Protesters storm into Macedonia parliament, Social Democratic leader injured - witnesses

Protesters entered Macedonia's parliament after the governing Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties voted to elect an Albanian as parliament speaker in Skopje. Macedonia April 27, 2017. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski--Protesters entered Macedonia's parliament after the governing Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties voted to elect an Albanian as parliament speaker in Skopje. Macedonia April 27, 2017. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

Police try to stop protesters entering Macedonia's parliament after the governing Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties voted to elect an Albanian as parliament speaker in Skopje. Macedonia April 27, 2017. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski--Protesters entered Macedonia's parliament after the governing Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties voted to elect an Albanian as parliament speaker in Skopje. Macedonia April 27, 2017. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

By Kole Casule | SKOPJE- Fri Apr 28, 2017

Protesters stormed into Macedonia's parliament and assaulted the leader of the Social Democrats on Thursday after his party and ethnic Albanian allies voted to elect an Albanian as parliament speaker, witnesses said.

Live television footage showed Social Democratic leader Zoran Zaev with blood trickling from one side of his forehead, not long after he announced that the majority coalition led by his party had elected Talat Xhaferi as parliament speaker.

A Reuters witness saw nationalist protesters angered over Xhaferi's election beating up another lawmaker in parliament. Broken glass littered the floor and traces of blood were seen in hallways.

Some of the roughly 200 protesters inside the parliament were masked. Police entered parliament after the disturbances erupted but did not immediately seek to quell the protesters, witnesses said.

Macedonia has been without a functioning government since 2015 when the country sank into political turmoil over a wiretapping scandal that brought down the ruling nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party bloc.

Elections were held in December 2016 but no government has been formed yet, though Zaev forged a majority coalition in parliament together with ethnic Albanians.

But that parliamentary alliance has triggered daily street protests by Macedonian nationalists in Skopje. Ethnic Albanians comprise a third of the country's population.

VMRO-DPMNE lawmakers challenged the legality of Thursday's vote, saying it was not carried out electronically as is the usual case because the parliamentary session had formally ended.

"I condemn the attacks on MPs in Skopje in the strongest terms. Violence has NO place in Parliament. Democracy must run its course," the EU commissioner in charge of enlargement, Johannes Hahn, said in a tweet.

"This is the time for dialogue and not for violence," Mats Staffansson, Sweden's ambassador to Skopje, told reporters on behalf of EU and U.S. legations in Macedonia.

The current crisis is the worst since 2001 when Western diplomacy helped drag the country of 2.1 million people back from the brink of civil war during an ethnic Albanian insurgency, promising it a route to membership of the EU and NATO. But Macedonia has made little progress in that direction.

Shortly before protesters charged into parliament, Zaev told reporters, "With 67 votes we have elected a new parliament speaker. I want to congratulate Talat Xhaferi and good luck to all of us."

Xhaferi became the first ethnic Albanian parliament speaker in Macedonia since the small, economically troubled Balkan country won independence from then-Yugoslavia in 1991.

(Additional reporting by Benet Koleka in Tirana and Fatos Bytyi in Pristina; writing by Ivana Sekularac; editing by Mark Heinrich)

Pressure on Indonesia as World Press Freedom Day looms

A policeman kicks photographer Ikshan Arham of the 'Rakyat Sulsel' newspaper during a student protest at Makassar State University on Nov 13, 2014. Source: Human Rights Watch/Hasrul Said/Radar Makassar

By Max Walden | 27th April 2017

HUMAN Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to take decisive action to protect journalists ahead of Jakarta hosting World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

While acknowledging “considerable gains” in media freedom in the country since the fall of Suharto’s New Order military dictatorship in 1998, HRW this week urged Jokowi’s administration to crack down on abuses of press freedom by state security forces.

Back in March, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) announced its decision for Jakarta to host World Press Freedom Day 2017.

SEE ALSO: Indonesia: Terrorism and fake news top security priorities in 2017 – cops

“World Press Freedom Day should be a time to celebrate the role of journalists in society, but in Indonesia, the focus too often is on their fears,” HRW deputy Asia director Phelim Kine said.

“The Indonesian government should reverse the dangerous deterioration of press freedom in the country and prosecute security force personnel who physically assault journalists.”

7:27 PM - 25 Apr 2017 from Jakarta Capital Region, Indonesia

The theme of World Press Freedom Day this year is “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s Role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies”.

Unesco will run events in partnership with the Indonesian Press Council and government on journalists’ safety, countering violent extremism, press freedom in Southeast Asia and other topics.

Moreover, the UN agency will host a roundtable on the feasibility of a mechanism to promote and protect freedom of expression in the region – with proposed solutions including a dedicated Special Rapporteur or independent commission.

Source: UNESCO

During the era of democracy, Indonesia’s media landscape has expanded exponentially, with more than 100,000 reporters working for 1,000 newspapers, 2,000 radio stations and hundreds of television networks across the vast archipelago.

Indonesia’s most popular English-language daily The Jakarta Post this week celebrated its 34th anniversary.

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2. The Jakarta Post‏Verified account @jakpost  Apr 25

   34th Anniversary: May we grow and bloom together http://bit.ly/2p0833H  #jakpost34th

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Nevertheless, the safety of journalists in Indonesia remains a major concern. The newly-released World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders ranks Indonesia at 124 out of 180 countries – below Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring East Timor.

When Jokowi was elected in 2014, activists had hoped his administration would drive improvements in the protection of human rights, but had expressed disappointment with progress, including regarding the government’s continued use of the death penalty.

SEE ALSO: Silence equals complicity: Indonesia’s Jokowi blamed for human rights failures

Indonesian non-profit Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has documented some 577 examples of violence against journalists since 2008. Last year saw a sharp rise in incidents, with 78 assaults on journalists compared with 42 in 2015.

Journalists have seen significant threats to their safety while reporting on the Aksi Bela Islam movement against Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama after his allegedly blasphemous comments last September.

During a mass rally in the capital last November, for example, reporters were verbally and physically abused by protestors, with one TV crew being expelled from Istiqlal Mosque for supposedly biased reporting.

But HRW says attacks are more common in smaller cities and regional areas than in Jakarta, where journalists are more aware of their rights and supported by stronger professional organisations.

The NGO’s research has found an “atmosphere of fear and self-censorship in many newsrooms due to abuses and threats by security forces and local authorities that go unpunished.”

“The Indonesian government has an obligation to address the security threats to journalists so that they don’t risk physical violence for doing their jobs,” Kine said.

“World Press Freedom Day observances in Jakarta will be a cynical public relations exercise unless the Indonesian government, with Unesco’s help, puts media freedom at the top of the agenda.”

2017 World Press Freedom Index – tipping point

Sri Lanka

2017 WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX

The 2017 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reflects a world in which attacks on the media have become commonplace and strongmen are on the rise. We have reached the age of post-truth, propaganda, and suppression of freedoms – especially in democracies.

Читать по-русски / Read in Russian

I. Democracies falling, advent of strongmen

RSF’s latest World Press Freedom Index highlights the danger of a tipping point in the state of media freedom, especially in leading democratic countries. (Read our analysis entitled Journalism weakened by democracy’s erosion.) Democracies began falling in the Index in preceding years and now, more than ever, nothing seems to be checking that fall. 

The obsession with surveillance and violations of the right to the confidentiality of sources have contributed to the continuing decline of many countries previously regarded as virtuous. This includes the United States (down 2 places at 43rd), the United Kingdom (down 2 at 40th), Chile (down 2 at 33rd), and New Zealand (down 8 at 13th). 

Donald Trump’s rise to power in the United States and the Brexit campaign in the United Kingdom were marked by high-profile media bashing, a highly toxic anti-media discourse that drove the world into a new era of post-truth, disinformation, and fake news. 

Media freedom has retreated wherever the authoritarian strongman model has triumphed. Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s Poland (54th) lost seven places in the 2017 Index. After turning public radio and TV stations into propaganda tools, the Polish government set about trying to financially throttle independent newspapers that were opposed to its reforms. 

Viktor Orbán’s Hungary (71st) has fallen four places. John Magufuli’s Tanzania (83rd) has fallen 12. After the failed coup against Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey (down 4 at 155th) swung over into the authoritarian regime camp and now distinguishes itself as the world’s biggest prison for media professionals. Vladimir Putin’s Russia remains firmly entrenched in the bottom fifth of the Index at 148th. 

“The rate at which democracies are approaching the tipping point is alarming for all those who understand that, if media freedom is not secure, then none of the other freedoms can be guaranteed,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “Where will this downward spiral take us?” 

II. Norway first, North Korea last

In the emerging new world of media control, even the top-ranked Nordic countries are slipping down the Index. After six years at the top, Finland (down 2 at 3rd) has surrendered its No. 1 position due to political pressure and conflicts of interests. The top spot has been taken by Norway (up 2 at 1st), which is not a European Union member. This is a blow for the European model. Sweden has risen six places to take 2nd position. Journalists continue to be threatened in Sweden but the authorities sent a positive signal in the past year by convicting several of those responsible. The cooperation between the police and certain media outlets and journalists’ unions was also seen as a step forward in combatting the threats.

At the other end of the Index, Eritrea (179th) has surrendered last place to North Korea for the first time since 2007, after allowing closely-monitored foreign media crews into the country. North Korea (180th) continues to keep its population in ignorance and terror – even listening to a foreign radio broadcast can lead to a spell in a concentration camp. The Index’s bottom five also include Turkmenistan (178th), one of the world’s most repressive and self-isolated dictatorships, which keeps increasing its persecution of journalists, and Syria (177th), riven by a never-ending war and still the deadliest country for journalists, who are targeted by both its ruthless dictator and Jihadi rebels. (See our analysis entitled 2017 Press Freedom Index – ever darker world map.)

MEDIA FREEDOM NEVER SO THREATENED

Media freedom has never been so threatened and RSF’s “global indicator” has never been so high (3872). This measure of the overall level of media freedom constraints and violations worldwide has risen 14% in the span of five years. In the past year, nearly two thirds (62.2%) of the countries measured^* have registered a deterioration in their situation, while the number of countries where the media freedom situation was “good” or “fairly good” fell by 2.3%.

The Middle East and North Africa region, which has ongoing wars in Yemen (down 4 at 166th) as well as Syria, continues to be the world’s most difficult and dangerous region for journalists. Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the second worst region, does not lag far behind. Nearly two third of its countries are ranked below or around the 150th mark in the Index. In addition to Turkey’s downward spiral, 2016 was marked by a clampdown on independent media in Russia, while the despots in such former Soviet republics as Tajikistan (149th), Turkmenistan (178th), and Azerbaijan (162nd) perfected their systems of control and repression. 

The Asia-Pacific region is the third worst violator overall but holds many of the worst kinds of records. Two of its countries, China (176th) and Vietnam (175th), are the world’s biggest prisons for journalists and bloggers. It has some of the most dangerous countries for journalists: Pakistan (139th), Philippines (127th) and Bangladesh (146th). It also has the biggest number of “press freedom predators” at the head of the world’s worst dictatorships, including China, North Korea (180th), and Laos (170th), which are news and information black holes.

Africa comes next, where the Internet is now routinely disconnected at election time and during major protests. More than five points separate then the African region from the Americas, where Cuba (down 2 at 173rd) is the only country in the black (i.e. “very bad”) zone of the Index, which is otherwise reserved for the worst dictatorships and authoritarian regimes of Asia and the Middle East. 

Finally, the European Union and Balkans region continues to be the one where the media are freest, although its regional indicator (of the overall level of constraints and violations) registered the biggest increase in the past year: +3.8%. The differences in regional indicator change over the past five years are particularly noticeable. The European Union and Balkans indicator rose 17.5% over the past five years. During the same period, the Asia-Pacific indicator increased by only 0.9%. 

The word’s regions (in descending order of respect for media freedom)

III. Rises, falls, and illusory improvements

Nicaragua (down 17 at 92nd) distinguished itself in 2017 by falling further than any other country on the Index. For the independent and opposition media, President Daniel Ortega’s controversial re-election was marked by many cases of censorship, intimidation, harassment, and arbitrary arrest. Tanzania (down 12 at 83rd), where President John “Bulldozer” Magufuli keeps tightening his grip on the media, also suffered a significant fall. 

Amid all the decline, rises in two countries seem particularly promising and will hopefully continue. After ridding itself of its autocratic president, Gambia (up 2 at 143rd) has rediscovered uncensored newspapers and is planning to amend legislation that is restrictive for the media. The historic peace accord in Colombia (up 5 at 129th) has ended a 52-year armed conflict that was a source of censorship and violence against the media. No journalists were killed in 2016, making it the first time in seven years that journalists survived their work. 

However, other sizeable jumps in the 2017 Index are probably deceptive. Italy (52nd) has risen 25 places after acquitting several journalists including the two Italian journalists who were tried in the VatiLeaks 2 case. But it continues to be one of the European countries where the most journalists are threatened by organized crime. 

France has risen six places to 39th position but it was simply recovering from the exceptional fall it suffered in the 2016 Index because of the Charlie Hebdo massacre. It is a country where journalists struggle to defend their independence in an increasingly violent and hostile environment. Excepting the 2016 Index, France’s latest score (22.24) is its worst since 2013, a decline that is due inter alia to problems arising from businessmen using the media as a source of influence. RSF welcomed a new law on media independence but it did not suffice to significantly modify the situation. 

In Asia, the Philippines (127th) rose 11 places, partly because of a fall in the number of journalists killed in 2016, but the insults and open threats against the media by President Rodrigo Duterte, another new strongman, do not bode well.

Evolution in France’s score

Published annually by RSF since 2002, the World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries, including the level of pluralism, media independence, and respect for the safety and freedom of journalists. The 2017 Index takes account of violations that took place between January 1st and December 31^stof 2016.

The global indicator and the regional indicators are calculated based on the scores assigned to each country. The country scores are calculated from the answers to a questionnaire in 20 languages that is completed by experts throughout the world, supported by a qualitative analysis. The scores and indicators measure the level of constraints and violations, so the higher the figure, the worse the situation. Because of growing awareness of the Index, it is an extremely useful and increasingly influential advocacy tool. 

^* The term “country” is used in its ordinary sense, without any special political meaning or allusion to certain territories. 

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Can Cinnamon Help You Lose Weight?

by CureJoy Editorial-Mar 24, 2017 

If you are struggling with weight loss compounded by a diabetes problem or insulin sensitivity or have been told you have metabolic syndrome, cinnamon can be a godsend. While reports hailing it as a weight-loss wonder are aplenty, its true power may lie in how it counteracts inflammation and improves your lipid profile, insulin sensitivity.

Over a third of all adults in the country are obese, with a 60 percent increase in obesity in the past two decades alone.¹ If you’re struggling with weight loss yourself, the idea of the warm and heady cinnamon as a weight-loss remedy may pique your interest. But is this fact or a dieter’s myth?

Weight loss in an otherwise healthy adult may not come from just adding cinnamon to the diet, but the spice can help those with diabetes, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and other insulin sensitivity or glucose metabolism-related weight issues. It can also help tackle problems like inflammation-induced obesity. So while cinnamon may not be the miracle cure everyone is looking for, it’s worth making it a part of your lifestyle for overall health – and for helping you get fit if you have any of these conditions.²

Inflammation-Induced Obesity

Cinnamon, like another popular Ayurvedic remedy turmeric, helps modulate inflammatory pathways and combat inflammation-induced obesity. The cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon, which constitutes about 90 percent of the essential oil of the bark of cinnamon, is an active component that improves lipid metabolism.³

When taken as a water extract, it can help manage hyperlipidemia (elevated levels of lipids) in addition to improving obesity-related diabetes.⁴ Obesity is associated with the presence of TNF-alpha, a substance that causes the body to overproduce proteins that bind with lipids in the intestine. However, the cinnamon water extract can regulate gene expression and reverse this effect. It also counters inflammation-linked intestinal dyslipidemia (elevated levels of triglycerides/cholesterol).⁵

Decrease Total Cholesterol

Cinnamon bark extracts can help decrease levels of cholesterol in the body and improve your lipid profile. As one study found, test subjects given two 750 mg capsules of cinnamon daily over a 12 week period benefited from cinnamon intake. In addition to their total cholesterol levels reducing, their low-density lipoproteins and triglyceride levels also went down. This is also beneficial to those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease who might otherwise be at risk of hepatic injury.⁶

Improve Insulin Sensitivity

Researchers have found that anyone with type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or other insulin sensitivity issues can tap into the benefits of cinnamon to improve their insulin and glucose levels. Tests and studies, both human as well as animal and in-vitro, have found that cinnamon polyphenols can improve insulin sensitivity. As little as 1 to 6 gm of cinnamon a day can lower mean fast serum glucose levels by as much as 29 percent after just 40 days. The aqueous extract, rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory polyphenols, can also help women with polycystic ovary syndrome and improve glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and fasting glucose numbers – all factors that play a role in your weight-loss goals.⁷

View Article References (-)

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1.	↑	Obesity, CDC.
2, 3.	↑	Aggarwal, Bharat B. “Targeting inflammation-induced obesity and metabolic diseases by curcumin and other nutraceuticals.” Annual review of nutrition 30 (2010): 173.
4.	↑	Sheng, Xiaoyan, Yuebo Zhang, Zhenwei Gong, Cheng Huang, and Ying Qin Zang. “Improved insulin resistance and lipid metabolism by cinnamon extract through activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors.” PPAR research 2008 (2008).
5.	↑	Qin, B., Harry Dawson, M. M. Polansky, and R. A. Anderson. “Cinnamon extract attenuates TNF-α-induced intestinal lipoprotein ApoB48 overproduction by regulating inflammatory, insulin, and lipoprotein pathways in enterocytes.” Hormone and metabolic research 41, no. 07 (2009): 516-522.
6.	↑	Askari, Faezeh, Bahram Rashidkhani, and Azita Hekmatdoost. “Cinnamon may have therapeutic benefits on lipid profile, liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients.” Nutrition research 34, no. 2 (2014): 143-148.
7.	↑	Anderson, Richard A. “Chromium and polyphenols from cinnamon improve insulin sensitivity.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 67, no. 01 (2008): 48-53.

Rajitha’s shocker: Maithri asks Fonseka to take over as army chief 
 
 27 April 2017

In the wake of a crippling petroleum strike and a wave of protests against the Government, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Rajitha Senaratne made a shock announcement yesterday that President Maithripala Sirisena had requested wartime army chief Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka to take over the military as commander or Chief of Defence Staff  in order to bring “discipline” to the country.

Addressing the weekly Cabinet briefing last afternoon, Minister Senaratne said that a series of political motivated strikes and trade union action were disrupting public life with the aim of toppling the ruling Government. The former army commander turned politician and cabinet minister, Fonseka was the “best person” to control the situation, the Cabinet Spokesman added.

“A country without discipline can never develop. Everyone knows that Sarath Fonseka is a very disciplined official,” Senaratne added.  

A room full of shocked reporters at the Government Information Department repeatedly requested clarification on the development. 

“The Field Marshall said that if he was given the necessary powers he was willing to take over the responsibility,” Minister Senaratne said.

The Minister said that while the trade unions were entitled to protest, the recent actions were politically motivated strikes aimed at putting the Government in difficulty.

“People say the Government has no backbone to deal with these strikes. We are about to develop a backbone,” the Cabinet Spokesman charged.

He insisted however that the Government would not resort to tactics used by the former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to crush public protests. Repeatedly asked by journalists if under Field Marshall Fonseka’s command the military would be used to attack protestors, Senaratne replied: “We will see how the protests will be handled at that time.”

It was subsequently clarified however that Fonseka was being called upon to lead a special cabinet appointed committee that will deal with emergency situations and disruptions to essential services that could arise as a result of protests and trade union action. The committee is to include members of the tri-forces.

Deputy Minister Karunaratne Paranavithana also told Daily FT after the press briefing that the President had only urged Fonseka, who currently serves as Minister for Regional Development, to step in to marshal the military in times of national emergencies, such as the Meetotamulla garbage mountain tragedy or the recent petroleum strike. “The military needs a go-getter in these situations that is all; it is not that Field Marshall Fonseka is going to lead the army against striking workers,” Paranavithana clarified.

As Commander of the Army, then Lt. General Fonseka has never been directly accused of war crimes but he remains under a cloud given allegations of widespread military excesses and war crimes committed by the forces under his command during the final phase of the war.

Highly placed ministerial sources who attended the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday said the Government was considering issuing an essential services order, with the military on standby to take over essential services in the event of crippling trade union action. The move was considered urgently in view of speculation about a general strike being organised across the state sector, to protest against the private medical college SAITM, the sources said. Following Monday’s petroleum strike that created panic fuel buying and long lines at fuel stations that created huge traffic blocks in the capital, a ministerial source said the Government would have to consider calling in the forces to ensure the smooth distribution of fuel and other essential services, including electricity and water, in the event of major trade union action.

Govt. contemplates rigid control on Trade Union action

2017-04-27

Around 1,500 petroleum workers could cripple fuel distribution in the country through their strike action. This appeared to have rung alarm bells for the Cabinet Ministers regarding the operation of state affairs smoothly. It became apparent at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting when they remarked that a handful of workers should not be allowed to bring the activities of the government to a standstill in this manner. They floated the idea for a committee involving the military to deal with emergency situations as and when they arise.  
President Maithripala Sirisena jumped at the idea. He, in fact, mentioned former Army Commander-turned-Government Minister Sarath Fonseka as the ideal choice to handle such situations. He said it would be ideal if Mr. Fonseka who was adorned with the rank of Field Marshall after the new government came in, could become the Army Commander again, relinquishing his ministerial responsibilities. It was not a serious suggestion but a casual remark. However, he sounded serious about the proposal, that mechanisms should be set in place to deal with emergency situations. So he asked Mr. Fonseka to form a committee, including all the stakeholders such as the military and the police to work in this respect.  
Protest marches, public demonstrations and trade union action have become daily occurrences. The government politicians in fact championed such rights of people when they were in the opposition. They cherished what they called ‘freedom of assembly’ and right to protest at that time. It now looks as if the very same policies had boomeranged on them in governance.  
They are now incensed over the endless strike actions and public protests virtually on a daily basis; that they floated the idea for rigid control so that the government could be run without trouble. It was proposed that military personnel should be trained to be deployed for duty as replacements for workers on strike. Such action will not always be practical. It is not possible for military personnel to be alternatives for doctors on strike.  

The crux of the matter here, is that the government has begun to feel that the present trend of anti-government protest will spin out of control at one point unless it is stopped right now. Possibly, it might fear a general strike at a critical moment. The government believes that it will be demeaned in the public eye if the trend climaxed into a general strike.
It is true that the government, since its inception in January, 2015, could not pursue its policies as it wished because of protests from different quarters. In the implementation of the provisions of the UNHRC resolution, it could not proceed in the way it intended. It has been unable to wrap up negotiations on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India over objections from different quarters.  
It has found it difficult to forge ahead with the project to sell off a stake of the Hambantota Port to Chinese Merchants Ports Holding Company. The proposed lease agreement with India for the development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm also evoked protest from petroleum workers, eventually compelling Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to assure them that he would not sign the deal during his visit to India.  
Being compelled to shelve all its passion projects, the government seems to be running out of patience now and contemplates serious action to get its act together. That would have prompted its leaders to contemplate involvement of the military under the guidance of Mr. Fonseka to contain the trend. If the government actually was to act in this regard, it would go against the grain as it was opposed tooth and nail to such involvement whatsoever at that time in the past. Militarization of the state was a major allegation made against the then government by them.
Over the President’s suggestion in regard to this matter, the Cabinet Ministers exchanged pleasantries coupled with jokes. In fact, Public Administration Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara proposed to appoint Mr. Fonseka as the Minister of Essential Services.   

India eyes key projects in Trincomalee
Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting took place against the backdrop of a strike by petroleum workers against the move to hand over the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm for development by India. Naturally, attention was drawn to the matter.  
The strike impacted fuel distribution gravely. However, the Cabinet took up for discussion the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with India to execute a number of projects including the Trinco petroleum project. The Cabinet, in fact, approved the MOU just hours before the Prime Minister headed for New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.    President Sirisena, at the Cabinet meeting, stressed that the government should not compromise the promise given to petroleum workers.  
According to the MOU, India is keen to secure vital projects in Sri Lanka in the projection of its interests in the region. A Liquefied Natural Gas project, a Solar Plant in Sampur where a coal project was proposed in the past, to set up industrial parks, railway upgrading projects and the development of the Dambulla-Trincomalee expressway are among them. All these projects, if executed, will ensure a sizeable Indian presence in and around Trincomalee. Those who are against these projects speak of geopolitical implications involved in such an eventuality. They fear India will have a major clout over the affairs of Sri Lanka if these projects took off the ground, leaving it helpless in decision making.
India has shown interests in Trincomalee for decades now. In fact, the Indian authorities have objected to the offer of projects in the area for other countries in the past. On one occasion, it raised objection to an aircraft maintenance plant proposed to be put up by a Chinese company in Trincomalee.
Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris once said in Parliament at that time, that his Indian counterpart inquired about it from her. Sri Lanka is in the attention of world superpowers because of its strategic positioning in the Indian Ocean. These powers seem to be competing with each other for a foothold in Sri Lanka by way of economic projects.  
The Prime Minister’s visit takes place in such a context. Alongside, Mr. Modi will also arrive in Sri Lanka in view of UN Vesak Day celebrations next month. India has attached greater significance to its relations with Sri Lanka. It is the only country to be visited twice by Mr. Modi among India’s neighbours.  
India, along with Japan, has conveyed its displeasure over China getting control over a port in Sri Lanka. The Joint Statement issued at the end of Mr. Wickremesinghe’s visit to Japan, speaks of it in volumes it was undertaken in it that port development would be done in Sri Lanka only under the control of Sri Lanka.  
To allay the fears of Japan and India, a tripartite dialogue involving the two countries have been proposed at the moment.   

PM to rub shoulders with Chinese leaders
In the meantime, Sri Lanka is under compulsion to balance out its relationship with China. The Prime Minister will leave for China next month to attend the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) summit in Beijing. On the sidelines of the event, he is reportedly planning to rub shoulders with the Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping.
One Belt, One Route is a concept conceived and bankrolled by China to improve connectivity with the rest of the world in terms of economic and other relations. Sri Lanka is among the very first countries to have recognized and pledged co-operation with this project.  
The Hambantota Port project is the key matter to be handled in Sino-Lanka relations. According to diplomatic sources, China is concerned about the absence of policy consistency in Sri Lanka at the moment. It has had some bitter experience at the beginning of this government after the suspension of the port city project.  

John Seneviratne proposed Gal Arakku for Kasippu
Labour and Trade Union Relations Minister John Seneviratne is concerned over rising level of brewery and consumption of illicit liquor called Kasippu in the estate sector . He said this had become a social problem in these areas.  As a result, at the Ratnapura District Development Committee meeting, he proposed to lower the prices of liquor brand called ‘Extra Special’. It is commonly called ‘Gal Arakku’ in village jargon.  
“This is less harmful. Kassippu drinking is a major issue. Nobody is paying attention to it. Estate workers drink alcohol anyhow. If the legal brands are expensive, they will drink illicit ones. Both men and women have taken to alcoholism. We should stop this somehow. The best method is to make ‘Gal Arakku’ available at cheap rates for daily workers,” he told the meeting.  
Interestingly, his proposal was approved by the committee including UNP MP A.A. Wijetunga. It will now be communicated to the government for consideration.