Govt. renders National Audit Bill toothless

Revises it a third time

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya shares a light moment with Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe and COPE Chairman JVP MP Sunil Handunetti at the AGM of Audit Service Association recently (pic courtesy Speaker’s Office)

By Shamindra Ferdinando-March 12, 2017, 10:14 pm 

The government had further diluted the proposed National Audit Bill making it ineffective, Auditor General’s Department sources said yesterday.

Officials told The Island that the latest amendment had made the proposed piece of legislation wholly useless and it wouldn’t yield the desired results. The Bill was aimed at tackling public sector corruption, sources said.

The National Audit Bill was to be introduced on Feb. 19, 2015 at the beginning of the 100-day programme of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government.Asked whether the government had discussed the matter with the AG’s Department at that time, sources pointed out that it was a public pledge made in the run-up to January 2015 presidential poll. The passage of the 19 Amendment to the Constitution on April 29, 2015 was to pave the way for the introduction of the National Audit Bill the following day.

Combined Trade Union Alliance of the Auditor General’s Department has repeatedly alleged that the government was acting very much contrary to the promises given in the run up to presidential and parliamentary polls in 2015.

The Bill had been diluted thrice much to the disappointment of those who really believed in powerful and independent audit mechanism to straighten the public sector, sources said, faulting the Joint Opposition (JO) for not taking up the matter both in and outside Parliament.

A four-member Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising Dr Sarath Amunugama, Rauff Hakeem, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Ravi Karunanayake proposed amendments to the original Bill. Subsequently, it was sent to senior prime ministerial adviser Charitha Ratwatte for further examination and further amendments. Thereafter, twice amended Bill underwent further amendments severely inimical to the very purpose the Bill, according to sources. Accusing the Finance Ministry of proposing the most recent changes, sources said that the AG’s department felt that there was no point in making further representations to the government in this regard.

Asked whether the Auditor General’s Department had succumbed to political pressure to dilute the original Bill, sources said that the government had initially wanted to do away with or amend about 20 out of 57 sections in the Bill. Then there had been further amendments, sources said, alleging that an effort was made to subject the authority of the AG to that of the Audit Service Commission. However, even the National Audit Commission couldn’t function until the passage of the National Audit Bill, sources said.

There had been no reason for amending the original Bill as it was drafted by a top level committee headed by the Auditor General, officials said.

Sources alleged that th weakening of the Bill was contrary to an assurance given by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya at the AGM of Sri Lanka Audit Service Association on January 6. Addressing the gathering, Speaker Jayasuriya said that environment would be created soon to pave the way for the AG’s Department officers to serve the country fearlessly. Speaker Jayasuriya said that the Department’s role was indispensable in respect of work undertaken by the COPE as well as the Public Accounts Committee. The Speaker said that a survey had revealed that a staggering 40 per cent of taxpayers’ money spent on public projects was wasted.

Hate speech Myanmar monk banned from preaching by Buddhist council

Wirathu, who's been dubbed the "Buddhist bin Laden," has repeatedly used his speeches to verbally attack Muslims. The country's highest religious authority has banned his sermons for one year in a bid to calm tensions.

BBS Counterpart “Butcher Of Burma” Wirathu Banned From Delivering Sermons

11.03.2017

A committee from Myanmar's Buddhist authority, which includes the country's 47 most senior monks, confirmed the ban in a statement on Saturday.

The local Irrawaddy news site said the decision, which came into effect on Friday and lasts for 12 months, was intended to prevent monk Ashin Wirathu from spreading hate speech.

They warned the controversial monk that any breach of the order would lead to legal action.

Irrawaddy cited the statement as saying the 49-year-old's speeches were intended to cause communal strife and hinder the rule of law.

The country's highest Buddhist authority also accused him of taking sides with political parties to inflame tensions.

Widely supported

Wirathu is a member of the 969 Movement, an Islamophobic nationalist group of Buddhists known for verbally attacking Muslims in a majority Buddhist country where many worry about Islamic encroachment.

The digits 969 are said to symbolize the virtues of Buddha, Buddhist practices and the Buddhist community.

The monk is also linked to another nationalist group, Ma Ba Tha, which is behind the so-called race and religion protection laws, which human rights watchdogs see as a direct attack on religious minorities in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Persecution of Muslims

Wirathu has been blamed for inspiring sectarian violence in the western Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh, and is home to around one million Rohingya Muslims. He was dubbed the "Buddhist bin Laden," after the dead al Qaeda leader, for describing Muslims as "mad dogs" and "troublemakers."

In 2015, he called a United Nations official who criticized Myanmar's discrimination of Muslims a "whore," and recently used a Facebook post to praise the assassination of a top aide to Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto head of Myanmar's government. The aide, U Ko Ni, was Muslim.

Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar in recent years after being the target of sectarian violence

Rakhine has seen more than five years of conflict between Buddhist and Muslim communities, which culminated in a major crackdown on the Rohingya in late 2016 by the military and extremist Buddhist groups. The assault was launched to counter attacks on police camps by insurgents.

Human rights groups say several hundred people have been killed and have accused the military of wide-scale human rights violations.

138th Battle Of The Blues: Jolly Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Declares His Next Move Is To Stay In Power

March 12, 2017

A jolly Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declared that his next move is to stay in power.

He declared that in an interview on stage at the Stallions Tent on day three of the annual 138th Battle of the Blues at the SSC grounds yesterday.

Amidst the jolly banter and usual Royal – Thomian camaraderie displayed at the annual event, the cheerful Prime Minister contributed by leaving those present in stitches of laughter.

Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake was also present on stage.

One of the organizers briefly interviewed the joyous Royalist Prime Minister.

The question and answers of the brief interview is found below.

Question: Since you are the Prime Minister what will be your next move?
Answer: Next move is to stay in power

Question: What happened to the Wi-Fi balloon or google balloon?
Answer: Balloon will come, Wi-Fi will come everything will come.

Question: Someone said cant we put a condom and send the balloon up?
Answer: No men, we can’t put a condom and put it up because we don’t have enough kids that are coming out now.

Question: What is happening to your pre-election promise of bringing the previous regime members to justice? You promised to get this man in and that man in when you come to power. What is happening sir? What is going to happen to those that did harm to our beautiful country?

Answer: We are investigating, we are going to courts and we are allowing lawyers to make money. Lawyers have been our biggest supporters of our party so we can’t let them down.
Question: Will Sri Lanka ever come out of this rut and be a nation we can be proud of during your tenure?

A notable absentee at the match ending awards ceremony this year was Daham Sirisena the son of President Maithripala Sirisena. Unlike last year, this year’s awards distribution went ahead uninterrupted when Daham Sirisena got on stage uninvited and shook the hand of Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe. He was later ushered to a corner of the stage by one of the organizers.

“Thank god, the fucker stayed away this time unlike last year” said the same old Royalist who asked ” What the fuck was he doing up there?” last year. (By Janaka Ranaweera)

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Sri Lankans pay more bribes to Police: TI








2017-03

A survey carried out by the Transparency International (TI) in the Asia-Pacific region has revealed Sri Lankans pay more bribes to police. 

They survey results showed Sri Lanka has a bribery rate of 15 percent among 17 countries and its citizens frequently pay bribes to Police. It also said people pay bribes to public schools, courts and utility providers. 

The report titled “People and Corruption: Asia Pacific”, which was launched on Tuesday, has surveyed nearly 22,000 people in these countries about their experience with corruption and paying bribe during the last 12 months. 

The countries included India, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Myanmar, South Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

 Governments in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan, Mongolia, and Malaysia were perceived to be doing badly at fighting corruption by six in 10 of their citizens. 

However, around a half or more of people living in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand had said that their government was doing a good job. 

According to the results from the survey, Australia followed by Sri Lanka and Taiwan have done the best with the most positive ratings overall across the key corruption questions in the survey.

 “In these countries, few people felt that corruption was increasing, many people felt empowered to help fight against corruption and bribery rates were very or fairly low. However, even in these well performing countries, there were still areas for improvement such as poor ratings of government efforts to fight corruption (Australia and Taiwan) or a substantial minority of people who thought that the police were highly corrupt (Sri Lanka),” the survey said.

Sri Lanka: Can we afford free education for all?

Studying medicine is a life time commitment and a life time education process. If those who are attracted to this field are truly aware of this situation, I am sure, like in most developed countries, the students will opt out for different and versatile study programmes in biological sciences other than medicine.

by Prof. Chandrika Jayasinghe-Mar 12, 2017

( March 12, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) After basic needs such as air, food, water, clothes and shelter, education is the most important thing that a living being, particularly human beings need. Education is a life skill: At baseline level, it provides the person with basic life skills necessary for survival. Education is essential for virtually all types of occupations, and it makes the difference between being able to perform a job safely and accurately and being unable to perform a job well. Education makes a good citizen and enables people to contribute to their community, country and the world. Education will broaden the thinking pattern, communication ability, and also will teach the people about the rest of the world. Education is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for the exercise of all other human rights. Education will change the person’s ideology which will help to make a better world for all.

Sri Lanka Can we afford free education for all.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

‘Exchange to Change’: Making things happen

Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri addressing the International Human Resource Conference in Bangladesh

Monday, 13 March 2017

I was delighted to be the first Sri Lankan to be the keynote speaker at the International Human Resource Conference of Bangladesh. It was not only an opportunity to keep the Sri Lankan Flag high but also an occasion of connecting, communicating and collaborating.

The fitting theme for the highest ever attended HR conference of Bangladesh was ‘Exchange to Change’. In fact, I visited Bangladesh after ten years and saw the vast change that has taken place for better. Also how their cricketers, currently touring Sri Lanka, have come of age is a case in point. Today’s column is a reflection of change in the broader context of management. 

Overview 

As we are aware, change is the only permanent thing in the whole world. Not only everything is changing but the rate of change has also been accelerated. Do we like change? It says that the only person who loves change is a baby with a wet diaper. Change is uncomfortable. Human nature is such that there is resistance to move beyond comfort zones.

Renowned Novelist D.H. Lawrence puts this so vividly: “No one fears a new idea, what they fear is a new experience.” Telling is easy and doing is difficult. That’s why you need to drive change. There are many instances both local and overseas, where change initiatives have failed due to lack of leadership. 

Driving change for better

Whether we like it or not, change has become a necessity in an increasingly competitive world. As Charles Darwin said: “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change.” Whether you distinct or extinct will depend on how you respond to change. It can be a case of being a victor or a victim.

John Kotter, an authority on leadership and change, claims that 70% of the major change initiatives in organisations fail. Based on his findings, he has identified an eight-stage process for achieving successful change in an organisation.

According to Kotter, the first four steps in the transformation process help defrost a hardened status quo. “If change were easy, you wouldn’t need all that effort,” says he. Steps five to seven then introduce many new practices. The last stage grounds the changes in the corporate culture and helps make them stick.

Eight stage process

It is worthwhile to look into Kotter’s eight-stage process and to see its relevance to Sri Lankan managers. Let’s go step by step. 

Step 1: Establishing a sense of urgency

According to Kotter, establishing a sense of urgency is necessary to gaining the cooperation needed to drive a significant change effort. Most companies ignore this step – indeed close to 50% of the companies that fail to make needed change make their mistakes at the very beginning.

Leaders who understand the importance of a sense of urgency are good at taking the pulse of their company and differentiating between complacency, false urgency and true urgency. For those that determine that true urgency is insufficient – and it often is – there are some tried and true approaches to developing it and one way that is almost certainly doomed to failure.

Sri Lankan managers, the way I see, have somewhat been successful in establishing a sense of urgency. 

Step 2: Creating the guiding coalition

No one person, no matter how competent, is capable of singlehandedly doing the vital things. These include developing the right vision, communicating it to vast numbers of people, eliminating all of the key obstacles, generating short term wins, leading and managing dozens of change projects and anchoring new approaches deep in an organisation’s culture. Putting together the right coalition of people to lead a change initiative is critical to its success.

Sri Lankan managers also face with the dilemma of selecting the right people in driving change. Sometimes such guiding coalitions have acted as true catalysts in ensuring change whilst others have ended up being catastrophic. We have many examples for both of the above cases.

Step 3: Developing a change vision

A clear vision serves three important purposes, says Kotter. First, it simplifies hundreds or thousands of more detailed decisions. Second, it motivates people to take action in the right direction even if the first steps are painful. Third, it helps to coordinate the actions of different people in a remarkably fast and efficient way. A clear and powerful vision will do far more than an authoritarian decree or micromanagement can ever hope to accomplish.

With regard to the Sri Lankan scenario, we can see a growing awareness of the need to have a clear vision. Multinationals and blue-chip conglomerates are spearheading the move in being more strategic. However, forming a vision is just one step. Sharing of it and getting the required support for it from all concerned is the thing that needs major improvements. 

Step 4: Communicating the vision for buy-in

Gaining an understanding and commitment to a new direction is never an easy task, especially in complex organisations. As Kotter observes, under-communication and inconsistency are rampant. Both create stalled transformations.

Sri Lankan managers are no better. We see major communication gaps in the areas of getting the buy-in for change initiatives. Every human being is interested in knowing how a new initiative can impact him/her. Some of the recent protests by several segments of the local society are a clear indication of this aspect not properly taking place.

Step 5: Empowering people and removing barriers

Kotter says that empowering employees involves addressing four major obstacles: structures, skills, systems and supervisors. Structural barriers are often the internal structures of companies work as cross-purposes to the change vision. An organisation that claims to want to be customer focused finds its structures fragment resources and responsibilities for products and services.

Realigning incentives and performance appraisals to reflect the change vision can have a profound effect on the ability to accomplish the change vision, observes Kotter. Management information systems can also have a big impact on the successful implementation of a change vision.

Another barrier to effective change can be troublesome supervisors. Often these managers have dozens of interrelated habits that add up to a style of management that inhibits change. They may not actively undermine the effort, but they are simply not “wired” to go along with what the change requires. Sri Lanka has got them in abundance. 

Step 6: Generating short-term wins

According to Kotter, for leaders in the middle of a long-term change effort, short-term wins are essential. Running a change effort without attention to short-term performance is extremely risky. The Guiding Coalition becomes a critical force in identifying significant improvements than can happen between six and 18 months. Getting these wins helps ensure the overall change initiative’s success. Research shows that companies that experience significant short-term wins by fourteen and twenty-six months after the change initiative begins are much more likely to complete the transformation.

As we have seen in Sri Lanka, short-term wins also tend to undermine cynics and self-serving resistors. Clear improvements in performance make it difficult for people to block the needed change. Likewise, these wins will garner critical support from those higher than the folks leading the change (bosses, board and shareholders). Finally, short-term wins have a way of building momentum that turns neutral people into supporters, and reluctant supporters into active helpers. 

Step 7: Never letting up

Emphasis here is to use increased credibility to change systems, structures and policies that do not fit the vision. It also included hiring, promoting and developing employees who can implement the vision. Reinvigorate the process with new projects, themes, and change agents are a matter of priority.

In Sri Lanka we are mostly starters and not finishers. The relatively higher number of foundation stones compared to the completion plaques is one such evidence. Constant focus in driving change towards success is what we should do more. 

Step 8: Incorporating changes into the culture

Culture is how people collectively behave with shared norms and values. Gert Hofstede, the veteran Dutch anthropologist calls it “collective mental programming”. Articulation of the connections between the new behaviours and organisational success is the essential requirement here. The need to develop the means to ensure leadership development and succession also occupies high prominence.

This also is a significant area for improvement for Sri Lankan managers. I have personally witnessed many instances how a massive change initiative dies down in the face of a leadership change. The crux of the change has not planted in the organisational culture and as such when people come and go, change initiatives also will be shortlived. The sure cure is to develop awareness and conduct attitudinal training in order to embed the change in the culture. 

Way forward

Change invites you to move beyond a comfort zone. It applies to individuals, interactive teams and also to institutions. Both in the private and public sectors, change has become simply a necessity. How effective we are in creating change and sustaining the impact remains to be seen. 

(Prof. Ajantha S. Dharmasiri can be reached through director@pim.sjp.ac.lk, president@ipmlk.org, ajantha@ou.edu or www.ajanthadharmasiri.info.) 

My SAITM Story

By Chapani Radhika Kandanaarachchi –March 12, 2017

Chapani Radhika Kandanaarachchi

Living in a society where more and more people are misled everyday by the false information being spread, I wish not to remain silent anymore.

I am a third-year medical student following my undergraduate degree at SAITM and a former student of Royal Institute international school, Nugegoda.

In the year of 2014, I entered SAITM with the entry qualifications of 4A*s for my Cambridge A Level examination, also having received the Best in Sri Lanka awards for my Cambridge O level (2012), and Cambridge AS Level (2013) results. Everyone who has known me, my parents, teachers, relatives as well as my friends, are aware of the amount of effort and passion I have towards what I do and it still, onto this day remain unceased.

Due to astounding amounts of bogus information being spread in the country by various parties, the students of SAITM are labelled as a bunch of underqualified, untalented and aimless individuals who have no right whatsoever to follow their career in medicine. For people like us, who have spent our whole lives focusing on nothing but our future goals, is it morally right to mentally torment us with such accusations? Our country stands out from all other prestigious and well developed nations in this world as free education is provided to her children without any discrimination. However, it is a well-known fact that the state universities ONLY enroll students passing out from Sri Lankan government schools. Therefore, for individuals who pass out from international schools, sometimes with better results than the ones already enrolled in government universities, do they not deserve a bright future?

I had countless opportunities to travel abroad and follow my degree in medicine, even at a cheaper cost, but I decided NOT to. It is not a hidden fact, that the parents of the foreign students are worried sick as to what might become of their children after sending them off to a completely new land, where there is no known kin and they have to learn foreign languages from the scratch even to communicate with the people. So, is it not wise that I decided to stay in my MOTHER COUNTRY, pay money to my own country, speak to my patients in my mother language, to go home every day knowing my parents will always be there to love and support me and always be under their direct protection?

Nothing ever starts perfect, everything grows to perfection only with time and effort. SAITM is undoubtedly a place that opened doors for many talented and innocent children in Sri Lanka, and it will one day contribute greatly to the education system of the country, if enough opportunities are given. Therefore, isn’t holding hands with us to improve any shortcomings the right thing to do now, rather than trying to destroy the futures of so many young, gifted individuals? We are children who have the potential to contribute to the well-being of our nation and children who can one day blossom to be great doctors, just like any other graduate from state faculties. So why not give us a chance to grow? If the citizens of our own mother land are trying to drag us down, who should we really TRUST?

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H1N1 influenza spreads in the North ! 65 of the 400 patients confirmed as suffering from it !

-Hospitals in North have no facilities to examine the virus

(Lanka-e-News - 08.March.2017, 11.30PM)   As many as about  600 patients suspected of having contracted H1N1 influenza in the northern province have been detected , Northern province health minister  Dr. P.Sathyalingam  revealed . The largest number of such patients are from Kilinochchi  district ,and 244 patients are warded in that hospital , and among them 80 are pregnant women , he added.

When the blood and phlegm samples were sent to Colombo for medical examination  , it has been reported 37 of them are truly suffering form H1N1 influenza with the H1N1 virus having entered their  bodies. 

According to reports from Colombo , 65 of the patients have contracted the H1N1 influenza . However , as there are no facilities in the hospitals in the North to carry out medical examinations on this virus , it is not possible to say for certain how many are suffering from this disease. Following the rumors that this disease is widespread in the North  a large  number of OPD patients thronged the hospitals to take treatment , and per day there are about 1200 such patients .Consequently the hospital staff are experiencing gave difficulties to meet the needs of the patients , the minister pointed out.

(In the photograph are foreign youths offering voluntary service to treat the H1N1 influenza patients.)

By Dinasena Rathugamage
Translated by Jeff

---------------------------
by     (2017-03-08 23:08:26)

Rajitha alleges plot to remove him

Mar 12, 2017

Health minister Rajitha Senaratne alleges the Tobacco Company and the mafia in drug importation are plotting to remove him from his position.

The joint opposition and the JVP are indirectly supporting that conspiracy, he charges.

He was addressing a function at Payagala yesterday (11) where a gym was opened at Maggona stadium under the health ministry’s programme to prevent non-communicable diseases. Under the programme, the ministry will provide Rs. 20 million each to establish a gym.

Senaratne said some did not approve of the health ministry’s programme, and that without stopping there, they even disrupt it. Even doctors are against the reduction in eye lenses and drug prices as they will lose privileges they receive from companies. He assured that despite whatever disruptions came in his way, he would not stop working for the benefit of the patients.

134 years of criminalization is enough

2017-03-13

Ceylon’s colonization by the British rule had a sizeable impact on what we now deem as cultural and social norms in Sri Lanka today. When the British established themselves in this country, they brought in their morals and culture which contrasted dramatically with what we Sri Lankans practised pre-colonization. With colonization, the British forced upon us Victorian Christian morals and laws and almost completely wiped out our own social and governance structures without any consultation with the local population!  
One such law, the British brought in 1883 and which still exists today, is Sections 365 and 365A of the Penal Code which criminalizes homosexual sex as “Unnatural offences and gross indecency between persons”. In its original form, the Penal Code only spoke of male homosexuality referring to any male person… with another male person.   

"They are bullied and discriminated in schools verbally, physically, emotionally and sexually by older children or staff members. They are often expelled from schools or forced to quit due to the extreme bullying. Family members and others verbally, physically, emotionally and sexually abuse them and discriminate against them often punishing them with beatings and rape"

These provisions are very similar to the Penal Codes of India, Singapore, Zambia and Fiji all former colonies. In 1995, 365A of the Penal Code was amended and the word ‘male’replaced with the word ’person’thus including both LGBTIQ and non-LGBTIQ persons within the purview of this law.   
The actual meaning of the words Carnal Intercourse against the order of nature and acts of gross indecency is yet to be determined and the law remains a vague and ambiguous piece of legislature. What exactly constitutes Carnal Intercourse against the order of nature? Using a condom for example while engaging in intercourse (even heterosexual) is technically against the order of nature, but is this a criminal offence? Would a man having anal intercourse with his spouse be committing an act of gross indecency? Should the State be allowed into our bedroom to force upon us, extreme conservative structures that dictate who we love and how we love?  
Since Independence, no person has been convicted under Sections 365 and 365A but the very existence of these laws has given society, law enforcement and government the authority to violate the rights of LGBTIQ persons with impunity.   
This is a little picture of what LGBTIQ persons go through on a daily basis. They are bullied and discriminated in schools verbally, physically, emotionally and sexually by older children or staff members. They are often expelled from schools or forced to quit due to the extreme bullying. Family members and others verbally, physically, emotionally and sexually abuse them and discriminate against them often punishing them with beatings and rape. They are forced into heterosexual marriages which are particularly traumatizing for lesbians as they are sexually abused throughout their marriage They are routinely arrested with no charges and are sexually and financially exploited, blackmailed and in many instances subject to sexual abuse and beaten by police officers.

Job opportunities are a few and far between. Those who have been unable to finish schooling due to harassment and bullying particularly, face issues finding employment due to their lack of qualifications. Once employed, many of them are often verbally, physically, emotionally and/or sexually harassed if they are found to be LGBTI or Q. In many instances, they are sacked from their jobs for no apparent reason other than their sexual orientation or gender identity or their perceived sexual orientation. When seeking health care, they are often treated with disrespect and are subject to rudeness and name-calling, long waits until all the heterosexual persons have been seen by the doctors and so on. Walking on the street or using public restrooms are very difficult to many of LGBTIQ persons. They very often fall prey to verbal, physically, emotional, and sexual harassment and violence.   

"This has been the norm for the past 134 years. Enough is enough! It is time Sri Lanka moved into the future with dignity and pride and embraced diversity. We are all citizens of this country. We all deserve to live in freedom and dignity without being criminalized for who we love"

These are just some of the violations and discrimination that take place. All these examples have been reported to ‘Equal Ground’, the only organisation advocating for the LGBTIQ community in Sri Lanka. However, it is only the tip of the iceberg, as most LGBTIQ persons here hide their sexual orientation and gender identity and refuse to complain about their abuse. In fact, even the few out and proud LGBTIQ persons mostly do not report their experiences, their discrimination and abuse because they fear reprisals. Those who have had the courage to report their issues have often faced retribution for daring to speak.  
It is interesting to note that although the law criminalizes any person; if they are found to be suspected of Carnal Intercourse against the order of nature and acts of gross indecency it is common practice in Sri Lanka to only view homosexuality as a crime and not heterosexuality! While the human rights of every single LGBTIQ person in this country are being violated, the Govt cites culture and social norms to continue to  outlaw the LGBTIQ community and continue the vicious cycle of homophobia, violence and discrimination. This has been the  norm for the past 134 years. Enough is enough! It is time Sri Lanka moved into the future with dignity and pride and embraced diversity. We are all citizens of this country. We all deserve to live in freedom and dignity without being criminalized for who we love. 

 

No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they could learn to hate, they could be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. 

-Nelson Mandela  

New World, New Policy

by Michael Czinkota-Mar 13, 2017

( March 13, 2017, Washington DC, Sri Lanka Guardian) We have often heated discussions on trade policy shifts. To make reasonable arguments, we must consider that the fundamental composition of trade has been changing. For example, from the 1960s to 1990s, the trade role of primary commodities has declined precipitously while in parallel, the importance of manufactured goods has increased. This has meant that those countries and workers who had specialized in commodities such as rubber or mining typically fell behind those that had embarked on strengthening their manufacturing sector. With sharply declining world market prices for commodities and rising prices for manufactured goods, commodity producers were increasingly unable to keep pace. Some commodity-dependent countries realized temporary windfalls as prices of oil, wheat, and corn rose dramatically, only to watch them evaporate as prices dropped in 2009.

More recently, there has been a shift in manufacturing to nations which are newly emerging in the world market as both customers and suppliers. In the mid-1800s, manufacturing accounted for about 17 percent of employment in the United States. This proportion grew to almost 30 percent by the 1960s, only to decline at a rising rate. In mid-2009, U.S. manufacturing employment fell to 9 percent, with the loss of some 2 million manufacturing jobs in the recession. The decline continues until 2014. Despite this loss in employment, the U.S. manufacturing industry is in the process of significant transformation as productivity gains and skills upgrading have created a leaner and more skilled manufacturing workforce. We need to consider that due to innovation a smaller sized workforce can manufacture more and better products. For example, U.S. value-added manufacturing output has been increasing even though there have not been major increases in employment or number of facilities. The U.S. share of global manufacturing output has remained stable at about 25 percent over the past two decades.

Manufacturing changes during that time were not confined to the United States. In the past 30 years, German manufacturing employment has dropped by 13 percentage points, while in Japan the decrease was 6.5 percentage points. Such shifts in employment reflect a transfer of manufacturing away from traditional manufacturers toward the emerging economies. During the times of large decline in the United States, Germany, and Japan, the proportion manufacturing of gross domestic product (GDP) has more than doubled in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, helping their economies and global participation grow. Considering the large scale of benefits that so have been transferred, it is sensible to ask whether such economic transfers need to continue to be subsidized by the United States and other key industrialized nations. In an era of freedom and global opportunity most countries should be able to use their own resources to support their growth, and understand the possible disadvantages emanating from trade or investment overhangs.

Professor Michael Czinkota (czinkotm@georgetown.edu) , Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business, Washington D.C. and Kent Business School, Canterbury, U.K. Key book: International Marketing, 10th edition, Cengage

Ramallah protesters clash with police over security coordination

Demonstrators gathered in protest over coordination between Israeli and Palestinian forces, a highly controversial issue for many Palestinians

Palestinian Authority forces clash with demonstrators outside the Ramallah court (MEE / Elia Ghorbiah)

Sunday 12 March 2017

A demonstration against the trial of a prominent anti-occupation figure who was killed by Israeli forces this week turned violent in the West Bank capital of Ramallah on Sunday morning, with dozens of people reported injured.

Palestinian Authority security forces used batons, sound and gas bombs and Tasers to break up a demonstration against the trial of Basil al-Araj, who was killed during an Israeli raid in the West Bank earlier in the week.

Araj was one of six Palestinians arrested by PA forces in April 2016, accused of carrying unlicensed weapons to carry out attacks on Israelis.

He and the five other men had been waiting to face trial when Araj was killed.

A court in Ramallah said on Sunday that charges against Araj had been "terminated" due to his death, but the five others, who are being held in Israeli prisons, will be tried on 30 April in a postponed hearing.

Demonstrators gathered on Sunday morning outside the court that issued the decision, following a hearing at which all of the accused were not present. 

Araj's father was among those taken to hospital following Sunday's clashes, along with lawyer Farid al-Atrash and a number of journalists who were covering the demonstration.

Local television channel Palestine Today said its equipment had been smashed, although no details were given.

Four people were arrested, including Khader Adnan, a leader of the group Islamic Jihad who has been imprisoned by Israel on ten separate occasions.

There have been no reports of injures among members of the PA security forces.

Security coordination between Israeli forces and the PA is a highly controversial issue for many in the West Bank, and demonstrators chanted slogans calling for an end to the practice.

Protesters held up signs calling the PA forces "spies" and criticising the authority for "handing over" Palestinian suspects to Israel to face trial.

South Korea's disgraced Park leaves Blue House, says truth will out

Protesters hold candles as they celebrate the impeachment of South Korea's ousted leader Park Geun-hye at a rally in Seoul, South Korea, March 11, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon--A supporter of South Korea's ousted leader Park Geun-hye attends a protest in Seoul, South Korea, March 11, 2017. The sign reads 'Impeachment is void'. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Supporters of South Korea's ousted leader Park Geun-hye march on a street during a protest in Seoul, South Korea, March 11, 2017.REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji--A woman wrapped in a banner featuring a picture of South Korea's ousted leader Park Geun-hye attends a rally supporting her in Seoul, South Korea, March 11, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

By Ju-min Park and Hyunjoo Jin | SEOUL

Disgraced South Korean leader Park Geun-hye left the presidential Blue House on Sunday, two days after a court dismissed her over a corruption scandal, facing life as a private citizen and the possibility of jail.

Park struck a defiant tone upon arriving at her private home in the Gangnam district of the capital, Seoul, after leaving the Blue House compound in a motorcade of fast-driving black cars, flanked by police motorbikes.

"I feel sorry that I could not finish the mandate given to me as president," a spokesman for Park, member of parliament Min Kyung-wook, quoted her as saying.

"It will take time, but I believe the truth will be revealed," Park said in her first public comments since her dismissal.

She accepted responsibility for the events that culminated in the Constitutional Court on Friday upholding a parliamentary impeachment vote over an influence-peddling scandal that has shaken the political and business elite.

"I take responsibility for the outcome of all this," Min quoted her as saying.

Park, 65, is South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced from office.

A snap presidential election will be held by May 9.

Her dismissal followed months of political paralysis and turmoil over the scandal that also landed the head of the Samsung conglomerate in jail and facing trial.

The crisis has coincided with rising tension with North Korea and anger from China over the deployment in South Korea of a U.S. missile-defence system.

Throngs of flag-waving supporters crowded the street outside Park's home as she arrived there about 30 minutes after leaving the presidential palace.

She waved through her car's tinted window as it inched its way down the street, with security men in suits walking alongside.

She stepped out smiling, the public's first glimpse of her since her dismissal, and greeted supporters.

'JUSTICE, COMMON SENSE'

Park's ouster marked a dramatic fall from grace for South Korea's first woman president and daughter of Cold War military dictator Park Chung-hee.

It was not the first time she has had to leave the Blue House compound of traditional-style buildings at the foot of a hill in Seoul.

In 1979, after a nine-day funeral following the assassination of her father, the young Park left the Blue House with her siblings for a family home. She had been acting first lady after her mother was shot and killed in an earlier failed assassination attempt on her father.

Now, having lost presidential immunity, she could face criminal charges over bribery, extortion and abuse of power in connection with allegations of conspiring with her friend, Choi Soon-sil.

Both women denied wrongdoing.

The liberal politician likely to become the next president, Moon Jae-in, promised to work for justice and common sense.

"We still have a long way to go. We have to make this a country of justice, of common sense through regime change," Moon, who advocates reconciliation with North Korea, told a news conference.

Moon is leading in opinion polls, which show South Koreans are likely to throw out the conservatives after nearly a decade in power and turn to a liberal leader.

Moon called on Park to publicly accept the court ruling.

Park's dismissal has exposed fault lines in a society long divided by Cold War politics.

Thousands of Park's jubilant opponents celebrated in Seoul on Saturday, where they have been gathering every weekend for months, and demanded that she be arrested.

The former president's conservative supporters also took to the streets not far away, though fewer in number.

Police were out in force but there was no trouble.

On Friday, two Park supporters were killed as they tried to break through police lines outside the court, shortly after the verdict.

One was believed to have had a heart attack and the other died as the Park supporters attacked police buses. A third, a man aged 74, suffered a heart attack and died on Saturday.

(Additonal reporting by Suyeong Lee and Jack Kim; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Stephen Coates and Mark Potter)