When Yasmin Zooka’s International Truth and Justice Project (ITJC), known for its dalliance with LTTE loving fringe Tamil groups, selectively raises the human rights card on Sri Lanka, it can be dismissed as sour grapes.
But, when the former war-winning army commander and now a Field Marshal and Cabinet Minister Sarath Fonseka jumps on the bandwagon to implicate his successor Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, because they have a grudge against each other, that smacks of a mind-boggling level of pettiness. Last week it was reported that ITJC had filed a law suit in Brazil against Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya (who, by the way, is not a relation of this writer), Sri Lanka’s ambassador there and five other countries, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Suriname. Gen. Jayasuriya was accused of committing war crimes while he was the security forces commander of the Vanni during the final phase of the Eelam war. The dossier of the lawsuit was handed over to Brazil’s federal police only in the final week of Gen. Jayasuriya’s tenure there as ambassador by a counsel representing the ITJC.
Mr. Fonseka spares no opportunity to take a shot at his nemesis and in the process however, he tends to overlook the resultant security implications
That unusual wait till the eleventh hour, when you have a whole of two years to do that, may imply this latest adventure is yet another propaganda gimmick by Zooka’s NGO.
The ITJC has tried its best to keep the pot boiling in Sri Lanka. Recently it issued a dossier which accused the Sri Lankan security forces of continuing with ‘torture of Sri Lankan Tamils’. Weeks earlier a London court ruled a Tamil asylum seeker who claimed he had been tortured in Sri Lanka during a visit had in fact self-inflicted his injuries to advance his asylum claims. ITJC is a front of fringed diaspora Tamils, who are bitter about the annihilation of Tamil Tiger terrorists in this country. The Sri Lankan government, no matter its intentions about reconciliation, should treat these outlets as such. But, how can it react to Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka who has now opened a can of worms which would be relished by the groups that have called for punitive action against the Sri Lankan state and its security forces.
Soon after the reports of ITJC lawsuit, Fonseka jumped the gun and told a media conference that he had information with regard to crimes committed by former army commander Jagath Jayasuriya, the then Vanni commander and that he was ready to give evidence if proper legal action was instituted against him.
“I received complaints that Mr. Jayasuriya was engaged in crimes as Vanni commander with regard to those who were arrested. He continued the same strategy even after he was promoted as army commander. I have information regarding those who committed the crimes. I am ready to explain the crimes committed in detail if proper legal action is instituted,” he said.
Mr. Fonseka spares no opportunity to take a shot at his nemesis and in the process however, he tends to overlook the resultant national security implications. An earlier attempt to implicate Gotabaya Rajapaksa for ordering to kill the surrendered LTTE high fliers during what was known as White Flag incident, landed the then presidential contender Fonseka in a political minefield, and cost him a good deal of southern votes. He later recanted his statement, but by then the damage had been done. There are things that the holders of high security and strategic responsibilities are expected not to talk about even after their retirement. In most countries, even the low level security operatives are required to sign an agreement on nondisclosure, breach of which is punishable by law.
If he thinks certain incidents deserve a re-scrutiny, Field Marshal Fonseka can convey his concerns to those who matter, perhaps to the President
Still, if he thinks certain incidents deserve a re-scrutiny, Field Marshal Fonseka can convey his concerns to those who matter, perhaps to the President, who as the Commander in Chief could order an investigation. A media conference is not definitely the right place to raise those concerns. In most countries that went through a level of security vulnerability on par with Sri Lanka, such a gesture would have amounted to treason. Even when, it is not, it shows a greater deal of bankruptcy. It is a sad indictment of Field Marshal Fonseka, without whose ruthless efficiency of fighting the war, Sri Lanka would have been at the mercy of terrorists for a foreseeable future. Before him, there were colourful army commanders, but none of them was a match to Prabakaran. One had a reputation in dancing in his underwear in the officers’ mess in inebriation. Another was so disenchanted that his daughter had been dropped from the Olympic Swimming Squad, he came to the National Television to complain about his grievances, while the army having routed in Elephant Pass was on a mass withdrawal.
Fonseka was no such charlatan. Since taking over the army and having narrowly survived a suicide attack on his life, he fully committed to ending the war. He was a ruthless task master, some of his division commanders literally cried in front of him when he ordered to implement certain dare devil operational manoeuvers. However, finally he won the war and Sri Lankans are grateful to him for that. Now some of his rhetoric threatens not only to undo his legacy, but also to unleash unwarranted forces, that could intimidate Sri Lanka for a long time.
Of course, certain excesses of the war, such as alleged incidents of abduction rackets run by certain individual officers and other ranks, should be investigated. Then are others, such as the killings of five students in Trincomalee, attacks on Uthayan and other media institutions and personnel. However, it would be foolhardily to denounce the entire conduct of war, or its operational decisions, no matter whether they were taken by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Sarath Fonseka or by someone else, because they entailed a political-military logic in the given circumstances at the time, of which rationale, to some extent, is vindicated by the fact that Sri Lankans have lived without a single major incident of terrorism since the end of the war.
Some issues are too big to be politicized. The war is one such thing, though unfortunately, former regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa did exactly that and created the bad blood that runs through the country.
This government should not follow the footsteps of its predecessor. That is a dangerous and most likely a losing gamble. President Maithripala Sirisena was right when he said he would not let anybody to besmirch the war victory. He should perhaps tell his Cabinet Minister Field Marshal Fonseka to keep quiet for the greater good.
(Lanka-e-News - 05.Sep.2017, 6.25AM) As Lanka e news revealed on 3 rd morning so president Maithripala Sirisena proved on that day at the 66 th SLFP convention that he has chosen the ‘cyanide route’ or his ‘political suicide route’ to the detriment of the country as well as the masses that elected him to power. But what is more important than his selection of the cyanide route are his most recklessly dangerous pronouncements made against the international community thereby once again provoking and antagonizing the international community . President’s disastrous cyanide route notwithstanding ,the more imminent danger is , his pronouncements can force those countries to boycott and turn hostile to the motherland .
Maithripala toeing the same line of lawless brutal Mahinda Rajapakse the deposed and currently people discarded president announced on the 3 rd that he would take measures to shield and safeguard former army commander Jagath Jayasuriya the infamous war criminal who is a pet and puppet of equally or more infamous Rajapakses . He will ensure no punishment is meted out to Jagath Jayasuriya, the president added. .The president went even further to mount charges against Yasmin Suka the executive director of International truth and justice movement . He accused in much the same way as did Rajapakses that the organization of Suka is receiving aid from the LTTE organization . Moreover the president refused to acknowledge there had been human rights violations in the past.
Unbelievably , the president made these short sighted comments completely and cruelly ignoring the glaring facts revealed by Field marshal Sarath Fonseka a most popular and patriotic ex army commander who won a 30 years old war against terrorists for the country , and who worked indefatigably and with commitment to make Maithripala Sirisena the president of the country.
Fonseka being an honest law abiding army commander directly disclosed , Jagath Jayasuriya committed crimes and were done at the behest of Rajapakses , and that he is prepared to testify if a case is heard in any court in this regard ( The video footage of Fonseka’s revelations was published by Lanka e news on a different date)
Jagath Jayasuriya the war crime criminal …
It is deemed that an amplification on this matter is important for and on behalf of our viewers…
As Jagath Jayasuriya was most incapable as an army officer at the war front ,Sarath Fonseka during the war did not allow him to serve in the front line or lead the army, rather he was allowed to supervise the second row army officers supplying the necessary items to those at the battle front.
LTTE members and civilians who surrendered to those in the battle front were accepted by the soldiers and handed over to the second row front in Vavuniya of Jagath Jayasuriya providing supplies. What Gotabaya Rajapakse and Hendavitharne did was , after establishing ties with Jaysuriya on the sly , and without Fonseka’s knowledge picked the surrendering LTTE cadres and Tamil civilians , abducted and killed them with Jayasuriya’s connivance and permission. Though those who surrendered should be listed , and if any legal action is to be taken against them they must be transferred to the relevant division, instead , without entering their names in the list, Jayasuriya secretly allowed Gotabaya to abduct and kill them . Under the laws governing war , this was a serious crime and absolutely unlawful.
About 1500 who so surrendered were taken out by Gotabaya from time to time in the nights and murdered. ( We are in possession of many statements made by several individuals including army superiors , and we have reported earlier in that regard) . It is in relation to these victims who went missing their relatives are now complaining to the international community.
These crimes are just one instance of the many crimes Sarath Fonseka is referring to . These were the crimes committed by Jayasuriya on the sly at the behest of Gotabaya keeping Fonseka in the dark . It is because of these criminal ties Gotabaya had with Jagath Jayasuriya and owing to their conspiracies , Fonseka was removed from the post of army commander , and Jayasuriya who was far down below 17 others in the rank was promoted to that post . In addition it was Jayasuriya’s assistance that was enlisted to arrest Fonseka who was treated most shabbily and insolently during that operation.
The same Rajapakses after Jayasuriya retired dispatched the latter as a foreign envoy to enable him to enjoy to the hilt.
Strangely , it is to save such a criminal like Jagath Jayasuriya, the lawfully elected president Maithripala is screaming . He shouted with all his might at the convention , ‘ I shall save him even if no one else will .’ What a shame ! a president legally elected by the people, of the people and for the people to rule the country lawfully is screaming in the open unlawfully that he would rescue a criminal . That is he is confirming he is for the criminal and not for the law abiding people.
It is beyond our comprehension why the president chose such a momentous occasion like the SLFP 66 th anniversary to speak for and on behalf of a two penny half penny worth criminal like Jagath Jayasuriya who sold not only his soul but even the uniform for cheap selfish self degrading gains.
Yasmin Suka
Let us also reveal to our viewers who is Ms. Yasmin Suka whom president Maithripala describes as a tiger. Suka is a South African human rights lawyer who worked with commitment towards the creation of the Truths commission when Nelsen Mandela was engaged in establishing reconciliation in South Africa. She is a world recognized senior lawyer and is a member of the International independent commission appointed by the UN general secretary to probe into the human rights violations in SL.
She has in her custody copious and grave evidence pertaining to the crimes of Jagath Jayasuriya . Being a senior lawyer of integrity and international fame , she can never ever be a tool of the defeated discarded LTTE organization . Hence it is certain no cases are going to be filed sans cogent evidence.
The International truth and justice movement has filed a case against Jagath Jayasuriya not through the International criminal court (ICC) , rather it is by a court of the country where Jayasuriya was a Sri Lankan foreign envoy. Neither an individual nor an organization can file a case in the ICC. That can only be done by a country with the permission of the UN organization. In the circumstances the loud braggadocios of president Maithripala on the 3 rd imitating the Rajapakse brags that ‘commanders’ of the forces shall be rescued are most inconsistent , incongruous , senseless and meaningless.
The war crime charges against SL that were to be filed by the international community were stalled because the government which was installed in power on 2015-01-08 gave an assurance that an internal investigation will be conducted against those facing war crime charges, and punishment will be meted out to them after a trial. Hence the legal action was halted not on the grounds that no war crimes had been committed.
Hence if the present government does not honor its promise to the international community , without any trace of doubt the latter is going to view this lapse as most serious and take measures as grave as were taken against corrupt and crooked Mahinda Rajapakse government or even much graver .
Of course Gamarallas and frogs inside the wells do not know about the world , and that international organizations do not work like the State institutions in SL , the country where important files are kept hidden for a while and then after some time they are reported lost.
If only Maithripala has followed the advice pertaining to international affairs from modern day advisors rather than from Gamarallas , he would not have made such statements. In his pronouncement on 3 rd he made a very serious slip . He said, he would not accept there were human rights violations in SL in the past. Can a president of a good governance make such an utterance while the glaring facts are staring in his face. ?
If Maithripala is to play the main role to rescue an individual like Jagath Jayasuriya who is being accused not only by Suka but even by our own former army commander Sarath Fonseka that Jayasuriya committed war crimes , the next crucial question is , whether Maithripala is also in the same boat of Mahinda Rajapakse the most notorious mendacious Machiavellian deposed president ? Is Maithripala trying to display he is Mahinda to all intents and purposes , except that he lacks a moustache, a cursed shawl , a hoarse highway robber’s voice of mendacious Mahinda , and his habit of hitting on his own chest like a chimpanzee.
Owing to all these indiscretions and myopic thinking it is the wrath and resentment of the international community that are being re kindled as were during the Rajapakse era. This is why Lanka e news is apprehensive , when Maithri is recklessly hurtling down the cyanide route it is the country that is being put in dire jeopardy locally and internationally. Based on the speech made by the president at the SLFP convention it is evident he is assuming by ‘dressing’ like Mahinda Rajapakse he can lure more members to the SLFP. It is a matter for deep regret seemingly Maithripala hasn’t even that little grey matter to understand while Mahinda Rajapakse (nomerena miniha) , Basil Rajapakse, Gotabaya Rajapakse , Namal Rajapakse are still living and not dead , and when they are not only behaving but also hoping they will never die , no matter how corrupt and crooked they are , the SLFP ers don’t need a substitute.
Of course to us it is very clear Maithri’s ‘cyanide route ’ is only leading him on the road to perdition and political suicide though he cannot perceive. The Rajapakse cronies and lackeys Maithri has taken into his fond fold are earnestly anticipating the day when Maithri following the cyanide route will plunge himself into irretrievable doom and gloom so that they can get their Rajapakse clan back on the scene with glee.
Be that as it may , the president also took pains at the convention to explain in detail the reasons which led to the successful formation of the consensual government , and the benefits the country derived therefrom. He was profusely thankful to the Bandaranaike couple for the contributions they made.
‘People’s power in the right direction , an unstained journey’
‘People’s power in the right direction , an unstained journey’ was the slogan under which the official team of the SLFP which accepts Maithripala Sirisena as its leader held its 66 th convention at Campbell park , Colombo on the 3 rd. Though there was a crowd , that was not enough to fill the ground. The organizers notified that representatives of 46 different political parties and organizations attended the event .
SLFP general secretary Duminda Silva making the welcome speech said, the 65 th anniversary was held under the slogan ‘ party along the right direction’ , and the 66 th anniversary is being held under the slogan ‘people’s power along the right direction’, and in the future under the leadership of Maithripala Sirisena it will be ‘ the country along the right direction.’
A number of resolutions were adopted at the convention . Though it was planned to get the resolution to retain the executive presidency also passed , that was not tabled. However Nimal Siripala De Silva the party ‘s senior Vice president in his speech said , in 2020 under an SLFP president an SLFP government will be formed. The inference is , president Maithripala will not abolish the executive presidency though that was his solemn pledge to the people in 2015 , and that the SLFP is expecting a presidential election in 2020.
Siripala and Amunugama are re born following their demise !
Nimal Siripala best noted for worst buffoonery and tomfoolery, in his speech made another stupid blunder . When Chandrika Bandaranaike the daughter of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the president , she admitted publicly that because her late father made Sinhalese language alone the state language , the ethnic war erupted . Yet Nimal Siripala talking like a ‘Silly pala’ said at the convention , making Sinhala only the state language was a welcome and important change, owing to which the country progressed. However Nimal Siripala not only refrained from saying it was the cause of the ethnic war , but also refrained from explaining why Chandrika during her tenure of office accepted Tamil and English as state languages. He also pinpointed the SLFP ers assembled at the Campbell park not to safeguard an individual but the party .
Sarath Amunugama who tabled the proposal on international affairs declared the 30 years old ethnic war was the result of the UNP government of 1977 which did not take the non aligned stance and because it followed pro Western policies . It is shocking Amunugama who holds a doctorate had forgotten history so soon . The first political murder in Jaffna – the killing of SLFP mayor Alfred Duraiyappa took place as far back in 1975, and was committed by Tamil youths including Prabhakaran who had by then embarked on terrorist activities.
Economic proposal was tabled by S.B. Dissanayake while the proposal on food and environment was tabled by Susil Premajayanth. W.D.J. Seneviratne tabled the proposal on labor and the proposal on youths was made by Shantha Bandara .
Mahinda Amaraweera too tabled a proposal while Dr. Ms . Fernandopulle tabled a proposal on woman’s affairs. The convention was concluded with a queer proposal which is never made while a president is still living . It was a proposal tabled by Anura Priyadharshana Yapa to pay tribute to the president .
Chief minister of East Nazeer Ahamed representing the Muslims also spoke on the occasion while minister Mano Ganeshan spoke on behalf of the Tamil people.
A video tape of the entire proceedings of the 66 th anniversary of the SLFP can be viewed hereunder
--------------------------- by (2017-09-05 01:05:58)
The controversy over the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) has been prolonging for some time without an end in sight. While the government is unwilling to budge an inch from its stand in allowing the institute to operate as a private medical university the opponents on the other hand are bent on disrupting its smooth operation. Unavoidably the security cost of safeguarding the institute is rising.
By narrowing their protest over this particular institution the protesters are ignoring the bigger picture regarding the future of higher education in Sri Lanka. Under the neoliberal economic model that is being dictated by the IMF and its guardians the government’s role in providing quality higher education to those with the necessary minimum qualification to receive it, and quality healthcare to all those who need it are measured in terms of the so called market based economic concept of the rate of return. According to this measure the private rate of return exceeds private cost as the level of education rises from primary to secondary and to tertiary stages. Therefore, a sensible policy for the government, according to establishment economic pundits, is to maximise its role at the primary level and gradually reduce it as the level of education rises. The social cost and social benefits of higher education are shelved in this measurement partly because of the difficulties in measuring them in monetary values and partly because it unnecessarily complicates economic policy making for simple minded politicians.
Since the end of the Second World War and with the entry of the Welfare State based partly on Keynesian economic theory the public sector in both developed and developing countries invested heavily on education, healthcare, food production and infrastructural development. To a war ravaged Europe and to many poverty-stricken developing nations at that time this investment brought immeasurable benefits. Sri Lanka became one of the shining leaders in Asia in providing public welfare. That the country had a healthy economic surplus at that time made it easier to operate a generous welfare state. Today’s senior bureaucrats, academics and other professionals in the country, not to mention their compatriots living as expatriates, would not have risen to their current status if not for that all round welfare policy.Domestically, that policy ultimately went a long way in bridging significantly the gap between the rich and poor in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s development became an envy even to Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew.
With the ushering in of JR’s open economy after 1977 and the re-entry of the free market the welfare state of Sri Lanka was radically rolled back.Economic advisors from the IMF in cohort with foreign trained local market oriented economists convinced the politicians that budget allocations on health, education and food subsidies are a drain on the cash tight economy and encouraged local legislators to allow the free market to take care of those sectors. Accordingly, public hospitals, public schools and universities were starved of funds and facilities, which obviously affected the standard of their products. Market oriented economics and its IMF manager still want the government to invest in infrastructure development because such investment subsidises the private sector partly with public funds raised through taxes paid by the middle and poorer classes. Although the general discontent against this state of affairs was growing for some time in Sri Lanka the people are deliberately distracted by the ethnic and religious issues.
In the meantime, the rich and the powerful began to look elsewhere to get value for their money on education and health. Private hospitals and private educational institutions started mushrooming to cater to their demand.
While private hospitals satisfied the medical needs of the rich and while private primary and secondary schools taught the affluent kids public hospitals and public educational institutions became asylums to the poor reflecting the widening cleavage between the have nots and have lots. Even doctors who are the products of public universities and working in public hospitals cut short their time spent in those hospitals and spend long hours privately charging exorbitant fees from the desperate poor. It is a pathetic sight overall which has made the medical profession a lucrative field for educators and practitioners. SAITM is the first entrant to provide private university and professional education in the country in a very profitable area. It is testing the waters before expanding into other fields. The government is sitting tight until the clamour and hoo-ha against SAITM dies down so that it will open the field to other such private entrants in engineering, accounting, law and other professional disciplines.
Lanka News Web on September 03 published an article saying that the police were under pressure not to oppose bail for the student who had cheated at the GCE A/L examination’s chemistry paper, and his father, dentist Bangamarachchi at the Police Hospital. Proving that true, the Gampaha magistrate’s court granted bail for the student, his father and the father of the private tutor. Bail was refused for the private tutor Jinendra Ranasinghe and his brother. We will reveal with details how police were prevented from opposing bail for the cheats.
Rs. 3 m lawyer’s fee
The dentist father has obtained the services of Sumith Parakrama Perera, a lawyer practising at the Homagama magistrate’s court and a close friend of CID director, DIG B.R.S.R. Nagahamulla. He has publicly admitted having received a Rs. three million fee for the case.
Nagahamulla’s predecessor was old Royalist, DIG Mahesh Perera, who telephoned the CID and inquired if they would allow bail for the exam cheats. CID officials said bail could not be granted as the investigation was still ongoing. But, DIG Perera insisted that they would allow bail, as he already knew what the CID did not know.
Super farewell party for Nagahamulla
Since a successor is due to be appointed, Nagahamulla was given a farewell party at a well known hotel at Kochchikade in Negombo last week. All ranks of the CID attended. There, Nagahamulla introduced lawyer Perera to the officers who are investigating the exam fraud. Then, he influenced the investigators not to oppose bail. In the end, magistrate D.A. Ruwanpathirana gave the accused bail as a result of a conspiracy by the director of the CID.
According to reports reaching us, the Rs. three million lawyer fee also includes the gratifications for various persons. According to DIG Perera, it was lawyer Perera who paid for Nagahamulla’s farewell party. Money can bend the law, according to the experiences of the Sri Lankans.
There is worse to come. The CID searched tutor Ranasinghe’s home and found the Rs. one million given by Dr. Bangamaarachchi, we reported previously. Then, the CID went and searched the dentist’s home and found Rs. nine million. He claimed he earned the money through private practice.
Bangamaarachchi might be a genuine dentist. But, surely he would not have charged hundreds of thousands of rupees per client to each that much of money. Also, it is suspicious as to why he kept the money at home, instead of depositing it in a bank. The CID believes he has obtained money from other students to help them cheat at the exam. That is why this should be investigated deeply. But, the power of money and the strength of the CID director have made sure that he got bail.
LNW will make further exposures in this regard. Also, if CID director Nagahamulla has anything to say, we will accommodate it too.
A total of 721 Board of Investment-approved companies, including more than 100 that were granted BOI lands on lease, closed down in the seven years between 2010 and 2016. This is an average of 103 companies a year. The number of approvals granted for new BOI companies during the same period was 1,246, data obtained from the Board through a Right to Information (RTI) application showed. This is an average of 178 companies a year.
Of the companies that closed down, all had received BOI concessions such as tax exemptions while 103 had leased BOI land. In 2013, the number of entities that ceased operation even exceeded the number of approvals granted for new ones. The BOI data state that 143 companies were authorised that year while 150 closed down.
The 2015 report of the Auditor General’s Department on the BOI states that the number of defunct projects “had [sic] been gradually increased by 200 percent during the period from 2012 to 2015 due to the actions taken by the Board to close down the projects which were not implemented and held up for a long period of time without realisation of investments.”
“Number of suspended projects in the year under review had [sic] been increased by 225 percent as compared with the previous year as a result of non-compliance of projects to the BOI requirements to conduct as a BOI enterprise,” the Auditor General’s report states.
The Auditor General’s report also contains statistics. But the number of projects approved and the number of projects cancelled, suspended or closed down are different—and higher than those the BOI provided to the Sunday Times under RTI.
“Many of the reasons for these closures are internal to the companies, such as cash flow problems and market issues. In some cases, it is non-compliance with the BOI agreement, for instance, not investing the amount they were expected to,” said Dilip Samarasinghe, Director Media and Publicity, explaining the BOI’s figures.
“The companies that close are generally small and medium-sized ones,” he said. “The job losses are generally not very significant. In the apparel sector or other area of manufacturing, there are possibilities of re-hiring.”
More information is required–including details of the scale of the companies, capital outlay, export revenue generation and employment provided–to gain a holistic view of Sri Lanka’s investment landscape and why so many businesses closed down. Some may not even have taken off the ground, an analyst said, on grounds of anonymity. But the numbers do show that mere approval of projects by the BOI does not signal a healthy environment. “There are sometimes allegations that people set up companies to get concessions,” the analyst observed. “But it’s difficult to get a complete picture without the full data. We did see a spate of projects receiving BOI status in the past, even those with relatively lower capital investments, as an incentive to generating employment and manufacturing. The minimum investment criteria were set very low.”
“To get BOI status must mean something,” he continued. “The word must be a flagship. In Sri Lanka, it didn’t mean anything, except they got concessions.” The analyst said it was important, too, to examine the data in relative terms. Some countries in the Asian region were attracting massive inflows. For instance, Vietnam received an estimated US$ 10.3 billion in foreign direct investment from just January to August this year while pledges of new FDI during that period rose an estimated 37.4 percent from a year earlier. Even Bangladesh received US$ 2.65 billion in gross FDI inflows between July 2016 and May 2017, up from the corresponding period the previous year.
A local investment partner said there could be two main reasons for the high rate of wind-ups. One is that businesses receive sanction but progress is impeded by red tape and other impediments. The other — poor screening of investors. “Some investors exploit the tax holiday and move elsewhere,” he said. “Another reason could be the shutting down of old factories.”
Last year, for instance, an Australian investor shut down his business without paying his workers for six months, leaving creditors. The venture was salvaged by another entity at a heavy cost to the BOI. Some of the companies that closed down are likely to have been affected by the withdrawal of the GSP Plus by the European Union, said Arittha Wikramanayake, the precedent partner of a law firm that also handles investment matters. With the return of the concession, they are coming back. “I also find that a lot of the new companies or existing ones seem to be spreading the risk and setting up overseas, as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka needed to improve in crucial areas to attract–and keep–investment. “For instance, trademarks take four years to get and are not recognised overseas,” Dr Wikramanayake said. “We are not members of the Madrid Agreement (Concerning the International Registration of Marks). The patents we issue are not recognised elsewhere. There are no international payment gateways. And now there are no tax incentives.”
Other issues inhibiting investors included high energy costs, long process of approvals, labour costs and anachronistic labour laws.
By Shyam Nuwan Ganewatta and Sarath Dharmasena-September 4, 2017, 12:00 pm
In a surprise turn of events, senior attorney for Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL), President’s Counsel Nihal Fernando, yesterday told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, probing the alleged bond scams, that he could no longer appear for the company as what had been committed by Perpetual Treasuries constituted a criminal offence. He said so following the revelation, before the Commission, that vital data had been deleted from the computers of Perpetual Treasuries.
Fernando said he would make a special statement before the commission tomorrow.
Counsel Fernando said that he had instructed his client to provide all information to the Commission and that he was not aware of deletion of data from the computers of Perpetual Treasuries. He said he would make a statement to the Commission soon.
At this juncture, Senior Additional Solicitor General, Dappula de Livera, told Fernando that he should inform the Commission of his position.
Meanwhile, Chief Dealer of Perpetual Treasuries Ltd, Nuwan Thilina Salgado, admitted that he had been instructed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company Kasun Palisena to delete the data containing the recorded incoming and outgoing telephone calls of the company.
He revealed the information to the Commission swearing on the Bible, when Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda PC requested him to do so.
Witness Salgado said that though the Commission had been informed that the first computer, sold to Perpetual Treasuries by Metropolitan Communications had malfunctioned, actually its hard disk had crashed. All the data pertaining to the telephone call recordings Perpetual Treasuries were in that particular hard disk.
Salgado admitted that the decision to destroy the hard disk had been taken by him along with Chief IT Officer Sachith Devathanthri and CEO Kasun Palisena.
Salgado said the hard disk had been destroyed by Devathanthri and he (Salgado) believed that Arjuna Aloysius was aware of it.
Answering questions raised by the Chairman of the Commission Supreme Court Justice K. T. Chithrasiri, Salgado said that though Palisena had ordered the destruction of the hard disk, it was he (Salgado) who decided on which calls needed to be deleted after listening to them.
Salgado said that Palisena had instructed him to listen to the telephone calls and delete those which were harmful to the company and Palisena.
The witness said that he had deleted more than 100 calls and provided doctored information to the Commission and he, therefore, apologized to the Commission for what he had done.
Asked by Commission member Justice Prasanna Jayewardene whether Arjun Aloysius had been in the know of the destruction of the computer, Salgado said it was possible.
Justice Jaywardena wanted to know who the decision maker of Perpetual Treasuries was. Salgado said Palisena made decisions, which were intimated to Aloysius. Asked by Justice Jaywardena whether Palisena had to carry out Aloysius’ orders, Salgado answered in the affirmative.
Salgado remained silent when Justice Jaywardena asked him whether the final decision maker was Aloysius. The latter said the witness was under oath and therefore had to answer the question put to him.
Justice Jaywardena asked whether it was correct to say Aloysius and Palisena collectively made decision, Salgado answered in the affirmative.
He said that he had given instructions to Sachith Devathanthri to delete the data, pertaining to the telephone calls that were deleted on the instructions of Kasun Palisena and not because he wanted to do so.
When Commission member Justice Prasanna Jayawardena asked Salgado if Perpetual Treasuries were not at fault there was no need to delete the data of telephone calls, the witness answered in the affirmative.
When the name of Gajan Devaraja’s name was mentioned as one of those who had taken calls for Perpetual Treasuries and he was seated in the Commission during the sittings, the Commission ordered him to leave the chamber immediately.
At the commencement of the proceedings, the overnight witness, Sachith Devatantri, admitted that he had stated some false statements under the oath before the commission. He said he had destroyed the computers.
Devatanthri said he had not destroyed a computer before and he had learned how to do it by watching two You Tube videos which showed how to destroy a hard disk. He said he had told others it was no point in destroying the hard disk because the required data could be retrieved. Kasun Palisena and Nuwan Salgado had asked him to go ahead.
The commission marked four CDs containing unedited call recordings of Perpetual Treasures, which had been handed over to the investigative unit of the commission by Salgado. Devatantri in his evidence told the commission previously the CDs were in the possession of Salgado.
The Commission resumes sittings tomorrow at 10.00 a.m.
The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) is the main international airport serving Sri Lanka, and initially served as a Royal Air Force Airport during the Second World War.
The airport was later rebuilt into an international airport named after the 4th Prime minister of Sri Lanka S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. In 2015 BIA was amongst the top 10 worst airports in Asia by sleepinginairports.net – truthfully speaking this is not a surprise to me but a disappointing mortification.
To add on to the list of accolades, the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) which was proudly opened in march 2013 was labeled as ‘The World’s Emptiest International Airport’ by Forbes. Many reasons contributed to the problems faced by the airport since it’s inception, including;
1) The lack of supplementary infrastructure to meet the demands of the airport for people to visit it.
2) The flights severely affect the environment surrounding MRIA, which has many migratory birds and elephants. As a result hindering progress towards the eco-friendly sustainable development goals of Sri Lanka.
However, this Article will not focus on MRIA, as IntCa has already published proposed solutions for the abandoned edifice. Instead it will highlight the ignored problems of BIA that could be fixed immediately if proper action is taken.
HOW WAS BIA RATED?
The low rating of BIA, was primarily as a result of;
1) Lack of hygiene, specially the unsanitary toilets which causes a lot of discomfort for the travellers.
2) Habitually flagrant corruption among the airport staff – Sri Lankans may have adjusted to these conditions due to the ordinary prevalence of it amongst our society. But, many international visitors will not be impressed by our bribe-taking salutation they receive at the airport.
AIRPORT HYGIENE
At first the solution to dirty bathrooms seems obvious – clean the place more often. But, the voters on Sleeping in airports may have expected other requirements to make their travels more comfortable. I propose that an anonymous questionnaire could be given to the travellers while they stay in transit — possibly providing an incentive for them to contribute, such as a raffle draw, gift vouchers or duty free offers etc. This could substantially gather information from the respondents. Analysis of the retrieved data could be used to understand the necessities and other drawbacks of the airport. I have experienced this at the Singapore Changi Airport, which was rated amongst the top 10 airports of 2016 and frankly I did not mind spending about 2 minutes on filling the comprehensible questionnaire.
CORRUPTION & HARASSMENT
Exploitation of migrant workers by depraved airport officials were reported multiple times in 2015. The action taken in response was ineffective, and these nefarious activities, which I have personally experienced, still take place. Being an individual that understands my civil rights therefore I could easily refuse when asked for a bribe. However, innocent migrant workers, majority of them women, are compelled to pay large amounts of money because;
1) The misogyny that at openly exist in the society.
2) They do not know their civil rights and are misled into believing that the Airport officials have authority to ask for illicit bribes.
3) Most migrant-domestic workers undergo abuse and other hardships before they return back home, therefore do not mind giving a bribe willingly to get out of the airport quickly to escape the faced trauma – this obviously is no excuse to justify these acts.
An appalling video of a foreign woman being questioned after being sexually harassed in BIA by an airport official is very distressing and demeaning to all Sri Lankans. Unfortunately there have been many reports of similar incidents happening at BIA but effective action is yet to be taken against the wrongdoers and more importantly, prevent such incidents happening in the future.
I believe that higher-level officials who oversee their subordinate airport staff must be held accountable for the frequent malpractice. Even if there is no participation by them, when a blind-eye is turned on the illegal practices and the unpleasant state of the premises, they too are equally guilty of the crime – or maybe, it is possible that these officials are also participants of this iniquitous game.
In order to overcome this, independent expert reviews of the system are imperative. The Anti-Corruption Front that was established by the new government in efforts to eliminate the island-wide corruption has to be urged to thoroughly investigate the gateway of the country. The freedom of press in Sri Lanka saw a significant rise as journalist were given the flexibility to publicly express views without repressive political constraint but, have our journalist’s acquired the proper cognitive skills in investigative journalism? Major Sri Lankan news networks have the responsibility to equip individuals with the necessary expertise. The airport staff require training on the ethics of public service and clear-cut rules that should be adhered on duty. Further, anti-corruption workshops could be conducted to raise awareness on the consequences of engaging in such activities. Simply, many variables have to be logically considered.
Furthermore, law-breakers, if proven guilty should be dealt with uncompromisingly; they could even be exemplified as a public warning. It is imperative that the lawbreakers are caught and prosecuted – else the cycle of maltreatment cannot be stopped. CCTV surveillance has to be implemented in all areas of the airport to prevent any ‘blind-spots’ because empirical evidence is required to prove the culprits guilty by law. As a last resort, body cameras, if the allocated budget permits, could be used by all airport official for further integrity. Effective training should be given to the staff with lucid instructions on the ethics and disciplinary standards of BIA.
THE CURRENT SITUATION AND PLANNED DEVELOPMENTS OF BIA
According to the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva, maintenance work on the 30 year old runway will be carried out commencing on January 5th, 2017. The government envisages that the US $500 million expansion project of BIA would increase the passenger handling capacity to 12 million per annum. The expansion of the airport is great for our lucrative tourist industry and the overall economic development, but it will also amplify the existing corruption and presumably, the current unhygienic state will continue on to the newly expanded areas of the airport.
As you can clearly see, the air transport sector of Sri Lanka faces many obstacles that were created by former imprudent leaders. It seems as if the ambitious large-scale projects have simply hidden the current situation of the airport. Feasible solutions to increase the hygienic standards of BIA and minimise, or even eliminate the corruption could be implemented immediately – unlike the problems of much larger magnitude which demands more resources. Therefore, why not strategically tackle the smaller problems first while steadily preparing to face the next annual goals.
THINK, RECOGNIZE AND ACT
When most of us were schooling overly-exaggerated rules were imposed on the students’ dress code. But, as we matured, I believe that we understood that judging a person by his/her appearance is morally wrong. But, the truth is that first impressions do matter and has a long lasting effect on a person’s image, or in this case – the main international airport of a country. An airport while being the gateway to a country could also give a moderate image of the nation to a visitor. Therefore, let us delocalize our thinking and prudently clean up the Colombo airport, with it’s abysmal track record without further procrastination.
Human rights advocate Issa Amro was detained after criticising the authority for arresting a journalist
Issa Amro was detained by security forces on Monday (Courtesy of Ahmed Amro)
Monday 4 September 2017 22:03
Palestinian Authority security forces arrested a human rights campaigner over a Facebook post on Monday, a day a journalist was detained for calling on President Mahmoud Abbas to resign.
Issa Amro, a coordinator for the NGO Youth Against Settlements, had called out security forces on social media over the arrest of Ayman Qawasmi, a radio journalist who had said that Abbas must go for failing to protect Palestinians.
Amnesty International criticised the arrest, calling it a “shameless attack on freedom of expression”.
“Criticizing the authorities should not be a criminal offence. Issa Amro’s arrest is the latest evidence that the Palestinian authorities are determined to continue with their repressive campaign against free speech,” Magdalena Mughrabi, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said in a statement.
Amro had urged spreading the news about the journalist’s arrest and reporting and documenting the authorities’ “violations”.
Ahmed Amro, Issa Amro’s brother, said security forces came to their family home in Hebron on Sunday evening looking for the activist. They called him, asking him to stop by "for a conversation".
“He went to them on Monday morning, and until now we haven’t heard from him. We have no way of communicating with him,” Ahmed Amro told MEE.
“My brother didn’t do anything wrong. We don’t know why they arrested him.”
Translation: There are journalists who are being threatened by the security forces for publishing the news about Ayman Qawasmi's arrest. I hope that every journalist in the country publishes this news because it is true, 100 percent, not a rumor. Secondly, I call on everyone who gets threatened to talk to me, so we can complain about these threats to the Europeans and document the illegal violations. Not everyone can create a law and a state for himself. The law is clear and not open to various interpretations, and everyone should respect it. There is a journalist called Ayman Qawasmi, and there is a judiciary, a civil society, a syndicate for journalists and activists who will stand with him. Security forces should protect the law, not violate it. Freedom to Ayman Qawasmi (Screengrab/ Facebook)
Amnesty noted an “escalation” of the Palestinian Authority’s crackdown on dissent.
Last month, the rights group accused the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, which runs Gaza, of “launching a repressive clampdown on dissent that has seen journalists from opposition media outlets interrogated and detained in a bid to exert pressure on their political opponents”.
The PA shut down 29 websites based in the West Bank in July.
2017-09-05
The controversy over the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (
