The perils of ‘traitorisation’

“Amirthalingam was called a traitor and killed. Neelan Thiruchelvam was called a traitor and killed. Over 30 years we have lost all these people.  And after

Thursday, 2 February 2017

killing them, what have we achieved?  So now you call Sumanthiran a traitor and kill me also. Tell me, what are we going to do after that?”
   
 - TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran addressing a public meeting in Vavuniya in October 2016

When the LTTE resolved to kill Dr. Neelan Thiruchelvam 18 years ago, its weapon of choice was a suicide bomber, drawn from its elite karum puligal or Black Tiger cadre.

The perils of traitorisation.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

GL wants to know why terrorists not charged under PTA

EU won’t comment on Sumanthiran assassination bid

By Shamindra Ferdinando-February 1, 2017, 9:58 pm 

Alleging that five former LTTE cadres arrested in connection with an alleged attempt to assassinate TNA lawmaker M.A. Sumanthiran had been produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate and District judge and remanded till Feb 13 on a charge of possessing explosives and narcotics instead of under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said the government should explain its position vis-a-vis key anti-terrorism legislation.

A government that had been preaching to the public of the importance of the Right to Information shouldn’t keep the people in the dark regarding vital matters, he said.

Prof, Peiris told The Island last night that the Joint Opposition would like to know whether the government had suspended the PTA consequent to talks with the EU as well as various other parties regarding far reaching changes to counter terrorism legislation and amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure Act.

Had they already suspended the PTA pending the introduction of a new Counter Terrorism Law, Prof. Peiris asked and added that the JO would closely monitor investigations into alleged political assassination attempt. The former Law Professor said that the EU shouldn’t be allowed to influence the decision making process in respect of security matters.

The EU delegation declined to comment on the alleged attempt on TNA MP Sumanthiran’s life.

Prof. Peiris yesterday warned of dire consequences due to dismantling of what the former eminent law professor called a tight security apparatus maintained by the previous government.

In accordance with their overall security strategy, the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs had maintained constant dialogue with countries where diaspora had been strong and active. As a result, there had been several successful prosecutions of members of the terrorist LTTE in Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy, he noted.

Prof. Peiris was addressing a group of trade union representatives at former President’s office at Nelum Mawatha, Battaramulla.

The former Vice Chancellor of the Colombo University recalled the operations undertaken by the previous government to meet the threat posed by diaspora elements. There had been a constant flow of information from various sources due to the previous government’s initiatives. Unfortunately, Prof. Peiris said the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration had dismantled vital security apparatus thereby paving the way for those disruptive elements to advance their agenda inimical to the country.

Although the LTTE had been militarily defeated in May 2009, the country couldn’t have afforded to do away with the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Prof. Peiris said. "We realized the requirement to maintain a robust security system to ensure a peaceful environment. But, the yahapalana rulers are engaged in a project to abolish the PTA and to amend some major provisions in the Public Security Ordinance."

Prof. Peiris pointed out that a top level discussion chaired by Prime Minister and the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Dec 16, 2016 at Temple Trees revealed extremely dangerous path the present leadership was taking at the expense of national security. Alleging that yahapalana rulers had absolutely no concerns regarding national security matters, prof. Peiris recalled how the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) summoned him following a statement he made regarding the recovery of explosives, including one suicide jacket and claymore mines at Chavakachcheri, Jaffna early last year.

Having mollycoddled terrorists and those who had been based abroad and pushing for a country divided on ethnic lines, the recent alleged attempt on the life of TNA lawmaker M.A. Sumanthiran must have come as a total shock to them, Prof. Peiris said. Having jeopardized national security for narrow political gains, the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration was struggling in the face of new threat, he said.

Gift Horses

By Ranil Senanayake –February 2, 2017

Dr Ranil Senanayake

In the national tragedy that is the health of our faming families, no one seemed to have asked the question ‘was the health of our faming communities always like this? After all, with a farming history of over two thousand years, such a dire situation within the farming community should have been recoded. The fact is there is no such record of the massive numbers of the rural population afflicted with Kidney failure, liver problems, cancers, diabetes etc. Problems that plague the farming communities today. The problems are of relatively recent origin. In fact, it was only in the 70’s that their problems began to be recorded. The obvious question that arises is ‘did we affect any change to our traditional agricultural systems around this time? And the answer is ‘yes’ we began changing our systems of agriculture to the chemical driven ‘Green Revolution’ that was promoted to ‘modernize’ our agriculture.

But there is still no recognition of this fact. The death and misery of the rural population becomes a quest for the origin of this ailment or that. We spend an inordinate amount of energy in researching if such and such a chemical was responsible for this or that condition. No one wants to look at the overall picture. That the fact is the health of the faming community has degraded with the implementation of the ‘Green Revolution’. No one wants to recognize that the gift of the ‘Green Revolution’ was actually a gift of disease and energy dependency for the farmer.

Much like the gifs of Mega cities, Ports and airports, that we are so eager to receive, we were once treated to the ‘gift’ of the agricultural ‘Green Revolution’. ‘Doubling the crop’ and ‘feeding the world’ became the catchphrases. Even at that time, the promise of a free lunch (doubling of crop) seemed suspicious. But in the heady days of foreign trips, conferences and highly paid research to ‘feed the world’; no one wanted to examine the aid packages that were promoting the ‘Green Revolution’. So in Oct 1977, I published the article below in the Observer:

A Closer Look at Aid

“Do not look a gifted horse in the mouth” – So goes an old adage. The import of this statement would seem to be: except a gift with gratitude and do not question its value for after all, it is a gift. It would seem that we have as a nation accepted many gifts in this spirit. A fleet of tractors or a thousand tonnes of pesticide does indeed seem to be a generous expression of friendship. These offers are made by the donors in a genuine effort to help the least privileged nations and our accepted in gratitude with the hope that these gifts will help lighten our national load. But, it may be time for us to question such gifts however well intended they may be.

A case in point is the “miracle rice” that gives an immediate manifold increase in crop over traditional varieties. This would seem indeed a welcomed gift, if not a virtual godsend in troubled, food scares times like this. The reckoning is simple, if we have an acre of paddy with a yield of 30 bushels, then all we need to do is transform to the new intensive varieties that give twice the original yield and we have 60 bushels with the same acreage. Presto! The problem is solved. Not quite: there is an important feature called energy that we often fail to take into our accounting.

Energy is one of the most important features of an ecosystem. At the human level, the food we eat represents the source from which we derive energy for all our functions. This food too, whether animal or vegetable in origin, requires energy for its organization. Animals like us, derive their energy from plants and other animal (heterotrophs) and most plants derive their energy form the sun (autotrophs). Therefore, as we are so dependent on energy, it would bode well for us to examine the sources and cost of the energy available to us.

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Public access to RTI start on 3 Feb

Feb 01, 2017

Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Mass Media B.K.S. Ravindra says that under the RTI Act, the general public have also been given the right to obtain information from all independent commissions including the State Services Commission.

He said that all the steps have been taken to launch the Right to information from February 03 onwards and that the relevant Gazette notification containing the fee structure and the application forms would by be published on February 03. Pointing out that at least one official has been appointed in all state institutions to act as information officers, the additional secretary said that if in case an information official has not been appointed the officers in charge of those institutions could act as information officers.

AshWaru Colombo

Shockingly valvettu background of the group arrested ..

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

யாழ்ப்பாணம் உள்ளிட்ட வட மாகாணத்தில் அண்மைய காலங்களில் சமூகவிரோத செயற்பாடுகள் அதிரித்துள்ளன. இதன் காரணமாக பொது மக்கள் பெரும் அச்சத்தில் இருக்கின்றனர்.

குறிப்பாக வாள் வெட்டு சம்பவங்கள் அண்மைய நாட்களாக அதிகரித்துள்ளன. இந்நிலையில் கடந்த இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு முன்னர் யாழ்.நல்லூர் அரசடி வீதி சந்தியில் வாள்வெட்டு சம்பவம் ஒன்று அரங்கேறியிருந்தது.

இந்த சம்பவத்துடன், தொடர்புடைய ஐந்து சந்தேகநபர்கள் இன்று கைது செய்யப்பட்டிருந்தார்கள். கைது செய்யப்பட்ட சந்தேக நபர்களிடம் இருந்து ஆயுதங்கள் பலவும் கைப்பற்றப்பட்டிருந்தன.

6 வாள்கள், ஒரு கை கோடரி, ஒரு மோட்டார் சைக்கிள், ஒரு முகமூடி உள்ளிட்டவைகள் இவ்வாறு கைப்பற்றப்பட்டுள்ளதாக பொலிஸார் தெரித்துள்ளனர்.

சந்தேகநபர்கள் இன்று நீதிமன்றத்தில் ஆஜர்ப்படுத்தப்பட்ட போது 14 நாட்கள் விளக்கமறியலில் வைக்குமாறு நீதவான உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளார்.

இதனிடையே, கைது செய்யப்பட்ட சந்தேகநபர்கள் 18 வயதுக்கும் 21 வயதுக்கும் இடைப்பட்ட பாடசாலை மாணவர்கள் என பொலிஸார் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளனர்.

அத்துடன், கைது செய்யப்பட்டவர்களில் தற்போதும் கல்வியை தொடர்ந்துகொண்டிருப்பவர்களும் உள்ளடங்குவதாக பொலிஸார் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

இந்த தகவலையடுத்து சமூக ஆர்வலர்கள் பலரும் கவலை வெளியிட்டுள்ளனர். காரணம் யாழ்ப்பாணம் உள்ளிட்ட வடமாகாணம் இன்று கல்வியில் பெரும் பின்னடைவை சந்தித்துள்ளது.

எவ்வாறாயினும், கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் வடமாகாணத்தின் கல்வி நிலை வேறு தரத்தில் இருந்தததை மறந்திருக்க முடியாது.

எனினும், தமிழ் மக்களை அழிக்கும் நோக்கிலும், தமிழர்களின் வளர்ச்சியை கட்டுப்படுத்தும் நோக்கிலும் மாணவர்கள் இவ்வாறு சமூக விரோத செயற்பாடுகளில் திட்டமிட்டு தள்ளப்படுவதாக சமூக ஆர்வலர்கள் கவலை வெளியிட்டுள்ளனர்.

SAITM medical graduates shall be registered – Appeal court delivers landmark verdict !

(Lanka-e-News -01.Feb.2017, 11.30PM) The blind slavish followers of the JVP , Peratugami and barbaric brutes bearing the name of  Padeniyas  who from birth until death have accepted all other private enterprises but not the private medical education , and who are dancing the devil against it , and wreaking havoc on country’s  progressive development  were given a thundering slap in the face by a  judgment delivered today  by the appeal court of Sri Lanka (SL) which opened the eyes of all , and specially terminating  the hypocrisy and self seeking deceitful motives of Padeniyas,  and those idiots who are  cast in the same mould of mentally moth eaten   Padeniyas. 

The appeal court delivered an order yesterday (31)  that the students who successfully completed their education at Malabe private medical College (SAITM) shall be registered as professionals of the SL medical association 

Malshani Sooraweeraarachi  and Dilum Sooriyaarachi , were two students who completed their  education at  SAITM and left the Institution  who filed the case  citing a   group including the Medical Association ,  the higher education minister , and  the secretary to the highest education ministry as respondents in this appeal. The judges Vijitha Malalgoda ,and S. Thurairaja who heard the case delivered the above  judgment.

Meanwhile the blind slavish idling  followers of ‘Peratugami’ of the Moratuwa University who know nothing else except  staging demonstrations , started a protest today against SAITM , and went in a procession obstructing vehicular traffic. However , these foolish protestors only demonstrated through their stupid protest  they haven’ t  even that little grey matter despite their education to understand , that  they are protesting against a private medical College when in their own midst there are other private engineering Institutions also  granting degrees .  Therefore these students without protesting against those Institutions , and instead agitating against SAITM and  demanding its closure  is most ridiculous, and deserving of only  a hearty laugh.

A reader who is apparently much wiser and intelligent than all these protesting imbeciles out there had a remarkable pithy comment to make after reading this news report ..,. ‘Sri Lanka needs educated people not protestors’

The appeal court decision contained in a 42 page document which caused  the stupid and senseless protestors to tumble down and bite the dust can be downloaded by clicking on the line below…


http://www.lankaenews.com/home/downloads/46/Judgement_in_Court_of_Appeal_in_SAITM_matter.pdf

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by     (2017-02-02 09:50:26)

Never-ending corruption in Sri Lankan politics

Thursday, 2 February 2017

Corruption in politics has been an issue that has and will continue to hinder the prosperity of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is on the brink of completing its 69th year of Independence. This feat is achieved in the backdrop of numerous perennial concerns.

Corruption in politics has been an issue that has and will continue to hinder the prosperity of Sri Lanka. Politicians, whether Parliamentarians or not, have been accused of resorting to corruption in many folds that include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. Such Corruptive actions has facilitated many criminal enterprises such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking within the country.

Corruption is a widely spoken topic amongst many spheres of the national landscape, however this problem is never addressed through legislation and actions. Most Large scale corruption by politicians have been almost impossible to be proven. The lacklustre ambition towards mitigating corruption in Sri Lanka is well evident with Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2016 rating Sri Lanka as becoming even more corrupt.

Sri Lanka was ranked at 95 out of 176 countries when compared to 2015 when the country was ranked at 83 among 168 countries. The hilarious part about this performance is that the slump in perception amongst the public sector has been bought about in the presence of a Government placed in power to curb corruption. So the question now is whether we are in “Good Governance” or “Corrupt Governance”. 

Running out of options

The people have already voted out a Government led by President Rajapakshe, only to find that the Government they put into power to curb corruption is no different. The Bond Scandal and the transparency in the Private Public Partnerships of Key Infrastructure Projects of the country have left many to ponder on the credibility of this regime as well. The so called Mr. Cleans are now Dirty.

Despite the bogus rhetoric from fractions within the Government, still no solid action has been implemented to boost confidence amongst the masses on the topic of curbing corruption. As in the past, the end result is that the people have been misled, fooled and made victims to the malicious personal agendas of the politicians.

There has never been a time where corruption has stood at the centre of debate amongst the political circles for a prolonged period. Both the present Government and the Joint Opposition have been accused of large-scale corruption, but still no cases have been proven or punishments enforced. In this light the question that will be raised amongst the people is “whom to trust” in the political landscape of Sri Lanka.

Simply stating, there is no option, in terms of electing a clean political force to govern. Certain elements such as the JVP have been dynamic at exposing many corruption scandals, but they too have failed to drive investigators to affirm the allegations levelled by them. With options narrowing, the faith of the country is largely at risk in the drive towards prosperity. 

Shortcomings that drive corruption

Many politicians may know it already, but they have received a huge setback in public confidence. There has been no prudent conclusions yet reached on many alleged corruptive actions from pre-2015 times such as the hedging deal, the Commonwealth Games and Greek bonds and the hiring of lobby firms.

With the bond scandal and many others faced by this Government, one could wonder whether there should be another force to bring governance to this country. This is in the wake of the depletion of public confidence in both present Government and the opposition parties. So why has this happen to Sri Lankan politics, let look at a few causes:

• Lack of strong institutional and declaration mechanisms

There has been a significant setback in the objectives entrusted within the administrative controls of various regulatory and auditing bodies such as Auditor-General’s office, Anti-Corruption Commissions and Public Account Committees established to prevent or hold guilty any corrupt dealings.

In terms of controls, there seems to be no separation between civil service and patrician politics. State institutions have been the hot spot to appoint cronies and peasants of ruling politicians. In certain instances ghost workers have enjoyed State assets at the expense of the tax payer. Many directives that have been implemented, require thorough inspection, these include, the declaration of assets of officials, provisions regarding the transparency in bidding, hiring of employees, accountable use of state resources and granting of public sector contracts. 

• Lack of strong hierarchical controls and interests

There have been no strict controls of the State administration from the top tier of Government. This section of controls include the degree of corruption mitigation from the rulers. Executive reporting systems, institutional reforms and a restriction in the size including the administrative discretion of various ministries, departments and offices. Neither of the rulers have had the political will to curb corruption, as a curtailing mechanism can run against their private interests. 

• Weak control and monitoring on external transactions

Sri Lanka has been engulfed with a large number of brokers that facilitate transactions involving projects and investments within the country. The rise in brokers managing a tender involving the foreign companies and home Governments are able to orchestrate deals in ways that hide their own profits as well as the illegality or immorality of the deal itself. Many accuse broker facilitated transactions as the major cause behind the exuberant costs involved with key infrastructure projects.

The globalisation of markets and State transactions have expanded the opportunity of concealed transactions between the home Government and various companies in the global market. Most companies national and international are resorting to corruption to gain easy access to resources, markets, and labour. Further, political figures, political parties and lobbyists are given gifts, donations and contributions in return for the support and benefits rendered to these corruptive acts. 

• Fall in democratic control 

Sri Lanka has seen a significant fall in the democratic system over the past 15 years or so. Strong democratic controls include the separation of powers, rule of law and legislative and judicial independence. These fundamentals of democratic systems have witnessed a deterioration. Such necessary elements ensure the political responsiveness of politicians and civil servants. The role played by civil and political organisations and the public in controlling and restricting corruption in the various State institutions, has also faltered.

An independent, competent Judiciary is one of the checks of legislative power. In order to control corruption, the courts will need independence from any interference, they will need appropriate financial, institutional, professional resources (investigators, prosecutors and judges) and a relevant authority to execute its rulings (Police).

Responsible Parliaments and its members, whether Ruling or Opposition can monitor and control the dealings of the Government and of the administration. Further, they can criticise, make suggestions and inform the general public. As members of Parliament, there is strong legislative right to know, make inquiries, set up oversight committees, undertake investigations and pose questions pertaining to Government actions and state actions. It is highly questionable to the extent to which public interest supersedes that of private interest of such individuals.

A free press and an active civil society (for instance non-Governmental watchdog organisations and monitoring associations) are also highly relevant counter powers to restrict corruption and executive abuse. 

Conclusion

As the situation stands, the war against corruption seems to be directly counter-acted by ruling elites in which their existence depend upon corruption as a mechanism of wealth extraction and upon corrupt officials as the basis for political support.

The ‘Yahapalanaya’ Government seems to be following the previous regime as far as corruption is concerned. Power is used to let a follower get rich through corruption combined with the power to release him of his misdeeds. This is an efficient way of securing personal loyalty and subservience. This is the reason as to why many ruling coalition members and ministers have escaped from the net of the investigators.

The numerous anti-corruption campaigns are therefore rarely meant to change the structural setting of curbing corruption, but as a ploy to deceive the wider population. It is used as a disciplinary mechanism and as tool in the struggle against rivals, to preserve power through the protectionism of corrupt individuals.

[The writer is the Managing Director of LTC Ltd., a financial and investment banking services firm operating in Sri Lanka. He has a BEng (Hons) in Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom and a MBA from the University of Colombo. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. He can be reached via email on vidushan@ltcsl.com or www.ltcsl.com.]

Protest march to protect port attacked with tear gas & water cannon

February 1, 2017

A large crowd engaged in a massive protest march today (1st) to protest against the government’s attempt to sign a secret agreement to sell the East terminal of Colombo Harbour to a joint American and Indian company.

The protest march that commenced opposite Colombo Harbour was marching towards Temple Trees when policed blocked it with barriers and attacked with tear gas and water cannon.

Chandrasiri Mahagamage representing, the Trade Union Front to Protect Harbour, JVP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunneththi, the President of Inter Company Employees Union Wasantha Samarasinghe, General Secretary of Lanka Electricity Employees Union Ranjan Jayalal, trade union leaders and a large crowd took part.

Sri Lanka’s ICT Policy Gone ‘Off Road’

By Kamalika Gunawardena –February 2, 2017

Catalyzed by the energy generated by working together against an impending ‘Y2K issue’, the Sri Lankan IT industry came to its first stage of maturity at the turn of the millennium in a unique act of collaboration to forge an ICT Roadmap for the new decade. The resulting document was seen by many a donor as a strong indicator of the true potential of the industry hitherto not visible. The Roadmap document provided the impetus for the Sri Lankan government to be able to bring a well thought out plan for negotiating with the World Bank (among other donors) to accelerate the ICT industry through the subsequent e-Sri Lanka initiative.

To be sure it was during a UNP-led government that the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka was first setup to drive the e-Sri Lanka initiative to bring the dividends of ICT to every village and citizen in the country. The initial roadmap was further developed with input from best practice from around the world resulting in the e-Sri Lanka programme which was to be implemented by the ICT Agency in 2004. Built upon five thrust areas – the so-called ‘pillars’ of Re-engineering government, e-Society, Information Infrastructure, ICT investment and private sector development and ICT human resource capacity building, and held together by a sixth all-encompassing ICT Policy and Leadership component, the e-Sri Lanka project was arguably one of the more successful of the medium scale donor funded projects executed by Sri Lanka. One of the many reasons for success was the clear articulation of its aims and objectives to each of the stakeholder groups including the population at large. This success is all the more creditable considering that it was implemented during a turbulent period in the history of the country and survived several political upheavals even during the tenure of a single governing party.

The rigorous final evaluation report of the e-Sri Lanka programme found that the implementing agency performed more satisfactorily than the donor itself in making the overall outcome of the project moderately satisfactory. While recommending the discontinuing of some of the sub-programmes of the project, the report recommends that several of the sub-programmes should be continued owing to the positive outcomes they had already demonstrated, and their potential for taking Sri Lanka to the next level in terms of truly leveraging the benefits of ICT in accelerating its progress to middle income country status.

Ironically, today, under another UNP-led coalition, the e-Sri Lanka framework has been completely abandoned and ICT policy gone ‘off road’ without any coherent direction of progress. All the more ironic is the fact that some of the leaders of the original e-Sri Lanka initiative are MPs of the ruling party, albeit sidelined into ministries that don’t intersect with the ministry under which the ICT Agency resides.

Fortunately, the strong private sector industry bodies that came to be setup and get strengthened since the turn of the millennium, have now matured and become resilient to national politics. Their export targets for example and manpower engagement goals continue to be ambitious as they seek to make ICT Sri Lanka’s top export by 2022. However, anyone who has tried to work in any industry seriously, would know that even such a formidable lobby cannot be harnessed effectively for the development of the country, without the supportive framework of policy that needs to be set in place by the government. For all intents and purposes, it appears that the ICT Agency has abdicated its role as the government’s arm in setting the policy framework for the ICT industry.

Today, the ICT Agency is in shambles: with as much as some 64 independent and arbitrary projects in its ‘portfolio’, hundreds of employees recruited without any apparent rationale, the once ‘lean and mean’ agile agency appears to have gone down the path of other government departments which act mostly as employment agencies for their supporters. More seriously, the ICT Agency appears to have abrogated its responsibility of engaging with its main stakeholders leave alone the public at large.

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Illegal vehicle assembly complex raided: 54 vehicles found




2017-02-01

At least 54 vehicles, which were illegally assembled, causing a loss of Rs. 325 million to the government, were recovered by the Panadura-Walana Central Anti-Corruption Unit and the Sri Lanka Customs during a raid yesterday.

 The Panadura-Walana Central Anti-Corruption Unit launched an investigation under the instructions of DIG Ranmal Kodithuwakku in connection with a petition which stated that vehicles parts were being imported illegally and sold after they were assembled in the country.

 Investigations had revealed that Vehicle Lanka Private Limited had assembled the vehicles at a complex situated in the Minuwangoda Industrial Zone. The complex had also been used to store vehicles without engines and vehicles which were returned by Customers, police said. 

The company had assembled the vehicles at the premises and then sold them in the local market before it was released by Sri Lanka Customs, officials said.

 Police spokesman DIG Priyantha Jayakody said the company had violated the Customs Act and caused a large financial loss to the government by exporting vehicle parts illegally.

 The police had obtained a search warrant from the Minuwangoda Magistrate Court and raided the premises with the assistance of the Customs officials.

 Police recovered 29 cars, 22 jeeps, two vans and parts of another vehicle during the raid. Police said an administrative officer at the company had failed to produce any documents when the raid was carried out.

 The vehicles recovered in the complex were given to the Customs Department for further investigation as they were illegally brought into the country.

 Customers of Vehicle Lanka Private (Ltd) who suspect they have been scammed by the company are requested to call the Panadura-Walana Central Anti-Corruption Unit via 038 -2234314 and 039- 2234315.(Darshana Sanjeewa)

Shouting out for press freedom - and the Rory Peck Trust

Feb 01, 2017

A photographer is taking pictures of a crowd. For no reason, he’s knocked to the ground and kicked by the police. Six journalists are covering an angry street demonstration when they’re arrested, detained and charged with felony. Three of these journalists are freelancers. All have been exactly where they should be on this day and all have been doing their job – it is, after all, the inauguration of the President of the United States.

Elsewhere, a photographer accused of crossing a border illegally is beaten and arrested; a cameraman films a policeman letting his dog loose on an asylum seeker. Menaced by the same dog, he’s forced to delete the tape. Journalists covering refugee camps and anti-refugee protests are detained, denied access, fined, and under attack. Where? Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Macedonia, France....

What’s going on here? We’ve been talking about freelancers under attack in repressive societies for years – but have we been smug? Is this the future for independent journalism in our own democracies? In the face of increasingly permissible intolerance in the West, our worst fears are being realised – and press freedom is struggling - under its biggest threat at a time when it is most needed.

There are many frontlines all with their own stories: war and conflict, human rights, environmental stories, local politics, national politics, corruption, organised crime. Freelance journalists are crucial to the telling of these stories. Brave, dedicated, professional, they are the backbone of a free press and operate at the sharp end of news. Like their corporate colleagues, many of them are being targeted and threatened – by governments, by factions, by gangsters – by anyone who doesn’t like what journalists do, anyone who wants to control the agenda.

The Rory Peck Trust works with and helps freelancers every day, and for them it’s very tough - and getting tougher. We provide practical support that helps them to continue working, remain safe, become resilient and keep their families together. This is what we do. Quiet work that supports independent journalists in a very real and effective way. 

Many of you will have seen Meryl Streep’s shout out for press freedom at the Golden Globes recently. Well, we don't have a Meryl (yet), but if ever there was a time to shout out and support the work of your very own Rory Peck Trust, it's now!

The Trust has spent its entire life – more than twenty one years – supporting freelance journalists who others try to silence – THIS IS NO TIME TO STOP. If you’re not already supporting our work, then now’s the time to begin. If you’re already a supporter, perhaps you can do a little more?

The great writer Samuel Beckett famously said, "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Shocking to do this to you Sam, but the world is going a little crazier than usual, so please forgive me: Ever given? Ever not given? No matter. Give. Give again. Give better.

The Rory Peck Trust will continue to give freelance journalists the support they need and deserve way, way into this oh-so uncertain future. Come join us.

Israel weaponizes rape culture against Palestinians

Liberal Israelis protest Lehava in Jerusalem after three of its members were charged in an attack on a mixed Jewish-Arab school, December 2014. Oren ZivActiveStills

David Sheen-31 January 2017

Lawmakers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition are trying to deflect attention from sex crime scandals involving the highest echelons of Israeli society by making false allegations against Palestinians and other non-Jews.

This was not the first Israeli effort to portray Palestinians as sexual predators – and it was unlikely to be the last. In fact, the committee meeting bore great resemblance to another Knesset session held just over five years earlier.

Israel weaponizes rape culture against Palestinians.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

Palestinians denounce Amona 'distraction' as Israel approves settlement expansion

Relocation of settlers dubbed 'dangerous propaganda' after thousands of new settlement homes announced since US President Trump took office

Israeli security forces gather near the illegal outpost of Amona in the occupied West Bank (AFP)

Wednesday 1 February 2017

Israel unveiled plans for 3,000 new housing units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank late on Tuesday, the fourth such announcement in the less than two weeks since US President Donald Trump took office.

The announcement came hours before Israeli security forces began evicting the occupants of a settlement post in line with a high court ruling two years ago that determined the homes were built on private Palestinian land.

International law does not recognize that distinction as all settlements are built on Palestinian territory.

The settlers will be relocated to a nearby site as part of a deal under which they had agreed to be evacuated peacefully, police said.

Opponents of Israel's settlement programme have described the situation at Amona as a distraction from the government's commitment to supporting settlers elsewhere in the West Bank.

Mustafa Bargouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, told MEE: "What Netanyahu has done is a big trick and dangerous propaganda, there is no real eviction at all. A few settlers are being moved from a few houses on Palestinian private land to other confiscated Palestinian lands.

"There is a use of the Amona issue to hide the Israeli decision to build another 3,000 new housing units, [part of a plan] to divide the West Bank in two, surround Jerusalem, and prevent any opportunity for a Palestinian state and the option of two state solution."

Khalida Jarrar, another PLC member, added: "This is an attempt to draw attention away from the thousands other housing units being declared by the Israeli government. They are trying to dramatise the eviction to mask more important issues."

"There is no difference whatever between Amona and other settlements in the occupied territories. Branding Amona 'an illegal outpost' is how the government and the media whitewash the rest of the settlements as if they, unlike the outposts, were legal. They are not. Not a single one of them," Gideon Levy wrote for Middle East Eye last month.

READ: How Israeli settlements won their best ever deal from Netanyahu

In a statement on Tuesday, Saeb Erekat, the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, called for the International Criminal Court to "open an immediate investigation into the Israeli settlement enterprise", describing the continuing expansion as an "immoral situation".

The planned eviction from Amona has been deeply unpopular with hardliners within the government, widely regarded as Israel's most right-wing ever, and the new building plans were widely seen as a sop to their supporters.

'There is no real eviction at all. They are merely moving a few settlers from one area of Palestinian private lands to another'
Mustafa Barghouthi, Palestinian MP

Dozens of security personnel entered the Amona outpost, northeast of Ramallah, headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, early on Wednesday to begin moving out its occupants and protesters who had joined them to oppose the move.

Hundreds of hardline sympathisers, who had slipped past army roadblocks on foot, lit tyres around the outpost, an AFP correspondent reported.

Some threw stones at the media as occupants started packing their belongings.

Protests by Jewish youths really kicking off. Police not reacting. #Israel #Amona pic.twitter.com/uH7XjPvTyY

— Joe (@joedyke) February 1, 2017

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Protests by Jewish youths really kicking off. Police not reacting. #Israel #Amona

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Police said they had been in dialogue with the occupants throughout the night in order to ensure "a peaceful eviction, in accordance with their committment to the High Court".

"Police will strive to carry out the eviction without the use of force," a statement read.

The Israeli government had not approved the establishment of Amona, for which there was never proper planning, but authorities built a paved road and provided electricity, water and other infrastructure to the settlement, as it often does with outposts it deems illegal.

The former US administration of Barack Obama despaired of Israel's accelerating settlement expansion and, in a sharp break with longstanding policy, withheld its veto on a critical UN Security Council resolution in its final days.

But since Trump took office, with top aides sympathetic to the settlement enterprise, the government has announced a string of new projects that will add more than 6,000 homes for Jewish settlers.

"Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have decided to authorise the construction of 3,000 new housing units," the Israeli defence ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, 2,000 of the units are ready to be put on the market, while the rest are in various stages of planning.

"We're in a new era where life in Judaea and Samaria (the West Bank) is returning to its natural course," said Lieberman, who himself has long lived in a West Bank settlement, adding that his heart was with the Amona settlers.

Since the 20 January inauguration of Trump, Israel has approved the construction of 566 housing units in three settlement neighbourhoods of occupied east Jerusalem and 5,502 more elsewhere in the West Bank.

On Thursday last week, Israeli officials gave final approval for 153 settler homes in east Jerusalem.

They had been frozen under pressure from the Obama administration, which had warned that settlements could derail hopes of a negotiated two-state solution.

Far-right member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, Moti Yogev, whose Jewish Home party is part of Israel's governing coalition, was quite open about the trade-off between the Amona eviction and the new settler homes.

Speaking to AFP at the outpost where he had joined occupants in a show of solidarity, Yogev said that while evacuating Amona was "a bad decision", which he opposed, "we will go."

"Yes, Amona will be destroyed, but against Amona, we are going to build 3,000 new homes."

Trump has pledged strong support for Israel, and Netanyahu's government has moved quickly to take advantage.

"We are building and we will continue building," Netanyahu said last week.

The prime minister has said he sees the Trump presidency as offering "significant opportunities" after facing "huge pressures" from Obama.

'Yes, Amona will be destroyed, but against Amona, we are going to build 3,000 new homes' - MK Moti Yogev

The accelerated settlement expansion has deeply concerned those seeking to salvage a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The international community considers all Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land as illegal and regards their construction as the biggest obstacle to a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

But in a significant break with the Obama administration, Trump's White House has not condemned any of the four settlement expansions announced by Israel since he took office.