just hours after Gnanasara issued an ultimatum to the police giving them a day’s time to arrest Razick, or else he and his supporters will launch a blood bath from Maligawatte onwards. Gnanasara said that he will give the authorities one day’s time, and if Razick is not arrested, then there will be a blood bath. “We will wait till tomorrow, if this ‘dog’ is not arrested, we will launch an attack. About 100 to 200 of our boys will die,” he said, amidst loud cheering.
He made this statement after the Fort Police arrested a man by the name of ‘Dan Priyasad’ who calls himself the ‘Saviour of the Sinhalese’ and has been threatening to bomb Muslims in Sri Lanka. During a recent protest opposite the Fort Railway Station, a group of protestors, including Priyasad declared that they were ready to even carry out suicide bombings to eliminate Muslims in Sri Lanka.

The National Action Plan to Address Sexual and Gender-based Violence

The National Action Plan to Address Sexual and Gender-based Violence
Nov 16, 2016
The National Action Plan, developed on the vision of creating “a violence free life for women and children” with Zero Tolerance for Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Sri Lanka, is significant as it was formulated using a multi-sectoral approach with engagement from key ministries representing nine sectors. Some of the lead Ministries include the Ministry of Disaster Management, the Ministry of National Policy and Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training, University Grants Commission, Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations, Ministry of Plantation Industries, Department of Divineguma, the Ministry of Foreign Employment, the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Mass Media, Ministry of Law and Order, Sri Lanka Police and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.

Speaking at the launch of the National Action Plan, Hon. Chandrani Bandara, Minister of Women and Child Affairs stated that “the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs is particularly happy that several leading ministries/ institutions from different sectors, UN agencies, INGOs and NGOs have joined hands with us in developing this Plan and ensured a multi-sectoral engagement, thereby putting in place a comprehensive holistic National Plan. The uniqueness of the Plan is in this collaboration for a coordinated response to address SGBV. The support extended by UNDP has greatly strengthened the efforts of the Ministry...Let’s commit to implement this Plan and make our country a place where there is zero tolerance of sexual and gender-based violence’

The National Action Plan is part of a project under the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, supported by UNDP’s Strengthening Enforcement of Law, Access to Justice and Social Integration (SELAJSI) Programme.

The SELAJSI Programme of UNDP Sri Lanka works to ensure that gains in the justice sector are institutionalized, systematized and scaled-up. This Programme adopts a sector-wide, sequenced and strategic approach to address a number of high priority issues in Sri Lanka. These include the need to strengthen legal aid services, alternate dispute resolution mechanisms and the administration of justice, as well as the need for increased action on social integration, placing emphasis on the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in society and ensuring the engagement and empowerment of women and youth.

At the event, Ms. Una McCauley, Resident Coordinator of UN Sri Lanka and Resident Representative of UNDP Sri Lanka stated “the National Action Plan launched today is a clear indication of the political will of the Government of Sri Lanka through a comprehensive and multi-sectoral framework involving three important dimensions; Prevention, Intervention and Policy Advocacy. The UN System in Sri Lanka looks forward to working together with the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and other partners…to eliminate all forms of sexual and gender based violence against women, men, boys and girls.”


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logoWednesday, 16 November 2016

The education component of Budget 2017 has many positive features. Unspecified infrastructure expenditures from the previous budget have been removed. The new proposals, except for the free tabs proposal, are mostly well-targeted. The higher education spending proposals in particular show multiple approaches to increase higher education opportunities, while not shirking the Government’s responsibilities.

STF called in to help police nab cop killer

SI shot dead; Sergeant, PC in critical condition 


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By Norman Palihawadana and R. M. W. Bandara-November 16, 2016

The STF has been called in to help the police track down a person who fled after killing police sub inspector Ratnabanda Dassanayake and causing grievous injuries to Sergeant Bandara and police constable Subasinghe on Tuesday night at a hotel at Maspotha in the Kurunegala Police Division.

The police arrested one of the persons involved in the incident in the Kurunegala town.

However, the gunman escaped.

Kurunegala police said that 59-year-old Sub Inspector was scheduled to retire in January, 2017.

Hospital sources said the condition of police constable Subasinghe was critical.

A four-man police team led by Sub Inspector Dassanayake had been on patrol when Kurunegala police directed the unit to search Paradise hotel, where a gang wanted in connection with several robberies, was staying.

As the police entered the hotel two suspects were asleep. One of them opened fire when the police tried to arrest them as they were not satisfied with documents pertaining to the car in the suspects’ possession.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the car belonged to a monk at Lunawa and it had been given to the gang through a rental agency for Rs. 120,000 a month.

All four police personnel were armed at the time of the incident, but they could not defend themselves.

It is important to keep a track on those who make research on natural resources in forests-Lakshman Pieris.

It is important to keep  a track on those who make research on natural resources in forests-Lakshman Pieris.

Nov 16, 2016

The deputy Director in charge of  wild life research and training Lakshman Pieris has cautioned those persons, organizations and institutions who enter forests declaring that they do research on natural resources thereby utilizing the resources in them. Lakshman Peiris had said that illegal action would be instituted against such elements.

Sri Lanka has a special identity and a higher position among other Asian region  in biodiversity and hence in order to make research on them internal researches as well foreign organizations ,local institutions tend to to make research thereby some even harm our natural resources..This was quipped by the deputy director at a workshop held in Getambe Kandy.
 
It was also quipped that those who come forward to do research in forests need to obtain a permit from the wild life department  and it is issued by a competent committee who gauge the education levels of the applicants in the field of natural resources.
 
The deputy director had also quipped that certain persons or groups who had come on the pretext of making research  have  made illegal conduct and activities,.
 
It was said that such researchers should not make it this a  threat to Sri Lanka or any other country..In the event it is found of an illegal activity they would be arrested and brought before the law.
 
This workshop had been conducted with the participation of University personnel of Sri Lanka ,India, Bangladesh  and Maldives.

Donald Trump & The Reality Of People’s Choice


Colombo Telegraph
By Vishwamithra1984 –November 16, 2016
“For society to attempt to solve its desperate problems without the full participation of even very young people is imbecile.” ~Alvin Toffler
The Presidential Elections have produced, in the ‘liberated’ minds of the so-called pundits, a stunning victory for one of the most unscrupulous Presidential candidates ever in US history. While the Trump supporters must be celebrating in the most spirited manner, those who supported Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton are self-pitying in their own lost hopes and lost dreams. That proverbial ‘glass ceiling’ remains unshattered and quite intact. American voters were ready to elect a black President, yet they were not ready for a woman as their political head. Does that mean America is getting past the racial undertones of her two hundred and forty year history but not yet ready to embrace the fairer sex as its President? Or was the effect of the elections, as evidenced in the Brexit phenomenon, much more deeply rooted in the psyche of a nation turning inwards? Donald Trump’s election as the leader of the world’s leading military and economic power has thrown up more questions than answers. 
donald-trump
Given the intense volatility of Trump’s vitriol and his propensity to destroy his opponents to smithereens, his capacity to declare lies and exaggerations to an extent one would think far outpaces his lips, coupled with American media’s subservient conduct of information-dissemination to the palpable favor of Trump, willy nilly, the coming years of Trump Presidency appears quite frightening. If Trump begins to behave the way he has been behaving the way he adopted during his nasty campaigning style, the world will surely behold a new American phenomenon emerging from the bowels of a modern society that is called America but more representative of a pagan community trying to come to grips with a narcissist man who has fallen in love with himself beyond any comparable measure. That is to anticipate events.
The office of President of the United States of America is indeed of great consequence. In possession of vast and varied warehouses of modern war-weaponry ranging from intercontinental ballistic missiles to deep sea nuclear submarines, America in the guise of a protector of liberty and democracy in the world could be her own destroyer if and when such enormous powers are vested in the unpredictable and impulsive hands of a narcissist whose warped desires could far outweigh the needs of the commoner. Yet the concept of separation of powers as enshrined in the American Constitution would be the ultimate arbiter of matters that would seem to get out of control of the regulator of the switch of Presidency. In a real sense, the power that controls the switch dwells within the portals of the Senate and the House of Representatives rather than the President himself. Well, I might as well leave such sophisticated arguments to those constitutional experts whose opinions and views are much more scholarly and erudite in this context.

Canada quietly reaches out to Russia for talks on Syria, Ukraine

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov looks on at the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices in Geneva October 15, 2013. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool

By David Ljunggren | OTTAWA- Thu Nov 17, 2016


Although Canada is taking a tough line with Russia in public, a senior Canadian diplomat quietly visited Moscow for talks on Ukraine and Syria earlier this month, prompting opposition concerns Ottawa might move to ease its sanctions.
Mark Gwozdecky, the foreign ministry's political director, met Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov on Nov 1 for talks on issues such as arms control as well as Ukraine and the war in Syria, according to the Russian foreign ministry.
The visit was the first of its kind by a top Canadian official since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals took power a year ago from the Conservatives, who imposed punitive measures over the actions of Russian-backed militants in Ukraine.
The Liberals also condemn Moscow's intervention. Foreign Minister Stephane Dion on Friday urged all countries to remain firm about upholding sanctions. But they also say they want to discuss matters of mutual interest.
The twin messages have Canada's foreign partners watching for any shift in policy at a time when U.S. President elect Donald Trump has indicated he will seek a rapprochement with Russia.
"There are too many important issues for us, from the Arctic to the devastating situation in Syria, not to be raising those directly with them," said Joe Pickerill, chief spokesman for Dion.
"Canada does not need interlocutors to raise its concerns, nor will we shout them from the sidelines.  This government will raise the issues directly."
Gwozdecky visited Moscow shortly before Trump's election victory. If Trump follows through on his promise to forge closer ties with Putin, the transatlantic and European front against Russia could crumble.
Other nations, such as Japan and Germany, have sent diplomats to Moscow in recent months.
Peter Kent, foreign affairs critic for the opposition Conservatives, said Dion was giving more priority to normalizing relations with Russia "than any new sanctions or even maintaining some of them."
Canada has a large and influential Ukrainian community which wholeheartedly supported the Conservative sanctions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday told reporters that on some issues, such as the Arctic and counter terrorism, there was a chance to "at least have constructive dialogue with Russia in which our desired outcomes are more closely aligned."
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Andrew Hay)

US Jewish and Muslim associations unite to combat bigotry

Two prominent associations have banded together to form the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, which aims to combat hate crimes
The council is comprised of 31 members, including politicians like former senator Joe Lieberman (AFP)

Jacob Powell-Wednesday 16 November 2016
Two prominent Jewish and Muslim associations have banded together to form an interfaith alliance to address anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Semitism in the US, and advocate for issues of common concern.
The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council was created by the American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).
“Our two communities share much in common and should find ways, where possible, to work together for the benefit of the entire country,” said Stanley Bergman, council co-chair.
According to a press release on the group's formation, the “council brings together recognized business, political, and religious leaders in the Jewish and Muslim American communities to jointly advocate on issues of common concern.”
The council is comprised of 31 members, including former senator Joe Lieberman and influential clergyman Imam Mohamed Magid. The new body also includes Deborah Lipstadt, an academic, and Farooq Kathwari, who is CEO of furniture chain Ethan Allen.
“The council aims to provide a model for civic engagement by two communities, vital to American society, that agree to work together on issues of common concern and overlapping interest,” Kathwari said.
Throughout the election campaign, racist incidents spiked, sparking fears among minorities and civil rights groups that Donald Trump's election as US president has emboldened hate groups.
While it will work on combating such crimes, the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council said it was not created as a direct response to the election.
“It’s been in the works for months,” Kenneth Bandler, the American Jewish Committee’s director of media relations, told Middle East Eye.
“...It takes a long time to assemble these people serving on the council,” he added.
One of the main objectives of the group is developing “a coordinated strategy to address anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Semitism in the US,” according to the press release.
Bob Silverman, who is director of Muslim-Jewish relations at the American Jewish Committee, told Israel's daily Ha'aretz that they’re working towards enforcing legislation against hate crimes in the workplace.
“There’s no specific law currently saying you can’t fire someone for wearing a yarmulke or a hijab,” Silverman said. “There’s good hate crime legislation at the state and federal levels, but it’s not being enforced.”

The crazy claim is just the latest in a long line of bizarre takes on the president-elect's sensational result at the polls last week

13th November 2016

AN outrageous conspiracy theory alleges that Donald Trump was actually born in Pakistan, and only moved to America following the death of his parents.

The crazy claim is just the latest in a long line of bizarre takes on the president-elect’s sensational result at the polls last week, but this one is surely the most far-fetched.

The wild claim was made by a Pakistani TV channel, based off this photo of a blonde child
The wild claim was made by a Pakistani TV channel, based off this photo of a blonde child

Metro reports that, after Donald Trump spent years claiming that Barack Obama wasn’t actually a US citizen, a Pakistani news channel has alleged that the same could be said for The Donald.

Neo News, which is broadcast to thousands of TV sets, claimed that President-elect Donald Trump was actually born in Waziristan, in Pakistan.

The next President of the United States, who was born in 1946, was called Dawood Ibrahim Khan before his parents died and he was adopted by Americans, according to the news network.

The controversial businessman has been the subject of a number of wild conspiracy theories since he swept into the White House
The controversial businessman has been the subject of a number of wild conspiracy theories since he swept into the White House

Bizarrely, the broadcasters even claim that the reality TV star didn’t move to America until 1995, showing a photo of a Pakistani child who vaguely resembles the billionaire as “evidence.”

The report, which aired last month, made the sensational claim based on a Tweet, in which someone likened a photo of the Middle Eastern child to a shot of The Donald.

Donald Trump's repeated past assertions that Barack Obama is not from America may have inspired the claim
Donald Trump’s repeated past assertions that Barack Obama is not from America may have inspired the claim

Naturally, the report was ridiculed by locals and slammed on social media, where users joked about the overblown nature of the claims.

The story may have arisen as a response to Donald Trump’s assertions that outgoing President Barack Obama was born overseas, an allegation which proved to be unfounded.




Donald Trump born in  family in Shawal Valley North Waziristan June 14th 1946, name was Dawood Ibrahim Khan 
Since the brash billionaire’s election victory crackpots have made a number of crazy claims, including the allegation that Trump is a harbinger of the apocalypse, which is being heralded by trumpet sounds all over the world.

Another wacky theory alleges that the Republican’s victory was predicted by Nostradamus, who said it would bring about the end of the world.