Saturday, November 26, 2016

Malaysia: Pilot scheme to allow Rohingya refugees to work

Migrants including Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims sit on the deck of their boat as they wait to be rescued by fishermen on the sea. Pic: AP

25th November 2016

THE U.N. refugee agency said on Thursday it was working with Malaysia on a pilot scheme to allow refugees from Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority to work in the country, in a move that it described as a “win-win” solution.

Rights advocates have long urged Malaysia, which hosts some 150,000 refugees and asylum-seekers including about 55,000 Rohingya, to extend right of employment to the group as a way to ensure they enjoy greater protection and self-reliance.

Many refugees are trapped in a limbo in Malaysia as they are not allowed to work legally while resettlement to a third country remains a slow process. Malaysia is not a signatory to the U.N. Refugee Convention.

They end up finding odd jobs as cleaners or working in restaurants or on construction sites, but claims of abuses including denial of payments are widespread.

Under the pilot scheme, a group of 300 Rohingya would be allowed to work legally in the plantation and manufacturing sectors, according to Malaysian officials.

The UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur said the trial could pave the way for a broader work scheme for refugees inMalaysia.

SEE ALSO: Malaysia mulls pulling out of ASEAN soccer cup amid Burma’s crackdown on Rohingyas

“A regulated scheme for refugees is a ‘win-win’ all round,” spokeswoman Yante Ismail said in a statement to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

She said refugees could be a valuable labour source for Malaysia‘s economy and that by allowing them to work legally, it would help the government to better manage the group.

“A (work) scheme would allow refugees in Malaysia to significantly improve their own protection and self-reliance thereby reducing their dependence on Malaysia for their wellbeing,” Yante added.

Malaysian authorities have said in the past they would consider allowing refugees to work but details had been sketchy. Some officials feared a relaxation of the policy would lead to an influx of migrant workers.

Malaysia‘s deputy home minister told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in August that it was making a fresh push on the issue of access to work following the formation of a joint task force comprising several ministries as well as UNHCR. – Thomson Reuters Foundation

New Study Highlights the Impact of E-Cigarettes on Oral Health

Study says vapors from an e-cigarette can cause cells to release inflammatory proteins.

Various types of e-cigarettes-Image: ecigclick.co.uk

Nov-25-2016

(SALEM, Ore.) - Over recent years there have been a vast number of news stories and medical reports coming out that show the importance of good oral health.

The health of your teeth, gums, and mouth, can be linked to everything from diabetes to heart attack, making it more essential than ever that people focus on how to keep their mouths healthy.

A new report is showing a potentially detrimental impact of something becoming increasingly common on the health of the mouth.

University of Rochester

According to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester, lab experiments showed battery-operated devices might not necessarily be an entirely healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes.

In laboratory experiments, researchers exposed the gum tissue of nonsmokers’ to vapors from e-cigarettes, which are becoming popular as they’re touted as a healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes.

One of the leaders of the study, Irfan Rahman, told media outlets with the release of research results that vapors from an e-cigarette can cause cells to release inflammatory proteins. Those proteins and that inflammation then lead to stress within the cells that can lead to damage and it’s that damage that can ultimately result in disease.

Rahman serves as a professor of environmental medicine at the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Rahman sent out a news release saying that how often and how much someone smokes e-cigarettes will play a role in the extent of the damage that may occur to the oral cavity and the gums. A co-author of the study, Fawad Javed, added that certain flavorings might exacerbate the cell damage even more.

Javed, a postdoctoral resident at the university’s Institute for Oral Health, pointed out that e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a known contributor to gum disease.

Despite the survey results, Rahman also made the point that more research will be needed to fully understand the impact of so-called vaping and the use of e-cigarettes on oral health.

A survey from the Centers for Disease Control shows that 13 percent of the U.S. population has tried using an e-cigarette. Of that 13 percent, 3 percent are regular users of these devices, which accounts for over 10 million Americans.

Rahman said long-term and comparative studies will be needed to understand the effects of e-Cigarettes, and he urged manufacturers to be transparent in their disclosure of all of the chemicals and materials used to manufacture these products.

The study results were published in the Oncotarget journal.

The Link Between the Mouth and Overall Health

This study shows just one more instance of the importance of taking care of your mouth. It indicates that in addition to using a good quality toothbrushand maintaining excellent dental care habits, it’s important to avoid potential harmful activities that can lead not only to issues such as oral cancer but can potentially contribute to a range of other serious health problems throughout the body.

Researchers believe the mouth serves as a gateway for bacteria and harmful substances to enter the rest of the body, which is why there has been so much focus on oral health among the medical world and the media in recent years.

Source: Salem-News.com Special Features Dept.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Jaffna uni marks Maaveerar Naal

25Nov 2016

Students and staff at the University of Jaffna marked Maaveerar Naal (Tamil national remembrance day) on Friday, lighting candles in memory of those who gave their lives to the Tamil struggle.

Trees were also planted on the university grounds by a monument commemorating those 'who had sacrified their lives for freedom'. The monument was initially erected in November 2006, however was vandalised by Sri Lankan security forces.

Politics – the inelegant art of ‘immoral’ suasion

President Maithripala Sirisena being sworn in last year

By DIOGENES-November 25, 2016, 9:25 pm

The above title was used by me in an article published in the columns of The Island close on the heels of the change of government in 2015. It was a variation of the adage of a chastened ‘Iron Chancellor’ Bismarck, who had believed literally in applying ‘blood and iron’ solutions to internecine disputes till he achieved his life’s ambition of the unification of Germany. Once unification was achieved, Bismarck abandoned his confrontational truculence and had recourse to diplomatic ways of settling conflicts through moral suasion, thereby becoming a confirmed believer in the adage he coined- ‘Politics is the art of the possible’.

In my title given above, I have virtually stood Bismarck’s phrase on its head quite deliberately ,in the context of the extraordinary things that are happening in that ‘splendid habitat’ of ours, peopled by the avowed representatives of the people, which we call ’Parliament!

With the change in 2015, people’s euphoric expectations rose sky high in keeping with the solemn election pledges made by those aspiring to capture power. In this article, the writer will be confining himself basically to matters relating to the restoration of Law and Order in the country. The legitimate expectation of the voters was quite naturally that waste, extravagance and corruption, which public vices had reputably led to the fall of the earlier political dispensation, would be eliminated and even completely rooted out by the new rulers with the firm resolve, the honesty and sincerity of purpose, displayed by them in their election pronouncements and pledges. It is two years since the change of government took place and could the people say with a sense of assurance that there has been a transformative change marking a strong departure from the grave social ills outlined above? There was also the high expectation that the massive financial frauds alleged to have been committed by politicians of the earlier regime, would be exposed and the perpetrators punished and the assets illegally acquired by them, taken over by the State.

There was the further legitimate expectation of the people that the deterioration of law and order ,stemming from widespread indiscipline, would be arrested and reversed, with the dawn of a new era where people could look forward to the enforcement of the law, strictly, justly and equitably, to all citizens irrespective of their political status or the influence they wielded. The eager expectation therefore was that all would be treated as equal in the eyes of the law. It is to be noted however,that with the change of regime there was a visible shift from the rigid authoritarianism of the previous dispensation. People felt freer to express themselves. A clear manifestation of such freedom of expression was seen both in the press and the electronic media in the forthright expression of views on matters of both topical and national concern. This indeed, marked a welcome change from the self imposed inhibitions scrupulously observed earlier, both by the public and by the media. The media in particular has become boldly critical of all and sundry including the President hiself. In a recent speech the President lashed out at the media for not being constructive in their criticism . Another noteworthy achievement of the present Govt. was the enactment of the Right to Information Act which has run into some implementational problems, which hopefully will be sorted out in the near future.

It was indeed a happy augury for the people to see the enactment of the 19th amendment with it’s independent Commissions. However, it transpired that the manner in which the appointments to the Commissions were made did not effectively preclude the powers that be, from bringing influence to bear on the Council as well as on the members of the Commissions. The safeguards in place, were apparently not adequate to ensure that the Commissions would function truly independently. In the pervasive political culture that Sri Lankans have been heirs to over several years, such high moral expectations could not perhaps be expected to be consonant with ground realities!

Further, in regard to the massive frauds alleged to have been committed by certain political high ups of the previous regime,though investigated and pursued through specially instituted tribunals ,very little progress seems to have been made in unravelling and bringing to light these alleged frauds. All this makes one wonder whether the people who are supposed to have amassed these enormous assets illicitly on such a massive scale are perhaps be suffering from bouts of amnesia forgetting where such properties are located and where the banks they have stashed away all their monies in, are! It is all too well known that some of the alleged fraudsters appear to be happily ensconced in high positions in the ruling coalition, presumably on assurances held out of immunity from prosecution! This is what could be termed ’immoral suasion’! . Such sharp practices have sadly, been resorted to by successive ruling parties over the years, to swell their numbers in Parliament.

Admittedly, the new President has had his hands full of the immensely delicate task of forging a working relationship between two pledged political rivals viz. the SLFP and the UNP, to give his undivided attention to other matters high up in the declared scale of priorities.. He and the PM have however , amazingly, managed not only to sustain the tenuous relationship, but also to make it stronger by some canny manoeuvres redolent of some of the sharpest diplomatic practices! This was brought out clearly by the easy passage of a not too popular Budget through Parliament, with a surprisingly high two thirds majority! Paradoxically ,the at times ,uneasy relationship between the President and the Prime Minister seems to thrive, particularly when the two are faced with crisis situations!

All this may be well within the ken and understanding of the citizens of Sri Lanka who have by now become accustomed to the totally unpredictable ways in which politicians react to exigent political crises they have to face and circumvent, in their constant endeavour to ensure that their political fortunes do not take a sudden tumble. But what galls the ordinary citizen is the latest shocking announcement made by the PM a few days ago, that the Govt. has decided that it was imperative that Parliamentarians including Ministers et al , should receive substantial salary increases commensurate with the high responsibilities they are now being called upon to discharge. Additionally,they are to receive substantial increases in their daily attendance fees as well as attractive allowances to enable them to meet their obligations to their constituents. Following on this announcement, monthly salaries of Rs. 500,OO/= were being bandied about by some enthusiastic Ministers! All this is in addition to the attractive salaries, life long pensions,life insurance cover and the other multiple perks they enjoy at present! They are already entitled to duty free vehicles, which concession and facility have been abused by a good many of them by the sale of these vehicles to private parties at a huge profit ,no sooner they were cleared from the harbour!

The responsibilities of MPs to their constituents have remained unchanged over the years and the excuse given that the compensatory increases in salaries and perks are consequent on the increased burdens and resonsibilities they have to bear ,does not hold water. While the MPs who are supposed to be the elected representatives of the people and who are expected to work with selfless dedication to alleviate poverty and uplift the well being of the ordinary people, are treated with such outrageously generous special financial and material privileges, the deprived and the marginalized poor living particularly in the outlying districts of the country, eking out a precarious existence, living on two dollars a day,continue to live on the edge of dire penury. All this, at a time the country has to bear the burden of a crushing foreign debt in addition to the cost of living burdens that have been heaped on the people by the Budget.What, people quite rightly ask, is the earthly justification for this scandalous move?

Security Council Contradicts Defence Sec And Wijeyadasa: Denies 32 Sri Lankans Joined ISIS

November 25, 2016

The Security Council has refuted a statement made by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe that 32 Sri Lankan Muslims have joined ISIS.

Maithripala Sirisena

During a meeting held with President Maithripala Sirisena, the Security Council had said that they have received no information with regard to Wijeyadasa’s statement that 32 Muslims had joined the ISIS. The matter was taken up by the council, soon after Wijeyadasa made claims to the effect that several Sri Lankan Muslims had joined the ISIS. The matter had been brought up by Sirisena, who heads the Council and had asked for verification on the matter from the members of the Council, which also included members from the State Intelligence Service.

Meanwhile, addressing the weekly cabinet briefing on Wednesday, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne had also refuted Rajapakshe’s statement that 32 Sri Lankan Muslims had joined the ISIS.

Last Friday, Rajapakshe told Parliament that 32 Muslims had joined ISIS. The statement was picked up and given wide publicity across all main stream media. However, subsequent to the Justice Minister’s statement, it was revealed that Wijeyadasa was repeating the old numbers announced by Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi who told an event in early January this year that 36 Muslims had gone to Syria, some to join ISIS.

During his speech, Wijeyadasa alleged that the 32 Muslims who had gone to join ISIS were from 4 families who were well connected and well respected. “There is a serious situation brewing in this country,” he said.

(Lanka-e-News -25.Nov.2016, 8.30AM) In clear proof on which side tie coat turncoat minister of justice Wijedasa Rajapakse truly is , a pro Rajapakse stooge , Madura Vithanage , the former deputy mayor of Kotte ,acting on the statements made by Wijedasa last Friday in connection with Lanka e news and its editor , filed 14 affidavits in the supreme court on the 23 rd , against Lanka e news editor alleging that the latter committed contempt of court .

Unsurprisingly , the lawyer representing this stooge is none other than the most notorious corrupt Hemantha Warnakulasooriya. There is an investigation being conducted by the FCID on a complaint against Hemantha based on charges of financial misappropriation relating to the ‘us for ourselves’ fund when he was the SL ambassador to Italy during the lawless corrupt Rajapakse reign.

It is unfortunate these ‘great pretenders’ who were unconcerned then and even did not care two hoots when the courts were functioning as Mara’s Kangaroo courts and were being politicized on a scale unprecedented in SL’s history, are now agitated based on selfish and ulterior motives.

Lawyer Hemantha who could not save accused Duminda Silva from the gallows in the brutal murder of Baratha Lakshman and three others , despite the clandestine deals he negotiated , and is now thoroughly dejected and depressed , after handing over the petitions said, if the judges do not give verdicts to suit the needs of the LeN editor , they are threatened , and nightmares are created for them .

While saying that , Hemantha informed SC what the judges should do . He instructed them that the petition shall be heard , and Sandaruwan Senadheera be brought back to SL via an Interpol warrant , so that he can be produced before court .

The government which had still not launched an investigation into the arson committed on Lanka e news during the nefarious decade of the Rajapakses, even after it has been in power for the last nearly two years , soon after the announcement of tie coat cutthroat justice minister the notorious double dealer , hastening to file a case against LeN through Hemantha Warnakulasuriya who was appointed by the government recently as a director of the SL Telecom Regulatory Commission, is most intriguing and rudely shocking.

The 14 affidavits submitted against the LeN editor can be viewed by clicking here.

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by (2016-11-25 03:39:03)

A RED WARRANT NOT POSSIBLE AGAINST LANKA E NEWS EDITOR! – LNW

25/11/2016

Gampaha chief magistrate Kavindya Nanayakkara today (25) issued a red warrant for the arrest of Lanka e News editor Sandaruwan Senadheera on a request by an intervening party on a charge of contempt of court. The order is to enforce the red warrant through Interpol.

Commenting on this, an international lawyer dealing with Interpol warrants told Lanka News Web that there was no substance in it and that it was only an outcry by those who are ignorant of the international warrants law.

That is because, before issuing a red warrant against someone, that person should be made a party to the legal proceeding. The term used for that is blue notice. Thereafter, the blue notice should be issued to the person in question and get a response from that person. Then, the prosecution takes place on the basis of the blue notice. After that, a red warrant can be issued if the person is found guilty only. The person in question can lodge an appeal with Interpol’s Commissioner for Interpol Control Files (CCF). If the commissioner is convinced that the red warrant had been obtained on political grounds, the warrant can be cancelled and a fine imposed against the country that issued the warrant.

Also, the procedure to get a warrant implemented through Interpol is long and difficult. For the entire process, it takes at least five years. A top official of Sri Lanka police said not even a notorious terrorist had so far been brought to Sri Lanka through Interpol.

A senior Sri Lankan lawyer said, “This is yet another hilarious act by president’s counsel Hemantha Warnakulasuriya,” who is making a childish attempt to appear as the savior of Sri Lankan judges in order to escape the corruption charges against him.
LNW

Sri Lanka : Court orders arrest of editor — Personal Vendetta or Rule of Law ?

Confusion Over Red Notice aginst Lanka E News Editor

( November 26, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) A Sri Lankan court on Friday issued an international arrest warrant on a Sri Lankan journalist based in the United Kingdom (UK), on charges of contempt of court.

This is the first time a Sri Lankan court has issued an international arrest warrant against a journalist.

The Gamapaha Chief Magistrate issued the warrant on the Lankaenews editor, Sandaruwan Senadheera, and ordered the warrant be issued via INTERPOL.

The Gamapaha Chief Magistrate Kaweendra Nanayakkara also instructed the Department of Immigration and Emigration to arrest the editor if he arrives in Sri Lanka.

Chief Magistrate Kavindya Nanayakkara's Note on her Facebook published by Lanka E News — *Chief Magistrate Kaweendra Nanayakkara’s note on her Facebook published by Lanka E News. She has taken this note out along with others later.*

Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapakse recently informed Parliament that legal action will be pursued against Senadheera for insulting the country’s judges using the Lankaenews website.

The Deputy Mayor of Sri Jayawardenapura, Madura Vithanage also recently sought the Court’s jurisdiction to charge Senadheera for allegedly publishing defamatory articles on his website.

Vithanage complained that there had been a series of articles published on the website and on its social media, defaming judges and castigating their character.

Meanwhile, commenting on this, an international lawyer dealing with Interpol warrants told the media that there was no substance in it and that it was only an outcry by those who are ignorant of the international warrants law.

~ (Xinhua and Sri Lanka Guardian)

GI02_02_2015_EN_web.pdf by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

Wijedasa R lies and deceives cabinet ! Not enough the damage done wants to stifle social media

(Lanka-e-News -25.Nov.2016, 8.30AM) Minister of justice Wijedasa Rajapakse by now better known as ‘Dealdasa,’ like how he misled the Parliament last Friday by uttering falsehoods , again at the cabinet meeting wednesday told lies , and deceived the cabinet too , based on reports reaching Lanka e news.

At the cabinet meeting, when a majority opposed Wijedasa in regard to the malicious and mudslinging references made by him to Lanka e news and its editor in parliament on Friday, Wijedasa who is most talented in wheeler dealer activities and profuse lying , unhesitatingly told another lie produced instantly by his lie factory that Lanka e news has withdrawn all the articles that were published defamatory of the courts.

This is an absolute lie . Lanka e news has not withdrawn any article defamatory of the courts or those criticizing the rackets of villainous judges. May we inform the faceless policy-less Wijedasa that it is not the policy of Lanka e news to withdraw reports after they are published. All the news published are in the archives of Lanka e news website.

When Lanka e news challenged the minister to prove his allegation that during the last several months , Lanka e news published 70 reports which were derogatory of the courts , Wijedasa who could not furnish an answer , misled the cabinet by uttering the falsehood mentioned in the foregoing paragraph.

Even if an article is withdrawn from a website , since restoration of every data is possible automatically worldwide , when a report is withdrawn , the past data can be tracked down. After all , Wijedasa must understand he is a president’s counsel and that title cannot be changed even if he is capable of readily and eagerly metamorphosing into a chameleon , Dealdasa or accomplished liar . Hence , as a lawyer at least he should have taken printed copies of the 70 ‘defamatory’ articles to prove his accusations . If he hasn’t and cannot , he is only a tie coat turncoat liar and not worth his salt – not competent enough to be a black coat wearing lawyer .

Wijedasa who rode the high horse appears to have had a heavy fall for he has still not answered the challenge thrown at him by Lanka e news even though 48 hours have elapsed.

Ministers openly oppose enactment proposal of Wijedasa to throttle social media …

Amidst all his profusion of lies , deceptions and double speak , Wijedasa without any shame told the cabinet yesterday , he is preparing a draft enactment to curb and control the social media. Wijedasa had tried to defend his proposal on the grounds that the social media are stoking racism and religious animosity. While the president was nodding his head in consent , a majority of the ministers have expressed their opposition , and the minister who was most vociferous happened to be the minister of foreign affairs, Mangala Samaraweera.

Minister Samaraweera explained , bringing in laws to stifle the social media and the internet websites is most ridiculous . He rightly and most sensibly pointed out if they are hooting at the government , the government should have the ability to hoot louder than that . Samaraweera elaborated , no matter what the media says , the people are not accepting those statements exactly as revealed. Samaraweera cited as examples , the defeat of Mahinda Rajapakse at the last presidential elections even after monopolizing the entire media operations and all the media Institutions .He also referred to the recent elections in the US. Even though the social media including the mass media were behind Hilary Clinton and were supporting her to the hilt , still she lost , he exhorted.

Meanwhile Wijedasa Rajapakse committed another blunder at last cabinet meeting by trying to lie again and again. That is ,regarding his bogus announcement pertaining to the 22 members of the ISIS.

It were the Muslim leaders who strongly objected to Wijedasa’s rabble rousing speech which referred to an incident that took place three years ago , which incident Wijedasa tried to mischievously and maliciously portray as something that happened today. Rauf Hakeem , Kabeer Hashim , Faizer Mustafa and Rishard Badurdeen fiercely opposed Wijedasa , and made it abundantly clear to the moronic Dealdasa there is no threat of ISIS in SL (unless of course it is Wijedasa’s diabolic plan to create a bogus ISIS , like his bogus statement and exploit it to serve his wicked and cruel aims and agendas in collaboration with interested parties) .

They have pointed out ,owing to his misleading and malicious statements , the country is being pushed towards communal tension and hatred which the Rajapkses are fanning and fuelling. The president had acknowledged the criticisms leveled against Wijedasa by the Muslim ministers.

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by (2016-11-25 03:33:27)

Hefty fines and laws alone cannot ensure a just society - Dinesh Weerakkody

Nov 25, 2016

One political leader whose stock has gone up by leaps and bounds in the last few months has been Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s, the JVP Leader, a local university graduate and a former Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation.

Dissanayake is an ardent campaigner against the executive presidential system of Sri Lanka and has acquired a reputation for his stand on social justice. He recently demanded to know why the State officials tasked with providing luxury vehicles to 58 MPs supporting the Government should not be accused of fraud.

Making a special statement in Parliament JVP Leader Dissanayake said: “The entire project of providing luxury cars to 58 MPs backing the Government costs over Rs. 2,430 million to the public purse.”

He went on to say: “Procurement notices were published before the Cabinet approved the project. The Procurement Committee and the Technical Evaluation Committee have rejected the bidders who indicated their willingness to supply cars. Yet the process is in progress and these vehicles have been leased at a monthly rental of Rs. 700,000 each. The cost per one km would be around Rs. 250. Each vehicle leased out for 60 months would cost around Rs. 42 million more than its market value. For the fleet of 58 vehicles the Government will have to pay Rs. 2,436 million. Though the Government pays that amount, it would not own the vehicles.”

The JVP Leader further said that each of those MPs was currently paid Rs. 200,000 monthly transport allowance. He demanded to know why they were given cars at the expense of the taxpayers. “Those MPs had already obtained their duty free vehicle permits,” he pointed out.

Dissanayake demanded to know the date on which the decision to give 58 MPs new cars was taken, the details of the procurement process and whether the Government could justify provision of luxury cars to MPs who had been paid a Rs. 200,000 transport allowance and also given a duty free vehicle permit.

Justification

The Finance Minister, a professionally-qualified accountant by training who knows the difference between an operating and a financial lease, explained that the Government would get Rs. 25 million as import duty for each of the 58 vehicles to be given to 58 MPs. Further he said that the Government would also get tax, in addition to the saving of some amount of funds through this exercise.

The Minister said that a private company under operational lease would import the vehicles and that therefore it would be possible to save a considerable amount of money. The repair expenditure will have to be borne by the same company. Therefore the Government does not have to spend much for the vehicles, Minister Karunanayake said.

“There have been instances where bills are being produced by the users of State vehicles to get funds reimbursed continuously for repairs, etc. But an operational lease will prevent such instances in future.”

The Finance Minister also said that it was decided by the Cabinet on a Cabinet paper presented by Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Minister to pay a transport allowance of Rs. 200,000 to the MPs monthly in the interim, as the tender process of ordering new vehicles took time.

The real issue

However, the answer the public would like to have is why the Government is giving luxury cars to MPs when they have already been given a duty-free permit to buy a top-end SUV and also a fuel allowance at a time when the public has been burdened with heavy taxes and fines.

Then on the question of road fines, initially, it was only proposed as a Budget proposal, the Government wanted to increase the minimum fine for road traffic offenses to Rs. 2,500. It was challenged even before the Budget debate entered its final stage due to objections from those such as private bus operators who even warned of strike action.

Afterwards, the Government decided to do away with the proposed increase on the minimum fine. Instead, it proposed to introduce a fine as large as Rs. 25,000 for seven major offences that included drunken driving, speeding, driving without a license, overtaking from the left, etc.

Heavy penalisation for offenses like drunken driving with a proper process and driving without a license or insurance is not opposed. But the question remains why a driver earning Rs. 25,000 or Rs. 30,000 a month overtaking from the left during rush hours is subjected to such a big fine.

Against this backdrop, the Government will come under pressure to reconsider the proposal. The Rs. 25,000 for speeding would also need to be implemented with caution, given that the driver will be at the mercy of law enforcement.

The Government should from now on make a huge effort to rope in all the professionals in private practice and businessman who deal mostly in cash into the tax net without continuing to squeeze out the existing taxpayers.

Public expectation

The Government should avoid falling into the Hillary Clinton trap, which epitomised the dorky arrogance and smugness of the professional elite. Instead like Trump who was able to stir up the spirit of the working class by understanding their resentment, they too need to treat the working-class with respect and assist them do things that are within their reach. We can no longer advise young men with university education to take pink-collar jobs.

In a world dominated by social media, the political discourse on values based conduct in politics has reached a crisis level in all democracies fake, real and quasi. Today, laws, high taxes and fines alone cannot ensure a just society. Promises and estate-appointed commissions alone cannot deliver us from the cycle of greed that makes it routine for politicians in power to abuse public resources.

In the final analysis, people gave a mandate to this Government to weed out corruption and to penalise those involved in such wrongs. Therefore what the public needs is good governance in word and deed, because that is a sine-qua non for achieving economic development and inclusive growth in the country.

Civilian massacre in Kumarapuram: AG appeals against Jury’s HC verdict

Muttur-Kumarapuram massacre victims remembered

By S. S. Selvanayagam-Saturday, 26 November 2016

The Court of Appeal yesterday (22) fixed for September 6 the appeal against the Anuradhapura High Court Jury decision in the alleged massacre of villagers of Kiliveddi in Kumarapuram, Trincomalee.

The Appeal was filed by the Attorney General against the Jury decision by which six former corporals of the Army were exonerated and acquitted in the High Court case.

The accused were indicted for the alleged murder of 24 Tamil civilians and injuring 25 others by shooting.

Senior State Counsel Sudharshana de Silva appeared for the Attorney General. In the appeal, the Attorney General states that the unanimous verdict by the Jury at the Anuradhapura High Court to exonerate and acquit the former soldiers is against the law.

The Appeal states the plaintiff has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the Defendants were guilty of the accusations against them. The Anuradhapura High Court Jury verdict has exonerated them of all wrongdoing and acquitted them.

It states it is a complete injustice to the victims in the incident. The six former corporals who were exonerated and acquitted are Sausirigedera Nishantha, N. M. Ajith Sisira Kumara, M. P. Kapila Dharshana, H. M. Abeysinghe, Pavaram Jedige Upasena and Hiti Bandaralage Abeysinghe Hiti Bandara.

The Attorney General had filed 101 separate indictments in the Anuradhapura High Court against each of these former army corporals. There were 121 witnesses in the case.

800 children murdered in Sri Lank daily

November 25, 2016

1100 to 1200 child births take place in Sri Lanka daily and the number of estimated abortions that take place in the island is between 700 and 800 says Dr. Nalin Wijesekera, Head of the Non Communicable Diseases unit of Southern Provincial Health Department.

Speaking at a launch of a book held in Galle Dr. Nalin Wijesekera said, “This is a country where children who are about to be born are being destroyed daily. About 1100 to 1200 children are born daily. However, the estimated number destroyed daily is between 700 and 800. This is such a country. Whatever is said abortion is murder. It is also a brutish act. Any child would like to the world.”

We will not give our land – Hambantota people

Nov 25, 2016

People of Hambantota say they will not allow a takeover of their land for the new investment zone there. Officials who had gone to Sri Somaloka Vihara at Aravanamulla to survey the area of permanent residents and to raise awareness about the takeover had to abandon their task due to protests.

The southern provincial deputy land commissioner, Grama Seva officer and other officials had to turn back from the meeting attended by a large number of area residents.

Meanwhile, people of Madilla disrupted survey work on the 18th protesting against the surveying being done without first informing them.

They said they would not leave their home villages for any reason. “We will not leave this village even if we are killed. If we leave this village, we will be dumped at slums,” said one of them Anusha Ramanayake.

“This land was given our ancestors in 1940. We have our land here. We will never leave,” said P. Gunaratne.

When contacted, district secretary W.H. Karunaratne said preliminary work has begun to identify around 3,000 acres of land from Hambantota to allow investment opportunities for Chinese and other foreign investors.

The takeover of the land is yet to begin, and identifying land for the projects is now on, he said, adding that maximum effort would be made to avoid settlements.

(Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi)

Paranoia & Paralysis: The Buddhist-Muslim Tragicomedy

By Ameer Ali –November 25, 2016

Dr. Ameer Ali

The military victory led by an overwhelmingly Sinhala-Buddhist army over the tyrannous LTTE in 2009 has, among other things, injected in the minds of certain sections of the Buddhist community that Sri Lanka belongs only to the Sinhala Buddhists and others are permitted to live here only at the behest of the Buddhists. This twisted ideology which is now developing into an anti-Muslim, anti-Christian and anti-Tamil paranoia is totally contradictory not only to the noble teachings of the Enlightened Buddha but also and more significantly to the millennial historical tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance indelibly engraved in the long legacy of the island’s Buddhist monarchs. To deny this historical truth is to court intellectual dishonesty.

The current series of attacks, spearheaded by the so-called protectors of Buddhism dressed in monkish garbs and backed by elements of Buddhist petti-bourgeoisie, on Muslim shrines and mosques, Muslim property and even Muslim lives is a sad reflection of this post-war paranoia. It is time to expose the intellectual bankruptcy, and political hypocrisy of this paranoid group before explaining the state of paralysis in the Muslim community that has allowed this tragic episode to gain momentum in the first place. The grievances of the paranoid fall into three categories: religio-political, economic and demographic.

Photo courtesy – Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Sri Lanka Facebook page

To take the first issue, it is true that Muslims in Sri Lanka, like in many other parts of the world, have become at least outwardly more Islamic since the 1980s as demonstrated by their increased punctiliousness in observing religious rituals and in organizing and promoting religiously inspired gatherings, conferences and other such activities. These large gatherings naturally called for a parallel increase in the number of religious centres such as mosques and madrasas. Quantitatively and qualitatively the number of mosques in Sri Lanka has increased, but whether that increase is disproportionate when compared to the increase in Hindu temples, Christian churches and Buddhist vihares require statistical evidence. Neither the paranoid mob nor the Muslim community has so far provided such comparative data. It is however beyond dispute that the outward appearance of at least a section of male and female Muslims as reflected in their mode of dressing has changed rather dramatically over the last three decades. The black abayah or robe and niqab or facial cover with cleavage for eyes for Muslim women to see, and for Muslim men, similar robes with turban although not necessarily black in colour, and thicker and longer beards are all of Middle Eastern cultural influence but misconceived by many as religiously prescribed. Were Muslim ladies of yesteryears who wore white and coloured saris and Muslim men dressed in sarong, shirt, coat, shawl and cap were less Islamic than these pseudo-Arab purists? That this confronting attire has become a symbol of Muslim alienation in plural societies is common knowledge. Yet, this is something that the Muslim community itself has to tackle through intra-religious dialogues and intellectual debates, which do not seem to be happening in the country at the moment. Even the current debate on Muslim personal laws should not have waited until provoked by the EU.