IGP Koloma (eccentric) goes berserk ! scolds OIC in raw filth ; assaults lift operator with fists and feet ; police discipline crashes to zero level !!

(Lanka-e-News -21.April.2017, 5.00PM)   Sri Lanka’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Poojitha Jayasundara who is already dubbed as the Imbecile General of Police (IGP)  owing to his eccentricities  and insanity fits even while engaged in his duties , is fast transforming the Police department into   a lunatic asylum by dismantling the police discipline deliberately on a scale never before witnessed in the police force under any other IGP.

 Another incident of the series which confirms this pathetic odious trend  was reported on the 21 st. It is a pity the IGP who should be exemplary and  be a boon has become a bane to the entire country.

The IGP issued an order that all police officers should perform meditation every morning from 8.30 to 8.45 under the program  code Name 2553 .However because an orthodox Christian IP Ludowyke failed to carry out this instruction , the Imbecile General of Police  Poojitha the eccentric (Police Koloma) has scolded Ludowyke in raw  filth even insulting Ludowyke’s mother  on the 11 th.

Ludowyke is the OIC of the anti narcotics division and a most law abiding officer. Ludowyke being an orthodox burgher and not a hypocritical humbug  was honestly engaged in his official duties at his office as usual  during the meditation time set by the eccentric IGP . The latter who is prone to insanity fits even during office hours  , had barged into Ludowyke’s office , to scream at him like a lunatic let loose. ‘Aren’t you meditating?’ the Imbecile general of police Poojitha  had  inquired in a rage and abused him in unalloyed filth .

Ludowyke who was most shocked had questioned   ,’ Sir , I am a Catholic .So why are you forcing me to meditate ?’ The IGP  who was then  provoked even more , had most insolently shouted and barked  ‘I don’t care what religion you belong to , you dog , do the meditation as I have directed. ’

Ludowyke who could not bear the humiliation he was subjected to before his subordinates in the open  by  the Imbecile General of Police, was hospitalized due to his blood pressure shooting up.

Every citizen has a right to practice his religion freely and unhindered under the constitution . Besides hurting  the religious susceptibilities of any citizen is a most grievous offence . Therefore this IGP has violated the constitution most  outrageously and brazenly . The next pertinent and paramount question is , can the IGP who committed such a serious offence  be allowed to continue in his post without being taken to task ? 

Prior to scolding and insulting Ludowyke , on the same day this Imbecile General of Police has assaulted the minor employee M. Samarakoon Banda ,the lift operator ruthlessly in a manner never before any other IGP had , for not meditating. This mad maverick  of an IGP has caught Banda by the collar and attacked him with his fists and feet .

It is learnt those who were around had videotaped the incident. No matter what, this is a most peculiar ‘Buddhism’ mania  which even true Buddhism will not condone.

Be that as it may , it is the most paramount duty of those in the higher echelons of the state to take a serious view of this situation , in which  a mad maverick alias IGP of a country is on a rampage insulting , berating  and assaulting innocents because they are not carrying out his so called meditation. In fact meditation is meant to inculcate  calm and composure whereas this bird brained  mad hatter is in a state of agitation while talking about meditation like a mentally deranged  individual. Lord Buddha must be turning cartwheels inside the grave over the actions of this  maniacal and mentally deranged imbecile General of police who does not know true Buddhist tenets and true goals of meditation , yet forcing others to meditate  . 

This conduct or rather misconduct of the IGP , is causing a total breakdown of  discipline in  the Police which is already  fast crumbling .

Here is another incident that bears testimony to this disintegration of police discipline because of this eccentric … 

Recently Ludowyke who earlier  fell victim to the insanity fits of mad maverick IGP was conducting an anti  narcotics division training class . High rung officers :  the  acting director of the division , Siyambalapitiya , ASP , and Jagath Rohan ASP too were in the class.

Ludowyke rightly mounted  an allegation against a most corrupt senior officer  , Rangajeewa of the anti narcotics division who was also attending the class .Ludowyke pointed out  ,by sending  the officers under Rangajeewa on official duties without informing Ludowyke the OIC , discipline cannot be maintained. Rangajeewa the notorious officer has at once stood up and furiously insulted and abused OIC Ludowyke in filth before all the superior officers , while  also recalling  , ‘not enough the shelling you got from the IGP the other day.’ 

In other words Rangajeewa the corrupt officer has followed the example  set by the imbecile  IGP . Unbelievably the two high rung officers Siyambalapitiya and Rohana have behaved like two castrated eunuchs still groaning in pain following the castration and therefore unable to concentrate  on what is going around. Instead of taking disciplinary action against the inferior officer for scolding the superior officer in filth in public , they had mid way left the training class.

No wonder the police discipline has dropped to zero because  a lunatic   IGP is at its helm . It is because of his lunatic  and maniacal obsessions that even the abbreviation standing for  IGP will have to be necessarily changed into Imbecile General of Police as long as he holds that post. If anybody assumes Poojitha  can discharge his duties towards the public duly ,that individual is laboring under a delusion.

In the circumstances , let us conclude with this warning : If the law and order minister , the Police Commission , the president , the prime Minister , and the constitutional council that appoints an IGP do not review  this situation most seriously and urgently , worse mishaps and destruction are in store in the Police force to the detriment if he entire country!

Post scriptum :
This IGP (Imbecile General of Police) alias Police Koloma (eccentric) recently cursed Lanka e news editor for exposing all his egregious sins , wrongs and eccentricities . He openly exclaimed the editor must be struck by lightning 7 times , and the police officers who pass information out a 14 times. 

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by     (2017-04-21 11:46:27)

Political Garbage

Featured image courtesy Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte

HILMY AHAMED on 04/21/2017

The Meethotamulla tragedy has brought back the politics of garbage to every screen, newspaper and radio. Street protests are happening around every garbage dump. Modern day popular communication technologies have taken over and they broadcast or stream live coverage of the tragedy with first hand information and drama. There is ample blame being apportioned on the current Government and regretfully, most of the current politicians including those who oppose Government policies have been the elite that governed during the last three decades when garbage was piling up all over Sri Lanka.

Like everything else in our beautiful land, the tragedy of 32 deaths has become the propelling slogan for the ‘focusless’ or visionless Opposition. Their dying Central Bank scandal theme is being replaced by the “kunukanda”. It is indeed a joke that Udaya Gammanpila who is chastising his former partner in crime Minister Champika Ranawake for the environmental disaster, when he himself held the position of Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority. Dinesh Gunawardene, one of the sons of Philip Gunawardena, the Lion of Boralugoda, castigates the Government for not resolving the garbage issue when his own brother was the Mayor of Colombo in 2002. The hypocrisy of the political bankruptcy of current day politicians needs no further evidence. It is sensational slogans and not the country’s progress that matter to these failing politicians. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is probably still on Avurudu mode as we have not seen them on the streets yet. It may be that the Meethotamulla victims are just a few hundred families and don’t mean much as a vote base for them, but for the Joint Opposition, its a slogan generating opportunity.

Garbage could be turned in to a much more productive commodity than our political hypocrites. Garbage could be worth its weight in gold for the environment if recycled but it has been prevented due to the corruption of the political mafia that controls it. This waste could also take us towards a green economy that will save our environment and agriculture, helping us to produce much sought after organic foods. The tug of war to apportion blame for refusing the many offers of support from various countries to manage and recycle the waste has become breaking news in media. We also heard of huge corruption in recent media reports that Meethotamulla had a number of backhoes in operation 24 hours a day at the rate of Rs.8000 an hour. That amounts to a cool Rs. 70,080,000 per backhoe per year. The cost of a brand new backhoe is probably in the region of $ 85,000 or Rs. 12,750,000. That means Meethotamulla could buy at least 5 Backhoes for the price paid to hire one during a year. This again shows how dirty and corrupt our politicians could become even in managing dirt. The world’s best Finance Minister and the Municipal Council should start counting figures before money is being spent on hiring backhoes through their party henchmen. No wonder, the few politicians who tried to visit Meethotamulla were booed at, and fortunately not thrown to the garbage dump.

President Sirisena, once again dismisses everything his Government has committed. Earlier, it was announced that each damaged house could claim up to Rs. 2.5 Million and each of the dead persons would be compensated with Rs. 100,000  along with funeral expenses. Now he retracts that decision, saying there was no such decision by the Government. Is there any minister or administrative officer who can commit to spend such a large amount of state funds without Cabinet or Parliamentary approval? Isn’t it hypocritical for the President to sit as the Head of the Cabinet, sign off on the decision, return on Media and say no such decision was made? Is he playing a game of cheap politics?

Garbage is an insurmountable problem in every nation across the world. The smoky mountain in Manila, Philippines or the Favela of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil are good examples of the good, bad and the ugly of garbage and slum dwelling. While millions survive on garbage, millions die too due to the sanitary hell they live in. The garbage dumps in many developing or less developed countries have thousands self-employed in recycling waste. Little children swarm on the dirt carrying trucks to pick up plastic, iron, paper and whatever is recyclable. They even consume discarded scraps of food they could find. While this informal industry cleans up most of the waste, unfortunately, the hard to decay plastic (like sirisiri bags) are left behind and will remain in its present form for many years.

The Three R’s, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, all help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. They conserve natural resources, landfill space, and energy. The concept is nothing new to rural Sri Lanka. In the absence of garbage collection by local authorities in remote areas, it is often dumped in a pit at the back of the house. In time, these rural folk, who are mainly engaged in agriculture, have realized the potential of producing their own manure. Of course, when we progress, machines take over clearing of waste, and space has become the biggest problem for dumping waste. With the ever-growing population, there is very little space to dump all the garbage we produce.

‘Kolomba Kunu Apata Epa’

The city of Colombo has a population of approximately 550,000 inhabitants. There is a daily floating population of approximately another 500,000 and Colombo collects waste of 1.1 million people daily. If you take the district of Colombo, the figure is 3 Million people. The estimated waste collected is 800 metric tons. Do we have enough dumping space in Colombo for all the waste that is generated? From where does the floating population come? Who contributes to half the waste generated in Colombo? They are the migrant workers from the suburbs who commute to Colombo on a daily basis. They are the ones who are now challenge the movement of waste from Colombo to the suburbs.

At least 80% of the garbage that gets collected in the dumps could be productively recycled. They could create high value through the production of bio gas that could be used for motor vehicles and cooking, produce all the fertilisers locally without importing the kidney failure causing chemical fertilizers, help produce organic food which is internationally sought after and help increase the bio diversity of the country. This could be a viable environmentally friendly industry for people who are trying to save the Environment by ousting humans from their original and rightful homes.

The global recycling industry, which has a target of recycling 70% of waste, is a 410 billion US Dollar business. This might trigger some thinking around the entrepreneurial brains to cash in on the garbage. Meethotamulla and all other garbage dumps in the country could be turned to gold by using modern recycling concepts. Further, clean energy fetches a higher price in most countries, and Sri Lanka should follow the same.

Maldives forces its tourists to take back their non-recyclable waste back with them to their home countries. It is a welcome sight to see airlines handing over refuse bags to its passengers and the waste is carried back free of charge. Colombo too may have to start a similar project. If the residents follow the 3R concept, we may be able to address this garbage menace more effectively.

Meethotamulla disaster and political apathy

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe recently visited those displaced by the Meetotamulla garbage dump tragedy upon his return from official visits to Japan and Vietnam. 

By Prof. O. A. Illeperuma-April 21, 2017, 8:54 pm 

Last year I wrote a piece (Island May 24, 2016) on the danger of disposing garbage in open dumps such as the one at Meethotamulla and the immediate need to go for a sanitary landfill. While people in the vicinity of Meethotamulla have been agitating, picketing and clashing with the police, the government adopted the easy wait-and-see approach. Now the worst has happened and the government should wake up from its deep slumber and as a matter of national priority should go ahead with the construction of a sanitary landfill. It was Mr. KaruJayasuriya who as the Mayor of Colombo had the foresight to understand the seriousness of the garbage disposal problem. He initiated the construction of a sanitary landfill with World Bank assistance. The site at Alupotha, Meepe was selected by specialist scientists after carefully studying the topography, underlying soil type, proximity to densely populated areas and possible effects on sensitive ecosystems. However this entire project was to be funded by the World Bank and after haggling for five years from 1995 to 1999 and even after awarding the tender to a Chinese company for US$ 800 million the project was abandoned in 1999.Main reason given was the objections raised by the Parliamentarians representing the Avissawella area and also various NGOs who instigated the residents of the area to protest against this move. However, the exact reasons for dumping this project are best known to the politicians at the top who decided on abandoning the project without giving a valid reason.

As I pointed out in my earlier letter, there is a risk of an explosion in this kind of waste dumps due to accidental fires where there is excessive build-up of methane due to the decomposition of organic matter under oxygen poor (anaerobic) conditions in the marsh. In fact, methane is popularly known as marsh gas generated from paddy fields and marshes under water logged conditions. Several years ago, there was a massive fire at the Bloemendhal garbage dump and it kept on burning for about a week.Finally only rains extinguished this fire. Even a lighted cigarette end is enough to ignite a massive fire which will burn inside the waste dump. When fire fighters tried to extinguish the fire it appeared at some other end of the dump. Recent landslides in waste dumps in Ethiopia and Philippines have been attributed to explosions caused by burning methane gas. At Meethotamulla this is the most likely cause and television footage clearly shows a part of the fire. It is unlikely that, unlike a mountain of soil, excessive rain can cause such a massive upheaval.

Open dumping of garbage in low-lying marshes is the least desirable way to dispose waste. Besides using valuable land near urban centres, open dumps can pollute land, air and water, pose fire hazards and create unsightly nuisances, breed mosquitoes, flies and rats. During the major fire at Bloemendhal waste dump, a large number of residents had to seek medical attention owing to a plethora of respiratory illnesses. Developed countries always use sanitary landfills to dispose garbage where at the end of each day a thin layer of soil is applied and compacted. There is no undesirable smell nor any chance of mosquito breeding. The leachate from the landfill gosthrough treatment plant to destroy any bacteria and only pure water is fed into the surroundings. Since these landfills are lined with heavy duty polythene, there is no danger of contaminating the water table.

Increased affluence results in the generation of more waste, particularly non-biodegradable matter. An average American produces 1000 times more non-biodegradable waste than an average Indian. In Sri Lanka too with the increases in per capita income and affluence we produce much more garbage in the form of plastic containers, food packaging, water bottles and these simply increases the bulk of waste that the municipalities have to deal with.

The modern approach to waste management is the 3R method meaning, reuse, recover and recycle hierarchy. Incentives should be given to reuse polythene bags. In the UK, customers often bring older shopping bags during grocery shopping for which they are paid 5 pennies. Similarly, children should be educated on the dangers of polythenes and plastics. They can be encouraged to provide used polythene bags when their parents do the shopping. School curriculum should include modules on waste management.

Waste should be considered as a resource rather than a nuisance. The polythene content of our waste is rapidly increasing and if burnable waste can be segregated at the source of collection then incineration is the best option to produce power. Wet garbage consisting of waste food and other organic materials can be used to generate biogas again suitable for producing power. Similarly there are many recyclable materials such as polythene, iron, aluminium, tin, newspaper and glass. Electronic waste is a major problem with respect to its disposal and is a veritable source of precious metals such as gold and silver in addition to lead. Also, a majority of its electrical components can be removed and resold. In other countries there are specialised firms dealing with the recovery of resources from waste.

In order to solve the garbage problem, a paradigm shift is necessary about the way every citizen thinks about garbage. The present attitude of "out of sight, out of mind" approach will have to change if we ever have to solve this problem. Even city dwellers can easily have a compost bin to make compost and use it to grow at least a few vegetable plants. In Kandy, the municipality has ruled that non-biodegradable materials such as polythenes are collected only on a certain specific day of the week and workers refuse any polythene waste on other days. This type of mechanism is feasible in any other municipality. However, even in Kandy they are all dumped together at its disposal site and this separation at the sourcehas become a futile exercise. Other countries either recycle the plastics or burn such garbage in incinerators to produce power. In our country, a meaningful solution to the garbage problem is virtually impossible owing to the politicians whose first interest is in making commissions out of any project. Several years ago, a proposal from a Sri Lankan entrepreneur from Canada to establish a plastic recycling plant in Sri Lanka left in disgust due to such political interference.

It is surprising that the private sector has shown no interest in making money out of garbage. In other developed countries there are a large number of companies turning garbage into marketable products such as compost, recycled polythene and the recovery of iron and aluminium. Even for a small company or an individual to produce compost out of garbage requires only space and there is no rocket science involved.

The way forward to the Government is a two-fold approach where the existing garbage mountains at Bloemendhal and Meethotamulla are removed and the immediate establishment of the sanitary landfill at Meepe. In 1995, this area was sparsely populated and had only a few illegal settlers. There are no sensitive ecosystems in the near vicinity and the site is far from populated centres. These settlers can be provided with compensation and relocated. Kelani valley railway can be used to transport garbage. People around this area should be educated to ensure that groundwater contamination is not a problem. Delays in implementing this only solution to the garbage problem will be detrimental to the future economic development of the country such as attracting potential overseas investors. Population in Colombo is around 650,000 but one million people come to the city for various needs. These temporary visitors too create considerable garbage and hence this is a national problem. Slogans such as "we do not need Colombo garbage" are both unrealistic and make no sense. Politicians on both sides should see the seriousness of the problem and come out with a concrete set of proposals to deal with the ever increasing garbage problem.Let us hope that tragedies such as the one at Meethotamulla will never be repeated and the Government should take a firm stand against protesters who stand on the way to implement a solution to an urgent national problem.

Meethotamulla 130 Family's vulnerable for temporarily leaves

- Apr 21, 2017

Meanwhile the Met Department had warned that heavy showers are expected next week. Hence the Assistant social services secretary of the Divisional Secretariat Tilak Ranasinghe said as it posed a danger of further landslides with the onset of rains, they had notified 130 residents most vulnerable to temporarily leave the area to safer shelters.

The Divisional Secretariat had also provided them Rs. 10,000 as transport charges for the evacuation of their belongings. He said the other residents too will be moved from this location. A resident in the danger zone Roy de Silva told  that although they had been notified to evacuate with their belongings, it was not an easy task and it had taken them about six hours.

Upon inquiry some residents told us that about a month ago a certain chemical had been sprayed on the garbage mountain in order to assist in its speedy decomposition. Hence there is doubt if setting fire to the garbage and spraying of this chemical could have caused the garbage pile to collapse. Investigations in this regard are continuing. yesterday security forces had reinforced three safety boundaries and were carrying out further search operations. This however, was a clear indication to us that the search operation to recover the dead bodies was no easy task.

Meanwhile, a Japanese  team too had visited the area on an inspection tour. But the residents claim that these too are happening according to certain individual’s desires. Although the government had offered these residents temporary residence at government flats, some were willing to move but there were others who were reluctant. However the government said until a permanent solution is reached these residents should move to these flats for their safety as this area was unsafe.

Terrence College which had sustained damages will be repaired by the Police and handed back to the school authorities on April 24. The IG and Divisional Secretary had given the Principle this pledge.

In spite of the government efforts, the residents are still agitated even in the process of collecting data and distribution of relief. Due to the illegal constructions however, even the government officials engaged in collection of data were finding it hard to conduct their operations.

Test n Pic AshWaru Colombo

 

Garbage; Gazette violates human rights, says NMCRP 

2017-04-21

The National Movement for Consumer Rights’ Protection (NMCRP) today condemned the gazette notice issued by President Maithripala Sirisena, stating that it violated human rights and could be used to take political revenge.

The gazette notice issued on Thursday declaring that garbage disposal by local government bodies was an ‘essential service’ and that those disrupting the collection and disposal of garbage would be arrested.

NMCRP President Ranjith Withanage said the gazette notice issued under clause 17 of the Public Safety Act has violated the Constitution exposing the Unity Government’s dictatorship even when there was no state of emergency within the country.

He said under the latest gazette notice, innocent people could be arrested without a warrant. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)

Hail president !! Maithri takes up cudgels – gazette notification to halt stinking politicos from cashing in on garbage tragedy

(Lanka-e-News -21.April.2017, 5.00PM)  Those who are protesting against the garbage disposal exploiting the Meethotamulla tragedy in order to score political plus points shall be  arrested without a warrant . The president has issued a gazette notification declaring the garbage disposal as an essential service with effect from midnight (20 th) .

The president by a special gazette notification declared  garbage disposal operations in all administrative districts Island wide as an essential service under article 17 of the Public Security Act . 

Hereunder is the full text of the communiqué issued by the Presidential media division

Based on a directive issued by His Excellency , the president of Sri Lanka under article 17 of the Public Security Act , has declared all tasks performed  pertaining to the garbage disposal , collection, transporting , temporarily storing  and segregating  , which will  include  garbage on the highways , garbage disposed of from  homes , shall come under this directive. 

Accordingly ,  these tasks have been declared as essential services. The under mentioned activities are covered by this directive.

1. It is an offence if any individual orally  or  in writing engages in or attempts to create   impediments to these tasks by threats or   by force or by any other means , or insults , obstructs, or causes delays to such activities . Similarly it is illegal to provoke  the public  , use force , or incite them through other means, or hinder those engaged in the garbage disposal activities , or  compel them to resign their jobs. It is also unlawful to provide job opportunities, to take up jobs or  to keep away from the jobs in order to participate in such illegal actions.  Any verbal , physical or written compulsion to engage in these illegal activities is a punishable  offence .

2. Under the provisions of this Act , any  police officer is empowered to  arrest any individual  without a warrant if the police officer   has reasonable grounds to suspect that the individual has committed any of the abovementioned offences. 

3. The accused is liable to rigorous imprisonment  if proved guilty based on  the court  trial  after being produced before a magistrate . 

Presidential media division 

Following the Meethotamulla garbage dump collapse , political henchman have commenced demonstrations obstructing  garbage disposal at all the garbage dumping sites across the whole Island. Consequently , garbage disposal has been sabotaged and hampered  making   the country to stink , and to plunge it  into a perilous situation .A deputy minister of the SLFP, Dilip Wijesekera a rascally bootlicking stooge of garbage Rajapakses who has one foot in the Rajapakse camp was seen staging protests against garbage disposal while  posing off as  a great ‘ chandiya ’ thriving on garbage. 

The public are earnestly anticipating the day , the president will in this same way declare the government medical services also an essential service . The only solution available  if the medical services which have become the bane of the country is to be improved to make it a  boon to the people. 

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by     (2017-04-21 11:36:54)

SRI LANKA: Lawlessness and the Meethotamulla Garbage Dump Collapse

An Article Basil Fernando-April 21, 2017

For many decades Sri Lankans have ignored the collapse of their legal system, the crisis of the judicial system and the virtual disappearance of all legal traditions. For this reason, the bond between law and social structure is now weak. This means that the law is unable to keep the political, social and cultural structure of society within a certain normative framework, resulting in chaos. As chaos spreads widely, any kind of catastrophe can become possible. The Meethotamulla garbage dump collapse is one more reminder of Sri Lankan society’s tragic loss of all the legal bonds that kept it sane.

There is nothing so senseless as to allow a huge garbage dump to exist, without dealing with it in the manner expected of a society to deal with its waste. When even such an elementary principle of dealing with waste does not register with those who run the administration of a locality, it is not a minor issue, but rather it means that a deep internal transformation has taken place within that society, wherein the basic principles of decency and sanity no longer operate.

Many foreigners who visit South Asian countries find Sri Lanka to have more cleanliness compared to other places in the region. This means that for a long time, Sri Lanka has had its own traditions of maintaining cleanliness and dealing with waste.

Today however, almost in every area there are complaints of the failure to maintain proper modes and arrangements for dealing with waste. Sometimes, not having places to put their waste, people dump it into canals and waterways. The result is that these waterways, once clean enough to bathe in, are no longer usable for such purposes. Anyone who gets into the water is likely to catch one or more disease. There are similar environmental problems in nearly all parts of the country, due to the lack of proper arrangements for dealing with waste.

Any social order requires social authorities to function to provide an orderly and acceptable situation. Such an order is usually made up of many simple laws and regulations, as well as common habits formed around such rules. When these basic laws and regulations are ignored by the authorities, then we are left with the situation facing Sri Lanka today.

The problem of the collapse of the Meethotamulla waste dump is not only about the unnecessary loss of so many lives. It is also about the many lives of persons living in misery for many years, suffering all types of foul smells and diseases which are a product of such a waste dump. Such an elementary health issue being ignored by the authorities for so many years indicates the extent to which these authorities can get away with ignoring their basic duties. It is possible to get away with such irresponsible behaviour only because the law does not matter very much in the present context.

In the immediate aftermath of such a miserable event as that in Meethotamulla, many things would be said and sympathy will be expressed towards the victims. This will only last a short time however, and things will return to normal, in a situation where abnormal has become normal.

These abnormal circumstances will only see more tragedies, such as the failure to control dengue, and to provide clean water, resulting in widespread kidney related diseases.

These are not different, unrelated events, but rather the end result of a lawless society. This problem has now become so entrenched, that no one in the political and social leadership dares to come forward to deal with it. Lawlessness is being treated as a fact of life in Sri Lanka, which itself reveals how far the disease has spread. When the abnormal is treated as normal, and lawlessness is seen as a part of life, then what happened at Meethotamulla, and worse, are likely to keep recurring.

Sri Lanka: Masturbating on Meethotomulla Tragedy!

Meethotumulla was different. The life of the slum dweller is not as sophisticated to demarcate between race and religion. From Kolonnawa to Hatey waththa to Kumbi Kale the slums are where race, religion, caste, and creed don’t have legitimacy. A list of the names affected by the tragedy would be symbolic of it.

by Hafeel Farisz-Apr 21, 2017

( April 21, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian)  The recent tragedy at the immediate outskirts of Colombo has drawn wide and varied opinions. On the one hand, we have ire directed against the politicians who are perceived to be responsible for it, and on the other, there is a middle class which have insisted that it is they who are to blame- for the callousness with which they treat their waste.

But do such reductivist rationalisation really portray the much larger issues which the tragedy is really symbolic of?
Waste is no one’s fault. Rather it is an essential and inherent offshoot of the earth’s inhabitants, pre and post-industrialisation. Humans have devised various methods to dispose, recycle, and reuse this waste for the benefit of the very species responsible for its generation. But this isn’t the time for such philosophical meanderings. Meethotumulla killed.

The move to use Meethotumulla as a garbage dump, despite the fact that there lived a poverty ridden underclass around the area was a decision made in tandem with Colombo’s beautification exercise. Although the dump was used as one of many such sites for decades, the real decision to use it with state backing, paying no heed to the impact it had on the people living around it was a decision made in 2008. Despite, pleas, cries and protests. Gotabaya Rajapaksa and A.J.M Muzammil were the instigators. They represent the established political parties, which time and again have relied and doled out cash rewards for votes among this very underprivileged polity. The reductivism with which individuals are targeted in this ensuing debate is really the cause for concern, as much as Gotabaya and Muzammil have blood on their hands, and are directly implicated in the cries of Keerthirathne, who spearheaded the battle initially and ended up losing most of his family. But there was and is a much larger issue at play – the system.

For the issue of Garbage is an issue confined to the Municipality. The municipality is responsible to the provincial council and the land that the garbage was dumped is owned by the Urban Development Authority. It is the convergence and the resulting failure of all these institutions, led, administered and handled by the rich and the elite, which murdered these innocent dwellers. I am certain that none of the relatives or friends among the ruling elite, which include the bureaucrats lives around or even at the outskirts of these precincts. These were not people, and their fate was not their concern. Colombo needed beauty, and everyone was all too happy that the “slums” around it were taken away by force, and the people were given below par flats around designated areas by the rulers.

These are not things many of the English speaking elite are aware of. They are a part of the larger problem. Ignorance. The slums which were taken off in that beautification drive, which the two parties ably represented by Muzammil and Gotabaya were houses in which generations lived. They were symptomatic of a system which has failed the people, right in the heart of Colombo. On the one hand, there was the five-star hotel and right behind it thousands of people crammed into a tiny space. Some houses included 11- 14 people living in one room. Hate waththa, (thankfully the land wasn’t identified to be good enough for any material use) lies at the heart of Colombo-7. The living conditions are not much different.

On what basis was the relocation done though? Each house broken down was to be given another 400 – 1200 square feet house in one of the flats built for them. Colombo was happy. With utter disdain and disregard to the aspirations, livelihoods and everything else a locality brings to a human being- they were destroyed. A land is not just the material. A house is not just a building. It is a home, it is an abstract ideal of belonging, of security, of environment these environments bring. But all crushed, without a single voice of opposition save and except from the slum dwellers themselves. But this is meandering again.

Fast forward to Meethotumulla and the failure of a corrupt, inhuman and out of touch judiciary and legal system. The dumping of garbage was given the judicial sanction in 2008.It is easy to blame the person who issued a judgment, which went on to deny the right to protest. The government sought the corrupt Supreme Courts intervention and it obliged to like it always has when the protests against the dump grew. It is again, a symbol of the larger problem. The black-coated lawyers weren’t aghast, nor were they willing to take to the streets. They won’t. Nuwan Bopage was the sole fighter, fighting against a system heavily tilted against him. If at all he was and remains the only saving grace of a legal class that is caught up within an archaic, and arcane framework- which has really got nothing to do with justice in any sense of meaning.

For the elite lawyer, Nuw’s fight was looked at with either nonchalance, or they were patronising. ” We are lawyers they people have to come to us and they have to pay” is the base of the idea, if not the words. ” lawyers don’t cheapen themselves, we are not activists, you have heard of that cab rank rule haven’t you?” they may have said, while insisting on adhering to their colonial hangovers. Sri Lanka may be the only country in which there are “Lords and ladies”, 40 years after there was any need of these donkeys.

For the elite lawyer, the colonial hangover extends. Hulftsdorp is a circus for people calling each other “sir” and standing up and down in obeisance. Unlike the medical profession, which actually is about saving lives, the lawyer’s cartel portrays themselves to be on par. To be revered and respected. Many a time we witness clients bending into 22 before their lawyers, after paying them having pawned their jewellery. The disdain with which they are treated is another question altogether. This may be the only service, apart from medicine which is clearly distinct, in which the customer pays money and has to also pay obeisance with it.

That is of the elite lawyer walking through the upper courts.

Of the other genre, living in the lower courts, Magistrates and Traffic, who are looked at again with disdain by the elite, the portrayal and also the actions are just the same. The people see no distinction and the most frequent interaction the masses have with lawyers is through these lower courts. And the actions make any respectable human being cringe. The elite act like it does not happen. Any person on any given day could witness the same obeisance paid by people to these black coated hawks, who I have seen count coins.

To both genres, however, the likes of Nuwan and Udul Premarathne are as unimportant as the dwellers of Meethotumulla. Which is why there was never an uproar against a decision that was very clearly against the masses- there has never been. Unless and otherwise, it affects their little circles or the causes which affect them or these circles- there never is. And if there where they have been the exception and not the norm.

That is pre-disaster. Post-disaster, we have seen an opposition party in the country, show its true racist garb. If issuing a statement was the duty of the opposition, the public would rather not have one. The TNA throughout this time have failed to speak on behalf of the people, and it is no surprise that they are losing trust among their polity in the North. Wigneswaran jumped up and down when Meeriyabadda happened to offer land and housing to those affected- only because those affected were Tamil.

Meethotumulla was different. The life of the slum dweller is not as sophisticated to demarcate between race and religion. From Kolonnawa to Hatey waththa to Kumbi Kale the slums are where race, religion, caste, and creed don’t have legitimacy. A list of the names affected by the tragedy would be symbolic of it.

Masturbating on Meethotumulla can include blaming the upper middle class. But to go beyond, one must understand the failure of an entirely corrupt and elitist system. That is the sex. The ‘we are to blame’ rhetoric, deflects from this. Because of we aren’t. They are the system is. The who is to blame is it the previous or this Government, is a deflection. The more we do this, the more we relieve the system of the blame. The more we do this, the children buried in that dump would be failed. It is the time we understand, what a crooked and warped system we live under and it is the time we side with the people of Meethotumulla. The real people of this country who were willing to struggle, who had no option of a cosy environment to live in, but were compelled to struggle.

The Sri Lankan Solid Waste Management Theory & The Tragedy Of Commons

By Piyumani Ranasinghe –April 21, 2017 

Piyumani Ranasinghe

The tragedy of the garbage collapse in Meethotamulla has unraveled several protests around the country which undoubtedly pinpoints the seriousness of the garbage management problem at hand. The Kotikawatta protest which took place last Tuesday was mediated with a set of ambiguous promises and unanswered questions lingering at dusk, yet to be put into action or clearly interpreted. Kotikawatta, situated roughly 3.2 km away from Meethotamulla, is also home to a landfill, in which the piles of solid waste is accelerating. Adding to this is the threat of more garbage being dumped into the site  that is being collected regularly from Colombo.

At the outset, the inability of the authorities to take efficient measures in addressing the issue of Solid Waste Management (SWM) at hand with a more sustainable solution is largely a result of the frictions in the political culture of Sri Lanka which is allegedly the dragging force of the majority of local problems. The solution that has been expressed by the authorities, in its ambiguity, is dumping garbage in other sites, which is none other than a path forward to another Meethotamulla scenario, possibly lying at dawn. Although, the government recently announced a new project with more sustainable SWM solutions in place, it is yet to be implemented in Muthurajawela. 

The underlying cause of the unmanaged garbage problem in Sri Lanka can be viewed in the eyes of Garret Hardin’s theorization of the “The Tradgedy of Commons”. According to Hardin (1968), “Commons” refer to any shared and unregulated resource such as atmosphere, oceans, rivers, fish stocks, or even a Sri Lankan garbage dumping site.  “The Tragedy of the Commons” is a situation where players have to cooperate to avoid everyone from suffering loses, yet each individual has the incentive to not cooperate. Also termed as the “Prisoner’s Dilemma,” the classic sample of the Tragedy of the Commons is as follows: Take a situation where, farmers graze their cattle on a shared grass land called the Commons. The Commons can support a totality of 100 cows and 100 farmers should bring a cow each. But each farmer thinks, “If I bring one extra cow, it doubles my entire income and only puts a 1% drain on the Commons.” All farmers think the same, and all bring one extra cow, and soon 200 cows quickly overgraze the Commons. It dies completely, and then, so do the cows, followed by the farmers.

The problem of Solid Waste Mismanagement in Sri Lanka fits this example quite well at both a macro and a micro level. At a macro level, when the government’s solution to wastage management is conveniently dumping garbage in landfills, the moment it cannot be continued anymore, it turns to another site. This soon leads to the entire community living in a garbage heap, especially as in the case of the neighboring lands of Meethotamulla and Kotikawatta, which is notably about 3.2 km apart. It should be borne in mind that, what we discard as waste unfortunately does not go away or go somewhere else. The problem with landfills is that, waste gets accumulated resulting in many environmental consequences; and as experienced in Sri Lanka, disasters that take many lives away, endangering the survival of the others. The waste, that piles up pollutes the environment completely and, importantly, landfills are a source of methane emissions. Even if the Meethotamulla Dump did not collapse, the pollution it causes everyday damages natural water supplies, leads to contamination of underground water, and even gets into the food chain of both animals and humansliving in the community.

In the micro level, we all a part of the Meethotamulla tragedy. Why? If not Meethotamulla, our material waste is also being accumulated in a landfill, somewhere in the country.  Thus, undoubtedly the relatively cheaper way of managing waste has surely taught a lesson to our island nation. The problem is whether the lesson has been learnt? As Hardin outlined, “The rational man finds that his share of the cost of the wastes he discharges into the commons is less than the cost of purifying his wastes before releasing them. Since this is true for everyone, we are locked into a system of “fouling our own nest…” In this light, even if the Sri Lankan government led by HE President Sirisena, declared the “Era of Sustainability” at the beginning of this year, noting the country’s commitment to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the “Commons” problem stands as an example for the problems in achieving such sustainability. In economics, a negative externality is a cost that a player does not intend to incur. Negative externalities are fundamental to the Tragedy of Commons and as in the garbage problem experienced in Sri Lanka for example, every time the government piles up material waste in an area, it becomes more likely that entire community will suffer in each of those areas.

Alas, the recommendations and solutions to the issue of SWM are quite a challenge and require a separate, methodical study. Hence, understandably the dilemma faced by the authorities in addressing the issue lies in this case of balancing competing interests of all players involved in the problem: the government and the community. Economists encourage governments to adopt policies that “internalize” an externality so that some action is taken to correct the market failure. The issue is whether such policies are adopted and duly implemented. The Meethotamulla Facility served only as a dumping facility in the heart of Colombo, where there was no SWM process conducted. According to the Colombo Municipal Council in 2012, the Western province is responsible for more than one and half of waste production in the entire country with Colombo being the largest waste generating district in Sri Lanka. The question is whether Kotikawatta is the next in line to succeed a similar predicament to that of Meethotamulla. Although, there is a chunk of literature on SWM projects practicable to Sri Lanka and policy recommendations generated by academics and professionals, it has not been incorporated in the policy cycle effectively. Thus, the destiny of the garbage quandary and its consequences, remain unresolved and tangled in the web of the Sri Lankan political game to date.

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Former Palestinian detainees praise hunger strikers, as prison strike continues

Former hunger striker Khader Adnan told MEE that the strikes were 'an act of resistance to break the chains of the oppressor'

Palestinian protesters hurl stones towards Israeli security forces during clashes following a demonstration in the West Bank town of Bethlehem to show their support for Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails (AFP)

Mariam Barghouti-Friday 21 April 2017

To mark prisoners day on 17 April, more than 1,500 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons launched an open ended hunger strike with a list of demands for better living conditions.

Headed by Palestinian Legislative Council member and Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, the strike is one of the largest instigated by Palestinian prisoners. Its demands include an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention, better medical care for the prisoners, the ability to pursue educational options and more dignified family visitation rights.

Having dangerous repercussions on the strikers themselves, the strike is a tool utilized by Palestinians in Israeli prisons as means to cripple Israeli rule over their lives. Former hunger striker Khader Adnan described the hunger strike as “an act of resistance to break the chains of the oppressor, to feel we are in control even when we are chained by them.”

The large scale of the most recent wave of hunger strikes however also aim to urge the Palestinian public and international community to highlight the injustices of Israeli subjugation inside prisons as an example of the wider occupation.

Since 1967, more than 40% of the male Palestinian population aged between 25 and 60 have been arrested by Israeli forces. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics this means that about 70% of households have had at least one prisoner. According to human rights organization, Addameer, in most cases those arrested are the breadwinners of the household which creates a crippling effect on not only the prisoners but families at large.

The detention centres, interrogation process and formidable prison conditions are not alien to Palestinians. The Shabas (Israeli Prison Service) has been an integral factor in sustaining the occupation.

• READ: Israeli activists hold jail barbecue to taunt Palestinian hunger strikers

The conditions which Palestinians endure in Israeli prisons or during the interrogation process have resulted in medical problems and created traumatized communities. In other tragic cases, the repression and negligence of Palestinian prisoners has resulted in death, as is the case of Jamal Sarahin in 2007 and 18 year old Jawad Abu Magasib in 2005. Between 2000 and 2008 human rights organizations found that 17 Palestinian prisoners died due to medical negligence alone.

Historically, Palestinian hunger strikes have often revolved around bettering the living conditions. The first of these strikes in 1968 pressured the Shabas to provide mattresses, clothing, books, writing utensils and paper for prisoners. Pushing a step further, prisoners also protested the mandatory salute for prison guards and fought for the right to organize. The strikes mirror Palestinian resistance outside of the prison walls as a tool to defy Israel's systematic attempts to break the Palestinian spirit.

Palestinian demands and the Palestinian street

Deemed a backbone of the Palestinian struggle, the Palestinian prisoner movement has been a fundamental factor in mobilizing the Palestinian street and amplifying the Palestinian voice.

Former Palestinian prisoner and novelist Ismat Mansour explained that “the strike addresses a state of disempowerment in Palestinian prisoners on the micro level and the larger population on the macro.”

The hunger strike comes after the seventh Fatah conference which excluded many of the voices on the street and instead was accused of augmenting the chasm within Palestinian society.

Mansour suggested that “despite the fears and current standing harsh conditions of the Palestinian context, this strike presents an opportunity for change and confrontation of not only Israeli oppression but Palestinian division on the outside as well.”

Having spent 20 years in Israeli prisons between 1993 and 2013, Mansour is familiar with the transformation of the Palestinian prisoner movement and its transformations. He told Middle East Eye that “this strike cannot be judged until its end, where even the most humble of success will reinforce and empower the Palestinian population drowning in disgruntlement and hopelessness.”

'It is a reminder to all Palestinians that even while chained inside we’re overcoming our horrible conditions, factionalism and oppression and the struggle does not end' - Khader Adnan, former detainee

Since the last large scale hunger strike in 2004 Palestinians also fell into despair, and still as the prisoner movement gained momentum the streets would also mimic the efforts on the outside. A more recent example is in 2015, where Khader Adnan’s 56 day hunger strike resulted in mass protests in both Israel-Palestine and abroad, drawing support for the prisoner movement and the Palestinian struggle.

In contrast to the Irish hunger strikes of the 1980's which called for demands such as being considered prisoners of war, Palestinian hunger strikes have fixated on basic necessities for living.

However, while the demands of Palestinian prisoners starkly contrast the demands made by the Irish freedom fighters in the 1980 and 1981 hunger strikes in the H-Blocks, the struggle is similarly rooted in political ends with deep socio-economic undercurrents.

As Adnan clarified to MEE, “despite our difference with the hunger strikes in other struggles, our call remains to be for dignity and liberation - the difference is only in the details.”

The demands not only oppose the conditions of the prisoners themselves, but also push for a larger endeavor such as an end to administrative detention which has been enforced against Palestinians indiscriminately. Out of 6,500 Palestinian prisoners, approximately 500 are held in administrative detention. Should the hunger strike be successful in ending such detention, it would hinder Israel’s ability to jail Palestinians for a prolonged time under the pretext of secret evidence.

Contemporary politics

While Palestinians have initiated mass hunger strikes in the past, the Israeli government’s growing right-wing tendencies could mean that repressive tactics may increase so as to discourage mobilisation among Palestinian prisoners and the rest of the Palestinian population.

“Israel has been using internal Palestinian affairs to debunk the legitimacy of the hunger strike” explains Mansour.

With the Palestinian sphere internally divided some were quick to credit the initiation of the hunger strike as a ploy by Marwan Barghouti to garner political support. Former Palestinian prisoners however, said the hunger strike has been in the works since before Fatah’s seventh conference and its efforts are far more broad than a single man’s endeavor.

Having performed his first hunger strike in the Palestinian Authority’s prisons, Adnan refuted attempts to delegitimize the strike.

“No matter what, it’s crucial to remember that all those undergoing the hunger strike are performing an act of resistance and that is something that should be praised," he said.

Hoping that the Palestinian street overcomes its division and joins the strike in solidarity and mobilization, Adnan re-affirmed that “this is not only a refusal for the occupation, but a refusal to cooperate with it and make it easy for them.”

Directing his tone toward the Palestinian public he proclaimed “it is a reminder to all Palestinians that even while chained inside we’re overcoming our horrible conditions, factionalism and oppression and the struggle does not end.”