Tuesday, January 3, 2017

JOURNALIST RECEIVES DEATH THREAT FOR REPORTING ON M.P. VIJAYAKALA MAHESWARAN

Image:M.P. Vijayakala Maheswaran.-03/01/2017

03/01/2017

A journalist from Kilinochchi has complained to police that he received death threats after reporting on the recent statement made by State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran glorifying the slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

A freelance journalist, S.N. Nibojan, filed this complaint on December 31 at Kilinochchi police.

The journalist said that he was threatened over the phone and the call came from abroad. The number was displayed as “private number” and the journalist suspects it was a satellite call. The caller had identified himself as a former Black Tiger and had warned that the journalist will be killed if “our elder sister” was harmed.

The caller had also said that he can make even a whole village just disappear since he was a trained Black Tiger.

What you have reported on our elder sister (akka) is wrong” the caller had said. Even if she said something wrong, the journalists should reported it such that she is not portrayed wrongly, the caller had also said.

The Black Tigers were the suicide cadres of the LTTE terror group.

Asian Mirror

Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa’s New Year Resolution and Course Correction for Yahapalanaya

While Maithripala Sirisena is one of the finest leaders that Sri Lanka has ever picked, his role at the beginning was feeble, particularly facing the general elections in August 2015. Otherwise, many of the Rajapaksa clowns could have been avoided entering Parliament.

by Laksiri Fernando-Jan 3, 2017

(January 3, 2017, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) People make New Year resolutions on good things but not on bad ones. But there are exceptions like Mahinda Rajapaksa. He has very clearly told the foreign correspondents that he will definitely bring down this government in the year 2017 (Asian Mirror, 29 December). A split within the SLFP is no concern for him and, according to the report, he does not believe that a split would help the UNP. This must be what his Astrologer has told him!

Sri Lank2.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

South Asia Briefing: Political Jostling in Sri Lanka; Pakistan to Present Dossier on India at UN

A round-up of the most important stories from the South Asian region.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Credit: PTI

BY DEVIRUPA MITRA ON 03/01/2017

New Delhi: Politicians in South Asia barely took a pause to usher in the new year, with most countries preparing for high-stakes games – from keeping coalitions intact in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan to stable ruling regimes in Pakistan and Bangladesh keeping a constant vigil to detect potential challenges.

Here is The Wire’s roundup of the major happenings over the seven days in India’s neighbourhood.

Sri Lanka:

South Asia Briefing.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

An Ordinary Citizen Looks At Two Years Of “Yahapālanaya”

By Leon Berman –January 3, 2017

In a few days time we will be celebrating two years of “Yahapalanaya” and maybe it’s the wrong word, “celebrating.” After all, what is there to celebrate as an ordinary citizen?

Two years ago, there was great expectation. A brutal government composed of family and friends had been miraculously overthrown by the ballot. A wave of optimism washed over all who voted to bring in a change. The hundred-day program seemed to herald a new day of transparency, accountability, economic growth and peace.

But, before we knew it, the “Bond Scam” hit us all in between the eyes. Transparency, accountability and good governance all went out the window and straight into the thrash heap. They were mere words, slogans at best, to gain a victory at the elections.

And worse was to come. The August general elections resulted in no single party gaining a clear majority. The UNP, that should have easily won a majority fell short. In all probability, the Bond Scam took its toll and came back to haunt the UNP. Consequently, a hotch-potch coalition inappropriately called a “national government” was put together with the very rascals of the former government. This led to a mammoth cabinet and soon it was the same song but sung by a slightly different bunch of singers along with the old singers.

Since then, “Yahapalana” has become a joke, a sad joke. I have yet to meet a friend of mine that voted for “Yahapalanaya” in the August general election who expresses nothing but disgust at the government that he or she voted for. They are all disillusioned and see no hope of a change. Their only comfort is, “At least we don’t have any white vans and can speak a bit more freely!” This then is the greatest achievement of the present government; the absence of white vans.

The economy is largely stagnant and the cost of living rising due to unclear economic policies and corruption. I asked the manager at a large supermarket chain for his analysis of the Christmas shopping and his answer was, “People are spending the same amount of money as last year but we are noticing that the size of the baskets is definitely smaller!” So, the common man understands it no matter what the pundits say.

Then recently I read that the cost of building the highways is no different to what the former regime that was accused of mammoth corruption paid. So, this indicates that we replaced one corrupt government with another. As the Sinhala saying goes, “Kahina gahni dhila hotu gahin gattha” (You gave up the woman with a cough for one with a cold.”

We also heard a lot about bringing justice and about bringing to book all those wrongdoers and all we saw was a revolving door being installed in the prison that swung open and closed more frequently than that in a bar room. The people have grown tired of all these drams that are being played out because they now realize they’ve been fooled and no one, absolutely no one will ever be prosecuted. Even Karuna who allegedly killed 500 policeman is taken into custody for misusing a vehicle!

Time for plain talk and ordinary wisdom

Wednesday, 4 January 2017

This is the time for plain talk and ordinary wisdom. On the last day of the year I was relieved to see my son, recovering from a serious bout of dengue fever, discharged from hospital after several days spent in intensive care.

Before that his daughter, my youngest granddaughter, went through the same agony with another member of the same household. Their adjoining land is a neglected breeding ground for mosquitoes and much more. The land belongs to the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation. A friend told me that if Gotabaya was still around, such disgusting health hazards would not blight the heart of Colombo.

To my horror I discovered that the land that was about to be developed by its rightful owner was forcibly acquired by the former czar of urban renewal. So there in hangs another deal of Gamunu incarnate.

After a visit to my convalescing off spring, I boarded a tuk tuk to return home. The tuk tuk driver came out with a gem. “Ara miniha parawal haduwa. Mey yakku eewaye yanawata dada gahanawa” – “That man built the roads. These devils are levying fines for using them.”

What constitutes

good governance?

Indeed with a new year in the horizon, it is time for plain talk.

What constitutes good governance? An exaggerated insistence on the need to change the system? A contrived pretence of good governance? No. A desire to change is not reform. Stirring things up or incessant criticism is not good governance. Arriving at a constructive vision is essential for both reforms and good governance.

People demand a government minus a privileged governing class. They are repelled by hegemonic leadership. They scorn duplicitous leadership.

In the past two years we have witnessed hegemonic tendencies of the Prime Minister and listened to duplicitous policy pronouncement by the President. What both have failed to perceive, register and discern is that they are judged differently from Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president who won the war, and therefore was entitled to more than a trace of hegemonic conduct.

As the leader loved by the Maha Sangha and therefore the favorite of the gods, Mahinda’s duplicity is holy writ. He still enjoys the trust of his followers, whatever the percentage. The rest who voted for change in 2015 want to know the rules. Above all they want the new leaders to care when rules are bent or broken.

The digital century

The political class of this benighted land is yet to come to terms with the digital century. They are still frozen in the pre electronic age. The President ridicules the internet. The Prime Minister ignores the internet. Their main adversary Mahinda Rajapaksa is oblivious to the internet.

Maybe brother Gotabaya plans to intimidate the internet when he comes to power. It is no longer a question of if and when. It is simply a question of when. History tells us that crisis and mismanagement produce villainous go-getters.

Digital media has altered social and political spheres. The Internet and mobile devices have removed limits of time and space. The ‘polity’ has a ‘shared horizon of social progress.

The digital century has altered the concept of governance. Even making dissidents disappear will not help the prospective contender for the Presidency to arrest progress in information delivery.

In this context ‘Governance’ is well defined. Decision making is the result of a process of permanent negotiation among all stake holders. Anything less is not governance but pure, simple chaos.

There lurks a greater danger. Who are the stakeholders? The President, the Prime Minister, the Former President and the new heir apparent former Defense Secretary take turns in calling on the two Monasteries who claim title to a 2,500-year-old convention of providing counsel to past kings and present day rulers .

Clerical fascism

Dark clouds of clerical fascism are indicative of a gathering storm. Both these institutions came in to existence in the Kandyan period in 1753 under the patronage of a King of Kandy anxious to restore a decadent monkish order with assistance from Siam and logistics provided by the Dutch.

From the time of their inception they have remained in the hands of a few family dynasties confined to a few villages in the central province and the Matale district. More than scholarship and intellect, the emphasis has been on the Govigama caste pedigree and kinship to a select coterie.

Lest the pious and the devout are offended or aggrieved, the sardonic synopsis of their genesis is prompted by a firm conviction that the nation is held to ransom by a force that resists progress and modernity – the story of human civilisation. It is a necessary reminder in the light of current counsel offered by the Maha Nayaka theros on the judiciary, devolution and other weighty matters. It is all the more urgent because our Minister of Justice ‘The Maha Pragngnaya’ [The Great Intellectual] has turned an accommodating acolyte.

Clerical fascism rests on the inviolability and inevitability of a privileged people of a defined destiny to whom preserving past grandeur real and imagined supersedes the demands of human progress. To them, the nation’s obligation is to their creed. In order to reach that state of purity [servility] the nation has to be cleansed. Even the sciences if inconvenient to their grip on society need to be purified from foreign influences. To them the ‘State’ is a political instrument of ‘faith’. To be precise, they alone can interpret the faith and dictate its practice. Some are modern enough to cut a birthday cake. Let us hope they will catch up with blowing candles.

Under Mahinda Rajapaksa the ‘faith’ was in the hands of a resolute leader. He was able to contain, curb and cajole the influence of the Buddhist clerics. The Malwatte Mahanayake Thero was persuaded to abandon a conclave to express disapproval of the arrest of then general Sarath Fonseka by threatening to set up an alternative power centre in the Malwatte chapter. The war-winning President was the favourite of the gods and his persuasive powers were limitless. Venerable Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero put off a protest march when an army truck inadvertently knocked the rear of his vehicle. The individual monks were persuaded by means foul or fair because the vast majority of their kind preferred the war hero to the two mavericks.

History is the final arbitrator of revolutions and reforms. Their consequences determine what they turn out to be – genuine or fake. On 8 January 2015 there was a change in the presidency. The predatory family and a parasitic oligarchy was replaced by a party dominated plutocracy hell bent on dividing the spoils of governance. The legislative enactments have not brought about changes radical enough to be noticed, let alone felt. A new set of people are in the seats of power. A select band of supporters have been rewarded. Maithri is rescuing the party. Ranil is practicing governance. S.B. Dissanayake makes a tasteless guffaw. A happy new year to you all.

President urged to halt coal tender for company embroiled in controversy

by Shamindra Ferdinando-January 3, 2017

Campaign for Free and Fair Election (CaFFE) Executive Director Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon has called upon President Maithripala Sirisena to rescind Power and Renewable Energy Ministry decision to award new mega coal contract to Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pvt Limited alleged to have caused losses amounting to nearly four billion rupees at an earlier occasion.

Tennakoon told The Island that he had sought President Maithripala Sirisena’s intervention as the Supreme Court had in June last year declared that the previous contract awarded to the same company was flawed and shocked the conscience of the court.

A fresh contract, too, would cause significant losses at a time the country was facing balance of payment crisis. Tennakoon said, noting that the government had asked for a USD 1.5 bn IMF bailout package.

Tennakoon said the ruling UNP-SLFP coalition was already under heavy fire over Central Bank bond scams involving Perpetual Treasuries. The government had absolutely done nothing so far to have bond scams investigated, he said.

Having campaigned on a platform of good governance and accountability, President Maithripala Sirisena couldn’t under any circumstances turn a blind eye to the fact that a group of officials was involved in a massive scam. Alleging that coal mafia had in its pocket many influential politicians and officials, Tennakoon said that it was a crime to allow the deal when coal could be procured through spot tenders.

Tennakoon said the government must not allow Lanka Coal Company (ICC) to go ahead with the project despite the damning Supreme Court observations. It government should inquire into the circumstances under which the Cabinet had granted approval for the latest order for 1 mn MT of coal, he said.

In his letter to President Maithripala Sirisena, Tennakoon has said that the government should continue with spot tenders introduced by former Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka to ensure a better deal for Sri Lanka. Tennakoon has said that the present Cabinet couldn’t justify corrupt deals claiming the previous government had carried out far worse transactions.

Tennakoon said the Supreme Court itself had faulted the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC) for allowing Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pvt Limited to interfere in the process (SCFR394/2015). Unfortunately, the Power and Renewable Energy Ministry and ICC had been allowed to deal with Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pvt Limited at the expense of much touted yahapalana promise to end corruption in the public sector.

Tennakoon said the latest corrupt deal was being finalised in the wake of President Maithripala Sirisena participation at an anti-corruption conference organised by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) at the Taj last December. Responding to a query, he said another case had been filed against the coal deal (SCFR 349/2016) and it was pending in the Supreme Court.

FCID Director transferred to Monaragala

2017-01-03

The sudden and unexpected transfer, based on promotion, of the director of the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), with immediate effect, to Monaragala District last week had raised eyebrows in many political circles, Daily Mirror learns.

The FCID director, SSP Anura Premashantha who was promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in mid December 2016 had been transferred to Monaragala District with immediate effect on Friday, December 23, 2016, Police Headquarters sources revealed yesterday.

Premashantha who received his promotion to the rank of DIG after winning a Fundamental Rights petition after stagnating as an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) for a long time had reported for duty as DIG (Monaragala) on Monday, December 26.

According to the Police Department’s procedure, a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) would necessarily be the director of any given special police division or functional division countrywide. In some cases a Superintendent of Police (SP) could also hold the position due to the unavailability of a suitable SSP.

It is a regular practice that if one of these SSPs (director in charge of a special division or a functional division) is promoted to the rank of DIG he is transferred to a different posting that demands the requirements of a DIG -- such as being in charge of one of the functional districts countrywide or as DIG in charge of a particular police division.

But, in rare cases, if the promoted DIG is a highly competent officer who has acted as the director of a particular division, he is kept on as the director of that particular division at least until a suitable replacement is found.

With the sudden transfer of Director Premashantha, the FCID is crippled with no suitable officer to fill the vacant top post, which has temporarily been filled by one of the division’s Unit ASPs -- Pavithra Dayaratne -- as acting director.

Daily Mirror learns that the promotional transfer of SSP Premashantha had been referred to the National Police Commission for consideration by the Inspector General of Police, Pujith Jayasundara, despite a special written submission made by Ravi Waidyalankara, the Senior DIG in charge of the FCID, to retain DIG Premashantha under him as he’ is the most officer officer for the post.

Civil society groups fighting against the corruption of previous regime -- who had worked hand in hand with the FCID -- assert that the transfer was a politically motivated punishment, as it is not entirely against the practices of the Police Department to retain an officer promoted to the rank of DIG in his former posting.

The present directors in charge of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) and the State Intelligence Service (SIS) had been promoted to the rank of DIG from SSP sometime ago but they still remain as directors of their respective divisions. Director PSD SSP G N Gunaratne and Director SIS SSP Nilantha Jayawardena, who were promoted to the rank of DIG, remain in their former postings as they are competent until such time as a suitable SSP is found to replace them, the sources said.

Concerned sources in civil society groups against corruption, as well as certain senior police detectives, maintain that the transfer was a politically motivated punishment as he was such a prominent top grade detective and he was tranfered to a mere interior functional district like Monaragala without even a suitable replacement.

Director Premashantha was the only senior officer who was up to date with all the top classified intelligence data and had access to all the corruption files of over 30 top politicians of the previous regime and who had initiated the move to refer 66 high-profile investigated cases to the Attorney General, the sources said.

Premashantha who was posted as the Director of FCID since February, 2015 when he was ASP, was given a double promotion to the ranks of SP and SSP at once in early 2016 after a Supreme Court decision.

He had to file an FR case in the Supreme Court in 2012 after waiting several years without being promoted to the rank of SP under the previous regime.

Informed sources told Daily Mirror that a secret tussle between IGP Jayasundara and SDIG Waidyalankara would have been instrumental in the transfer that could have been given the green light by a top state office.

Attempts made to get through to DIG Premashantha for comment was unsuccessful last night. (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana) -

Everyone in the trickster newspaper will be sent to prison’ – Ravi raves at Sathhanda

Jan 03, 2017

At a New Year ‘Kiribath’ treat for heads and editors of media institutions at Temple Trees yesterday (02), finance minister Ravi Karunanayake raved at ‘Sathhanda’ deputy editor Prabhath Weeraratne that ‘Everyone in the trickster newspaper will be sent to prison.’The minister was that angered due to a poster being pasted in a weekly campaign by the newspaper and its having published a full-page article on him.

Everyone present heard Karunanayake’s threat, but Weeraratne did not respond to it. Later, national newspaper editors and ministers came to him and said, “Only Sathhanda is not afraid of telling the truth. We do not have that freedom. Continue that task for the sake of the country.”

Meanwhile, the finance minister did not invite his state minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena to its New Year Kiribth treat yesterday. Abeywardena was to have his Kiribath treat at his ministry today. Karunanayake might not have invited me for his party, but I would invite him for mine, he said.

Given below is the Sathhanda article that angered the minister:

‘Yahapaalana’ too, give preferential treatment to Nandana Lokuwithana

A decision has been taken by president Maithripala Sirisena to withdraw the unreasonable taxes imposed by ‘Yahapaalana’ government on all steel importers, excepting Ceylon Steel Corporation Ltd (Lankawa – Steel Corporation). Chairman of the Corporation is Nandana Jayadeva Lokuwithana, accused of frontman for Rajapaksas in various businesses.
There was speculation that the true owner of the institution was Basil Rajapaksa. Lokuwithana bought Dubai Marriot Hotel during the previous regime. It is highly suspicious that the finance ministry has given tax concessions to a person facing such disreputable accusations.

A CESS of Rs. 8.00 per kilo was imposed from 2017 budget on imported coiled iron, sending all other importers excepting Lokuwithana, into crisis. Incidentally, the day the tax was imposed, on 16 November 2016, a ship arrived at Colombo port with 20,000 tons of the coiled iron for the Corporation. The loss of tax revenue for the state from the consignment was Rs. 160 million.

After other importers objected, the CESS was replaced with a custom duty, which too, was not made applicable for Lokuwithana with a claim his Corporation was coming under strategic development projects. This has allowed him to enjoy a monopoly, but disaster for others, including 40,000 direct and indirect employees in the sector who are in danger of losing their jobs.

Despite a meeting between the finance secretary and the affected importers December 12, the tax remained in force. After representations were made to the president, he has ordered the removal of the custody duty. However, this order has reportedly been made effective until 31 December last year only, while the director general of the trade investment policy department has recommended that the concession be given on a case-by-case basis.

Accordingly, pursuant to a request on acting finance minister at the time and finance state minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, only two leading importers are to be given the concession.

BBS & MR Accusing Each Other: Who Is Responsible For The Anti-Muslim Attacks !

By Lukman Harees –January 3, 2017

Lukman Harees

In a classic case of pot calling the kettle black, during an interesting Press interview given by BBS, its’ spokesman Dilanthe Withanage let the cat out of the bag . In response to the accusations made by MR to BBC Sinhala Service, regarding the role played inter-alia by BBS in contributing to his defeat at the January 2015 Presidential Elections by engaging in anti-Muslim violence, Dilantha pointed out that they have evidence that it was people associated with Mahinda Rajapaksa who were responsible for Aluthgama and fashion Bug attacks . He further stated that it was precise the reason why there were no arrests made while making another tongue-in-the-cheek assertion that BBS have never been associated with or provoked any Anti Muslim violence. Very likely the journalists present may have enjoyed the joke and even wished they replay the recording of Ven. Galagoda Atte Gnanasara’s speeches specially the venomous and hate filled barks prior to Fashion Bug arson attack and Aluthgama mini-1983 style communal violence .

It was an open secret that BBS received wide state sponsorship through the agency of the powerful Gotabaya Rajapaksa, then secretary of the Defence Ministry during MR regime which encouraged them to operate without fear or sanction wherever they wished- whether government offices, way side meetings or on the streets. Dilantha as per local news reports, admitted that MR did attend one of the Sena’s meetings initially, but added it was his brother Gota who “understood our intentions better”. When public opinion turned against BBS after the anti-Muslim riots in 2014, Dilanthe further claimed that Gota helped the group. “We know him very well. He collected the right information from the army intelligence that favoured us”. “Then Presidential candidate Sirisena had largely kept silent about BBS during the elections. But we had to campaign against him as his manifesto directly attacked BBS and its alleged religious terrorism”.

It is however not the first time that MR accused BBS of being part of the conspiracy to defeat him at the Polls. In an interview with the French news agency, AFP, in early 2015, MR said that neither he nor his defense secretary brother, Gotabaya had anything to do with the BBS despite popular belief that the Rajapaksas were behind the group. He accused JHU leader Patali Champika Ranawaka of defending the BBS at a time when he wanted to take action against the group widely held responsible for a string of attacks against minority Muslims. MR said that he had finally came in to the sense that BBS was a result of a western conspiracy against him.”I lost the election partly because minority Muslims ditched me thanks to the work of the BBS.”. Ven. Gnanasara countered by stating that the defeat of MR was caused by activities of his own sons. MR’s recent interview to BBC was in reiteration of this assertion, stressing further that he knows how to keep BBS in its’ proper place.

When the BBS instigated Aluthgama violence targeted the Muslims physically , psychologically and economically, then MR regime tried their utmost to clear BBS name even doctoring the police and medical evidence against the culprits who mercilessly attacked Muslim businesses and homes, and shot innocent worshippers who took up positions to defend their places of worship. Then government shamefully instructed their representatives at the UN Human Rights Council to place the blame on the Muslims for having cast the first stone, thus branding the victims of this unfortunate human tragedy as the perpetrators.

Muslims quite rightly therefore joined hands with the other communities to defeat MR Regime which supported the racist reactionary forces like BBS which led a well-orchestrated hate campaign particularly against them. In fact, one of the cornerstone of the policy imperatives of the Yahapalana government which was ushered in after the defeat of MR was ‘National Reconciliation and Unity’ and they also formed an office to monitor the progress. Muslims therefore looked upon the new government to take concrete action to ensure they live as equal and dignified citizens of this country, while also act justly and fairly, particularly inquiring into the Aluthgama tragedy and punish the perpetrators. However, the issue was unceremoniously swept under the carpet. Ven. Gnanansara was once again back in action in full venom against the Muslims as usual, blaming them for all the ills facing Sri Lanka.

By Rathindra Kuruwita-2017-01-03

Last week a group calling themselves 'alt-right Sri Lanka' started following me on Twitter. Apparently they want to make Gotabaya Rajapaksa President and as Donald Trump would say they made me feel 'sad'.

It's especially 'sad' because the last few years have been good for ethnic nationalism. In the United States Richard Spencer and the alt-right memed a President into power, Narendra Modi and his BJP won big in 2014 and the Identitarian movement in Europe has propelled a number of 'fringe' parties into positions of power.

And of course, startled by these developments,we have started hearing a lot about Sinhala nationalism again, from the liberal left and what passes on as the 'right' here. But the point everyone seems to be missing is that elements that try to pass as the political right in Sri Lanka, from Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) to Joint Opposition (JO), have learned nothing from what has been happening around the world in the last five years.

A recent history

So I am going to look back at the recent history of Sinhala nationalism, although it's going to make me feel 'sad.' A lot of people talk about Anagarika Dharmapala when they think of Sinhala nationalism. To be honest, looking back at Dharmapala for critical insight into Sinhala nationalism today is pointless.

Dharmapala was a complex thinker and after his death no one continued to develop the intellectual foundations he laid. So there is no real connection between him and the Sinhala nationalist movement which emerged at the latter half of Chandrika Bandaranaike administration.

Essentially the emergence of organizations like Sinhala Weera Vidahna, Desha Hithishee Jathika Viyaparaya and Sihala Urumaya was the pushback from a section of the Sinhala community who were angered by what they saw as continuous attacks on their beliefs, culture and tradition under the Chandrika Bandaranaike administration which came into power in 1994.

1994 was a land mark year. The dreaded 17-year-old United National Party (UNP) rule was defeated and some of these progressive elements, who had led the struggle against the UNP, found that they had nothing to occupy themselves. And from 1994 these sections of the left and alternative media, shifted focus from labour and class to identity politics became their raison d'être.

So from 1994 onwards these progressive elements filled the newspapers, appeared on TV and radio and became a part of the establishment which targeted the Sinhalese, criticizing their customs, their heroes, their religion and traditions. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with criticizing the customs, heroes, religion and traditions of an ethnic group, in fact frank and brutal critique of these things are paramount to progress. But the problem is focusing on one particular group while letting everyone else a free pass. Once again let me tell you that we need to be brutally critical about patriarchal power structures we have here, because let's be honest this is not really a great place to be a woman and for religious and cultural aspects which gives a mystic veneer to manmade inequality. But these are issues that prevail in all three main groups in Sri Lanka. By targeting one particular group you make members of that group suspect your agenda and there is inevitable pushback, which manifested as the Sinhala nationalist movement in the early 2000s.

Opportunists without an ideology

Unfortunately, this Sinhala nationalist movement was immediately taken over by a bunch of opportunists who wanted political power, without actually caring about the race or having ideals. Instead of developing a cohesive and coherent seat of ideas and policies about strengthening the Sinhala nation and addressing historic injustices, bigotry became the be all and end all of this movement. Still despite these handicaps a significant number of Sinhalese found this shifting of the Overton Window (the range of ideas the public will accept) liberating. Someone was finally saying things that were in their heads, 'we are not the biggest ass ***** in this country' and 'compared to other majorities in the world we are not bad' (not that it makes the minorities feel much better), etc. And then came along Mahinda Rajapaksa who took over the movement and well that was it. That was the end of any intellectual progression, not that there was much to start with, and that is why you see the JHU repeating what they were saying in 2002 and Champika Ranawaka and Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe are trying to become the anti-corruption crusaders. Really? Anti-corruption? That's all you can come with?

This is why this movement is unlike the intellectual framework of Dharmapala, and Gunadasa Amarasekara who is the best out of the jathika chinthana thinkers were unable to lift the movement and mentor a newer generation of Sinhala nationalistic thinkers. That is why we don't see Richard Spencer or even a Markus Willinger and that is why 'alt-right Sri Lanka' is trying to get Gotabaya as President.

Gota is the worst choice

Lining behind Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the worst thing that the Sinhala nationalist movement can do because he symbolizes all the wrong turns the movement has made in the last 15 years and because he is the only candidate that Ranil Wickremesinghe can beat in a presidential election. And movements that back losers often end up in the fringes.

Rathindra can be reached via rathindra984@gmail.com

Bodu Bala Sena threatens legal action against Mahinda

By Dharisha Bastians-Tuesday, 3 January 2017

In a strange falling out, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has threatened to take legal action against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his statements to the Colombo-based foreign media last week alleging that the

hardline group was created by the Opposition and Western Governments to ensure his defeat.

The hardline group has demanded that the former President or his proxies back up the statements with facts and said the group was willing to take action against any individual or organisation, including the media, which attempted to bring the BBS into disrepute.

Addressing a press briefing at the Bodu Bala Sena headquarters in Kirulapone yesterday, the organisation’s CEO Dilantha Withanage said members of the former ruling administration, led by Rajapaksa had been behind anti-Muslim violence in Aluthgama and the controversial Buddhist monk-led mob attack on the Fashion Bug warehouse in Pepiliyana.

Withanage claimed that the Government’s culpability in those attacks was the real reason why no persons were arrested for the crimes.

“Don’t throw stones from glass houses,” the BBS CEO warned the former President. The Bodu Bala Sena endorsed Rajapaksa for President in January 2015, but when he met foreign correspondents at his Wijerama residence last week, the former President claimed the group had been created to isolate his Government from the Muslim community and defeat him electorally

Withanage said the BBS admired the former President for ending the war and hailed the former leader’s “magnetic” personality. But he charged that Rajapaksa was consumed with returning to power and had no real feeling about the problems faced by the people.

“To this day, President Rajapaksa speaks only about his houses, his cars, his family and his security. The Bodu Bala Sena has never represented itself, but the problems faced by the Sinhalese community in the country,” Withanage charged.

When he met foreign correspondents last week, Rajapaksa claimed that the Bodu Bala Sena was “Champika’s creation”, referring to Minister Champika Ranawaka, who defected from his administration to support the opposition candidate at the 2015 election. “He was Champika’s man,” Rajapaksa said, referring to the BBS’ controversial General Secretary Gnanasara Thero. The former Leader said that the BBS General Secretary had gone to a Ranawaka family funeral and claimed that Ranawaka would be President in 2020. Rajapaksa said that the JHU strongman had prevented him from taking action against the BBS in his time.

“That was the mistake. Then Champika was there no. Champika was shouting at the cabinet and making a big fuss. Rajitha also was supporting them. I mean that was the mistake I did, I just listened to them and didn’t do anything,” Rajapaksa told foreign correspondents.

Rajapaksa added that while the BBS was claiming to support him for re-election in 2015, the group was really supporting the UNP. “They wanted to get the Muslim crowd out. They were attacking the Muslims. That was also planned. He (BBS General Secretary Gnansara Thero) was invited to Norway and America,” he said.

Norway had funded the BBS, the former President said, to attack the Muslims.

However, Withanage denied the claims the very next day, telling the BBC that the BBS had fully supported President Rajapaksa’s re-election campaign. “We worked for his victory,” the BBS CEO claimed.

Danger.., dirty fuel again...! Dirty fuel supplier Vitol proves the LeN forecast..!!

(Lanka-e-News -02.Jan.2017, 11.45AM) Dirty Fuel Supplier Vitol proves the Lanka E-News forecast on 05th September 2016. Money thirsty Minister reinstates notorious dirty fuel supplier Vitol for the fourth time with CPC. Vitol brings the very first fuel shipment of 25,000 metric tons which CPC rejects as dirty fuel. This time it is Jet Fuel used for planes by national and international airlines.

Without at least a scant respect to public uproar against re-listing of Vitol with Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, being enticed by a massive offer of money from Vitol, a Singapore based fuel supplier, Minister of Petroleum forced Chairman of CPC in last August to re-list notorious dirty fuel supplier for the fourth time with CPC. Chairman of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation had no other choice but to instruct the members of the Technical Evaluation Committee to recommend Vitol to be re-listed as a supplier once again, without Vitol having to pay at least a single dollar out of millions of dollars of losses caused to CPC as a result of supplying three dirty fuel shipments in the recent past.

Upon relisting, Vitol brought their first cargo of fuel a week ago. This time it is Jet A-1, a fuel used on planes which requires meeting international safety standards. Instead, what Vitol brought on 26th December 2016 on a ship by the name Nave Luminosity, was far from Jet A-1 which was found to contain full of muck when tested before unloading. Clever scientists of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation who tested this cargo on 26th December, declared this cargo to be “unacceptable”.

Local agent of Vitol approached the Minister and sought his support to force CPC to accept the rejected cargo, and got the fuel to be tested once again through usual ways and means. Scientists of CPC lab did not bend their result and confirmed that Vitol’s Jet Fuel is dirty and rejected the cargo as their ultimate decision.

We Lanka E-News (LEN) very precisely informed the public of Sri Lanka on 5th September that CPC had already suffered millions of losses due to relisting of Dirty fuel supplier after three episodes of dirty fuel supplies to CPC. In spite of our warning, Minister re-listed Vitol as greed of minister for money had made him blind. If not for the meticulous work of laboratory scientists, Minister and Vitol would have put the precious lives of thousands of air passengers and also of staff in acute peril.

Cash trapped CPC is grappling to get out of the misery while minister is adding insult to repeated injury caused by Vitol to CPC. Minister will keep aiding and abetting Vitol, without blacklisting Vitol, as he cannot resist himself hankering after money.

You may remember LEN foresaw this happening four months ago in below article.

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by (2017-01-02 20:02:16)

Post-War Sri Lanka’s Use Of Landmines Creates Serious Questions

January 3, 2017

The Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Karunasena Hettiarachchi has recently made statements to the media regarding the use of landmines in the protection of military camps in post-war Sri Lanka. In a related statement, he also said that there is no link between reconciliation and Sri Lanka’s acceding to humanitarian disarmament conventions such as the Mine Ban Treaty.

Karunasena Hettiarachchi

The Government of Sri Lanka has declared “National Integration and Reconciliation Week” from 8th to 14th January 2017 on the eve of completion of the President’s second year in office. The above statements were made by the Secretary of Defence when the media inquired about the importance of Sri Lanka’s accession to the Convention on the Cluster Munitions (CCM) and Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) during the declared week.

The Secretary’s statement creates serious questions on the sincerity and genuineness of the Sri Lanka’s ongoing reconciliation programme; particularly at the end of the second year of Presidency of Maitripala Sirisena government’s theme of “good governance.” Concerned parties have criticized and denounced these moves by the government. In the month of August 2016, the Sri Lanka Campaign to Ban Landmines sent a petition to President Sirisena asking for accession to both the CCM and MBT in post-war Sri Lanka without a delay; this petition was signed by former diplomats and senior government officials, academia, civil society, ex-military officials, mine-action operators and the business community.

According to the Secretary’s statement, Sri Lanka will be the first and only country in the world to say that the military camps need to use landmines for their protection in the civilian-populated areas during the post-war setting and ongoing reconciliation. Sri Lanka’s military camps are located in highly civilian-populated areas throughout the country. A few countries that do use landmines in the world today mention that they are used only in land-borders where there is zero civilian population. Such countries always deny that they use mines to protect their military camps and Sri Lanka will be an exceptional case in this regard.

A new fear will now arise among civilians who live near military camps in post-war Sri Lanka. Children that live near the camps will need to be extra vigilant due to the threat of maiming or death. During rainy times, mines that are buried in military camps will surface with flood water and float into civilian-populated areas. No doubt this will create a serious threat to civilians and particularly to children. This situation has been already experienced in the past by civilians who live near minefields. In addition to human life, there is the threat to wildlife – particularly with respect to elephants where camps are located near or in jungle areas.

Human rights defenders say that the use of cluster munitions and landmines violate the International Human Rights Law (IHR), International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Child Rights Convention (CRC) and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) which Sri Lanka ratified recently. They also pointed out that accession to such conventions is a key factor to bring meaningful and true reconciliation and many other benefits to post-war Sri Lanka. This includes Sri Lanka’s current position on the Global Peace Index (GPI) which will increase and also help investor confidence and political stability in the country. Victim-activated weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions are considered inhuman weapons due to their inherently indiscriminate nature and are outlawed by the global community. Further, Sri Lanka will be able to meaningfully contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal (No. 16 of SDGs) which emphasize that “peace building” is an important theme to make the world a happier place to live in.