Infamous brothers Arjuna-Dhammika rob the Port after registering two spurious Cos. ! Monthly illicit earning Rs. 4 to 5 million..!

(Lanka-e-News - 30.April.2017, 9.20PM) Yet another fraud committed by the most notorious minister of Ports  , Arjuna Ranatunge of the good governance government , an infamous  Blue Brigand crook  jointly  with his uneducated brother , Dhammika Ranataunge the Ports chairman has come to light , based on information reaching Lanka e news inside information division 

This fraud has been committed through  the formation of two spurious companies by the Ranatunge brothers, and producing bogus vouchers to collect monies for the services provided in connection with the  unlocking of cargo of the cargo vessels arriving at the Port and locking of cargo that are loaded  to  the cargo vessels at the Port . 

There were ten companies registered  to carry out the above services . Now , two Companies by the names AAN marine service and ANT marine services which are the fake  companies of Ranatunges , have also been registered to provide the services. 

Now that these two companies have been registered , after submission of bogus vouchers  payments are collected fruadulently . The sum involved in this fraud is as large as Rs. 4 million to 5 million rupees per month! Unbelievably ,  there isn’t a single employee of these two fake  companies engaged in any services  in the Port. If there are employees of these two companies , they should  have Port permits etc. to enter the Port. No such permits have been issued. But collecting payments through bogus vouchers are going on unhindered monthly , and it is these two infamous “crooked brothers’ Company” having control over the Port which is collecting these illicit funds. 

These aforementioned spurious companies have been fraudulently registered by the Ports management advisory service Pvt. Ltd. The corrupt and crooked Ranatunges having identified this service as the floodgate for their plunder and robberies ,firstly  appointed a notorious paramour of Arjuna Ranatunge  as its CEO , and her name is Maneesha Kannangara . Maneesha who was living together with Madhawa Wannegedera for a long period , was ‘robbed’ by Arjuna. The latter gave her residence at  380/76  Sarana road , Baudhaloka Mawatha , in on e of the official houses belonging to the Ports . Later , when Lanka e news  exposed Maneesha –Ranatunge scandal , and amidst the protests raised by the employees of the Port, she was removed from the post of CEO of the Ports management advisory services , and was made  a director of Shipping Corporation thereby absorbing her into their ministry .

Subsequently , another cousin brother of Ranatunges by the name of Mangala Gunasekera was appointed as CEO of the Ports management advisory service  Pvt. Ltd. It is a well and widely known fact it was this  Mangala Gunasekera who gobbled up billions of rupees on the Galle Face Christmas tree which too was a fake  project supposedly aimed at creating a world record but  ultimately ending in the world’s  ignominious records !  It is this same Mangala Gunasekera , a buddy of the same feather robbing together with the Ranatunges , like birds of the same feather flock together , who has registered the two companies , AAN and ANT marine services illicitly.

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by     (2017-04-30 15:56:09)

Govt. misuses public security ordinance – FSP

Apr 29, 2017

Addressing a press conference held at CSR Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) politburo member Ravindra Goonathilake said that government will misuse the Public Security Ordinance to violate the peoples’ right to expression

“President Sirisena declared waste disposal an essential service with effect from midnight of 20th April. But the government use that control the people who held protest against government’s planning to create Garbage Mountain in several places in the western province. They do not take proper measures dumping garbage.President will get the support from the parliament to pass the bill about waste disposal an essential service.”

He added, “The Kesbewa Magistrate has been given an order to Colombo municipal council to stop dumping garbage to Karidiyana in Piliyandala.”

(Photos and reported by Lawrence Ferdinando)

Sexual harassment: Raising the voice early is still the best solution 

By SANJEEV KOTNALA     

 INTRADIA WORLD,-April 30, 2017, 7:38 pm

Brand and Marketing Advisor, Trainer, Facilitator and Coach

In the recent times, there have been multiple high-profile cases of sexual harassment reported in Media. It is not that men have suddenly turned predators, and hopefully the situation has not worsened. It’s most likely is the case of more women finding courage to raise their voice. In fact, one has seen that whenever there is a sexual case against any position of power, it opens floodgates of fresh allegations and reporting. They no longer accept it as a cost to career growth or as something that just happens.

Thankfully, the times are changing. No longer, people accept its as something common. The predator’s confidence is shaken if not broken. He no longer roams the power corridors and sits in his own small jungle waiting for the next prey. He is finally unsure of his ability to get away with it without risking injury to his pride, status or image.

However, we are far from idealistic situation. A small step would be to plant shame where it belongs. Unfortunately, the injury and damages are still more on the woman, be it physically, mentally or emotionally.

So, what are we talking about?

Sexual harassment is every single incident of unwelcome sexual behavior. Anything that can be expected to make the person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated is sexual harassment.

It can be physical, verbal or written. It includes acts like indecent exposure, stalking, sexual assault, obscene or threatening communications, by phone, letter, emails, SMS, or posting irrelevant damaging material on social platforms.

It includes sending suggestive letters, notes, or e-mails, displaying inappropriate sexual images or posters in the workplace, telling lewd jokes, or sharing sexual anecdotes, making inappropriate sexual gestures, staring in a sexually suggestive or offensive manner, or whistling, making sexual comments about appearance, clothing, or body part, inappropriate touching, including pinching, patting, rubbing, or purposefully brushing up against another person, asking sexual questions, such as questions about someone's sexual history or their sexual orientation and making offensive comments about someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. And this is not an exhaustive list.

Mostly reported known cases centre around physical contact or advances, demand or request for sexual favours, making sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography, and other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.

Sexual harassment can be clubbed in two distinct categories.

‘Quid pro quo’, where a gain / something is promised in return to willingly suffering and accepting sexual harassment or exploitation. There is a specific promise made that hints towards a particular path the career of the victim will take due to acceptance or rejection of the sexual act.

The other is a hostile work environment created within the organization. Unfortunately in this case, a single incidence cannot be construed as a hostile environment. Hence, it necessitates that the victim proves a series of incidents and situations to make her case. It makes it a lot more difficult to pursue or prove. The victim knows this and at times ends up compromising with the situation.

Breaking some myth regarding sexual harassment

Sexual harassment at work is not confined to the work premises. Law sees a wider scope and agrees that it can take place at work, at work-related events, between people sharing the same workplace and even colleague outside the workspace. It further expands its scope to include contractors, agents, clients, vendors and any other stakeholder or business associate the women need to interact during her job.

Not objecting to an objectionable act / behavior at a point of time, does not mean acceptance or consent. ‘No is NO’ and a ‘no- yes' is also a 'NO’. Men unfortunately believe otherwise.

The law clearly leaves it for the woman to decide that what makes her discomfort able and what she is comfortable with. No one speaks. Most take the easy way out.

They change jobs, request internal transfer, stop working and in some cases compromise with the situation. Most victims fear pointing fingers at the instigator who is causing discomfort or creating a hostile environment. It is never easy. For many victims, it is a choice between having a job and being jobless. There usually is a power imbalance or a financial need.

On one side, in the social matrix, the stigma is always attached to the women, and on the other side news of such incidents kills future job prospects. No one wants trouble makers!

We as a society have rarely demonstrated the desired sensitivity to make the victim comfortable to report. There are many people and levers in the life of the victim, pushing her to sacrifice and suffer in isolation.

One of the victim’s worry is the big question. What if the complaint is not taken seriously. The working situation in the organization anyway becomes difficult for her. More challenging are the unsaid questions and rumours where many things are left for the recipient's imagination to complete the loop.

The fear that the investigation / case may drag and there are more chances of it remaining inconclusive is high. It is seen that in such cases, it benefits the accused and is not in favor of the victim.

Nobody stops to read the hidden meaning of being inconclusive. It just means that there is not a sufficient reason to believe if the incidents happened or not. Not being able to prove an allegation does not mean that it is a false/malicious complaint. The case remains inconclusive because of lack of evidence. Hence, at least in the case of creation of hostile environment, it is advised that the victim keeps records of the incidences in writing. It allows for confrontation and confirmations, as the facts do not get fogged with time.

At every stage, the woman is faced with a tough question. Is she willing to take the legal route?

The internal committee though directed by the law has repeatedly failed to protect the identity of the woman. The penalty for this lapse is negligible. The judiciary has failed to raise the confidence that there will be a swift terminal conclusion to the case.

In the new world, social and media justice favours the victim but it bars no one from taking pot shot at the accused. The reputation is at stake at both the ends, but it is the woman who has more to lose. Sorry, but that is the society we have created and live in.

There is something erratically wrong within the system. It always needs a whistle blower to give courage to other victims to come out in open. And then, the society looks at them with suspicion and questions their motives for remaining silent for long. Media takes a unilateral decision and uses a biased brush to paint one of the sides as a possible victim, and that necessarily may not be the woman.

Sexual harassment is normally a slow burner. The signals at the start are much softer and disguised. One is usually in a better position to take preventive steps at the initial stages than by waiting for a conclusive favourable twist to the case. It is better to report early and snip the behavior in the bud. The predator normally tests his victim’s reactions and capability to react and easily backs out if snubbed at the start.

Mostly, it works, But in some case the accused may not stop / mend/ change the behavior. Then, it seems that it becomes the responsibility of the victim to generate proof. Not sure, if one should recommend investment in the new miniature-recording devices to collect the evidence. Nevertheless, it is always better to keep records of incidences, work progress and reviews. If they are with you at home, you will not be left stranded knowing that they are no longer accessible to you. Keep the message / call details if they are used to harass.

Do note that delay in reporting, it tends to lesser the chances of favourable decision and closure?

Unfortunately until women speak out, sexual harassment will go un-noticed. No-one will comes to know about it and anyway no one else wants to speak and take action.

Everyone acts like an ostrich. Nothing like it happens in their organization! And if it does, they don’t want such issues to come out in open. Their impact on brand value is seen as more damaging than the effect on the victim. HR and Management motivation is to sort it out. From the start, it smells of an un-natural bias to prove the complaint unfounded.

It is still in everyone’s interest to prevent such behavior from a minority of employees. Every organization must find time to make an effort to create awareness, share their process and policies and across gender. It is time that individually we act.

Video: BDS challenges Israel and “partners in crime,” says Omar Barghouti

 

Ali Abunimah-25 April 2017

On Sunday, Omar Barghouti was presented with the Gandhi Peace Award at a ceremony in New Haven, Connecticut.

He was recognized for his role as a human rights defender and co-founder of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality.

Barghouti was introduced by Rebecca Vilkomerson, director of Jewish Voice for Peace, who cited his role in pushing her organization to fully endorse the Palestinian call for BDS.

“Twelve years ago, we were called romantic dreamers or worse,” Barghouti said in his acceptance speech, recalling the beginnings of the BDS movement. “Today, our fast-growing movement is recognized as being so strong as to be fought by the full force of Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid, and by its partners in crime in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia, among others.”

Dedicating the award to hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners and Palestinian refugees, Barghouti said the monetary sum that comes with it would be equally divided among Black Lives Matter and four other US organizations that work for Palestinian rights.

Watch the whole speech in the video above.

Israel lobby upset

In a sign of how fearful major US institutions remain of offending Israel’s powerful lobby, Yale University, where the ceremony took place, issued what a local newspaper called “an unusual statement distancing the university from endorsing the Gandhi event.”

By contrast, the university has openly honored Israeli leaders such as Tzipi Livni, who is wanted for questioning by prosecutors in several countries over her role in war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, The New Haven Register published an article by leaders of local Israel lobby groups attacking Barghouti and smearing the BDS movement.

Israeli harassment

Barghouti’s attendance at the Yale ceremony had been in doubt. As part of its effort to crush the BDS movement, Israel has targeted him for harassment.

In the past year, Barghouti has been subjected to a travel ban and open threats by Israel’s top ministers.

During a “Stop the Boycott” conference held in Jerusalem last year, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s public security and strategic affairs minister, vowed that BDS activists “will know they will pay a price for it.”

Singling out Barghouti, Erdan, who is responsible for spearheading Israel’s assault on the global BDS movement, added, “We will soon be hearing more of our friend Barghouti.”

During the same conference, which was attended by EU and US diplomats, Israel’s intelligence minister Yisrael Katz called for the thwarting of the BDS leadership, using the same Hebrew term used by the military for “targeted killing,” or extrajudicial execution.

In the latest chapter of that campaign, in mid-March, Israeli authorities detained and interrogated Barghouti over several days in a tax fraud investigation.

Barghouti has condemned the investigation as part of Israel’s “McCarthyite witch hunt” and denounced the “vicious lies published by Israel’s regime against me.”

Cholera in Yemen: Fighting deadly disease in face of war and siege

Yemen has been battling a cholera outbreak since mid-October 2016, exacerbated by the war

A Yemeni child receives treatment at a hospital in the capital Sanaa after a cholera outbreak in October 2016 (AFP)

Saeed Al-Batati-Sunday 30 April 2017

AL MUKALA, Yemen – Abdul Salam, a middle-aged Arabic teacher living in the remote tribal village of al-Mansouri in Yemen's Bayda province, suddenly suffered severe diarrhoea and vomiting late last year. His relatives suspected he had fallen victim of a cholera outbreak that had killed four villagers a few days before, but there were no healthcare facilities or doctors in the area to treat his symptoms.

The war-torn country has been battling a significant cholera outbreak since mid-October 2016. The death toll of the outbreak reached 11, out of 180 confirmed cases, while suspected cases reached 15,658 as of 11 January, according to a joint report by a health ministry task force and several UN bodies.

When they finally reached the hospital, I was incapacitated

- Abdul Salam, cholera patient

Bayda is largely controlled by Shia Houthi rebels and their allies, who have been fighting against the internationally recognised government of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. Hadi has been supported since March 2015 by a Saudi-led coalition.

To reach the nearest public health clinic in Mukaeras town, Abdul Salam's family had to cross into Houthi-controlled territories where the militia imposes a night-time curfew to curb al-Qaeda attacks. Previously an al-Qaeda hotbed, the militant group now controls the province's remote and peripheral areas.

A Yemeni boy receives treatment at a hospital in the capital Sanaa on 11 October 2016 (AFP)

Having to endure a long wait, Abdul Salam's relatives prepared a traditional remedy of herbs and yogurt, but with the treatment not succeeding, Abdul Salam was inching towards death the following morning.

"When they finally reached the hospital, I was incapacitated," he told MEE.

"My body had been drained from top to bottom," he said while explaining that his vomiting and diarrhoea spells left his body increasingly dehydrated.

His relatives had driven for one hour on a rugged and dangerous road to reach Mukaeras's only healthcare facility.

Lack of resources

"When I arrived [at the clinic], there were no doctors on duty," he said. "Nurses gave me some injections but that didn't work."

More than 14 million people in Yemen have no access to health services, the United Nations health agency said in March, warning that transportation of medical personnel and treatment for the injured had become increasingly difficult.

Doctors were already scarce in Yemen's rural areas. Since the war started, many have deserted their jobs due to months of unpaid salaries.

Days later, and as his health continued to deteriorate, Abdul Salam was taken to a more advanced private hospital in Bayda city.

Newly recruited Houthi fighters chant slogans as they ride a military vehicle during a gathering in the capital Sanaa in January 2017 (AFP)

There, he was rushed into the intensive care unit. Doctors told his brother that he had developed severe kidney failure as a result of the disease and would be permanently dependent on a dialysis machine.

Although his family was relieved Abdul Salam was finally being treated, they could only afford to keep him hospital for a few days.

"I stayed there [hospital] for several days, then decided to go back home. The medical bill was just too high,” said Abdul Salam, explaining that it had cost his family almost $110 a day to keep him in hospital.

After leaving the facility, Abdul Salam moved to Aden in order to be close to a dialysis centre, a facility that does not exist in his village.

Abdul Salam now has only two wishes.

“I want this war to come to an end and I want to start teaching again here in Aden, next to my dialysis centre.”

Government response

Following a number of reported deaths as a result of the cholera outbreak among villagers in Bayda last year, the ministry of health’s provincial office in Baydha sent a team of medics to assess the situation in the area.

The team included doctors, nurses and medical technicians. Jalal Sanah, the doctor leading the team, said they were appalled by the dire health conditions in al-Mansouri village and other neighbouring areas.

By early this year, nearly 1,145 people in the [Mukeras] district were suffering from acute watery diarrhoea

- Jalal Sannah, doctor in Bayda province 

"When we arrived, the cholera had already killed several people and dozens of others had contracted the disease and were suffering severe diarrhoea and vomiting," Sanah told MEE.

More than a fifth of Moukeras' population of about 5,000 people were suffering symptoms associated with the disease, Sanah told MEE.

"By early this year, nearly 1,145 people in the district were suffering from acute watery diarrhoea [AWD- a symptom associated with cholera]," Sanah said. 

For several weeks, the team crisscrossed villages treating suspected cholera cases and sending critical ones to better health facilities in Bayda city. Meanwhile they helped raise health and hygiene awareness among the villagers to limit the spread of the disease.

The team's treatment plan and awareness activities resulted in tangible improvements.

According to Sannah, the number of suspected cholera cases in Moukeras dropped from 56 per day to 18, while the number of deaths had dropped to zero by the time the team left the area.

Wider challenges

Despite reaching dozens of people, Sanah said his team only scratched the surface of the problem. He says more efforts are needed to remove the breeding grounds of the disease.

'You cannot ask people to build a toilet if they cannot afford to buy food for their children'

- Jalal Sannah, doctor in Bayda province 

"The main causes of cholera outbreak still exist," said Sanah. "There is no sewage system or clean drinking water and reservoirs are left unprotected.

"There are no toilets and people relieve themselves in the open. But you cannot ask people to build a toilet if they cannot afford to buy food for their children," he added.

Sanah explained that without addressing these structural issues, the disease would continue to spread throughout the country.

Thousands of Yemenis suffered from cholera early this year as healthcare has deteriorated as a result of the war. According to the UN World Health Organisation (WHO), only 45 percent of the country's health facilities remain fully functional and accessible and at least 274 have been damaged or destroyed during the conflict.

Foud Edris, a medic and the director of Bayda provincial health office, told MEE that his office had documented 20 deaths and 2,300 suspected cholera cases since late last year, saying that most of the cases had been in Moukeras and al-Shourejah districts.

"We are under a siege because of the war. Vital drugs are not arriving on time and blood samples take lengths of time to reach Sanaa," Edris said, explaining that the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa is the only place with specialised laboratories.

A Yemeni fighter near Taiz (AFP)

For Sanah and his team of nine medics, the war imposes even harsher challenges as they try to continue to treat patients across the province. Crossing from Houthi-controlled territories into al-Qaeda held areas to check up on patients and their treatment plans usually means being stopped, searched and questioned by militants on each side, Sanah told MEE.

Acute shortage of critical medicines, limited fuel for electricity and a limited number of specialised medical staff such as intensive-care doctors and nurses have also exacerbated the healthcare situation in Yemen, according to the WHO.

Baby steps

Despite the many challenges, recent efforts by government bodies and international NGOs have managed to limit the spread of the disease.

Although statistics on the number of recent cholera cases do not exist, sporadic reports from provincial officers point to a dramatic decrease in deaths and suspected cases.

Abdul Nasser al-Wali, the director of ministry of health office in Aden, told MEE that health facilities in the city had not recorded any new cases since February.

"In the early days of cholera outbreak, we were not ready as we had just got out of a war," he told MEE as he explained that prevention and awareness campaigns were later launched to address the issue.

"We now have strengthened partnerships with local and international organisations to fight the spread of this disease."

The Price Of Ideas: Father of “Disobedient Writer” Yameen Rasheed Calls For Justice

Featured image courtesy Democracy Now

RAISA WICKREMATUNGE on 04/29/2017

Even as a child, Yameen Rasheed was an avid reader who had his own opinions, his father Hussain says.

A self-described “disobedient writer” Yameen was writing by the time he was in college. “He was friendly. He was not affiliated to any political parties or any gangs. He only independently wrote his own ideas,” his father said.

Yameen was murdered for this very outspokenness.

On April 23, Yameen, was stabbed 16 times in the stairwell of his apartment at around 3 am. He was rushed to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Malé but succumbed to his injuries at 3:48 am, according to family and friends.

Yameen received numerous death threats that were never investigated, according to his father. “My son never informed me about the death threats he was getting, which dated from around 2014. I think he was afraid of worrying me because of my heart condition.”

However, Yameen had shared his concerns with media, local NGOs and the police, Hussain said. He has a copy of a police complaint made on December 22, 2016, about the numerous threats he was receiving. “No action was taken up until the date of his death. I find no reason for that,” his father said, forcefully.

Yameen did not grow up in the Maldives – in fact, the Rasheed family moved to Trivandurum, India, when he was just 2 years old. He graduated in Bangalore with a degree in Computer Science and moved back to the Maldives in 2010 to work.

However, it was his satirical blog, “The Daily Panic”, which drew attention.

According to Hussain, the death threats were issued ‘in the name of Islam’. “I wouldn’t say Yameen was irreligious. However, he didn’t like the radical acts certain groups were committing,” said his father.

Yameen took care not to talk politics with his family, but his father would sometimes read his posts.

“I am proud of my son for his endeavours. I too, would like to see justice and democracy for everyone. I supported him in that,” Hussain said.

For Hussain, the loss is still fresh. He paused often as he spoke, fighting back emotion.

He is very clear on one point – he wishes to see justice done in the case of his son.

Yameen was an active campaigner when his close friend, Ahmed Rilwan, was abducted in August 2014. In fact, he is the Coordinator of the “Find Moyameeha” campaign and was described as “fiercely committed” to the cause. To date, there has been no progress on Rilwan’s case. Two years before, in October 2012, former Member of Parliament Afrasheem Ali, a reformist religious scholar, was killed. “So far, there has been no progress in these cases. I don’t want this to happen to my son. I want justice for him and the other cases,” Hussain said.

Hussain’s impassioned plea for justice for his son has chilling resonance in Sri Lanka as well. The Committee to Protect Journalists says 19 journalists have been killed in Sri Lanka in the pursuit of their work. Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, whose figures include media workers, puts the number much higher, at around 43. To date, none of the culprits in these cases have been apprehended. CPJ has recorded numerous incidents of assault, arbitrary arrest and death threats issued against Maldivian journalists.

Hussain has called for international intervention as he wants to see an independent, impartial investigation into his son’s death.

However, he faces an uphill battle in a country that has long grappled with political turbulence and gang violence.

Political Turmoil 

In July 2009, while working at the Sunday Leader, I had the opportunity to interview Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed’s political advisor, Hassan Afeef.

At the time, he told me that Nasheed was well on its way to steering the country towards prosperity, nine months after his election. However it was his comments on drug trafficking that were particularly revealing. “We are not trying to eliminate the problem, because it can’t be completely stopped,” he told me, adding that two of the six ‘known’ drug traffickers were behind bars following Nasheed’s election. He said this was progress compared to the previous regime, which had allowed corruption to run rampant.

Three years later, I visited the Maldives in May 2012 as part of a study tour on the issues faced by migrant workers. During the tour, I came upon Nasheed, quite by chance, holding a street rally. Nasheed had been ousted from power just three months before, in February, after a wave of protests from supporters of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, which began after Nasheed ordered the arrest of a criminal court judge, thought to be an associate of Gayoom’s, on corruption charges. Nasheed elected to step down as President. At the time, Vice President Muhammad Waheed Hassan was sworn in as head of state. (The current President, Abdulla Yameen, was eventually elected in November 2013.)

There was a tightly packed crowd of around 50 people or so, hanging onto Nasheed’s every word. I took out my phone and began to take pictures of the rally when I was accosted by the police. Although several of the rally participants were openly taking pictures and filming, the police questioned me intensively as I was a foreigner. They asked me to leave and also attempted to make me delete the pictures I had taken – this despite the fact that they didn’t know that I was a journalist. This incident is illustrative of the tension prevalent in Malé at the time, particularly to outsiders, as it adjusted to the transition after Nasheed’s abrupt exit from power.

This political turmoil is not the only force at play. As a friend of Yameen’s wrote, a relatively new phenomenon is the emergence of religious extremist groups, members of which have also reportedly flown to Syria to join the civil war there. These groups openly advocate for violence in the name of religion, he writes.

Yameen’s writing could have angered either of these forces, with his witty, deliberately irreverent style. He delivered weekly ‘news roundups’ which satirised headlines.

“Maldives Police Service Dumbstruck by Own Brilliance” is the title of one post in 2014.

“Commissioner of Police, Hussain Waheed Three, said in a statement that “The Maldives Police Service is now the best Police force in the region. We are truly dumbstruck by our own brilliance.”

In celebration of the great recognition that it has awarded itself, the Police Commissioner announced another round of mass promotions and a flat for each Police Officer who can count to three…The Daily Panic’s Senior Statistics Correspondent pointed out that the Maldives Police Service have an astounding near 100% failure record when it comes to solving serious crimes – including continued failure to locate abducted journalist Ahmed Rilwan, and over thirty unsolved murders and even more stabbings in recent years,” he writes.

In another popular post, he lampoons a news article on ‘controversy’ around a textbook that contained pictures of a church.

“Stop the presses! A picture of a church?! In a textbook informing students about major world religions?! At a school, no less?! Outrageous!” Yameen writes.

In a video, he discusses a proposed ban on the niqab. “I think the niqab is an exclusionary garment… But I don’t think the solution is to exclude [a woman who wears niqab]” he says.

The news of Yameen’s death drew widespread condemnation, including from the Government. “We will deliver justice for the sake of Yameen’s family, his friends, his community and his entire nation,” President Yameen said in a statement.

It remains to be seen whether he will deliver on that promise.

South Korea confirms US will pay for THAAD after Trump uncertainty

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor being fired during an exercise. Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency.

30th April 2017

SOUTH Korea said Washington had reaffirmed it would shoulder the cost of deploying the THAAD anti-missile system, days after US President Donald Trump said Seoul should pay for the US$1 billion system designed to defend against nuclear-armed North Korea.

In a telephone call on Sunday, Trump’s national security adviser, HR McMaster, reassured his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, that the US alliance with South Korea was its top priority in the Asia-Pacific region, the South’s presidential office said.

The conversation followed another North Korean missile test-launch on Saturday which Washington and Seoul said was unsuccessful, but which drew widespread international condemnation.

Trump, asked about his message to North Korea after the latest missile test, told reporters: “You’ll soon find out”, but did not elaborate on what the US response would be.

Trump’s comments in an interview with Reuters on Thursday that he wanted Seoul to pay for the THAAD deployment perplexed South Koreans and raised questions about his commitment to the two countries’ alliance.

South Korean officials responded that the cost was for Washington to bear, under the bilateral agreement.

SEE ALSO: US explained to China its position on THAAD anti-missile defence system in South Korea

“National Security Adviser HR McMaster explained that the recent statements by President Trump were made in a general context, in line with the US public expectations on defence cost burden-sharing with allies,” South Korea’s Blue House said in a statement, adding that McMaster requested the call.

National Security Adviser Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster listens as U.S. President Donald Trump makes the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida U.S. February 20, 2017. Source: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Major elements of the advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system were moved into the planned site in Seonjgu, in the south of the country, this week.

The deployment has drawn protests from China, which says the powerful radar which can penetrate its territory will undermine regional security, and from local residents worried they will be a target for North Korean missiles.

About 300 residents rallied on Sunday as two U.S. Army lorries tried to enter the THAAD deployment site. Video provided by villagers showed protesters blocking the road with a car and chanting slogans such as “Don’t lie to us! Go back to your country!”

Police said they had sent about 800 officers to the site and two residents were injured during clashes with them.

South Korea and the United States say the sole purpose of THAAD is to guard against North Korean missiles. China says its powerful radar can penetrate its territory and undermine its security and spoke out against it again this week.

The United States is seeking more help from China, the North’s major ally, to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile development. Trump, in the Reuters interview, praised Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as a “good man”.

Tensions high

The North has been conducting missile and nuclear weapons related activities at an unprecedented rate and is believed to have made progress in developing intermediate-range and submarine-launched missiles.

Tension on the Korean peninsula has been high for weeks over fears the North may conduct a long-range missile test, or its sixth nuclear test, around the time of the April 15 anniversary of its state founder’s birth.

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In excerpts of an interview with CBS News released on Saturday, Trump said the United States and China would “not be happy” with a nuclear test but gave no other details.

Trump discussed the threat posed by North Korea in a telephone call with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, the White House said.

On Saturday, Duterte had urged the United States to show restraint after North Korea’s latest missile test and to avoid playing into the hands of leader Kim Jong Un, who “wants to end the world”.

Two-month long US-South Korean joint military drills were due to conclude on Sunday, US and South Korean officials said.

The exercise, called Foal Eagle, was repeatedly denounced by North Korea, which saw it as a rehearsal for war.

In a further show of force, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group arrived in waters near the Korean peninsula and began exercises with the South Korean navy late on Saturday. 

The South Korean navy declined to say when the exercises would be completed.

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The dispatch of the Carl Vinson was a “reckless action of the war maniacs aimed at an extremely dangerous nuclear war,” the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, said.

Inter-continental ballistic rockets will fly into the United States “if the US shows any slight sign of provocation,” the paper said in a commentary on Saturday.

The carrier group has just completed drills with the Japanese navy.

Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, in an apparent show of solidarity with Washington, has ordered the Izumo, Japan’s biggest warship, to protect a US navy ship that might be going to help supply the USS Carl Vinson, the Asahi newspaper said. – Reuters