Modi government is now feverishly printing and releasing high value currency notes to replace the 85% of Indian currency in the form of high value notes that have been devalued and withdrawn.
by N.S.Venkataraman
( November 27, 2016, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Modi government has been receiving bouquets and brickbats ever since it announced demonetization of high value currency on 8th November,2016.
Doomsayers seem to be of the view that demonetization will result in fall in GDP growth and cause stress and anxiety for people due to cash shortage for atleast next one year. However, those supporting demonetization stress that this move is necessary and inevitable to restore the social and economic strength of India and defeat corrupt forces at all level.
Political parties & black money holders disturbed :
The opposition political parties are caught unaware and are highly disturbed after hearing the announcement on demonetization, for whatever reasons . They paralysed the functioning of the parliament for several days and have gone to the extent of announcing national strike on 28th November as a mark of protest.
While the black money holders and those used to corrupt practices are pleased about the critical stand of the opposition parties, there appear to be overwhelming view amongst the common man that demonetization should succeed, so that their present sufferings due to widespread corrupt practices in government departments and other agencies like educational institutions, hospitals , real estate agencies etc. will stop. Resolve towards cashless economy :
Obviously, Modi government believes that India should rapidly move towards a cash less economy , which would be the only way to ultimately wipe out corrupt practices in the country.
The demonetization move of the government is a firm and definite step towards achieving the objective of cashless economy.
Steep increase in currency circulation :
Generation of black money in the country during the last several years have happened due to several reasons including characterless administration and lack of sense of probity amongst the people themselves. Apart from these reasons, the huge increase in the circulation of currency have also caused increase in corrupt practices and consequent generation of black money.
Increase in currency circulation during the last few years is very steep as given below
As on March,2010 – Rs. 7,883 billion As on March,2011 Rs. 9,358 billion As on March,2012 Rs. 10,528 billion As on March,2013 Rs. 11,648 billion As on March,2014 Rs. 12,829 billion As on March,2015 Rs. 14,284 billion As on March,2016 Rs. 16,400 billion
While currency circulation has been steadily increasing year after year, the circulation increased by 11.4% by end March,2015 over the previous year and continue to increase until recently. India’s currency GDP ratio stands at 10.6% at the end of March, 2016, which is highest in the last sixteen years and also highest among BRICS nations.
Need to remove excess currency in circulation:
Obviously, the governments in the past have been increasing the money circulation to meet the shortfall due to the deficit budget, as they have been announcing number of populist welfare measures such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and others.
It is reported that around 20% of currency in circulation are black money generated due to tax evasion.
It is clear that this around 20% of the black money in circulation is the excess money supply , which is harming the economy . This excess money supply need to be removed from circulation.
With the strategy of Modi government to make every Indian to have bank account and ensure non cash transaction in a very big way in the coming years, the need for currency would get significantly reduced.
Modi government is now feverishly printing and releasing high value currency notes to replace the 85% of Indian currency in the form of high value notes that have been devalued and withdrawn.
Without succumbing to the pressure of political parties and business houses to increase the currency circulation in the market to the present level, Modi government should stand by it’s commitment to remonetize the country’s economy, for which the reduction in the currency circulation is a pre requisite.
Migrant workers employed through labour supply firm allege they were deceived about wages, cheated of payments and had passports confiscated unlawfully
A McDonald’s logo is seen in a restaurant in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur. Migrants say they suffered labour abuses while working in the firm’s restaurants in Malaysia. Photograph: Mohd Samsul Mohd Said/Getty Images--A hostel used by Nepalese migrants working at McDonald’s in Kuala Lumpur. The workers say up to 18 men shared the space, with most sleeping on the floor. Photograph: Pete Pattisson
McDonald’s Mid-Valley in Kuala Lumpur. Migrant workers employed here (not pictured) claim they were paid erratically by the labour supply firm that hired them. Photograph: Pete Pattisson
Workers at McDonald’s restaurants in Malaysia claim they earned as little as 60p an hour and were cheated out of months of salary, a Guardian investigation has found.
The workers allege they were subjected to months – and in some cases years – of exploitation by Human Connection HR, a labour supply company contracted by McDonald’s in Malaysia to provide workers to its restaurants in Kuala Lumpur.
The workers, who come from Nepal, say they had their passports confiscated, in contravention of Malaysian law.
They claim they were deceived about their wages and were charged additional fees when they arrived in Malaysia, resulting in a 25% deduction in their basic monthly salary. Over the course of working at McDonald’s, this equated to the loss of months of wages.
Unlike in its other major markets – including the UK and US – where McDonald’s operates through a franchise model, McDonald’s outlets in Malaysia are company-owned.
The migrants also say that their salaries were not received on time, leaving them unable to buy food or send money home to their families.
“We didn’t have the money to eat because we were not paid regularly,” said one man, adding that some workers went on strike earlier this year in protest at late payment of wages. “How can we go to work on an empty stomach? I thought it was a good company and I would earn good money. Now my life is damaged. I feel that I have no future.”
McDonald’s Malaysia said in an email that it had ended its contract with Human Connection. “At McDonald’s Malaysia, the welfare of staff is a top priority,” said the company. “Earlier this year, we became aware of certain circumstances relating to services provided by Human Connection HR which were not in compliance with our standards. As a result, we have terminated our contract with them.”
“We were not given our salary on time,” said another Nepalese worker. “When we went to meet the managers of McDonald’s to complain, they usually said we were not employed by McDonald’s and they are not responsible for anything. One of my friends even went to the McDonald’s manager crying after he heard news of his child’s death [at home in Nepal]. He asked him to ask for his passport [from Human Connection, so that he could attend the funeral,] but the McDonald’s manager said that he cannot do anything. I would rather die than go back to work at McDonald’s. I will never work there [again].”
The Guardian spoke to 15 Nepalese workers formerly employed at four McDonald’s restaurants in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The men worked at McDonald’s at different times over the course of three years.
More than half said that they had been forced to run away from their jobs without their passports or back pay, entering the illegal work market in an attempt to make some money. This would leave them vulnerable to arrest and detention by the Malaysian authorities.
Others said they had been forced to pay their own way back to Nepal after their passports were not returned by Human Connection.
Some of the workers criticised McDonald’s for failing to respond to complaints of mistreatment by Human Connection while they were working in McDonald’s outlets.
They claim that they repeatedly informed the company about problems relating to wages, salary deductions and passports, but received no assistance.
“I complained about our salary to McDonald’s many times, and the branch manager … sent the message to McDonald’s headquarters,” said one worker. “[But] McDonald’s said they had already paid Human Connection.”
The manager of one McDonald’s branch that previously employed some of the workers claims that the company’s headquarters in Malaysia were informed about the problems the men faced: “The labour supply company withheld two to three months’ wages. The workers only had a photocopy of their documents, but they should have had the original with them. We are humans. We tried to help them with food, but you can’t do it all the time.”
During their time working in McDonald’s restaurants, the men claim they were paid less than they were promised in Nepal. In some of their contracts it states that they would not have to pay the foreign worker levy, a charge placed on companies using migrant labour in Malaysia that is often passed on to the workers themselves. Payslips seen by the Guardian show that the levy was deducted, however, equating to a 25% reduction in their basic wages.
The workers also claim that they had their passports confiscated by the labour supply company on arrival in Malaysia, a pervasive but illegal practice that ties them to their employer and denies them the freedom to leave their job or the country.
“The supply company took our passports, but they will not send workers back to Nepal or give our passports back,” said one man formerly working at a McDonald’s restaurant. “Even those who finished the three-year contract cannot go home because they don’t have their passports.”
Another worker said: “Even when it is time to go, the company does not return your passport. I don’t know why … I asked to go home, but the company said they will not send me back.”
The workers who chose to return home have had to pay the equivalent of two months’ basic wages to a middleman to arrange the documents and paperwork needed to get them back to Nepal without their passports.
“I expected to earn money here,” said one. “But I’m leaving with nothing.”
The men also complained about the conditions they faced in the accommodation provided by Human Connection while they worked in McDonald’s restaurants.
The Guardian visited one squalid hostel with paint peeling off the damp walls. McDonald’s advertising banners were used as makeshift curtains. In one room, a McDonald’s trophy was propped up on a fan switch with “Best of the Best Kitchen Crew” printed on its base. At one point, the workers say, 18 men were crammed into the small flat, with most sleeping on mattresses on the floor. They shared one small, grimy toilet, which also passed as a washroom.
In a statement, McDonald’s said: “While local employees make up the vast majority – more than 90% – of our workforce, we sometimes work with established recruitment agencies which employ foreign workers, and sub-contract a number of them to McDonald’s in Malaysia. These staff members are employees of the recruitment agency, not McDonald’s.
“McDonald’s Malaysia made repeated attempts with Human Connection HR to investigate and verify issues of non-compliance shared by the workers, raising our serious concerns through both verbal and written correspondence. Because the workers are not employees of McDonald’s, our efforts to address the issues were unsuccessful, as were proposals for McDonald’s to assume responsibility for paying workers directly. In the interim, to assist, we authorised restaurants to provide food and provisions to workers affected while we worked to address the issue.
“Following the termination of our contract, the workers remain employees of Human Connection HR and as such we understand that they will either return to their home country or be redeployed to other businesses.”
Human Connection did not respond to a request for comment on the worker’s allegations.
Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International, said businesses must no longer hide behind codes of conduct but should instead take proactive measures to ensure they are not profiting from exploited labour.
“The great tragedy about this kind of exploitation is that it is actually easy to fix,” he said. “Companies operating and profiting from their business in places like Malaysia can’t say that they are not aware of the issues facing migrant workers there. They need to take a proactive investigative approach to ensuring that, if they use labour supply companies, those companies are adhering to the law and corporate codes of conduct. It’s time for this to stop.”
Texas health officials on Monday reported the state's first case of Zika transmitted by local mosquitoes, making Texas the second state within the continental United States to report local transmission of the virus that has been linked to birth defects.
The case involved a woman living in Cameron County near the Mexico border who is not pregnant, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.
Pregnancy is the biggest concern with Zika because the virus can cause severe, life-long birth defects, including microcephaly, in which a child is born with an abnormally small head, a sign its brain has stopped growing normally.
Texas said it currently has no other suspected cases of local Zika transmission, but officials there plan to step up efforts to watch for the virus.
Texas is one of several U.S. states where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry Zika, are present.
Florida's Miami Dade County has been battling Zika within local mosquito populations since mid-summer. As of today, the state has had 238 cases of locally transmitted Zika.
“We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner, said in a statement.
“We still don’t believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter.”
Officials in Cameron County and the City of Brownsville have assessed the woman's home and have begun trapping and testing mosquitoes to understand how widespread the virus is in local mosquito populations.
The city recently sprayed for mosquitoes in the area, and will continue to take action to reduce the mosquito population, state and local officials said.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for individuals to know whether they have been infected.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 2,000 cases of the birth defect.
In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders.
(Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Andrew Hay)
A congregation in Mannar held a mass this morning, in remembrance of all
Tamil liberation fighters who died in the war against oppression by Sri
Lanka.
The service, led by Father Sebamalai, was held at Karisal St Mary's Church.
In any country that is deeply divided, a lot more needs to be done than
solely establish multiple offices with overlapping mandates towards,
building trust and confidence across the divide and in bridging the
information gap which was one of the main reasons for the mistrust
amongst communities. It is quite disturbing to see that the Sri Lankan
media hasn’t recognised its value and the impact it could make in
supporting and promoting much-delayed national reconciliation and
reform. Executing a transitional justice process that aims to bring
national reconciliation in a society deeply polarised for decades over
various reasons/ideologies won’t yield the expected outcome and it is
time the Sri Lankan media realise their role and social responsibility
in constructively engaging in the transitional justice process.
The crucial role the media can play in promoting reconciliation in Sri
Lanka has been highlighted in various forums since the end of the brutal
war in May 2009. The then government headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa did
next to nothing to address the root causes of the conflict and to deal
with the unspeakable consequences of the bloody war. On the contrary,
the Rajapaksa regime cultivated a culture of intolerance and hatred by
patronizing radical and nationalist groups and media outlets inciting
racism and extremism and harassing, intimidating or threatening the
media and any dissenting voice.
With the defeat of Rajapaksa in January 2015, media freedom in Sri Lanka
improved sharply due to the apparently less restrictive policies of the
Sirisena government. With some key changes, including, eased political
pressure on media, Constitutional guarantee on the Right to Information
(RTI), improved freedom of movement for journalists, and reversal of ban
on internet, media personnel experienced an improvement in space as did
the NGO sector. Besides, at various occasions, the key players in the
transitional justice process, namely the President, Premier and Foreign
Minister expressed their commitment (and willingness) towards an
inclusive and consultative approach towards the transitional justice
agenda. Nevertheless, despite the political rhetoric, the key actors in
the National Government headed by Sirisena which came into power with
promises of good governance for a transparent and corruption-free Sri
Lanka has failed to do anything substantial to fight this culture of
inciting racism and extremism using radical groups and media outlets
backed by extremists or parties with vested interests.
In 2015 September, by co-sponsoring the UN Human Rights Council’s
(UNHRC) Resolution titled ‘Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and
Human Rights in Sri Lanka’ the Sirisena government made a promise to Sri
Lankans and to the international human rights community that this
government will take genuine efforts for reconciliation. The Resolution
emphasizes on the importance of consultative and participatory methods
that include incorporating views of all relevant stakeholders to
guarantee the effectiveness of the proposed TJ mechanisms.
In light of this the GoSL has established several offices (and
Ministries), including the Consultation Task Force (CTF) on
Reconciliation Mechanisms. The CTF was established in 2015 with a set of
guidelines which specifically states that consultations will be
preceded by public awareness and information campaigns on the purpose
and objective of the consultation process. Be that as may, the CTF was
unable to reach out to the masses as envisaged due to its own
limitations.
For far too long following the change of power last year, many have responded to the policy and practice of the Unity Government with the plea to ‘tread softly in case the Rajapaksas return.’ The logic (if that is the appropriate word) in this thinking was asinine at its core.
An outrageous condescension in governance
In other words, if citizens remain selectively silent when the Government goes grievously wrong, the condescending presumption was that somehow, the problem would disappear and the ‘unwashed multitudes’ will not get agitated. Now, as the ‘rainbow revolution’ teeters on the verge of diminishing itself to a mere ‘pappadum’ crunch with gloss and satisfying shine but offering exceedingly little nutrition as it were, the danger signals are very clear.
Underlying realities were disquieting from a very early point. This approach of ‘keeping selectively silent’ fed off and reflected an outrageous condescension evident at the heart of the Government itself.
Its conception of almost every pillar of legal reform, from corruption to transitional justice to constitutional reform was informed by that same thinly patronizing tone.
So we had manifest absurdities. Sri Lanka’s transitional justice reform largely left out ordinary people of both the North and the South save and except a ‘consultation’ process, cynically designed not to have any practical impact on the actual outcome.
Chattering travelers on the gravy train
Naïve comparisons sought to be drawn with this exercise and post-apartheid South Africa was almost more than what even the most even-tempered could take without exasperation. The post-apartheid reform process was driven by South Africa’s citizenry from one end of the country to the other, not by ‘cocktail groupies’ in the plush neighbourhoods of Cape Town or Durban.
In contrast, what took place from last year in Colombo invited disquieting reminders of the 2001-2003 peace caravan which had soon disintegrated in tatters. The gravy train was in town once again, stuffed to the brim with chattering travelers eager to engage in democracy experiments that had failed calamitously elsewhere. Those who had confined themselves to writing on asteroids or the like during the Rajapaksa years were suddenly transformed with slippery ease to right to information pundits and rights arbiters.
Most unforgivably, anti-corruption investigations became a source for amusement for the general public. Lacking a thorough overhaul of the judicial process, politicians and anti-corruption activists paraded in matching t-shirts in public, assuring the people that everything was proceeding just as it ought. The culmination of this extraordinarily nonsensical exercise was President Maithripala Sirisena’s very public denunciation of the Director General of the Bribery and Corruption Commission recently, leading to her resignation and leaving the credibility of the process in shreds. Now there is frenetic anxiety over constitutional reform in regard to which citizens have been left completely in the dark despite ambitious plans to hold a referendum next year.
Who is indeed responsible for the counter-terror draft?
And it was precisely this flawed reasoning which led to a new draft law on counter-terror, conceived secretly and presented with a flourish before a receptive Cabinet. The Law Commission’s draft at least reaffirmed important safeguards such as the right of a detainee to have immediate legal counsel. This was rudely thrown out in favour of a secretive deliberative process resulting in the worst draft national security law since independence.
So when the question is asked as to how this draft emerged in the first place, the pointing finger should turn not only towards its architects, including those who insisted on footnotes as the case may be. Instead, there are multiple points of accountability, and not only within Government, I might add.
Fundamentally the draft’s existence was enabled by a post January 2015 environment in which many seemingly good governance voices were key partners, which tolerated the intolerable, abandoned the first principles of the public trust on which last year’s electoral wins were based, agreed to unconscionable compromises and collectively sought to hush critical voices.
Any future law reform is ‘highly inflammatory’
In truth, the bogey call of the ‘Rajapaksas may return’ effectively played into the end game of cynical manipulators within the government. The point is not that this eventuality may not arise. Indeed, it may well be manifested in one frightening avatar or another, particularly if the current incoherence in managing affairs of State goes unchecked. But if a stoutly independent stance had been maintained and so many had not been co-opted into government in dizzying droves, the chaos of the ‘yahapalanaya’ accountability project may not have been evidenced quite so egregiously scarcely two years into the election wins.
Yet we never learn from history. Or perhaps the lessons are clear but that the end game for some is never really about the country itself. Regardless, suggested law reform specifically impacting on civil liberties from this point onwards needs to be approached with a sign reading ‘highly inflammatory; approach with maximum care.’ For what must be remembered is that however excellent a Constitution may be, this is useless if judges are weak and draconian laws facilitate equally draconian administrative practices as illustrated in good measure by the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
Consequently, this week’s unfolding of yet another ‘consultation process’ in regard to government-led media regulation is not reassuring. As the perceptive should realize, the mischievously framed ‘them versus us’ dichotomy pitting mainstream media against social media, actively propagated by some publicity hunters for their personal advancement, has now been gainfully employed by interested dealmakers to make a case in regard to the State regulation of both.
Recognising the self-evident
And there is no exclusive claiming of the moral high ground by one against the other. The use of ‘fake news’ during the recent Presidential election in the United States by a classically opportunistic narcissist now turned President-elect is a good illustration thereof. Thus we have the mournful reflections of outgoing President Barack Obama on living in an age where ‘people get sound bites and snippets on social media masquerading as news’ and where, lacking a ‘baseline of facts, everything is true and nothing is true.’
A crippling blow has been delivered to liberal activism in that country. But it does not take a Donald Trump in the White House to recognize the perils that exclusivist and elitist decision making may pose to a nation.
Only the foolish will remain sanguine in the face of such threatening realities.
In the light of the ongoing Constitutional Reform Process the Daily Mirror spoke to Laksiri Fernando, former Senior Professor in Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Colombo and Manohara De Silva PC to get their views on the agenda.
2016-11-28
Then there should be a clear vision for a plural democratic system, Preamble
- Laksiri Fernando
Q Could you enlighten us on where exactly the constitution reform process of Sri Lanka stands at the moment?
Formally, we are at the middle of the second stage as the six Sub-Committees of the Constitutional Assembly have submitted their reports. Three main stages are anticipated in the Constitution-making process before proposals go to the Cabinet to become a Constitutional Bill to be presented to Parliament. There is no agreed time frame.
First stage was from January to May 2016 after the Cabinet appointed the Public Representation Committee (PRC) which went around the districts and gathered people’s opinions orally and in writing. Opinions were invited on 20 topics from anyone. That was commendable.
(Lanka-e-News -27.Nov.2016, 11.00AM) It was further confirmed that Sri Lanka’s minister of justice Wijedasa Rajapakse is acting with ulterior and conspiratorial motives when blabbering and bluffing in Parliament. The minister said, the independence of the judiciary is being undermined while also attempting to repudiate the lucid exposures made against the courts of Sri Lanka that they are delivering unlawful and capricious judgments to suit the needs and agendas of minister Wijedasa , and some others.
Gampaha magistrate Kaveendra Nanayakkara last Friday (25) issued a red alert warrant to arrest Lanka e news editor based on charges of contempt of court . She also ordered that the warrant be given effect to with the assistance of the Interpol. At the same time an order was issued to the Controller of Immigration and Emigration to arrest Sandaruwan Senadheera when he returns to Sri Lanka (SL)
Kaveendra also said Senadheera has committed contempt of court , and under that indictment ,a case shall be filed in the appeal court .The reason adduced by her in support of that decision was : Lanka e news had published a photo of the prime suspect Premananda Udalagama before the identification parade was conducted, in the criminal assault case in which Upali Tennekoon , the Rivira editor was the victim.
What is most intriguing and perplexing about the comical decision of this court jester magistrate is : she who deemed it right to release the suspect Premananda on bail earlier on who was identified by the victim as his assailant being released on bail by this same Kaveendra earlier on , now issuing an Interpol warrant against Lanka e news editor just because he published the photo of the suspect. Mind you , Premachandra whom Kaveendra released on bail is also the prime suspect in the most brutal murder of editor Lasantha in broad daylight .
Capricious trials and erroneous judgments
It is pity in SL because of judges like Kaveendra, the sacrosanct judiciary has become a stage for most ludicrous and ridiculous dramas where travesty and mockery of justice are most manifest.
First and foremost flaw :
Lanka e news which had nothing to do with the Rivira Editor’s assault case being dragged into it, just because Kaveendra bore an inveterate grudge against LeN for bitterly (justifiably of course ) criticizing her earlier on.
Kaveendra also made inimical and adverse comments in her face book against Attorney General (AG) in respect of his decision given against elephant rogue Thilina Gamage, another judge.
Lanka e news which always champions the cause of justice and truth ,frankly , fearlessly and forthrightly pointed out her grave mistake , while also criticizing her for publishing her photographs in various striking poses and with come hither gestures in the face book and making a huge din inviting responses and saying ‘thank you.’ Lanka e news criticized these as unbecoming of a judge and are most befitting for a whore.
Indeed LeN made a complaint via its reports to the JSC about those who are disgracing the bench by such obscene and untoward conduct. Obviously Kaveendra who was stung by the truth bore a deep seated grudge against Lanka e news. The decision of hers against LeN in the Rivira editor case with which LeN had nothing to do was to avenge the exposures made by LeN against her. In support of her decision , the evidence she relied upon was an anonymous letter purportedly received by her.
In much the same way as a police officer cannot examine an anonymous letter, a magistrate too cannot. When that is the true position, who is the idiot sending notices to LeN during the last several months? On top of this she gave irrelevant orders to the CID to question the chiefs of the Institution.
While this is the factual situation , on the 25 th , when the case was taken up for hearing , Hemantha Warnakulasuriya suddenly made his appearance . At his request , Kaveendra transferred the case to the appeal court while stating contempt of court has been committed by publishing the photograph of the suspect who allegedly assaulted the Rivira editor , prior to conducting the identification parade . She thereafter issued an Interpol warrant and blamed the CID for not trailing the LeN.
How the troika degraded the court to a clown’s circus
The court jester troika , Wijedasa Rajapakse , Hemantha Warnakulasuriya and Kaveendra reduced the court to a clown’s circus thus ….
1. A judge against whom LeN has mounted charges hearing a case against LeN is wrong primarily. The basic tenet of justice is, one cannot hear one’s own case . Hence there has been a serious miscarriage of justice in our disfavor.
2. If by publishing ahead the photograph of the suspect who assaulted Upali Tennekoon , we have enabled Upali to identify the suspect and that is a wrong , then the CID which publicly revealed a sketch of the face of the suspect before us has also committed a crime. Moreover , the photograph we published was copied from the internet . Mind you that photo had been published much earlier by the SL government. That was a photograph taken of the accused during a function when he was previously working in a foreign Diplomatic mission . In that case Kaveendra should instruct to file a case of contempt of court not against us but against the government .
In these circumstances , when photographs of criminals of the world are published seeking assistance of the public to apprehend them , Kaveendra will be issuing a warrant to arrest those who published as having committed contempt of court like how she did with regard to us. Based on the stupid notion of this judge ,the criminals should be those who have never before taken photographs.
3. Another grave lapse committed by Kaveendra’s ignorance is ,an Interpol warrant can be lawfully issued only to the CID at their request , and not to any other Institution or individual .That too is only following the CID’s investigation and based on its progress necessitating the arrest of the suspect ,after producing evidence in court .That is done on the AG’s advice.
In addition the CID must state to court the suspect is needed for further investigations and request court to issue a warrant . In this instance , Kaveendra has conducted herself worse than a judge of a Kangaroo court , for these procedures have not been followed . The CID has not conducted an investigation against LeN , nor AG’s advice along with valid grounds were forwarded.
The hilarious part of this travesty played out Friday in Kaveendra’s (Kangaroo) court was , an Interpol warrant was requested from Kaveendra not by the CID , rather by Hemantha who made his sudden appearance in this case .
The magistrate does not have any right whatsoever to issue an international warrant in such circumstances. Therefore Kaveendra has abused her powers flagrantly either based on her ignorance of the law (which is a serious offence specially if it involves a judge ) or with ulterior motives. The JSC ought to commence investigations into this immediately against her.
4. Another grievous illegality committed was , before an Interpol warrant is issued , an ordinary warrant shall be issued against the accused, and the Police should have also informed court it is not able to issue such a warrant . Besides it must be confirmed that the suspect is absconding court .
If Kaveendra has actually issued notice on Lanka e news in connection with the publication of the photograph of the criminal , we were in the ready to appear in court pertaining to the Rivira editor assault case, and prove our innocence. Instead , this troika ,Wijedasa , Hemantha , Kaveendra after depriving us of that opportunity , and denying true justice hatched a most evil conspiracy to issue an Interpol warrant against us.
5. Kaveendra only after delivering the order that a case shall be filed in the appeal court against Lanka e news for committing contempt of court , issued the Interpol warrant .This is absolutely wrong. Kaveendra despite being a judge (or is she?) was ignorant of the basic legal tenet that if a case is transferred to the appeal court , thereafter it is only the appeal court that can issue the warrant.
It is most imperative and important that the JSC takes a decision in regard to the illegalities and lapses besetting this reckless and ruthless judgment , and ensure that the rights we are entitled to are protected and promoted, so that genuine justice in its pristine purity will prevail .
Interpol imposes fines on fake Interpol warrants issued….
Based on the aforementioned grounds , it is clear the International warrant issued against the LeN editor is not genuine. Certainly . this illegal process that was set in motion in parliament by the blabbering and bluffing Justice minister was carried forward by his lickspittles and lackeys . Such courts which act that way are not independent and do not contribute to the independence of the judiciary .
The Interpol that is located in France are above board unlike the Kangaroo courts . Therefore they do not pay heed to these warrants issued by courts which serve the aims and agendas of political scoundrels . They therefore probe into the genuineness of such warrants , and if it is found the warrant is bogus , the government will have to pay a huge compensation for the sins committed by conspirators.
Moreover , in the history of the Interpol , never had an Interpol warrant been issued against a journalist on charges of committing contempt of court . Specially in a country where a journalist has sought political asylum , never had a red alert warrant been issued.
Form and feature of the political conspiracy
Accordingly LeN sees these maneuvers and manipulations as a most crafty conspiracy of the satanic troika – Wijedasa , Hemantha and Kaveendra to achieve their selfish dastardly cheap media propaganda milestones. Obviously this is a political conspiracy.
It is a well and widely known fact that LeN was subjected to the worst persecution and torment hitherto under the Rajapakse regime , and that LeN made a major contribution towards the victory of the good governance . Therefore LeN being harassed and traumatized under the good governance government too , has come in for heavy flak of the pro good governance masses . Consequently the government has incurred their bitter displeasure.
The conspiracy of Wijedasa who is eating the very flesh of those on whom he is parasitic is seemingly successful. On the other hand , the ruling government can no longer say there is media freedom in this conspiratorial climate even though it may loudly and proudly espouse media freedom. This is because , already the international media had splashed these comical efforts to destroy media freedom in SL as headline news.
Those within the government who are screaming ‘we are being attacked via the social media’ must be desiring to achieve a particular result from these subterfuges . That is to convey the message to the legion of youths of the social media , ‘ okay now , we have given the blow to Lanka e news. You too be careful,’ and show the sword of Damocles is hanging over their heads.
It is for the government to decide whether it is still preferring to fall into the trap of the tie coat cutthroat Wijedasa the serpent who has insidiously crept into the government’s progressive plans and programs to put a spoke in the wheel ? or not? This decision should be taken now or never . Otherwise , may we warn, these villainies and sabotages under various guises and guiles of these double dealing ,double faced , double tongued rascals ,renegades and rogues could well mark the beginning of the end of good governance , and a most deadly turning point .
We are not ready to give in to or play into the hands of a few conspirators who are kindling the fire of devastation , and allow the hard won victory of 8 th January 2015 and thereby the freedom , Democracy ,and the restoration of the legal Institutions to be destroyed by these few to achieve their treacherous and traitorous aims and agendas.
Any ruler or group suppresses the media , not by openly saying ‘here we are , we are suppressing the media’ . Throughout history we have come across such villains and saboteurs who have masqueraded as great patriots and Democracy defenders only to finally lead the country into a holocaust. Hence we solemnly pledge that we shall carry on our crusade undeterred and undaunted , and fulfill our honorable undertakings in the future too on behalf of our motherland and the people.
(Unbelievably , from the moment the news report was out about the Interpol warrant against the editor , for 14 long hours all our phones were jammed by phone calls from callers who extended their unstinted support to us. In addition those who were most critical of the moves taken against us said , at the crucial moment they will steadfastly be with us unconditionally . LeN is deeply beholden to all of them who expressly and tacitly extended their support . LeN effusively thanks all of them .)
What caliber of a judge issued the Interpol warrant can be gauged by reading the news report captioned hereunder.
by N.S.Venkataraman
Q Could you enlighten us on where exactly the constitution reform process of Sri Lanka stands at the moment?
