Why We Haven’t Seen Another Buddha, A Christ, Or A Miracle Since? 

By Shyamon Jayasinghe –April 30, 2017

Shyamon Jayasinghe

Yes. Its been 2,500 years since we have seen a Buddha and, a little later, a Jesus Christ. Such considerable and towering personalities lived in times before recording took place. We know they lived. We are far less sure about what really they precisely said as we only have word-of mouth coming down over a 500 years since their departure from this world. Around such a time after that, faithful followers had, at last, been able to put it all together in writing. What is on record, however, is the thread of word-of-mouth and this, we know, can be hopelessly inauthentic.

Christmas Humphreys, in his classic Penguin on Buddhism said,”We do not know what the Buddha taught, any more than we know what Jesus taught.”

The important thing for me, however, is not the issues of authenticity. I am prepared to accept tentatively as authentic what theologists and scholastics later wrote about the teachings of these great religious leaders. On the other hand, what arouses my curiosity on a constant basis is why great personas such as them or even close to them have never appeared thereafter. We have not had any religions after Christianity, Jewish, Islam,Hinduism, and Buddhism. We certainly have had and do have sects of these religions since but sects are subsets. The era of religion has dissipated; not disappeared. It is also a matter of curiosity why only these religions erupted and why at that time and not before or afterwards.Why didn’t anyone emerge to guide man before? Why not after? In other words, the timing raises a host of questions. I am aware that there have been other faiths around the same time but the latter are too minor for consideration. We have the Jehovas Witnesses knocking at our doors today but they are not a distinct religion.

I also ask myself why we hear less and less of the kinds of miracles attributed to Jesus and to his early apostles since the latter passed away. And what of miraculous claims by Buddhists about an ability (Iddi Balaya) to travel through space unaided by a device? For thousands of years we haven’t heard of a miracle taken seriously. Turning water into wine? Multiplying bread, raising the dead back into a state of living-before our eyes? How wonderful if I can have the lives of some of my own relatives who were so dear to me resurrected? Tragic -struck parents would give anything to have a dead child restored to live again-wouldn’t they, surely? The world would be much free of unfair suffering. And then, if someone could multiply bread for Somalians dying of hunger these days-leave alone doing that miracle for our benefit? We watch in TV and become traumatic when scenes of starving kids are on display,-dying without food to eat. We shudder thinking of cancer patients struggling with their lives.

Why oh why cannot someone with divine power perform miracles by intervening in all such instances? We divide into groups and argue whether God as a creator and supernatural supervisor does exist. Arguments and rhetoric flow on both sides of the intellectual divide.In the Middle Ages we had the Christian scholar, Thomas Aquinas who came out with “proofs for God’s existence.” Since then, there have been refinements to such arguments. With the march of science, many intellectuals took to rebutting Aquinas. The theory of evolution by Charles Darwin seems to undermine the whole traditional belief that this world of ours had been an act of vast creation. That was science’s serious deathblow to the belief of Abrahamic religions-Christianity, Jewish, and Islam. Findings of genetic science since Darwin only confirm and elaborate what Darwin had found. Yet, the scientific position is being denied vehemently by creationists. It is a war with science that we observe today in many fields of cognitive understanding.

My position is that this war need not go on and that we need not fight to death over such disputes if only the presumed God can intervene and show his miracle or muscle for the whole world to see. That would be the most convincing sure -shot. Wouldn’t that be? But it is not happening.

Perhaps, it is safer to get back to what science says: Miracles cannot happen in nature as they constitute a violation of the very laws of nature. Miracle claims are not common today because the the burgeoning numbers of scientifically thinking, modern, people are on the watch to ask questions and to pry and question any given claim. There are a number of stories of miracles but they lack wide enough testimony and they typically are personal experiences. David Hume famously said if one were to accept a claim of a miraculous event such a claim must have testimony that looks more probable than the optional scientific view that it can be explained in terms of the natural laws of the universe. Such tall stories are the product of mankind’s sense of wonder. The sensations of surprise and wonder lead us to irrational beliefs. To make matters worse for the believers, social media has grown and is growing in an exponential speed undreamt of before. A simple claim of a divine apparition can be caught on a tiny mobile phone and disseminated in lightening speed to the entire world. Be careful, supernaturalists, you are being watched. People all over the world are getting far too sophisticated to arrive at supernatural beliefs of any sort. The days of early religion were pre-scientific days and they were inhabited largely by barbarous and ignorant populations.

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Sri Lanka: President and Prime Minister Are Protecting the Culprits!

The following article based on the press communique written and issued by the author as the Convener of the National Media Forum, a newly emerged media watchdog based in Colombo on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2017!

by Mandana Ismail Abeywickreme
Views expressed in this article are author own

(May 2, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Tomorrow, 3 May, is the World Press Freedom Day and UNESCO has declared “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies” as this year’s theme.

The National Media Forum (NMF) believes that this theme is quite timely, especially considering the present Sri Lankan as well as global context and that journalists and media organisations should understand that our role as the Fourth State and watchdog of democracy is crucial at this critical juncture.

Locally, we are facing a situation where most of the democratic freedoms and essential democratic reforms we have secured after January 2015, by defeating the totalitarian Rajapaksa regime, are being taken back or being restricted by the government. Now the leaders of the government have started to openly say that there is too much freedom and too much democracy in the country where people do not have the discipline to enjoy it. Especially with the increasing public protests against imprudent government policies and successful trade union action, the Cabinet is now discussing new mechanisms to suppress them.

On the other hand, the government has turned its back on its pledges made at the 2015 Presidential Election and the subsequent General Election. Investigations of large-scale fraud and corruptions committed by ministers and top officials of the previous regime have been disrupted by political interference and now these allegations are being used to concoct political deals in order to give a boost to the weakening powers of the government. One example of this is how that the Bribery Commission was neutralised after removing its former Director General.

FCID also seems paralysed after the transfer of its Director, and with the move to take hundreds of important files out of FCID and handing them over to other police divisions. These cases are against some leaders of the former Rajapaksa regime and now it is clear that there is a move to protect these criminals who stole public funds. Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat (ACCS), the front office of the FCID, too has been deactivated. Facilities given to the intelligence division of the ACCS have been cut off and FCID has been directed not to request intelligence reports from the ACCS.

Meanwhile, fraud and corruption continue under the present government, and top officials including the President and the Prime Minister seem to be directly interfering in these investigations and protecting the culprits. There is no transparency in government’s international agreements, tender awarding in mega projects, and privatisation of State-owned enterprises. This government too is following infamous and corrupted Unsolicited Proposals in mega projects.

When it comes to media freedom, the President has resumed his predecessor’s practice of calling upon media institution owners, editors and directors for meetings at the President’s House. This practice was started by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and it was used to influence private media organisations. However, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe continues his hostility against selected media organisations. The progress of the investigations into the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge, missing cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda and attack on several other journalists and media organisations are not satisfactory at all. President Sirisena is influencing these investigations to safeguard so-called war heroes of the intelligence units who committed these crimes. Under these circumstances, we cannot expect media freedom under the yahapalana government as well and therefore NMF stresses that Critical Minds of journalists is essential at this critical time.

In the global context too the majority of the people living around the world, whether they live in the developed or developing countries, are facing most critical situations, in terms of political, economic, social and environmental issues. With the increasing tension in the Korean Peninsula, the world is on the verge of a nuclear war. Building up of NATO military power along Russian borders has intensified the threat of a war in Europe. Wars created by the US in the Middle East continue and thousands of innocent civilians are being killing in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

Despite evidence suggesting enough food is being produced to feed every mouth on the planet, due to inequality in distribution, millions of people are dying of hunger. The United Nations warned in February that more than 20 million people in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen risk death by starvation. South Sudan has already declared a state of famine in a crisis largely due to a violent civil war.

Climate change is also creating a lot of social and economic issues. Thousands of people around the world are dying annually as a result of rising temperatures. Rising sea temperature and rising sea level and its impacts have reached alarming level which human beings and all other living creatures in the world cannot tolerate anymore. These climate change issues intensify drought, food shortage and hunger by another round.

Therefore, journalists who have the biggest capability of creating public opinion and defining the world should carefully recognise the Media’s role at this Critical Time.

NMF believes that this is not the time for journalists to exaggerate and project the rosy picture portrayed by politicians and corporates and investigate and report the true plight of the people.

Meethotamulla - crash of trash… have we no shame?

“Which is the true nightmare, the horrific dream that you have in your sleep or the dissatisfied reality that awaits you when you awake?” 
  - Justin Alcala

2017-05-03

The pile of garbage was as tall as a 14-storey building. Its collapse was crushing, no pun intended. Two weeks ago the death toll stood at 32 and 30 odd still missing. ‘The Meethotamulla garbage dump is likely to crash again if heavy rains occur within the next few weeks or days’, according to R. M. S. Bandara, Director of Landslides Research and Disaster Management Division of the National Building Research Organization (NBRO). The waste dumped by human beings in Colombo and the surrounding suburbs had come to extract its ‘pound of waste’ 
with vengeance.  
The sheer magnitude of this human tragedy caused by human folly was further emphasized by Bandara, the harbinger of this New Year’s ominous omen: “This is the first time we have seen a disaster of this magnitude. Under the sheer weight of the massive garbage pile, a lower layer of earth gave way causing the slide. The authorities have stopped dumping garbage at the site. But, more crashes are likely to happen if the area receives heavy rains within the next few days. So, we have already called for the evacuation of people living near the garbage dump.We have identified about 130 houses which are vulnerable”. Authorities are closing the barn gate after the horses have bolted with the kitchen sink. Shame on you, Mr. Minister…shame on you Mr. Mayor or Mr. Municipal Commissioner. Have you no shame to pass the ‘blame-ball’ from one institution to another without caring for the misery heaped upon the most helpless segment in our country?  

All in all, 981 individuals belonging to 228 families had been displaced. A tragedy unleashing itself on a day when everyone was waiting to welcome the dawn of a new beginning, would have rushed many a devotee of many a God to their Temples and Kovils to invoke his blessings. Apparently Gods have gone to deep slumber, in better comforts. They are as helpless as the humans who have chosen to throw their garbage to a dumping yard. As helpless as those lifeless bodies still being searched for. Meethotamulla’s‘crash of the trash’ was a tragedy waiting to happen. This obscene occurrence could have been averted. But the authorities did not see it coming, and that is a shameful indictment on their competency. But if they knew that this could happen, then they were guilty of an unprecedented crime; a crime as dastardly as the massacres of some villagers during the so-called ‘second revolution’ of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in the 1987-’89 era.  
In the absence of a scientific and strategic approach to the issue of large-scale waste disposal, the country is definitely heading for a dumping of a different kind, a kind that might lead to a sudden and unexpected rehashing of the very composition of the incumbent coalition government. Wherever one looks, the smell is not sweet. When our politicians realize that the stench invading their insensitive nostrils is uncomfortable to bear, it might be too late. Therefore, the President and the Prime Minister, act now, not tomorrow or next week, right now. Show some guts and spine to hold your culprits accountable, whoever it is. Don’t ask the journalists to find a solution or to keep them quiet either. Tug-of-war among govt departments would eventually result in the stretching of the fragile cord that connects them. It would burst asunder.  

The garbage that they are trying to heap on state-owned lands would bury the politicians for good, and they deserve it if they keep haggling about a recurring issue whether it is garbage, corruption, nepotism or any other. The most astonishing aspect of this garbage-crisis is, that a govt, that came into being on a platform free of such foul practices of passing the buck etc., cannot find a martyr who would come forward and own the responsibility for the trash that crashed in Meethotamulla. Or is it too much to ask for, from amongst a heap of politicians who pretend to be do-gooders? People at large, always, almost without exception, expect such honesty and fairness from their leaders. At the same time they seem to accommodate any mistakes, honest oversights and erroneous judgments etc., provided such oversights and judgements are devoid of evil intention and made in good faith. When the electors are so patient and understanding, politicians take that patience and understanding for granted. That is shameful and it’s even more than shameful, it’s criminal. For, it’s the electors who place these politicians on an altar and choose to worship them. It is true in the case of an uneducated rural peasant or an urban labourer; and it’s true in the case of the educated and sophisticated English-speaking, whiskey-drinking pukka sahibs in Colombo. In the case of the peasant and the labourer one can, if not forgive, empathize with them, but never the pukka sahibs.  
In a crash like the one that befell the helpless denizens of Meethotamulla, it’s always the most destitute that suffer the most; it’s always the poorest of the poor who stand to lose - not only their homes and property - but their underwear too! Against such an ominous and bizarre backdrop, how can a nation attempt to make a move forward? No country progresses if it wishes to rot away in a comfort zone. Comfort zones are created for those who fear change; comfort zones are created for those dare not step out to the open and challenge, come what may; comfort zones are created for and by those who are inherently lethargic and dependent. That comfort zone is killing our society today; it’s exhausting the very spirit of our existence and leaving us at the mercy of our own politicians and bureaucrats. Who came first? Whether the comfort zone or the politician; is a million-dollar question, but trying to find an answer to that is of no consequence today. The Meethotamulla ‘crash of trash’ has accounted for the growing uneasiness pervading our society today. The JVP and other Opposition parties may thunder from their political platforms; they may ask for the blood of those who are responsible. They themselves are as responsible for this cruel tragedy that has gripped our collective mind as the current and the previous governments that ruled the trash of our 
growing neighbourhoods.  

"When the electors are so patient and understanding, politicians take  that patience and understanding for granted. That is shameful and it’s  even more than shameful, it’s criminal"

The Meethotamulla tragedy is, but a minor tissue in the body that has been overpowered by a malignant disease. That malignancy has many facets and faces. It has many mothers but no father. Whether it’s the UDA or the MC, whether it’s this Ministry or that department, pointing the finger at a non-accounting entity is of no use. When everyone disowns a mistake or a wilful act of negligence, the consequential tragedy is unimaginable. Unless and until we find those who are accountable and punish them with no mercy, with no deferment and with no prejudice; we will continue to be crushed by the trash of our politicians and bureaucrats.   
When the majority of a people choose to be apathetic about their own destitution, when they find excuses for their leaders instead of holding them accountable, when their priorities get mixed up with those of greedy politicians who would not hesitate to trample them when it suits them, then the majority is beyond help. It is not astonishing to find an elder generation succumbing to such cruel pathos of everyday life. But they cannot and should not be allowed to lead our younger generation along the same miserable path. In each of the families that suffered the ignoble fortune of residing adjacent to the Meethotamulla trash-mountain, are little children who went to school with the dawn of each day, smelling the nauseating stench of the pile at the mountain top. Each day, while their more fortunate brethren in other neighbourhoods were clad in whiter cleaner clothes, these children wore the same clothes day in and day out for their parents could not afford anything different. These are the hapless children of a lost and lonely generation. When they hit the hay at day’s end, they too dream the same dreams of other children; they too envision a grandiose future for them and their life companions. Human misery might manifest itself in another form somewhere else, but politicians cannot end such miseries unless they own them first. In search of a dream, each Meethotamulla denizen wakes up in the morning and gets about his/her own daily life. What that life holds for them is as uncertain as the physical state of the pile of garbage that buried their dreams and meagre aspirations, a few weeks ago. Have we no shame to put up with this kind of despair?  

The writer can be contacted at vishwamithra1984@gmail.com  

We shall punish the Rajapakses for their crimes before next May day rally ! We are ready for face to face battle: We do what we say ! (video)

–Rajitha makes forceful and forthright speech..!

(Lanka-e-News - 02.May.2017, 2.40PM)  ‘We shall be holding the next May day rally only after meting out punishment to the Rajapakses for  the ruthless murders , outrageous  robberies and shameless  perfidies they committed. We  shall be doing this forthrightly and fearlessly ,’ said , Rajitha Senaratne most vociferously at the May day rally of the United National Front on the 1st. 

We are ready to battle face to face . The conspiracy to enlist even  10 Fonsekas and topple the government shall be defeated , Rajitha exhorted.  

A People’s referendum will be held this year and a new constitution introduced . The homes of those who are in the cabinet with one foot in the Rajapakse  camp and  opposing this , while  hatching conspiracies will be raided  , Rajitha warned. 

The fierce ,furious and forthright speech of  minister Rajitha Senaratne can  be watched hereunder 

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by     (2017-05-02 09:20:28)

Economic realism of a trade unionist: Trade unions preventing foreign investment 

Wednesday, 3 May 2017

One does not expect realistic economic policies to be pronounced by a trade unionist at a May Day Rally, where speeches are meant to garner support for the political party by pandering to the multitude. Contrary to such expectations, veteran trade unionist Deshabandu Leslie Devendra, General Secretary, Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya and the Presidential Director General for trade union activities, made two statements of vital significance for economic progress.

Devendra said that that all what trade unions do are not necessarily correct: an unusual admission for a trade unionist. Some trade union actions he said are hampering foreign investments that are important for the country’s economic development. Furthermore, he said that there was a need to extend the age of retirement.

Trade union opposition

Devendra pointed out that foreign investments were needed for the country to progress economically and trade union objections and protests against several Government policies and foreign investments were not conducive to foreign investment. Trade union demonstrations, protests and strikes against various policies of the Government were hampering foreign investment in the country. 

Economic rationale

Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) are needed for meeting the savings investment gap, improving the balance of payments, increasing exports and enhancing the technological and managerial capacities of the country. More FDIs would mean more employment. The rapid economic development of South East Asia is ample evidence of this.

Devendra’s contention that foreign investments are vital for economic development has been pointed out by economists for quite some time. The Unity Government too has accepted this. However foreign investments have slowed rather than increased in the last two years. This is because the investment climate in Sri Lanka is comparatively unattractive. There are many reasons for this, but trade union protests and obstructions have been one of them.

Irrelevant issues

It must be also pointed out that trade union opposition have been on many issues that are of no direct concern to the particular trade unions. The incessant strikes, demonstrations and protests are undoubtedly one of the reasons for the country receiving very little foreign direct investments. These demonstrations are publicised globally by media and well known to investors. Why would investors want to invest in a country that has so much of obstructionist activities, when there are more stable countries in other countries?

Retirement age

The second important issue addressed by Devendra was the need to extend the retirement age from 55 years for men and 50 years for women in the public service. As Leslie Devendra observed, this retirement age was fixed at a time when life expectancy was around 55 years. He said retirement this early meant that the services of many workers are lost to the country and that they languish at home for years without benefit to the country or to the household.

As Devendra pointed out, now that life expectancy has increased to the mid-seventies, we should increase the retirement age. He observed that developed countries have extended the retirement age with their life expectancy increasing.

TUs opposed

When the initial proposition to extend the retirement age was proposed trade unions opposed it and it was shelved. They were perhaps quite ill-informed about the benefits of the proposed extension of the retirement age to workers. Trade unions should now be convinced of the need to extend the retirement age by about five years.

Benefits of extending retirement 

The extension of the retirement age would confer many benefits to workers and to the economy. This opposition to extend the retirement age has been owing to a lack of understanding of the issue. An extension of the retirement age to 65 years would place a lesser strain on pension schemes, could increase retirement benefits and would reduce the period during which retirement benefits would be needed to support retirees. The extension of the retirement age would reduce some of the financial problems of the ageing population.

Way forward

Devendra›s pronouncement that foreign investments are vital for the country’s development would only be  significant if it could reduce trade union opposition to such investment and mitigate harmful impacts that incessant demonstration have had on foreign  investment and economic growth. Trade unions must be convinced of this and there should be a change in their obstructionist policies and a different attitude to foreign investments.

Otherwise it would be like unto good seed that has fallen on rocky sand and among thorns and unfertile soil. Will trade unions be more pragmatic in their policies?

Water We Lost, May Find In The Maruthankerney (Thalaiyadi) Sea!

By K. Arulananthan –May 2, 2017

Dr. K. Arulananthan

Jaffna Peninsula’s water need by late 2020 is expected to reach 488,500 cubic meters per day (m3 /day), in which the requirement for agriculture is 400,000 m3/day. “Arumugam Plan” or “Jaffna River” or any appropriate plan could meet the agriculture requirement and be a solution to the saltwater intrusion and land degradation in the Peninsula.

The water requirement, excluding the agricultural purpose is 88,500 m3 /day, which includes drinking water. It is reported that as per the modeling studies, the available groundwater sources can supply only 13,100 m3 /day during the drought, thus additional supply must be found from outside sources. Evaporation (1800 mm) in the north far exceeds the precipitation (1200 mm) level, thus being a chronic zone of water deficiency, ground water yield is expected to decrease. However, in contrary, the local population surprisingly perceives that the peninsula is in excess of water!

Groundwater in Jaffna is highly polluted due to contamination with synthetic and natural fertilizes, pesticide, and weedicide used in intensive agriculture, sewerage and pit latrines water and seawater intrusion. Nitrate-N concentrations in the dug wells exceeds the World Health Organization recommended limit of 10 mg/l, sometime reaching upto 35 mg/l and Nitrite-N values above the maximum permissible level of 0.01 mg/l. Nitrate-N concentration increase 1-2 mg/l annually. It was also reported that water in the dug wells of the peninsula exceeded desirable level for electrical conductivity, chlorine, sodium, hardness, bicarbonate, and coliform (found in feces of warm-blooded animals), prescribed by the WHO standards.

Nitrate is potentially hazardous when present at sufficiently high levels in drinking water, a possible cause of cancer in gastrointestinal tract. A study on the geographical pathology of malignant tumors in Sri Lanka had confirmed that the incidence of cancer is relatively higher in the Jaffna District. Furthermore, incidence of water borne diseases, including typhoid is reported to be high in the Jaffna district. It may be prudent to point out here that it is suspected that the Chronic Kidney Disease ravaging at an epidemic level in Padavia , Sripura, etc. is caused by the pollution of irrigation water, which is also used as drinking water.

National Water Supply and Drainage Board of Jaffna (NWSDB) is in a desperate search for 88,500 m3 /day safe drinking water to meet the demand of Jaffna District and Pachchilaipallai and Poonakary Divisions in Kilinochchi District. It had proposed to repair and raise the bund and head-works of Iranamadu Tank and enhance its capacity of storing to abstract 50,000 m3/day. Justifiably farmers protested it, after prolonged discussion with farmer’s representative and irrigation department, it was agreed to abstract 27,000 m3 /day. The water is to be taken along the Kandy – Jaffna (A9) road via Puthuk Kadu Junction to Pallai for treatment and then beyond.

NWSDB is in need of identifying the other sources for balance 23,000 m3/day water is also well aware that during the prolonged drought and even during the dry season of the year the Iranamadu Tank may not yield its expected water of 27,000 m3/day. Thus, it proposed to put up a desalination plant with a capacity of 24,000 m3/day. After the preliminary investigation at 20 potential sites, NWSDB had narrowed down at two location; Keerimalai and Maruthenkerny. Further, based on the feasibility studies and initial environmental examination, NWSDB had identified Maruthenkerny as the most suitable site. Thus, proposed a desalination plant, at Thalaiyadi (Maruthankerney) and to lay pipeline along the 9 km Soranpattu – Thalaiyadi road to via Puthuk Kadu Junction to Pallai to connect with Iranamadu Tank’s water pipe distribution network. Thus, major part of the distribution network shall be shared for the water from Iranamadu Tank and Maruthankerney desalination plant.

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Prison Healthcare: A right to be denied or protected?



2017-05-03

Access to healthcare in prisons is often looked at with scepticism due to the rather bleak picture the very thought of prisons offer. Prisons are often thought of as dungeons where infections are rampant. There is concern that prisoners are poorly fed and are affected by the uncleanliness and overcrowding of prison cells. Though prisoners are imprisoned for a certain violation on their part, authorities should not take it upon themselves to violate prisoners’ rights by depriving them of basic necessities. The WHO Constitution enshrines that the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right of every human being. Deprivation of freedom in the form of imprisonment does not imply that health care should be denied.   Dr. Naim Ismail attached to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and who has been working in Sri Lanka for nearly two years as a detention doctor and project manager firmly believes that humane treatment for prisoners include access to health care which is at the same level of health care available for the people in the community who are not detained. Thushara Upuldeniya, the Prisons Media Spokesman said that as Sri Lanka was a developing country there were difficulties in maintaining international standards. “But we provide all facilities so that the health of inmates is not affected. Prison health is under the purview of the Health Ministry. Therefore all facilities found in a normal hospital are provided to the prison hospital,” he added.  

Dr. Naim Ismail

• In many instances, in place of being admitted to hospitals the mentally sick were found in prisons.

• It was important to ensure that inmates detained by the government were not exposed to higher risks because of their detention.

• It was also important to treat prisoners humanely, and not humiliate them.

Public Health 

Stressing on the importance of prison health care Dr.Ismail said that it was important as a human rights, legal, public health and moral issue. Focusing on public health he noted that it was important to ensure that inmates detained by the government were not exposed to higher risks because of their detention. “People who are detained lose their freedom and are not able to take care of themselves, so the state has to take care of them. In prisons people are at a risk of many illnesses. Eventually they will go to the community. There are also visits by family members and they are in contact with the staff, guards and doctors in the prison. So the spread of disease among prisoners is not only bad for prisoners themselves but also the whole country. Health in the prison is important for the health of the nation,” he said.   

Infrastructure

Dr.Ismail has been visiting places of detention in Sri Lanka to observe their health conditions and discuss ways of improving their condition with the relevant authorities. Pointing out weaknesses in our health services he said the infrastructure was very poor as the prisons were old. “This makes it difficult to have good sanitation and it affects health. You don’t see well-equipped consultation rooms inside prisons. In the Mahara prison the ICRC supported the government to construct three new consultation rooms and one space for a basic laboratory. They used to have only one consultation room which made it very difficult for doctors to do their job effectively. Now they are able to treat their patients and attend to their needs as soon as possible without waiting in long lines. There will not be overcrowded clinics, where three or four patients talk to the doctor at the same time, and where patients cannot talk about confidential needs,” he said adding that in the Colombo remand prison two consultation rooms were complete and consultation rooms in the Outpatients’ Departemt (OPD) of the prison hospital was being refurbished.   

Water and sanitation

Speaking about sanitation Dr.Ismail said that it was important to note whether inmates had access to toilets all day long, whether the toilets functioned and can be flushed all the time. “Sometimes there are toilets but if the inmates are locked during the night, and have no access, then they are useless.”The Prisons Media Spokesman added that Prisoners have access to toilets all day and that there are toilets in the cell and in premises.   

Maintaining Health Records

Dr. Ismail further pointed out that health information was not collected effectively to be analyzed and used in making decisions. “Health information can be collected in a better way, analyzed and used by the decision makers of the Ministry of health to prioritize health issues, identify the needs and provide resources,” he said adding that when authorities were not aware of the needs action taken may or may not address the actual issue. “Proper action requires information. Well informed decisions are better than non-informed decisions,” he added.
However Upuldeniya stated that there was no issue in maintaining health records. “Doctors of the prison hospital maintain health records. There is no issue here. When it comes to diseases such as Tuberculosis health records are maintained even after the prisoners are released,” he noted.   

Nutrition

Speaking about nutrition Dr.Ismail said that adequate food with sufficient amount of calories including all the elements of food should be provided. “If they are working inside prisons they should be getting more calories. If they are sick they should be given proper food that is prescribed by the doctor,” he said.
Upuldeniya said that prison authorities were not allowed to provide food based on their choice, and should obey the standing orders of the Prison Department which stipulate the types of food that should be provided. “We can’t change these. The person in charge of sections should be satisfied by what is being provided. Then there are PHIs to inspect the quality of the food. There are also independent bodies such as the Prison welfare Association and the Prison Visitors committee appointed by the Minister, to report on any issue they come across,” he stressed.   

Illnesses in prisons

Dr.Ismail said that in most countries people were more sick in prisons than in the community due to mental health problems, and infections such as Tuberculosis and scabies.
“When they come to the prison they become more sick because of overcrowding and because there are a lot of sick people already. They are deprived of freedom and they don’t have access to good food or exercise,” he said.    Dr. Ismail said that each prison should have a doctor or nurse visiting or resident in the prison to identify those who are sick and provide them with treatment. “Every prisoner must get a health screening during the course of the first 24hrs after admission to identify any kind of illnesses, injuries, mental health problems, or drug abuse problems and to prescribe treatment accordingly,” he added.
In Sri Lanka the responsibility of providing doctors falls under the purview of the Ministry of Health. Dr. Priyantha Athapattu, the Acting Director of Prison health care services and the Director of Medical services said that prison doctors are required to screen prisoners though it did not take place to an optimum level. However he noted that there was a pilot project underway to cater to this problem.   

Overcrowding

Prison overcrowding is an acute problem that affects our prison system. The Welikada prison was proposed to be shifted last year to address the issue of overcrowding. “Overcrowding is a problem worldwide and it is always not a good news for health. It is very difficult to protect and prevent illnesses. If you have ten people in one room in your home, it’s not going to be very healthy. If someone gets sick everyone gets sick. It is the same in prisons,” Dr. Ismail explained.
Raising health concerns related to overcrowding Dr. Ismail said that prisoners’ mental health would also be affected.
“Violence is more. If you have one doctor for thousand detainees then it’s not good. Access to toilets, water, food and everything becomes more difficult. Security also becomes tough,” he added.  

Thushara Upuldeniya, the Prisons Media Spokesman

Mental Health

Speaking about mental health Dr. Ismail said that in many instances, in place of being admitted to hospitals the mentally sick were found in prisons. “Even if you are healthy your mental health will suffer. If your mental health is already poor prisons is the worse place to be,” he said.
Suggesting recommendations to improve the mental health of detainees he said that they should be involved in meaningful activities which could be either entertainment, sport, art, work, productions, or going to the outside yard instead of sitting in the cell all day. He added that it was also important to treat prisoners humanely, and not humiliate them. “It is important to ensure that they have access to health care, food, air, recreational activities, which all contribute towards mental health.”
The Prisons Media Spokesperson said that there were recreational activities in all prisons, which prisoners had access to. He explained, however, that the recreational activities depended on whether the inmates were high security or low security detainees and also on the period they were to be detained for.
Dr. Athapattu said that the Ministry of Health with the support of the National Institute of Mental Health has appointed a consultant to visit the Welikada prison at least two or three days a month, while Medical Officers of Mental Health have been requested to visit prisons at least once a week in other districts.   

"Ideally each prisoner should have easy access to the prison clinic when they fall sick. There should be an initial health screening of all inmates at admission within 24hrs"

Female inmates’ welfare

The United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (‘the Bangkok Rules’) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. According to Dr. Ismail they provide guidelines for the treatment and needs of women and their accompanying children. “Most of the prisons are designed for men, and not women. So when women are in the prison their needs are sometimes not addressed. Providing sanitation material for women is an example,” he said.
Speaking about pregnant inmates he said that their needs should be adequately addressed as specified in the Bangkok rules. “ A pregnant woman needs more calories and food. They need more access to health care. In the first trimester they need access to a gynaecologist, who should be a woman and not a man, once a month. In the last couple of months a gynaecologist should examine them every two weeks. When the time of delivery is known they should be sent to the hospital. No baby should be delivered in prisons,” he said. When asked about how pregnant women delivered their babies Upuldeniya said that though they were under the surveillance of prison officials, they were taken to government hospitals, so that they could obtain equal health facilities available for any citizen.  Further, Dr. Athapattu said that there were national guidelines put forth by the Family Health Bureau of the Ministry of Health which are followed in prisons. “Usually we give the basic recommendations. If the recommendation of a specialist is required a request can be made by the Chief Medical Officer to the prison health department to take the pregnant woman for specialist treatment,” he said.   Dr. Ismail explained that once the baby is delivered and if the family decided that the baby should be with the mother, the government was in obligation to provide everything needed for the baby. “Although the baby is not a prisoner, they should provide everything including milk, food, vaccination and clothing,” he added. According to Upuldeniya children until the age of five were allowed to be with the mother after court approval is obtained. He also said that there were day care centres for accompanying children in prisons.
  

Responsibility of Prison Doctors

Stressing on the responsibility of doctors to be very respectful and strictly observe medical ethics Dr.Ismail said that though outside patients had the option of consulting any doctor, there was no such choice available to prisoners. “If the patient(prisoner) stops trusting this doctor he has no other choice,” he said.   Dr. Athapattu, stressing that health is a human right said that doctors should not differentiate between prisoners and outside patients, but administer treatment that can be provided within the prison system.  Speaking about the adequacy of doctors he said that there was an issue at the Welikada prison as the doctors have been transferred following certain events. He also pointed out that the Department of Prisons was responsible to supply nurses. “It’s a joint responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Prison Reforms to provide medical services. Therefore we try to provide nurses who are willing to work there. But the provision of nursing officers totally lies with the Department of Prisons,” he added.   

Universal Health Insurance

Prison health care is provided by the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine. Praising the universal health insurance available in Sri Lanka, Dr. Ismail said it was a great strength of Sri Lanka that prison health care is covered free of charge by the universal health insurance. “They are entitled by the law to health care as any citizen. So the law is on their side. It is not like this in other countries,” he said.   

In an ideal prison system how should the health care system work?

Dr. Ismail said that in an ideal situation every prison should be well equipped and staffed with doctors and nurses. “Based on the population of the prison this could be part time or full time, one day per week, every day or two to three doctors per day. Ideally each prisoner should have easy access to the prison clinic when they fall sick. There should be an initial health screening of all inmates at admission within 24hrs,” he added.    He added that the prison doctors should be able to refer a prisoner to an outside hospital if the available resources were not sufficient. “This should be organized and managed in collaboration with the security staff who would escort the prisoners. Ideally medicine should be provided free of charge,” he said.   

Pics by Damith Wickramasingh

Monster Dr. Padeniya meets his waterloo ! retributive justice for the harm inflicted on patients..!

(Lanka-e-News - 03.April.2017, 5.00AM) The allegations made on  7th April in front of the Fort Railway station by Dr. Anurudha Padeniya the president of the GMOA  (better known as Dr. Killer) who even after taking the solemn medical oath of Hippocrates to primarily serve the people and the sick  when he was  appointed as a doctor , but nevertheless conducts  himself like a terrorist leader has been condemned furiously and fiercely  by the legal fraternity over his rash and foolish  accusations.

A group of lawyers are to take legal action against Padeniya the medical  doctor alias monstrous doctor for his remarks made on the 7 th against the sacrosanct judiciary which run  counter to  the established   laws and traditions of the country. His conduct was all the more reprehensible because he belonged to a noble medical profession , meaning that he therefore  degraded his own self dignity ,as well as  disgraced the medical  profession thereby.

Padeniya the doctor joker on  7th April  said , the justice administered  by courts is based only on the advice of the Attorney general (AG),  thereby insulting the judiciary in its entirety ( not any action of a judge) . His  outrageous comment was an absolute falsehood in relation to the courts . The doctor joker Padeniya  did not stop at that . He even went on to ask , why should the judges be paid a salary ? while claiming  they are fanatics.

The lawyers who are to take to the streets against Padeniya the buffoon state those announcements of his are clearly  tantamount to contempt of court , and a vilification of the entire judiciary . They are to therefore readying  to  sue him. 

Sadly the doctor killer  group of Dr. Monster Padeniya that  is best only at terrorizing the patients rather than treating  them  when in fact treating patients  is their inescapable  professional duty has once again threatened to stage an Island wide strike  next week if SAITM is not closed down. 

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by     (2017-05-02 23:42:26)

Palestinian hunger strikers cut off from communication

Israeli Border Police arrest a Palestinian protester during a demonstration in support of hunger striking prisoners in Jerusalem on 29 April.Faiz Abu RmelehActiveStills

Charlotte Silver-2 May 2017

As Palestinian prisoners enter day 16 of their mass hunger strike, Israeli authorities are said to be obstructing negotiations and severely impeding communication from the strikers to the outside world.

As many as 1,600 Palestinians are refusing food in protest of ill treatment by Israeli prison authorities, including medical neglect and reduction of family visits.

Israel has attempted to prevent information on the striking prisoners from reaching the public by transferring protest leaders into solitary confinement and blocking visits by families and lawyers.

On Saturday, the Israel Prison Service reportedly ordered mobile phone companies to block reception in the western area of the Naqab desert in the south of the country to prevent Palestinians on strike in the Ketziot and Nafha prisons from communicating.

The blackout was partially lifted after Israeli residents in the area complained of service disruptions.

The cellular blackout was apparently coordinated by public security minister Gilad Erdan, who has taken a hard line against hunger strikes. Erdan pushed for the legalization of force-feeding in 2015 by calling hunger strikes a “new sort of suicide bombing to threaten the state of Israel.”

In an op-ed published by The New York Times on Monday, Erdan states that Israel will not “surrender to terrorism,” and the hunger strike has nothing to do with the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Attacks on solidarity protests

Throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli forces attacked gatherings and demonstrations in solidarity with hunger striking prisoners.

In the northern West Bank village Sebastia, soldiers fired tear gas at a sit-in on Monday, causing the protest tent to catch fire, two days after tear gas fired by Israeli forces caused a blaze in the village of Beita, south of Nablus.

The Israeli military used violent force against a coordinated “day of rage” throughout the West Bank on Friday.

Protesters were injured by tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition.

While lawyers have been banned from hunger strikers at most detention centers, attorneys with the rights group Addameer have been able to visit with non-striking prisoners, who have given updates on the progress of the strike.

Addameer’s lawyers were told that Israel has continued to impose punitive measures on strikers, including transferring them to solitary confinement, prohibiting them from participating in group prayer on Fridays and banning them from washing their clothing.

Salt confiscated

A prisoner told Addameer that prison officials seized salt from hunger strikers, which they consume to stabilize and prevent long-term damage to their health.

A lawyer from the Palestinian Authority committee on prisoners’ affairs accused Israeli officials of “psychological torture” by putting food in front of the striking prisoners.

Last week, the Palestinian Authority body and the Palestinian human rights group Adalah filed a joint petition to Israel’s high court over the Israel Prison Service’s ban on meetings between hunger strikers and their lawyers.

The court is scheduled hear the petition on Wednesday.

The groups state that the Israeli prison authorities are violating a 2004 high court ruling which states that it is illegal to bar meetings between prisoners – including those on hunger strike – and their lawyers.

The health of several hunger strikers is said to have deteriorated, but information is difficult to confirm due to communication restrictions.

Israel is meanwhile reportedly impeding negotiations by conditioning them on the exclusion of Marwan Barghouti.

Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah party who is serving multiple life sentences since his arrest in 2002, launched the mass hunger strike on 17 April, which marks Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, though the campaign has generated widespread support among Palestinians from multiple political factions.

Don’t Waste Arab-Israeli Cooperation on the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process

BY JOHN HANNAH-MAY 2, 2017 - 9:59 AM

With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set to visit the White House on Wednesday, speculation is rife that later this year President Donald Trump will seek to enlist a group of Sunni Arab states in efforts to jumpstart moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Think not only Egypt and Jordan, countries that already have treaties with Israel, but also countries still technically at war with the Jewish state, like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

But as someone who’s watched the never-ending saga otherwise known as the Middle East peace process up close for a quarter century, I’d urge great caution. While I agree wholeheartedly that a historic opportunity may now exist to advance relations between Israel and several of its Arab neighbors, it would be unfortunate to squander it in service of efforts to solve a maddeningly intractable conflict that has defied resolution for nearly 70 years — and whose current prospects for progress are probably as bleak as they’ve been in a generation.

The logic behind the administration’s emerging strategy is straightforward enough: Israel and several Arab regimes now face common threats from Iran and radical Islamic terrorism. This convergence of interests is increasingly driving the former adversaries together. In recent years, contacts, consultations, and even nascent forms of economic and security cooperation have grown significantly — albeit mostly out of public view. The time could at long last be ripe — or so the thinking goes — to have Arab countries step out of the shadows and take center stage in helping break the Israeli-Palestinian deadlock.

How, exactly? Again, in theory at least, the prospect of public meetings and improved relations with the broader Arab world would incentivize security-minded Israelis to be more generous in granting concessions to longstanding Palestinian demands — on such core issues as territory, settlements, and Jerusalem — than would otherwise be the case. At the same time, Arab pressure would provide Palestinian leaders with the political cover they need to justify making painful compromises with the “Zionist entity” that have heretofore been deemed unacceptable.

Why would notoriously cautious regimes like the one in Saudi Arabia, that have historically shunned a more activist role, now be willing to take on the added responsibilities and risks of playing peacemaker with Israel? The answer, proponents argue, lies in the strong interest the Arab states have in currying favor with a new U.S. president and, more importantly, securing his support for a much tougher American posture toward the rising threat of a hegemonic Iran in particular.

Certainly, Trump has left no doubt of his intense desire to succeed where all of his predecessors have failed by forging a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — also known as “the ultimate deal.” During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, Trump offered a full-throated endorsement of a process that would draw in Arab states as full participants. At a joint press conference, Netanyahu explained, “the great opportunity for peace comes from a regional approach involving our newfound Arab partners in the pursuit of a broader peace and peace with the Palestinians.”
Trump said that such a deal “would take in many, many countries and would cover a very large territory…. I think it’s a terrific thing and I think we have some pretty good cooperation from people who in the past would never have even thought about doing this.”

So what’s not to like? My main concern is with preserving the major strategic opportunity represented by Israel’s budding relationship with the Arab states. The fact is that the basis for that relationship rests entirely on the shared sense of danger that both now face from the radical Shiite theocrats of Iran, on the one hand, and the Sunni jihadists and Islamists of Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Islamic State on the other. On those issues, the countries’ views are largely identical. In contrast, when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian problem, the differences over what would constitute an acceptable solution remain profound — with the Arab states, and certainly Arab public opinion, still overwhelmingly hostile to Israeli positions, particularly those of Israel’s current right-wing government.

The question therefore arises: Does it really make sense to stress test Israel’s incipient and still-fragile cooperation with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states on the one issue that remains the source of their greatest disagreement? Or would the wiser course, at least at this stage, be to focus their energies on building trust and cooperation in areas where they already see eye to eye, like combating Iranian aggression?

Of course, it’s important to note that the promise of enhanced Israeli-Arab cooperation is greatest against the twin dangers — Iran and Islamic terrorism — that also happen to pose the most urgent threats to U.S. interests in the Middle East. In an age of multiplying crises and declining resources, rigorously identifying U.S. national security priorities is more important than ever. From that vantage, countering the Iranian and jihadist threats are clearly matters vital to the safety and security of the American people. But rushing once more into the breach to try to midwife the birth of a weak and divided Palestinian state that would likely be prone to terror and anti-Americanism? Well, perhaps not so much.

Trump does indeed have a historic opportunity to assemble an unprecedented coalition that brings together America’s Israeli and Arab allies. He could mobilize that coalition around the strong consensus that already exists to combat the region’s most pressing strategic dangers. Or he could prematurely risk it by trying to bridge the region’s most enduring political divide, where Israelis and Arabs remain at fundamental loggerheads and five decades of U.S. diplomacy has repeatedly foundered. For a hardheaded president who likes winning and is determined to put American interests first, the choice should not be hard.

Photo credit: SPENCER PLATT/Getty Images