Antibiotic shortage puts patients at risk, doctors fear

Exclusive: supply problems with one of most widely used drugs mean doctors are being forced to ration its use and switch to less desirable alternatives

 Hospitals warn over stocks of drug used to treat cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections. Photograph: David Goldman/AP

Nicola Davis-Saturday 1 July 2017 

A major shortage of one of the most widely used hospital antibiotics is putting patients at risk, doctors have warned.

There is an international shortage of of piperacillin-tazobactam, an antibiotic and antibacterial combination drug known by the trade name Tazocin, which is usually used intravenously in intensive care. It is also used to treat a wide variety of conditions including cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, diabetic foot infections and neutropenic sepsis – a life-threatening condition that can arise in those receiving anti-cancer treatment.

The Department of Health and Public Health England have issued guidance on the problem and hospitals in Scotland have been given advice by the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG). A document from NHS Fife dating from early May says “there is a high likelihood that in the near future piperacillin-tazobactam will not be available at all… this is a major challenge to our prescribing practice.”

The document also points out that the use of other drug combinations could increase the workload for doctors and nurses, as some of them require more frequent doses and increased monitoring. “Regrettably there is no other feasible solution at present,” it notes.

Philip Howard, Royal Pharmaceutical Society spokesman on antimicrobial resistance, said that an explosion at a Chinese factory that produced raw materials for the medication had caused the problems. Howard said the UK had experienced supply constraints since March this year.

Hospitals in the UK have been urged to restrict their use of the drug in order to conserve stocks. “This is one of the more serious shortages that the NHS has had to face,” Howard said, although he added there were enough supplies of other drugs for patients to get the antibiotics they needed.

Documents approved by the Department of Health and Public Health England dated 24 April, seen by the Observer, advise that the use of piperacillin-tazobactam be restricted to severe cases of sepsis and ventilator-acquired pneumonia, although some doctors fear that if the shortage lasts then these patients could also be affected. Doctors wanting to use the medication for other cases must get approval.

A doctor who works at a hospital in East Anglia, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was advised of the piperacillin-tazobactam shortage by the pharmacy team at his NHS trust on 18 May in an email stating “we will not be able to obtain any further stock in the foreseeable future once we have used up all our current stock”.

The doctor said he believed patients were being put at risk by the shortage. “Every hospital in this country would use it,” he said. “[If you look] at the grades of antibiotics we have, [piperacillin-tazobactam] is probably the second rung from the top. It is not quite the last resort, but it is almost.”

He said many of the options doctors were having to use were less powerful or could cause side effects such as kidney damage. “Patients are either having prolonged stays on these courses of antibiotics, or even worse, they are not actually even responding,” he added.

In such cases, he said, doctors were increasingly left having to deploy the last line of defence – an antibiotic known as meropenem, part of a group of antibiotics known as carbapenems. But resistance to such drugs is a growing problem, and doctors are already advised to limit their use. A microbiologist at a hospital in England, speaking on condition of anonymity, said meropenem was being used more often than he would like, while critical shortages had also been encountered for other drugs.

In the case of one antibiotic called ceftriaxone, which is used as the first line of treatment for meningitis, the Observer has seen a memo from his NHS trust to staff which said it expected to exhaust all its supplies of the drug within the next few days.

The microbiologist added that the use of antibiotics known as cephalosporins, which includes ceftriaxone, had previously been reduced in the UK to help reduce the threat of the dangerous superbug C difficile. Any rise in use of the drugs, he said, could increase the risk of such infections.

The cost of piperacillin-tazobactam and other drugs had shot up, the microbiologist added, while the workload for microbiologists had also increased, due to the number of calls from doctors and emergency meetings to discuss shortages.

In another document seen by the Observer, the Department of Health acknowledged that the shortage of piperacillin-tazobactam could cause problems with supplies of other drugs – a situation Howard also admitted was possible. He added that recent data did not show a significant rise in the use of meropenem.

The Department of Health said the piperacillin-tazobactam shortage was a global issue and that more supplies should be available this summer. “In the interim period we are working with the pharmaceutical industry and NHS to make sure supplies of alternative antibiotics are available and have issued guidance about appropriate alternative treatment options,” it said.

Andrew Seaton, chair of the SAPG, said they did not advise health boards to increase the use of cephalosporins, except in certain cases, due to concerns over a possible increase in C difficile infection. He also pointed out that use of piperacillin-tazobactam and meropenem had been low before the shortage, and described gentamicin as a cornerstone of the SAPG approach, saying that there was strong guidance for its safe use..

But he raised concerns about unreliable supply chains for important medicines. “Drug shortages in general have become a thorn in our side,” he said. “I am thinking particularly of drugs that we would like to use as alternatives to, say, piperacillin-tazobactam and meropenem or the carbapenem antibiotics.”

But Seaton said he would describe the situation as an inconvenience rather than a crisis. “There are always alternatives to this antibiotic,” he said.

While a document from Luton and Dunstable University Hospital seen by the Observer said the piperacillin-tazobactam shortage was expected to last until at least July, the document from the SAPG said they had been advised stock constraints were likely until September.

The latter also suggested the shortage might offer a silver lining, presenting a chance to improve control on how the medication is used to reduce the likelihood of resistance.
                         
According to Howard, the factory in China was now back in full production, but it might take months before the global supply chain recovered completely.
 
Ultimately, said Howard, action needed to be taken to avoid a repeat situation in the future. “We need to ensure that we use a broader range of antibiotics in our hospitals, so that if there is a global supply problem, it doesn’t have such a large impact,” he said.

FOR MAVAI SENATHIRAJAH 27 YEARS OF PAIN IS OVER

British Prime Minister David Cameron greets villagers of Internally displaced people's camp at Chunnakam village, in Jaffna on Friday - AP

By Manekshaw.-01/07/2017

Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) leader and Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian Mavai S. Senathirajah became the first high profile Internally Displaced Person (IDP) to return last week to his house in Mavittapuram, in the Jaffna peninsula, after a lapse of 27 years. The ITAK, being the foremost Tamil political party founded by late S.J.V. Chelvanayagam seven decades ago, still remains a powerful political outfit winning the confidence of the majority of people in the North and East to fulfil their political aspirations.

As a youth front member of the ITAK, Mavai S. Senathirajah with several other young men, remained staunch supporters of the ITAK engaging in all types of political activities.

Senathirajah was one of the first young Tamil political activists to be arrested and put behind bars when the crackdown began in the early seventies in the North to curtail Tamil extremism.

Mavittapuram is the northern-most region in Valikamam North where the first internal displacements started following the escalation of the armed struggle.

The region is spiritually a very significant place with the holy Keerimalai tank where the Hindus in the North perform rituals for their dead.

Mavittapuram is also popular for its famed historic Kanthaswamy temple which was maintained by the Armed Forces when the region was declared a High Security Zone.

When the High Security Zone was demarcated in Valikamam North following the escalation of clashes between the armed forces and Tamil militants, residents in their thousands were compelled to leave Valikamam North which covers a vast area where there are several prominent schools and also the ancestral house of ITAK founder late S. J. V. Chelvanayagam.

The present ITAK leader Mavai S. Senathirajah was also compelled to leave his house adjoining Mavittapuram Kanthaswamy Kovil, with his kith and kin, when the mass exodus from Valikamam North commenced in 1990 following the demarcation of the High Security Zone in the North.
Mavai Senathirajah who hails from a family of farmers lost contact with his ancestral home in Mavittapuram in 1990 and found refuge in South India when the situation deteriorated in the North in the late eighties.

Leaving his home town Mavittapuram as an IDP with his wife and three children at the age of 43, the ITAK leader has now returned to his refurbished original house which was in an extensively dilapidated state for nearly three decades.

With the dismantling of the High Security Zone in Valikamam North, in 2003 the residents of Valikamam North filed a case in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka to allow them to return to their original homes. The verdict was delivered in favour of the IDPs in 2007 by the Supreme Court.
However, until 2013 resettlements were not allowed in Valikamam North.

With the end of civil war in 2009, Mavai S Senathirajah took part in several demonstrations with other IDPs demanding resettlement in their original places of residence. According to Senathirajah the Mahinda Rajapakse regime was intent on expanding its military interests in the North soon after the end of the civil war instead of expediting the resettlement process.

When thousands of IDPs from Valikamam North agitated for resettlements to be expedited quickly, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa looked upon it much in the manner of Nero fiddling while Rome was burning.

Rajapaksa built a mansion in Keerimalai adjoining the Naval harbour with a good view of the Bay of Bengal, worth several millions.

Rajapaksa’s ultra-modernistic mansion in the North is located 2 km from the house to which Senathirajah has now returned in Mavittapuram.

Following a brief religious ceremony, Senathirajah, walked into his refurbished house where there were nearly 200 of his friends and relatives to greet him.

” Several people from my area had been displaced as I was, in the early nineties, from Valikamam North, and they are now returning to their original places. It is sad to see the large number of houses in the area which lie deserted and in ruins. Valikamama North is blessed with fertile land for agriculture. The KKS cement factory remained a towering strength for nearly three thousand bread winners in the North. However, the three decades of civil war have razed everything to the ground,” he said.

Senathirjaja’s eldest son is an economist and his second son is a consultant Electronics Engineer in Thailand. The third child, a daughter, has completed her medical studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute in New Delhi and very recently completed her MD.

According to Senathirajah, it was with the support of his two sons that he has now refurbished his house with bank loans and the family will now be living there.

As an IDP for twenty seven years, Senathirajah has lived in several places in the Peninsula such as Inuvil, Thavadi and Jaffna under very difficult circumstances.

Since several areas are yet to be released for resettlement of the IDPs in the North, with State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene coming under severe criticism of the IDPs last Wednesday in Iranaitheevu in the Kilinochchi District for delaying the process of releasing lands, the IDPs from Keppapilavu in the Mullaitivu District staged a massive demonstration in Colombo last Wednesday demanding their lands to be released.

In the meantime, 50 acres in Myliddy, with its scenic fishing harbour, which is one of the main fishing hamlets in the Jaffna peninsula, are to be released by the security forces, for resettlement on Monday, July 3,

ITAK leader ,Parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah, becomes the first high profile IDP who was forced to flee his home along with his family in the early stages of the internal displacements in the nineties , to return to his original house after 27 years, but there’s a long way to go for completion of the resettlement of the IDPs in the Northern Province.

Courtesy Ceylon Today.

When None Is Above The Law: The Unexpected Lesson Of Cardinal George Pell

By Shyamon Jayasinghe –JUNE 30, 2017

Shyamon Jayasinghe

“The peace that the supremacy of law brings….”

Cardinal George Pell was, once, Australia’s Catholic Archbishop – the Prince of the Australian Church, if you like. He was promoted as Cardinal and called to Vatican. He served as number  three in the Vatican administration and in charge of finances. The Prince of the Vatican, if you like. The breaking news about him today (Saturday,29th June) here in Australia, has sent shock waves through the Vatican in Rome. By deflection, It sends a message, to us Sri Lankans, down our spine.

Australian (Victorian) police investigations conducted over two years have had to bring the Cardinal to face Court in Melbourne at the end of July over allegations of multiple child sexual attacks by him while he had been serving in the diocese here in Ballarat.

Of course, being charged does not mean anyone is guilty. The purpose of court proceedings is to professionally examine the charges on the basis of due process. I hope the Cardinal will get every chance to prove his innocence. I am sorry for the personal plight of this venerable looking ageddignity. On the other hand, this isn’t the issue I raise here.

What the ‘Supremacy of Law’ Means

On the contrary, I relate this hot story today to illustrate in concrete terms what it means to have nobody above the law. Here, is a most eminently regarded man-on the top of Australian and Vatican elite. Cardinal George Pell is indeed next in the line of cardinals who may be picked to be Pope at the next opportunity. His appointment had been a great honour to this country. He enjoys the respect of the whole governing elite herein Australia. Politicians didn’t dare to intervene with police investigations. The police cannot be meddled about by political leaders here. And this is the result. A clinical operation.

Although I don’t like to see anyone having to go through pain of mind, I have to be happy to realise that I live in a country (Australia) where nobody is above the law. 

Our Police and Gnanasara

The dramatic Sri Lanka contrast is the case of the rowdy and riotous monk Galagoda Atte Gnanasaraand his BBS goons who go about hate attacks on the Muslim community – attacking mosques and torching shops. Police in Sri Lanka have gone on record to state that, “arresting a Buddhist monk, is no easy deal.” Why should that be? I must apologise here for associating Gnanasara with Cardinal Pell. They are poles apart as human beings – at least for now. Right now, George Pell enjoys generous social repute. In contrast, most Sri Lankans seem to be ambivalent with regard to their specimen. The reason for this is the automatic honour bestowed on whoever wears a robe. Our Asgiriya Mahanayake took objection for anyone addressing the bloke as simply “Gnanasara.” It is bizarre. Are we to call this man who disgraces the religion and the Sanga and who publicly incites racial hatred,”Venerable’? Are we to genuflect before a rascal like this who has equated himself to one of the lowest behaving laymen. One’s status is one’s doing and it should not be preserved by the costume one dons. Cardinal George Pell is not protected by his very high position in the religious rung. He can be protected only by the law of the land.

It is all so funny in Sri Lanka!

Sri Lanka’s Era of The Almighty Man

We have the Pell story to offer as another lesson to our people over there in Sri Lanka. Life is peaceful when the law is free to bring alleged offenders to book. In turn, defendants are offered their opportunity to prove their innocents. We call that “due process.”

Until a few years back, we had a constitution that gave total immunity to “His Excellency the President.” All presidents with the exception of poor old DB Wijetunge abused that “above -the -law,” privilege. The ten years of Mahinda Rajapaksa had been the worst. Palpable abuse of presidential privilege was the norm over those ten years. His government even went to the extent of virtually taking over the Attorney General, the Auditor General ,the Police, and, above all, the Chief Justice, who was the bastion of justice and freedom for our people. Bathed with arrogance and impunity and an ego-sense of overarching power, the then President just went on the rampage and trampled the freedom of people. Dissenting journalists were either killed in broad daylight or sent missing under his watch.  The white van and the door-knock had many tremble. Pedestrians on the road had to rush to the nearest wall and turn their backs with arms raised up when a government VVIP was passing through in his privileged luxury vehicle. During discussions with the President, MPs of his government wouldn’t raise their hands up in protest even if a dengue mosquito bit them.  I still keep the image of the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge. I still keep the image of our heroic war soldier, Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka thrown to jail and  in jumpers, eating from a tin plate. LTTE bomb shrapnel still inside his body. I keep the image of the Chief Justice, Shirani Bandaranayake, illegally impeached and asked to go home because she defied the Divineguma Bill of the powerful sibling.

That was the era of the Almighty Man. It was also the era of this man’s siblings and kids. One kid gave constant vent to his neurotic fascination for  car races so much  that he held races in the sacred area at Kandy.

Overtaken by hubris,  delusional self-confidence and a false sense of self-righteousness the then President brought in the infamous 18th Amendment to the Constitution that would have kept him in the post  for lifetime; and then to be succeeded by a son or sibling. Saman Deyyo saved our land! He was more powerful than the Deyya in the South Indian Kovil.

The Peace that the Supremacy of Law Brings

In this part of the world where I live, social and political peace is predicated on the doctrine of the Rule of Law. Individuals get about their business knowing fully well that the police will act and that judiciary will follow to restrain offenders. I may be stating a situation rather idealistically. On the other hand, we know Australia is near that.

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LAKSHAN DIAS REPLIES TO THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF SRI LANKA; REQUESTS TO CLARIFY NUMBER OF ISSUES.

01/07/2017

Human Rights Defender and Attorney at Law Lakshan Dias has replied to a e mail sent by Secretary to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka requesting him to clarify number of issues mentioned in his e mail. Reading through Lakshan’s reply it is clear that e mail semt bu the Secretary to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka is unclear and includes erroneous statements.

The reply sent by Lakshan Dias follows:

29.06.2017
Mr. Amal Randeniya
Secretary to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Mihindu Mawatha
Colombo -12

Dear Mr. Randeniya

Thank you for your emailed letter dated 25th June 2017. As a preliminary step to a send you a full answer to your lett er, I wish to have the following information as a matter of clarification.
You mentioned that ‘the house decided’ – I have been reliably informed that, on 24th June 2017, the Bar Council did not make any decision regarding any matter relating to my compla i nt. I have further learned the following matters:

l. The President of the BASL has referred to my letter dated 18/06/2017 but not tabled or circulated my letter or the documents I relied on to enable the Members to have an informed opinion.

2. That some members of the Bar Association, on their own initiative, raised the matter relating to me and that they condemned the action by the said Dr. Rajapakshe, and questioned his right as a Minister to make such threat s. Those members have asked the Bar Association to take up this matter and to take appropriate action.

3. Thereafter, a number of other law yers tried to prevent such action from being taken, stating, among other things, that the sentiments of Buddhists have been hurt because of my st at ement .
4. Thereafter, the President of Bar Association decided to ask me to submit an affidavit without specifying what the affidavit is for and that the affidavit would be submitted to the Executive Committee of the Bar Association to decide on the course of action.

taken at any stage. Therefore, the House has made no decision on any matter relating to my letter of complaint or any related matter.

I would like you, therefore, to kindly clarify the words ‘the house decided’ referred to in your Letter under reply and what it means.

If it was an inadvertent mistake to use that phrase, kindly withdraw such words and send back your letter again in the appropriate manner. I wish to state that I do not want to presume at this stage that the use of these words were intentional or had been designed as a trick to force me to comp ly with something that appeared to be a decision of the Bar Council when no such decision has been made.
In order to have this matter clarified, could you kindly provide me with the minutes of the Bar Council meeting that you have referred to?

I also wish to have the following further clarifications:

1. You mentioned the submission of ‘an affidavit with all the facts pertaining to the matter, in order to take necessary action in this regard.’ I wish to have a clarification as to what the phrase ‘the matter’ is referring to. Is the matter the complaint contained in my lett er, which is the threat made by the said Minister to have me disbarred? Or is it some other matter? In order to reply to your lett er, I need this clarification.

2. Is it the practice of the Bar Association to request an affidavit when a member of the Bar Association makes a complaint by way of a lett er, affecting the Member’s right? I wish to know if that is based on any regulation or rule of the Bar Association or is it only being done on this occasion? If that be the case, I wish to know why. I am a member of the Bar Association, enjoying the same status as everyone else, and my dignity as such a member needs to be respected.

3. Or is this all an attempt to investigate into the veracity of the statement I made on television, the statement that the Minister took objection to? If that be the case, what you are engaged in is not pursuing the complaint made by the member of the Bar Association (myself) against the Minister for his threats, but instead attempting to start an investigation against me on behalf of the Minister. If this be the case, this amounts to abusing the very purpose of a Bar Association and also amounts to playing a trick on me to drag me into a secret inquiry against myself. If this professional association is to act on the basis of such a manipulative purpose, then the very purpose of the Bar Council and Bar Association is being seriously undermined and betrayed. I still wish to think that this is not the case. However, due to the vagueness of the words that you have used, and a newspaper report that has appeared today, 27th June 2017, in the Daily News, alleging to be on the basis of information received from the Bar Council, I have reasonable grounds to ask for clarification.

4. Regarding the Daily News report published on 27th June 2017 referred to above, there is a reference to the Minister of Justice having made a written complaint against me to the Bar Council. I wish to know whether that information is correct. If that information is correct, I am entitled to receive a copy of any such submission. On the other hand, if the newspaper report is false, it is the duty of the Bar Council to protest against the false report and to have it corrected. I wish that matter to be clarified, too, and I also wish to be informed about what action you are taking on these matt ers.

I hope you will reply to these issues on an urgent basis so as to enable me to assist in the resolution of this matter and so that I can reply to whatever issues you are raising as soon as possible. As a member of the Bar Association, I eagerly await the Bar Council’s condemnation of the threats made by the said Minister to disbar me. Thereby , the Bar Council could ensure that no Minister or any other authority figure would make any such attack on any member of the Bar Association in future.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

Lakshan Dias – Attorney at Law

Tensions between Mullaitivu locals and army after two Tamils injured in accident with military vehicle

30 Jun  2017

Mullaitivu locals were angered after an accident involving a military vehicle left two Tamil youths injured, last Saturday.

An army truck and motorcycle carrying two Tamils collided near a military camp in Theravil, Mullaitivu. Both young men were injured, one seriously.

Witnesses were angered when military personnel moved the vehicles before police had assessed the situation, and questioned why an excessive number of armed troops had gathered at the scene.

"Why are all these soldiers here with their guns? Are they here to scare us?" one witness demanded to know.

The Tamil Guardian journalist at the site was questioned and told to cease taking photographs by a military officer. Upon identifying as media, the journalist was photographed by plain clothes individuals, at the instruction of the military officer.

Asgiriya mahanayake was appointed on vote rigging ! statements of such corrupt monks unacceptable – true nayakes rip off his robes (video)

(Lanka-e-News - 30.June.2017, 11.45PM)  Three  nayake monks who are  true sons of pristine Buddhism issued a red signal to Asgiriya mahanayake who was elected to the mahanayake position via dubious and deceitful voting and illicit methods . 

it is well to recall during the period when the presently deflated and defeated  Gnanassara the notorious robed debauched monk who is having three clandestine families while wearing the sacred saffron robe was  ‘setting fire’  to the country , it was Asgiriya mahanayake who never opened his mouth even to say ‘ don’t do that’  against  rowdy monk Gnanassara engaging in hooliganism and insulting the Buddhist clergy and true Buddhist values.    Shamelessly , it is Asgiriya mahanayake who is even today  issuing statements endorsing the villainy and  hate mongering of Gnanassara  whose  putrid antecedence and debauched life  are well known despite being a so called Buddhist  monk who is wantonly disgracing his own religion .

The three most lofty  and most Ven . Devahuwe Chandananda mahanayake , Ven. Heenatiye Samitha nayake and Ven. Magalkadawala Punyassara nayake who attended a media discussion pertaining to religious freedom ,directly said , the abominable statement issued  by Asgiriya mahanayake recently shall be withdrawn ,  thereby ripping off Asgiriya mahanayake’s robes in the best interests of true Buddhism and its tenets.
 
The three most Ven. Monks said some bhikkhus are claiming they have attained Buddhahood . Though according to history there were only four tooth relics , but now those are supposedly everywhere . Did the Mahanayakes probe into this ? these  three true concerned saffron  robed sons of Buddhism questioned .

The three most Ven . Nayakes of a rare loft caliber , representing  pristine and unadulterated Buddhism who exposed in writing the corrupt practices of Asgiriya mahanayake  when he contested the mahanayake elections , charged that the latter after the deaths of monks in the Viharas ,  forcibly ‘captured’ those temples  .  Eth Kanda viharaya is one example they pointed out.  When the appointment  of the Asgiriya  executive committee must be made based on  votes of 19 temples , how come it was appointed on the votes of 5 temples ? the three true Buddhist nayakes questioned while pinpointing that is illegal .Hence the  statement of such a mahanayake cannot be accepted they declared.

The three true Buddhist nayakes who are adhering to  pristine pure Buddhism went on to highlight how the Buddha sasana is being destroyed by those  who are  living in cubicles with air conditioned comfort and double beds, when they should instead be in  a meditating chamber with a place to sleep ,  a water goblet , a broken  coconut shell and  a short  stool which are all that are necessary .

The video footage of part of the soul searching media discussion of these three great and true   Buddhist priests– the truly robed sons of pristine Buddhism which should open the eyes of  genuine Buddhists is hereunder 

---------------------------
by     (2017-07-01 00:30:30)

CEB’s Least Cost Long Term Generation Plan 2018-2037 Faces Public Scrutiny

By Avanthi Jayasuriya –JUNE 30, 2017

Avanthi Jayasuriya

In line with the duty of developing and maintaining an “efficient, coordinated and economical system of electricity supply for the whole of Sri Lanka”(CEB Mission), the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted its Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plan 2018-2037 (LTGEP) for the approval of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL). The LTGEP draft report is the key document which defines Sri Lanka’s plans for generation expansion while providing information on the demand forecast, economic, environmental and other parameters used to guide future investment and implementation plans as well as the energy mix used to meet expansion needs including the component of renewable energy sources.

The report was made available for public comments via the PUCSL website and a public consultation was held in order to facilitate public participation in the decision-making process of a national document which would have a decisive role in defining the country’s future pathway for energy security, and sustainable economic growth.

Parameters Specified in LTGEP

The data in the LTGEP records that the average growth of generation demand for the period from 2018-2022 is expected to be at 5.9 percent per annum, while peak demand is expected to increase at 5.1 percent per annum. Further, from the year 2030 onwards, the day peak is expected to surpass the night peak.

With the installed capacity at the end of 2016 at 4054 MW, the LTGEP identifies plans to have an installed grid capacity of 4269 MW at 2018 and a capacity of 10783 MW at the end of 2037. For this base case projection, the energy mix proposed consist of already committed plants and new additions of coal, major hydro, pumped storage hydro, combined cycle, oil and gas turbine plants and other renewable energy plants.

Given the least cost economic valuation, the LTGEP identifies coal as the least cost generating energy source, and the major source of power during the 20 year period with its share reaching 40% by 2025 and 50% by 2034. Contrary to the increasing capacity of coal in long term energy plans, the contribution from renewable energy power plants is said to be more than 40% by 2025 and 33% by 2034, manifesting a declining trend.

Overall, the Base Case plan in the LTGEP has delineated the development of 1500MW LNG, 2700MW Coal, 105MW Gas Turbine and 320MW Furnace Oil Power by 2037 as well as renewable energy development of 1205MW Wind, 1392MW Solar, 215MW Mini Hydro and 85MW Biomass. More specifically, the total addition of renewable energy within the 20 year period is mentioned as 1205 MW of wind power, 1232 MW of Solar power 200 MW of Mini Hydro power and 80 MW of Bio mass Power.

Public Comments for the LTGEP.

The assumptions and scenarios included for generation planning in the LTGEP was subject to public scrutiny at the public consultation held at the Bandaranaike Center for International Studies. The consultation saw a wide participation of key stakeholders representing various state entities, private sector organizations and institutions, CSO organizations, private citizens and other interested parties.

One of the main areas of contention was that the Base Case scenario found in the LTGEP did not align with the national policies on power and energy. “The Long Term Generation Expansion Plan developed by the CEB contradicts the government’s policy of moving towards a zero emissions pathway through renewable energy development as mentioned in several key documents including the presidential manifesto and the National Energy Policy developed by the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy”, said Mr. Asoka Abeygunawardana, Chairman of Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA). The national policy clearly defines the energy sector target as to move towards meeting the total demand for electricity from renewable energy and other indigenous energy sources by 2030.

Moreover, the proposed Base Case Scenario, with the inclusion of coal plants violates several national commitments made. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)  in 2016, recognizes the country’s commitment of reducing GhG emission through cuts in the coal and liquid petroleum fluids in the energy sector, with a simultaneous focus on developing renewable energy sources. As a member to the Climate Vulnerability Forum, Sri Lanka has committed to become zero emission by 2050.

In addition, several environmental organizations and concerned citizens pointed out to the LTGEP sole focus on the economic valuations based on least cost scenarios, thereby ignoring or discounting the cost of externalities and environmental cost embedded. The implementation of future coal power plants, particularly the proposed Foul point in Trincomalee was raised as a case in point due to the detrimental impact posed on the unique eco-systems and public wellbeing of the area.

Inconsistent Methodology for Economic Costs

Several speakers including representative from the Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat and other independent consultants raised the issue of the inconsistency of the methodology being used to calculate the economic costs. The report’s heavy dependence on capital cost and fuel cost which have also been based on outdated data was reiterated. According to some of the speakers the price of fuel was based on the  market prices and not on economic prices, and failed to capture the declining value of the Sri Lankan Rupee. This was highlighted as leading to miscalculations in the estimation of the least cost scenarios pertaining to coal. Adjustments made would point to a lower generation cost for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) than for coal.

Mr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya referred to the current trend of drifting towards increasing use of diesel and other liquid petroleum fluid in order to fulfill the country’s energy needs.  “The share of electricity generation from all forms of oil up to end April 2017 was a staggering 42% “ he said.

The viability of the integration of supercritical coal power plants and the pump storage power plant in the LTGEP is questionable.

Also mentioned as issues was the lack of attention given to the Demand Side Management activities which is said to be the cheapest option. In addition, several other presenters pointed to the untapped potential of renewable energy in the case highway solarisation.

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Women warned: When in Sri Lanka don't use tuk-tuks

Thursday, 29 June 2017

COLOMBO: The US embassy in Colombo warned Thursday its citizens visiting Sri Lanka to avoid travelling alone in tuk-tuks after a spate of sexual harassment complaints.

The embassy, in a message posted on its website, advised women against hailing the brightly-coloured autorickshaws used widely to get around in Sri Lanka.

”The US embassy Colombo has been made aware of an increase in incidents involving tuk-tuk drivers in the Colombo area inappropriately touching female passengers,” said the statement.

”Females should avoid travelling in tuk-tuks alone in Colombo.”

Many of the reported incidents occurred at the end of a ride, the embassy said. Those opting to use tuk-tuks were requested to take photos of the driver and registration plate before boarding.

There are some 1.2 million auto-rickshaws in Sri Lanka, most used as taxis in a country where public transport is often unreliable and overcrowded. - AFP

Electoral reforms: Lessons from Indonesia and South Africa


Friday, 30 June 2017

The Constitutional Assembly in the Parliament of Sri Lanka hosted Dikgang Moseneke, the former Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa and an architect of the South African Constitution, to deliver a lecture on ‘Reaching a consensus on the Constitution: The South African Experience’.

Electoral reforms Lessons from Indonesia and South Africa.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

New anti-terror measures in West worse than PTA – Wijeyadasa

June 29, 2017, 10:17 pm 

Wijeyadasa Rajapakse and Esala Weerakoon share a light moment at the conclusion of the media briefing (Pic Sujatha Jayaratne)

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, yesterday said those demanding a new lenient Counter Terrorism Law (CTL) to replace the Prevention of the Terrorist Act (PTA), however in the wake of attacks in the West had adopted stringent measures which were even tougher than the PTA.

Minister Rajapakse was responding to The Island at a media conference at his ministry. He was flanked by Foreign Secretary Esala Weerakoon, Law and Order Ministry Secretary Jagath Jayaweera and DIG (Legal) Ajith Rohana.

Rajapakse said they hadn’t reached agreement on CTL so far in spite of broad consensus on the matter.

The Justice Minister said latest developments should be taken into consideration before deciding on the final draft.

Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake headed a committee that drafted the policy and legal frame in respect of the proposed CTL.

The Prime Minister in late Sept last year in a confidential Cabinet memorandum proposed that the proposed law comply with Sri Lanka’s human rights obligations. The premier also sought adequate provisions to deal with terrorism. Minister Rajapakse said the world opinion in respect of terrorism threat had changed since the conclusion of the conflict here in May 2009 with some of those pursuing liberal policies experiencing the horrors of terrorism.

Minister Rajapakse explained the circumstances leading to him issuing a statement in parliament contrary to that of Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative

Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha in Geneva on June 12.

Aryasinha and Rajapakse dealt with former Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyer Monica Pinto’s adverse report taken up at the 35th session of the human rights council. Pinto called for foreign judges and other international experts in proposed war crimes courts in accordance with 2015 and 2017 Geneva resolutions.

Having received access to former conflict affected areas and meetings with those desired, Pinto had issued a report inimical to Sri Lanka over ten months after her visit here, Minister Rajapakse said. The Justice Minister said he had an opportunity to discuss and explain the situation to Pinto and was really shocked by her report.

Accusing Pinto of deliberating deceiving Geneva, an irate Minister Rajapakse compared the falsified reports issued by the UN, NGO community and other interested parties. Minister Rajapakse said that infringement of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty couldn’t be allowed.

Minister Rajapakse flayed Pinto for criticism of transfer of judges after completion of three year terms at a particular court. The PC alleged that Pinto’s claim that court heard cases in the Northern Province in Sinhala and also gave rulings in Sinhala was nothing but a blatant lie. Minister Rajapakse insisted that all cases were heard in Tamil in the northern and eastern districts except for Ampara.

The Justice Minister said that Sri Lanka’s mission in Geneva had been made aware of Sri Lanka’s stand in respect of Pinto’s report. The Justice Minister said that the statement made in parliament was meant to correct Sri Lanka’s stand.

The minister didn’t comment on the yahapalana government co-sponsoring Oct 2015 Geneva Resolution soon after Ambassador Aryasinha strongly opposed the draft at an informal discussion attended by top representatives of those moving the document.

Racism is a colonial hangover

 

Friday, June 30, 2017

We are committed to all citizens being equal:

I am going by the data given to me by the Police:

I was misquoted:

PTA will not be Repealed in full:

Minister of Justice and Buddha Sasana Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe in an interview with the Daily News spoke on the recent controversy involving him and issues pertaining to minorities among others.

Q: In a recent interview with the BBC, you said that there were "four minor incidents" (sulu siduweem) regarding attacks on Churches.

Racism is a colonial hangover.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd