Remembering Black July 1983

Sinhala rioters celebrate as they pause in the destruction of homes and businesses in Tamil sectors of Colombo

23 Jul  2017

Today we mark thirty-four years from the horrors of the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983, when Tamils were killed by Sinhala mobs backed by the then UNP government and state forces.

Armed with electoral rolls, Sinhala mobs targeted Tamil homes and businesses looting and ransacking property. Driven from their homes, particularly in Colombo, over 3000 Tamils were massacred, whilst thousands more were effectively deported by the state to the North-East.

Eye witness reports described mobs chasing Tamils down the street with knives and setting them alight alive. Many hundreds of women were raped. Tamil political prisoners locked up in Welikada jail, deep within the island's south, were also targeted as prison guards allowed Sinhala inmates to slaughter them.

Remembering Black July 1983.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

Black July The absence of the collective guilt

2017-07-24

This year marks the 34th anniversary of the July riots of 1983 which reshaped the socio political history of our nation forever. Many still recall the grim images of gutted buildings, vehicles set on fire and bodies charred beyond recognition. The damage the Black July did cannot simply be evaluated in terms of physical casualties or monetary terms.  It split the body politic with an incisive divide in to North and South, an abyss un-bridged to date.
The July riots became the catalyst for the upsurge of Tamil militancy and pushed the Tamil society in to the bosom of the murderous LTTE, sparking a smouldering Civil war which raged for 30 years and launching the Tigers to international recognition as the sole representative of the Tamils.
Hundreds of Tamil civilians lost their lives, while tens of thousands lost all they had on earth to be followed by an exodus of citizens to foreign countries. Very few have returned and very few will. The blame put on some chauvinistic ministers of the then regime who are dead and gone now, and everything else swept under the carpet. Three leftist parties including the JVP were proscribed. The end of the civil war has not ensured harmony between the two communities and mutual distrust and apprehensions about each other’s motives lurk underneath. We are not the only country to emerge out of ethnic conflict and yet why are we unable to bring these two communities, who are not at war any more, together, begs answer.

The non apologetic mindset

Among many reasons the one that I hold as the most crucial is the lack of remorse and absence of an apology shown by the Sinhalese Majority to the minority that was victimized in the July pogrom. We have not apologized for the gruesome murders, rape, arson, robbery, torture committed by chauvinistic elements of the majority, abetted by authorities and applauded by many non-participants. Who apologized for the total collapse of the law enforcement machinery during those few days? Have we rectified the absolute lack of restitutive measures including legal ones to vindicate the victims? The commission established, albeit belatedly, by the People’s Alliance government to inquire in to and compensate the victims has led to nothing tangible.Who is the perpetrator punished and which the political bigwigs are held accountable as the orchestrators of this repulsive act of pogrom? Answers to all such questions remain negative. In fact, would it be outrageous if I ventured to utter that we identified ourselves more with the perpetrator rather than the victims?
Why is it that at all times of political and civil unrest our criminal justice system with its law enforcement apparatus comprising of the Police, Law courts, penal regime etc. seem to petrify? This is applicable not only to the Black July, but also to the JVP insurrections as well as the last stages of the civil war as well. Is it due to a technical or structural insufficiency of these institutions or is it more an inherent lackadaisical attitude engraved in our psyche that might is right and nothing could be done about it?

Paralysis of the criminal justice system

The absolute failure of the security apparatus was highlighted in the plight of the Tamil political prisoners, at Welikada prison, where despite being in the heart of Colombo, the Police or the Security forces failed to prevent murder. Why has not the court system been able to prevail and proper inquiries done and perpetrators brought to justice under the criminal laws of the country? The inquest held at the prison premises hit a dead end. Is the Penal Code being the main statute defining crimes bereft of provisions for each and every offence committed in broad daylight? Or are we saying that the law is applicable only when it comes to apolitical deeds and not otherwise? Is the rule of law a mere figment of ambitious imagination and mere rhetoric?
The July riots were horrendous to a civilized mind; yet the apathy and inaction of the majority chills the conscience.The failure of the justice system is mind boggling as murderers, rapists and robbers walk the streets untouched, although obviously aged and bent, even today.

"The July riots became the catalyst for the upsurge of Tamil militancy and pushed the Tamil society in to the bosom of the murderous LTTE, sparking a smouldering Civil war which raged for 30 years and launching the Tigers to international recognition as the sole representative of the Tamils"

Restitution before reconciliation

Jennifer Lind in her book “Sorry States” recognizes acknowledgement of past misdeeds essential for a genuine reconciliation after war. Given to the blame game of ‘’them’’ instead of “us”, we have evaded the most glaring and immediate spark that led to the civil war. The Germans reconciled themselves with the Jews not by evading the obvious but by revisiting each and every act, place and atrocity attributed to Nazism with a view to reconciling themselves. It is not the Jews who have preserved concentration camp sites as lessons for the future but the German authorities. That, I believe speak volumes for the genuineness of the reconciliation with and reabsorption of the victimized component of the population back to the states citizenry.

"The July riots were horrendous to a civilized mind; yet the apathy and inaction of the majority chills the conscience. The failure of the justice system is mind boggling as murderers, rapists and robbers walk the streets untouched, although obviously aged and bent, even today"

Norman Schultz, an expert on critical thinking and ethical theory, in his thesis called ‘’Apology and Forgiveness” claims a genuine apology not only to be an admission of a mistake but also “a reversal of previously held views or policies”. That emphasizes that an apology, even if it becomes a reality, still has to be organically linked to a general turning point of the psyche of our civil society in recognizing  ‘collective guilt’ in relation to catastrophes of this nature and not yet another formality.
We brandish lofty words like reconciliation, racial and ethnic harmony as well as reassuring terms as rule of law, due process, restitutive justice, etc. now more than ever. Yet reconciliation as well as a genuine will to that end remains as illusory as ever. Let the Black July become a rally point, not an embarrassing debacle to evade and ignore, to show a genuine will as a nation for a society that each and every citizen, irrespective of his race, religion, caste or creed truly enjoys the equality before law that our Constitution enshrines in unequivocal terms.

The Culture Of Impunity; Enforced Disappearances & The Bill 

By Arun Kumaresan –JULY 24, 2017

Arun Kumaresan – Air Vice Marshal (Ret’d)

The fact that a crime might have been committed with impunity in the past may make it seem more familiar and less barbaric, but it remains barbaric and only represents a violent mindset of tolerance and does not give it any greater legitimacy. Such crimes remain unjustified and only represent a culture of brutality. ~ (Adopted from a quote by Jonathan Kozol)

The recent TV visuals of a mother wailing to know the fate of her missing son for last nine years resonates the clarion call made by the then firebrand MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, quote “I took the wailings of this country’s mothers. Do I not have the freedom to speak about them? It was the wailing of those mothers which were heard by those 12 countries” (Hansard: 25th October, 1990 in page 366).

Unlike in 1990, the current debate on the proposed Enforced Disappearances Bill is marred by the orchestrated campaign by vested interest groups under the cover of pseudo patriotism in the name of the “war hero”. This has confused the populace to a great extent. Hence, this article is primarily targeted to create awareness to the rank and file of our beloved citizenry. For this purpose, it is prudent to categorize the types of death during a conflict or war.

a) Good Kill – This is the removal, by whatever means deemed appropriate, of an individual (or a group) from the battle space who has knowingly engaged or prepared to engage in hostilities against friendly targets – LEGAL AND NOT RELEVANT TO OUR TOPIC.

b) Collateral Damage – This is the consequence of unforeseeable or unavoidable circumstances that had led to the death of a civilian. At a higher level these deaths may be foreseeable but considered acceptable given the strategic objective (though unfortunate) – LEGAL AND NOT RELEVANT TO OUR TOPIC.

c) Killing in Rage – Described as the killing of innocent civilians due to the reckless behavior of soldiers who are acting in a manner that has no regard for the value of human life – ILLEGAL BUT AGAIN NOT RELAVANT TO OUR TOPIC.

d) Enforced Disappearances – Arrest with malicious intent to torture, restrain illegally outside prescribed practices, trade for ransom for a reward (extortion) and/or kill human being in a circumstance that is not self-defense or defense of another and acting with the patronage of the State – ILLEGAL AND THE CORE AREA OF OUR TOPIC.

(Adopted from an article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-10)

Hence, the relevant bill only targets the last; ‘enforced disappearances’ and excludes all other deaths including those that occurred during the ‘Humanitarian Operations’ in the North and East of Sri Lanka during the period 2007 – 2009. The troops and leadership who bravely fought a brutal enemy in the legitimate conduct of operations to eradicate terrorism in Sri Lanka, on the orders issued by their respective chiefs under their supreme commander’s directions will not fall victim under the said bill.

Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka:

The history of enforced disappearances dates back to 1971; when an ill prepared security apparatus was thrust to defeat a Marxist rebellion. The records are vague but it suggests around 1000 to 2000 who were rounded up never lived to tell their tales. In the 1988/89 insurgency; to keep it short the ‘instrument of enforced disappearances’ was used as the frontline method in the conduct of counter operations against the subversion.

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ESTABLISH THE OFFICE OF MISSING PERSONS WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DELAY

 Image: Relatives of the disappeared march in Colombo in Aug 2016 in support of OMP.

23/07/2017

Issuing a statement the National Peace Council has urged the government to establish the Office of Missing Persons without any further delay.

It further says that “the government has said that the commissioners will be nominated by the Constitutional Council which we have confidence will name persons of impeccable character who have earned themselves reputations for being unbiased and independent and are acceptable to the government and to the polity as a whole. ”

The full text of the statement follows:

The Office of Missing Persons (OMP) has finally been signed into law by President Maithripala Sirisena. The National Peace Council welcomes this action which has the potential to restore civil society faith in the government. We see a sign of a new beginning that will bring relief to victims and be the start of the healing process that Sri Lanka needs to engage in. The gazetting of the OMP law and its allocation to the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation comes ten months after the law was first past in Parliament in August 2016. The long delay in moving towards operationalizing the law has been extremely painful to all who have been victims and have lost their loved ones during the war, and even after the war. It has also led to pessimism and cynicism amongst those who wish to see justice being done and the wounds of war being healed.

The National Peace Council urges the government to establish the Office of Missing Persons without any further delay. The government has said that the commissioners will be nominated by the Constitutional Council which we have confidence will name persons of impeccable character who have earned themselves reputations for being unbiased and independent and are acceptable to the government and to the polity as a whole. The manner in which the Office of Missing Persons is constituted and the speed of its actions and findings will go a long way to restore faith in the victims and larger society about the sincerity of the government to deal with human rights violations of the past and ensure their non-recurrence.

Visiting UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Ben Emmerson made strong statements about the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka which are a cause for concern. He said he was given personal assurances by the most senior Sri Lankan ministers that they were on a path of reform, but pointed out that these commitments have previously been given, and simply not met. He warned that if government inertia over reform does not end, the government will have created “precisely the conditions likely to produce festering grievances, to foster unrest and even to reignite conflict”.

The visiting UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights also reported that draft anti-terror laws prepared by the government to replace the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act will leave unchecked the routine police use of torture to extract confessions. We take seriously his observations that 80% of those most recently arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in late 2016 complained of torture and physical ill-treatment following their arrest. Instead of being angered by a foreigner passing strictures on us, the National Peace Council calls on the government to ensure that the ills pointed out by the UN Special Rapporteur are dealt with and no longer continue. We also welcome statements by government leaders that other transitional justice mechanisms will be passed into law soon.

What does UN Under-Secretary-General Feltman have to do with our constitution?

by Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka-July 23, 2017, 12:00 pm 

Jeffrey Feltman, the UN UnderSecretary-General for Political Affairs, heads the Department of Political Affairs at the United Nations in New York. The main role of the department according to its website is to prevent and resolve deadly conflict. It is also tasked with detecting potential crises and deploying mediators to the frontlines of conflicts. It contributes to UN efforts to promote peace and prevent conflict by coordinating UN electoral assistance. It also provides expertise on preventive diplomacy which is used for "peaceful resolution of tensions" and to "discourage the use of violence at critical moments".

Now which of these duties was the Under Secretary General here in Sri Lanka to perform, and why? There is no situation of crisis or any warring parties between whom he has to intervene.According to the media, he is here not for any of the above but to assess the progress on our constitution making process. Why would a UN Secretary–General on Political Affairs look into our Constitution-making process?

The Constitution making process is solely and exclusively the responsibility of the legislature of the sovereign nation of Sri Lanka. It is to the legislators elected to Parliament by popular vote that we, the citizens, have given the responsibility of carrying out that duty on behalf of the sovereign people of Sri Lanka. And they should take as long as they feel is necessary to debate the issue and get it right.

How is it the responsibility of a UN official to monitor its progress? Sri Lanka is engaged in the most democratic of processes, of debate and discussion on its Constitution which embodies the sovereignty of this island. The UN institutions have absolutely no role to play in that process. The very notion impinges on Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

According to The Island, "Feltman’s focus was certainly on the Constitution-making process now taking place in accordance with the Geneva resolution 30/1." What has the Geneva Resolution got to do with an Undersecretary General who operates from New York? Has the Human Rights Council invited him to follow up? Unlikely, since the Council’s follow up is usually undertaken by the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and not at such a senior level as an Under Secretary General.

Resolution 30/1, in the relevant Operative Paragraph 16 says "Welcomes the commitment of the Government of Sri Lanka to a political settlement by taking the necessary Constitutional measures…" It doesn’t use the words "Requests" or "Urges"or similar wording, nor does it stipulate a time frame because it is outside the scope of the UN to do so. "Welcomes" shows that the Council approves, not dictates, and recognizes that it is process that Sri Lanka has to carry out according to its own laws. Therefore it is unclear as to the exact role that Under Secretary General Feltman is expected to play vis-à-vis our Constitution making process or its progress or the final decision of the ConstitutionalAssembly.

Did the UN Under-Secretary General think of it himself or did our government invite this UN official to evaluate our progress? And if so, on what basis did the either the UN USG or the Government do so, considering that the UN charter specifically prohibits interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation.

Or is it the case that the new Government is under the wrong impression that there is an entity which sits above the member states of the UN, a "supra national body", made up of UN officials such as the Secretary General and his staff,the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the officials at the Hague and the ICC, civil society and international law experts, making up a World Government to which all the member states of the UN have ceded their sovereignty?

Or could it be that this Government has lost its authority and credibility, and thinks that parading various UN officials regularly in Colombo will impress the people of Sri Lanka and scare them into compliance with their particularConstitutional, ‘reconciliation’ and ‘reform’ agenda? Is it somehow regarded as useful pressure on those who oppose the Government’s view, or dissenting views within the Government itself, of how things should proceed?

This visit comes close on the heels of the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson, QC. An English-language daily newspaper reports that the view of "the Ministry"was that member states recommended standing invitations to all Special Rapporteurs at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Recommendations are not edicts. In 2008, France recommendedthat Sri Lanka should ratify the Rome Statue on the International Criminal Code. Sri Lanka rejected that recommendation. States undertake those recommendations at the UPR that they agree with and reject others. That is the procedure of the UPR process.

Minister Mangala Samaraweera, however, accepted the recommendations on standing invitations. In December 2015 he accepted standing invitations to ALL Special Procedures mandate holders, which the USA and several other countries have not.

Countries have a right and a duty to safeguard their own security and to make considered decisions as to the access they grant to officials. Access to certain places should have been negotiated by the SL Permanent Mission in Geneva on instruction from the Ministry, which should have consulted widely with all stakeholders, most crucially the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Justice (and not only that of Law and Order) before being finalized.

The Special Procedure Mandate Holders in their annual meeting decided that they should have free access to all parts of a country during their country visits and included it in their Terms of Reference. However, this is not a UN resolution and it is the responsibility of states to weigh in the balance its own security and other considerations before granting free access. In Geneva, Sri Lanka has negotiated the level of access for Special Rapporteurs before. They may wish for more, but they are not responsible for the peace and security of a country and therefore are not the ultimate arbiters of what it takes and what should be avoided to achievethese goals.

The UN has a valuable role to play in many areas and we expect our government to play an active role in it and to contribute to its improvement. However, the Government should not wave a grossly exaggerated notion of the UN as a big-stick to force an on-going democratic process of enormous significance to our country--that of considering the replacement or amendment of a Constitution-- into a direction that it prefers. It has to do its own hard work of convincing the legislature and the courts of its position or abide by the view of the House as dictated by our Constitution.

Did Feltman make it ‘felt’?

By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan-2017-07-23


A sudden announcement by the government that it has gazzetted the long awaited Office of the Missing Persons (OMP) came in without much ado and at a time when the UN under Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffery Feltman was in town.

It's obvious the high-powered official seemed to have held his 'last round' of serious talks to remind the government of its failure and lethargic attitude towards paying attention to the thousands of grieving parties who lost their loved ones on the battle field and beyond.

Hearing the OMP being established, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also congratulated the Sri Lankan Government for setting it up. It's an important step for all Sri Lankans who are still looking for the truth about their loved ones."

He also said that the UN stands ready to support this process and he looks forward to the OMP becoming operational as soon as possible, starting with the appointment of independent commissioners."

In the last two weeks, Sri Lanka saw several top visitors arriving in the country to check out what's going on here as time is ticking for Sri Lanka – a co sponsor of the UN Resolution but stagnated due to political bureaucracy.

MP Namal Rajapaksa also tweeted about his wonderment at the OMP. He tweeted yesterday, "Will the Office on Missing Persons also investigate the many Tamil child soldiers the LTTE terrorists forcefully recruited (now missing)?"

Before Feltman came, an independent human rights expert from the UK Ben Emmerson was here and came out with outright criticisms noting that Sri Lanka has made 'routine and endemic' use of torture against people detained on national security grounds. He quoted some of the prisoners' living conditions in the camp. "Based on my experience in the last six years in human rights monitoring in countries where counter terrorism is a problem, nowhere has such treatment been so endemic and systematically built into the entire criminal justice system as it has been in the PTA in this country."

He also said the international community was running out of patience.

His revelations agitated the Justice Minister and the President. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said Rapporteur Emmerson and many others who have visited Sri Lanka lacked calibre and diplomacy and that he would inform the President and the Premier about them.

The OMP and its contents thereof were interpreted in many ways even saying that the incumbent government was playing to the whims and fancies of the international community and all attempts were basically to 'please' the minority communities, especially the Tamils, by means of 'penalizing' the security forces for their alleged war crimes.

However, the government over and over again explained it was not a process to try the security forces and the OMP will also heal many of the saddened families who lost their loved ones during the JVP insurgency and beyond that.

At Thursdays' press conference, Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake promptly added that the OMP is an independent commission open to all.

There was some amendment to the OMP Bill that was concluded three weeks ago over which the President placed his signature to pass the Act.

The Foreign Minister stated that with the OMP every single armed forces person who has done no wrong will be protected. But certain persons who have put on their hat themselves and who misused their powers, are the ones who feel vulnerable in this process, he pointed out. "All those in the armed forces that have done their job properly have nothing to worry. That is the reason the PM stopped short of signing the 'Rome Convention.'

Also at the end of last week, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) made public its annual Human Rights Report for 2016, placing Sri Lanka as one of 30 'Human Rights Priority Countries' (HRPCs).

The report also welcomed the improvements in the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, while also emphasizing the need for further progress.

The report just before the OMP was gazzetted called on the OMP to be operationalized. The report also calls on the government to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and draft new counter-terrorism legislation in line with international human rights standards.

It recognizes the need for further development of the Police force, in order to reduce the risk of human rights violations, including torture, and improving public confidence in the rule of law.
The international community has taken the lead in support of human rights and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Many of the diplomats stationed in Sri Lanka took to tweets to congratulate the government for fixing the OMP to address the people's grievances.

The UK Government has pledged £6.6m in the period 2016 – 2019 to continue support for reconciliation and human rights. Work with the Government of Sri Lanka will be to continue to strengthen democracy and the rule of law, and to share UK experience and expertise.

British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris, said:

"The purpose of our Annual Report is to draw attention to human rights issues of concern in countries around the world, to encourage progress and recognize achievements made. In the past year we have engaged closely with the Sri Lankan Government and many others to support delivery on human rights commitments."

The OMP should have clear cut policies in running the Office including paying attention on criminalizing disappearances that could lead to minimizing the number of missing persons in future accounts.

Bring perpetrators to justice: TNA

Monday, July 24, 2017

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) issuing a press statement on Saturday, strongly condemned the attack on Jaffna High Court Judge Manickavasagar Illanchelliyan.

An unidentified man had shot at Justice Illanchelliyan, who is currently presiding over the case on the rape and murder of Vidya Sivayoganathan, at the Nallur Junction on Saturday evening.

The Police officer who was injured in the shooting incident died at Jaffna hospital yesterday.

“We urge the Inspector General of Police to bring the perpetrators of this incident to justice and to investigate the conspiracies behind this incident. While we strongly condemn these kinds of violent attacks on the administration of justice, we are gravely concerned that the incidents of crime in the Jaffna Peninsula have reached serious levels,” TNA Spokesman and Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran said.

“This situation must be arrested immediately and we request all concerned to cooperate to bring these kinds of incidents to an end,” he noted. 

Two suspects arrested

Jaffna High Court Judge M. Ilancheliyan broke down when he met the wife and relatives of Police Sergeant Sarath Premachandra (51) who died during the shooting at Nallur on Saturday. The Policeman had been escorting the Jaffna High Court Judge, currently

Monday, July 24, 2017

A Police officer, escorting Jaffna High Court Judge M. Ilancheliyan, critically injured in Saturday’s shooting in Nallur when an unidentified man opened fire, passed away yesterday at the Jaffna hospital.

Meanwhile, Jaffna Police have arrested two suspects in connection to the shooting of the Policeman in Nallur.

The Policeman had been escorting Jaffna High Court Judge M.Ilancheliyan, who is currently presiding over the Sivaloganathan Vidya case at the time of the incident.

According to Police Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara the arrested suspects are said to be the brother and a relative of the main suspect who is currently on the run.

While the shooting was initially suspected to have been aimed at Judge Ilancheliyan, Gunasekera yesterday said the presence of the Judge and the ensuing shooting was a coincidence and not a planned assassination attempt.

According to Gunasekera a fracas between several people on the road in the vicinity of the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil had obstructed the road when the Policeman escorting the Judge had attempted to resolve the issue.

“It was then that the suspect involved in the dispute who is also said to have been intoxicated during the time had shot the Policeman,” Gunasekera said. “The suspect had grabbed the Policeman’s revolver and had used it to shoot him. A second Policeman who was in the car and the Judge had got down from the vehicle when the shooting occurred. The other Policeman too had exchanged fire with the suspect who had later fled on a stolen motorbike,” the Police Spokesperson said.

The second policeman too is receiving treatment at the hospital for injuries sustained during the shootout.

According to Police sources, the suspect had discharged the weapon around 11 times putting Judge Ilancheliyan in an extremely dangerous situation.

Ilancheliyan is part of the three member bench presiding over the controversial case regarding the rape and eventual murder of Jaffna school girl Vidya Sivayoganathan.

Both injured Police officers were immediately admitted to the Jaffna Hospital while one, 57 year old Police Sergeant Sarath Premachandra who was allegedly shot in the stomach later succumbed yesterday. Several Police teams are conducting further investigations into the incident. 

Rescuing tea industry: Time to act global after thinking global too!

A nation savouring small gains

Monday, 24 July 2017

An important message was delivered to Sri Lanka’s policymakers and bastions in the tea industry by five experts who participated in a live TV discussion on the subject recently (available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyUT_YEG5mU ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL3mYE5rXIw&t=221s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3p415x4C1w). The message was that the industry was going through a crisis, it needed a long-term vision and it was time for everyone to give up their pet ideology based on ‘thinking local and acting global’. What was observed was that everyone was savouring ‘small gains’ in the form of temporary increases in prices which were nothing but bubbles that almost immediately burst.

Rescuing tea industry Time to act global after thinking global too!.docx by Thavam Ratna on Scribd

Sri Lanka: We must welcome GTF effort and they must go further

by Rajasingham Jayadevan-Jul 23, 2017

( July 23, 2017, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The right thinking people must welcome the initiative of the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) to help provide medical assistance for the flood affected areas of Southern Sri Lanka in partnership with the pioneering Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement. This effort must be strengthened further by the GTF to involve in far reaching post war socio-economic work with the engagement with the cross section of the community organisations overseas.

Many individuals, organisations and expatriate enterprises have undertaken sustainable socio-economic projects without any political fanfare and glamour. Their efforts too must be welcome and publicised in an effective way to widen the scope of engagement of the expatriate Tamils.

There are Tamil organisations and individuals providing funds for the flood victims. Even one leading organisation have gone to the extent of funding for purchase educational materials for the flood affected school children.

As an evolvement of the pre-war International Federation of Tamils (IFT) which was the international political arm of British Tamil Association (now British Tamil Forum) the progressing GTF and the BTF must ensure to address the crying demand of the expatriates to crystallise the unaccounted pre-war funds collected under duress and held in individual fund raising operatives names and commit them for the sustainable post war development work in Sri Lanka.

Both GTF and BTF must publicly display their stand to account for the hidden funds and publicise their programme of work to utilise them for good and positive purposes in Sri Lanka. If the funds are not with them or their network of operatives, they must make public pronouncements without further delay. Any operative unwilling to co-operate must be named and shamed to ensure they are made to respond to the cry.

Mahinda, is this a fake?

Jul 23, 2017

Whoever does it, selling public property is unacceptable, and should be opposed. However, selling public property while having power, and pointing the finger at others when not having that power is pure rascalry. Evidence of one such instance is given below.

Ex-president Mahinda Rajapkasa has been going around the country, saying, “Apey Hamuduruwane, we only gave land at long-term lease during our time.” But, the deed shown below makes it clear how he had sold a land at Baladhaksha Mawatha in Colombo Fort to Shangrilla Hotels (Pvt.) Ltd. for 75 million US dollars on 28 December 2010.

 

The deed says Shangrilla Hotels (Pvt.) Ltd., its administrators, executors and grantees will be able to enjoy it forever.

 

We can ask Mahinda if he can talk without any shame about the sale of land, but his recent conduct shows he has no shame. Therefore, we will only ask him, ‘Mahinda, is this a fake?”

SriLankan Airlines: Minister Kabir Hashim Continues His ‘Yahapalanaya Blab’ As 27 Cabin Crew Fail Flight Safety Exams

JULY 24, 2017

Taking to social media the general public vented their frustration and even hurled insults at Minister of Public Enterprise and Development Kabir Hashim, after a video footage of him addressing the management of SriLankan Airlines went viral.

This was after Minister Kabir Hashim visited the offices and the training facilities of SriLankan Airlines in Katunayake a few days ago and went on to tongue lash and blame the former Rajapaksa led regime for the catastrophic losses it incurred when managing the national carrier.

The contents of Minister Kabir Hashim’s speech, where mere words regarding the national carrier have been now echoed by the current yahapalanaya government over the last two and a half years with no action taken, are the strong sentiments stated in many comments uploaded especially on Facebook.

Venting his frustration a commentator named Capt. Lalith Wijetunge, a former employee of both SriLankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka posted on Facebook saying ” Yes but nothing seems to have happened to turn it around Mr Minister. The corrupt guys are still in whilst the rest are out! Just look at the board and some managers including HHR ! A silly joke”.

This is mainly due to the non-committal stance employed by the President Sirisena – Premier Wickremesinghe led government to date, especially after the airline was thoroughly investigated by a ‘Board of Inquiry’ led by Lawyer J.C. Weliamuna and his team in February and March of 2015.

The Board of Inquiry made several recommendations including the criminal prosecution of the former Chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe and CEO Kapila Chandrasena, besides naming many employees who strangely are still employed by the airline.

However current Chairman Ajith Dias and CEO Capt. Suren Ratwatte earlier went on to state that the ‘Weliamuna Report’ carried no weight, as there was not sufficient proof in the ‘Board of Inquiry’ Claims.

After been taken for a joy ride in the Flight Simulator Minister Hashim then gathered the management of the airline and went on to say “I am always questioned by the opposition as to what we are going to do with the national carrier. They kept on asking if we are planning to sell it. I always said that there is nothing to sell. The only option we have is to bury it. But President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s have given me instructions to resurrect this airline. The previous government wasted funds on spending money for banners during their political campaigns. We have not taken a red cent from this airline for any of our political events. They even spent monies sponsoring the famous nights races and Carlton rugby sevens. But the airline’s unions kept mum about those things then. The former Chairman was provided with three houses by the airline. How could he spend one night in three houses? He was also provided with six mobile phones. They even ordered eight Airbus 350 aircraft for millions of dollars without any strategic planning which destroyed your airline. The total loss they incurred was Rs 461 billion or US $ 3252 million. That is the cost equivalent of building five highways in the country”.

Meanwhile in another unique first, the International Aviation Academy has now implemented a ‘cash for jobs’ strategy, especially for those who wish to join as Cabin Crew.

Despite the airline conducting its own training programme for all new Cabin Crew recruits, the IAA run by General Manager Primal De Silva forces those who wish to join the airline as Cabin Crew to pay nearly US $ 2000 and follow a Cabin Crew programme.

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SHOOTING AT FTZ WORKERS IN SRI LANKA: “POLICE BEHAVED LIKE HOOLIGANS”

Image: Sri Lankans confront armed soldiers while protesting the killing by police of Roshen Chanaka (Oct 2011)

By Leon Berenger.-23/07/2017

The one-man commission appointed to probe the 2011 bloodletting and chaos at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone that left one worker dead and over 300 injured has proposed in its report that all those affected should be compensated and that the Police personnel on duty at the time of the incident must be dealt with by law, irrespective of rank and file.

The Police, from the top-most official to the lower ranks, both male and female were totally responsible for the 2011 bloodletting and the ensuing chaos at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone on 29 May 2011 the Commission of Inquiry has stated in the report.

Retired High Court Judge Mahanama Tilakaratne was appointed as the one-man commission to probe the bloody events that took place at the KFTZ during the final week in the month of May 2011. He adds that following his findings he has concluded that the violence and the bloodletting could have been averted if there had been proper orders from the Police hierarchy.

But instead, apparently on orders from the top, the Police behaved like hooligans as they crashed into the KFTZ armed with an assortment of weapons from assault rifles to iron rods, poles studded with nails, chains and clubs, beating up unarmed workers including pregnant women. They had also stolen a gold chain.

Over 800 policemen, many in uniforms lacking their Identification numbers, went on to vandalize private property in the area and smashed up parked vehicles including those transporting injured workers to nearby hospitals, with no senior gazetted officers in sight.

They had either kept away in the hope of promotions or a scholarship later on or went into hiding out of cowardice, the report states.

“Police personnel also forced pregnant women to kneel down before assaulting them. Several workers who had taken refuge inside washrooms were dragged out and bashed.

“The conduct of the Women Police Constables (WPCs) was deplorable. Females in hiding were pulled out and forced to kneel down, and were insulted and humiliated. Police raised their weapons against the sick and against pregnant women who had nothing in their hands. They were taken to the Katunayake Police Station and beaten again and again. Many injured persons had fractures, bruises, contusions, and large wounds”.

The report further states “In the circumstances, Police Officers acted contrary to the law, the superior officers were indifferent and failed to issue proper orders which enabled those of lower ranks to behave like thugs. Behaviour of the workers inside the Zone was such that Police in the circumstances acted in excess of the powers given to them by law, and deserve to be punished.

“Finally, the senior police officers allowed the lower rankers to resort to violence and hooliganism, and the workers belonging to several unions, voluntarily or some under pressure, joined the protesters and became victims of atrocities committed by Police”.

The intervention of local politicians also created an adverse impact in the minds of the employees and a Minister holding discussions without the participation of union officials created suspicion amongst them, the report added.

The report also questions the decision to draft in police personnel from stations such as Modera, Slave Island, Dam Street and Pettah when the North Western Province (NWP) has over 100 Police Stations with 10 separate divisions.

In conclusion, the report states that those who sustained serious injuries and fractures should be adequately compensated while the Police Officers, irrespective of rank or file, should be dealt with according to law in order to save the image of the Government and the Police Department.

Meanwhile a top trade unionist yesterday welcomed the Government’s decision to release the report in keeping with the Right to Information Act after it was kept in limbo for the past six years.

“However the authorities must, at the very earliest, follow up the recommendations mentioned in the report if it needs to protect the image of ‘good governance’, Palitha Athukorale – a Secretary with IndustriaLL told Ceylon Today.

He added that several leading trade unions will be meeting shortly to discuss plans for future action should the Government back track on the recommendations suggested in the report.

IndustriaLL is the single largest global trade union packing a membership of some 50 million workers in 140 countries.