Sirisena insists executive presidency should be abolished

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• Sunday, June 26, 2016
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• SLFP wants electoral reforms before new Constitution, but UNP wants both together; two parties to discuss the matter further
• President meets civil society groups to discuss current issues; secret revealed – a UNP minister ordered STF security for Sajin Vaas
• PM swings into action to deal with problems arising from Britain’s exit from EU, appoints expert committee
• Shockwaves fro
• m Panama Papers; one firm sought offshore facility in Virgin Islands for Sri Lankan Government deals in 2010

By Our Political Editor

Whether it would be electoral reforms or a new Constitution for Sri Lanka first is becoming a contentious issue between the two main partners of the Government – the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP).

Sirisena insists executive presidency should be abolished.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Well-Known Muslim-Basher Arrested Over Hate Crimes Charges

OCTOBER 7, 2017

Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) has arrested Prageeth Chanaka Gunetilleke, a well known perpetrator of anti-Muslim hate crimes, over the attack on the Rohingya refugees at the UN safe house in Mount Lavinia.

Police said the suspect was a police constable who had been interdicted. He was arrested after he had surrendered to the CCD yesterday the police said. Three court cases are currently pending against him at the Panadura Magistrate’s Court.

One of the cases refers to attacking and causing damages to a Mosque.

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Presidential Commission on Treasury Bond scam Text messages take centre stage

BY Kavindya Chris Thomas-2017-10-08

Following a week-long intermission, former Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka Arjuna Mahendran, this week faced the next round in the cross-examination ring with acting Solicitor General Dappula de Livera. Thus began another eventful week at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the Treasury Bond issuance by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), which churned out new and shocking information.

Monday: AM 22 and Conflict of Interest

On Monday (2) ASG de Livera suggested that the witness had contradicted his own testimony late last month regarding the request made by former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. He had previously testified that a Rs 75 billion requirement of funds was made to him concerning planned road development projects, as substantiated by a letter purportedly written by Karunanayake that was furnished to the Commission as evidence (document No. AM22). However, the Prime Minister, in a statement to Parliament on 17 March 2015, had referred to an urgent requirement of Rs 15 billion only. This was later clarified by Mahendran as an initial requirement of Rs 15 billion needed immediately, followed by a further Rs 75 billion.

ASG de Livera claimed that Mahendran had changed his position, adding colour to his previous testimony, accusing him of never having mentioned this Rs 15 billion. Mahendran denied this, claiming to have definitely mentioned it.

Conflict of interest

Following this, the Attorney General's Department questioned Mahendran regarding the potential conflict of interest with regard to Mahendran's son-in-law Arjun Aloysius. Here, de Livera said the decision to go for public auctions had not been conveyed to the market until 6 March 2015, despite the fact that Mahendran had been privy to this information since 24 February.

"This information went to your son-in-law between 24 and 27 February," he said.

"I can't speak for him," said Mahendran.

This explained PTL's bid of Rs 15 billion, continued de Livera, suggesting that it was Mahendran who had conveyed this market sensitive information to his son-in-law.

"I wouldn't have done such a foolish thing. I have been in banking for 35 years. I know exactly what good governance is and what price sensitive information is," responded Mahendran.

While this debate was raging on, Justice Prasanna Jayawardene opined that it was also important to highlight that the Mahendran's predecessor former CBSL Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, too, had a sister that served as a director of the controversial primary dealer; Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. Acceding that two wrongs do not stand to make anything right, Justice Jayawardene claimed that this conflict of interest has arisen in the past.

Tuesday: New Texts and Staff Transfers

Several new text messages, extracted from Arjun Aloysius' phone, referring to individuals known as 'AM' and 'RK' were produced on Tuesdays (3) cross examination of Mahendran.

Accordingly, seven new text messages, that had taken place between 22 November 2016 and 4 January 2017, between Arjun Aloysius and his personal assistant, Steve Samuels, were produced before the Commission.The text messages refer to certain 'To-do lists for AM and RK' maintained by PTL. The seven text messages refer to these files meant for individuals regarded as 'ArjunaM', 'AM', 'Arjuna' and 'RK'.

Following are brief extracts of the text messages as read out by ASG de Livera during the proceedings;

Text message 1: "Also, we have the A. Mahendran to-do list."

Text message 2: "Chairman, awaiting update on to-do-list files on ArjunaM and RK"

Abbreviations

Mahendran resolutely maintained that he does not know who the abbreviations referred to and claimed that 'AM' could mean to also refer to his son and his daughter; Arvind and Anjalie, were A. Mahendran's. He also questioned the authenticity of the document containing the text messages.

When de Livera suggested that Mahendran had lied to the commission about his involvement with PTL following his resignation from CBSL, the former Governor opined that Aloysius had merely informed him about PTL being curtailed by CBSL to which he had simply recommended seeking legal advice.

"I have never heard [Minister Ravi Karunanayake] being referred to as RK," Mahendran went on to say, adding that he calls the former Finance Minister 'Ravi K.'

At this point, ASG de Livera pointed out that the Minister himself had previously denied in his testimony before the commission that 'Ravi K' was any reference to him.

Text message 3: "Leaving office. Going to Flower Road residence to deliver AM and RK files. Hope to catch Dilshan at the Ministry".

As confirmed before Mahendran lived at his residence in Flower Road, Colombo 7 which had been gifted to his daughter following her marriage back in 2012. It was also acceded that this was where Aloysius resided as well. However, Mahendran denied that this meeting took place and claimed ignorance as to who 'Dilshan' is as well.

Text message 4: "Reminder. Meeting with RK. New to-do-list file for AM delivered to home."
Text message 5: "Update. Asela is bringing document. Do you want me to bring it to AM?"
Text message 6: "Good luck with RK. Hope AM has a good meeting."

Mahendran unaware

Again Mahendran claimed that he was unaware what these text messages refer to. He denied that he met anyone as per the text suggest. "I've never received such a file," he said adding, "I don't know the relevance I have to this."

To this, Additional Solicitor General Dappula de Livera accused Mahendran of lying. He noted that Mahendran had previously claimed that he had not maintained official communication with his son-in-law Aloysius during and after vacating his position at the CBSL. Commissioner Justice Prasanna Jayawardena, in the meantime, "Is your son-in-law a friend of Angelo Mathews'?"

"You're lying through your big teeth," ASG de Livera accused Mahendran and went on to suggest that he was in contact with Aloysius well after vacating his position at the CBSL. Mahendran of course, denied these accusations calling the Commission and the Attorney General's Department to properly verify the evidence that had been brought before him. He called it an "unprofessional job" and an "odd document". ASG Yasantha Kodagoda retorted at this comment saying, "very much like the bond auction!"

Later that day, Mahendran was questioned regarding the 501 staff transfers, including those of the department heads. It was suggested that the staff transfers were made to accommodate his own agenda within the CBSL, to influence market activities as planned by Aloysius. ASG de Livera claimed that these staff transfers that had taken place during his tenure had managed to de-establish the CBSL itself. Mahendran denied it.

Wednesday: Ravi K orders State Banks to bid low

The heads of three State Banks on Wednesday (4) told the Commission, that they were compelled to make lower bids, on the request of the then Minister of Finance, Karunanayake, in both controversial Treasury Bond auctions which earned Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. billions of rupees in unlimited profits.

On the day prior to both auctions, they said, they were summoned to the Finance Ministry, by Karunanayake and informed that since money was needed at a lower rate of interest for a State requirement, to submit very low bids at the next day's auctions. At the same time, the limits on the bids to be submitted were given to them, the Chairmen and General Managers of the National Savings Bank, People's Bank and Bank of Ceylon, told the Commission.

Chairman of People's Bank Hemasiri Fernando and General Manager N. Vasantha Kumar, Chairman of the National Savings Bank Aswin de Silva and Deputy General Manager and Advisor on Treasury Affairs A. A. Lionel, Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon Ronal Chithrananda Perera, confirmed these revelations under oath.

Treasury Bond Auction

On 28 March 2016, that is the day before the Treasury Bond Auction, held by the CBSL on 29 March, and also on 30 March 2016, the day before the Treasury Bond Auction was held on 31 March 2017, Karunanayake had summoned them to the Ministry and held two meetings and at both these meetings the Minister himself had handed them the limits of the bids to be submitted.

The witnesses said the Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister, R. Paskaralingam and Secretary to the Treasury Dr. R. H. S. Samaratunge had both been present at the two meetings and Deputy Governor P. Samarasiri had representing CBSL had also participated in those meetings.
"We were assured that nothing higher would be accepted," said Kumar.

Witnesses added that, they had submitted lower bids from their banks according to the limits handed to them by Karunanayake, however, it was Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. which submitted somewhat higher bids and was successful at both auctions and earned a massive profit. Giving evidence for the first time before the Commission, Central Bank official N. Vasantha Kumar said during the tenure of more than 30 years in the banking service, or even externally, no Finance Minister had ever, in this manner, influenced a Treasury Bond Auction in order to ensure undue advantages for a different bidder nor had he even heard of an occasion where the profit of billions that the State banks could have earned was prevented.

Chairman of the People's Bank Hemasiri Fernando said since he was not a Banker, he could not make a statement about figures immediately but that the seriousness of the harm that had been done to State Banks through this action could be understood easily by anyone.

The witness also said that during this activity, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank P. Samarasiri had also intervened in the transaction. At the same time, another witness said that he was informed by the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, himself to attend the meeting at the Minister's office.
He made this statement in response to cross questioning by the lawyer Harsha Fernando, who represented the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Samarasiri.

Responding to Judge Prasanna Jayawardena of the Commission, Chairman of the National Savings Bank Aswin de Silva said he, who has served in Australia for a period of nine years, was surprised by this procedure and that he was also utterly amazed at the fact that the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank P. Samarasiri had supported these activities.

The Sri Lanka Vision 2025: Its strengths and weaknesses

By Lloyd F Yapa-Friday, 6 October 2017

The Government has formulated a new vision – Vision 2025. It is quite comprehensive, though a few shortcomings exist.

What is a vision or vision statement? 

The first component of a vision is a shared sense of purpose which provides an understanding of the need for coordinated collective effort – for subordinating individual interest to the larger objective that can be achieved only by the collective effort.

The second component of a vision includes specific and measurable goals that must be achievable and give hope to all who seek it. A third important component consists of the directions or the strategies to be adopted to achieve the goal. (The National Defence University, USA.)

Why a vision?

A vision is needed for Sri Lanka to create a consensus on building a culture by way of a ‘collective effort’ in this country to drastically alleviate poverty and reduce inequality of incomes among the people. The leaders of the country have to undertake this responsibility.

According to management gurus James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras (authors of ‘Built to Last,’ 1997), a major function of effective leadership is the creation of ‘a clear and shared vision to secure commitment and vigorous pursuit of that vision’. Sri Lankan leaders have failed to do so for improving the wellbeing of the people, for instance by explaining the connection between the expansion of investment (especially FDI due to the local scarcity of capital, technologies and global market access) for manufacturing for export and for earning badly needed foreign exchange on the one hand and poverty alleviation on the other.

Instead what we have is a peculiar culture that has been created by most of the politicians who have emerged after 1956. Its main driving force appears to be short-term political gain; these politicians would not hesitate even to arouse communal conflict and public demonstrations to gain this end (thereby preventing investors particularly foreign direct investors from investing here), indicating a complete absence of a passion for serving the needs of the people. Instead there is an inclination on the part of most politicians to enjoy life at the expense of the taxpayer and even to rob the Treasury; some of them would even go to the extent of demanding bribes for approval of projects from investors or harass them for grant of personal favours.

They have also created bogus nationalism using which teaching of English (which is a tool of gaining knowledge and communicating with other communities speaking other languages and with the rest of the world) in schools was given up. The so-called leaders have in addition destroyed the efficiency of the public service through politicisation (and not appointment and promotion of officials on merit).

In other words, the leaders of this country have not given the people any hope of recovering from the difficulties of living faced by them; in fact they have done the opposite of pulling them down to a deep hole from which recovery is difficult. This is indicated by the desperation felt by the people to leave the country legally or illegally to earn a better living or resort to demonstrations and strikes against development programmes. Thus an all pervading vision is necessary to unite the people for a collective effort to pull them out of the rut they are in.

Formulating an appealing vision

The method of formulating a national vision is therefore important. This is not the first time that the present government has issued a vision statement. The first detailed vision statement was published in November 2015. Since a couple of other visions have also been proposed by the present Government already in its third year of operation without creating a consensus on the means of alleviating poverty and achieving prosperity, it may be relevant to discuss a method of preparing a more appealing one, while dwelling on details of the latest vision, to achieve the results desired by the people speedily; it could be as follows:

1. Describe the present situation (preferably with details of internal strengths and weaknesses along with external opportunities and threats). The current vision statement first discusses only the weaknesses/constraints facing the economy; it does so without adequately focusing on the major ones like the absence of a consensus on the direction of development desired and the risk to investors particularly FDI (created by the ethnic conflict, which has not yet been resolved, the poor law and order situation, the mess of regulations and rampant corruption).

2. Indicate the way forward starting with the goals and the quantitative objectives or targets to be achieved or on the basis of the short term and long term needs of the population. The latest vision appears to ‘give hope to all who seek it’, by saying that it will ‘create an environment to achieve higher incomes and better standards of living’. But by saying that this goal will be achieved by making ‘Sri Lanka a rich country by 2025’, a sinking feeling is created as there is doubt whether the Government could be in power by that time and as it has failed to create trust in its capabilities so far!

Fortunately it does mention that this goal will be achieved by adopting ‘social market economic policies’ (an economic system in which industry and commerce are run by private enterprise within limits set by the Government to ensure equality of opportunity and social and environmental responsibility, ‘The Free Dictionary’), perhaps implying that it could be realised if the next government also follows the same policies. This is true as most countries have prospered by adopting it.

Further, the Vision’s ability to appeal to the people could have been improved by using the easily understood UN’s Sustainable Development Goals such as ‘no poverty, zero hunger, good health, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation,’ etc.

3. Formulate strategies of realising goals by first asking the people how weaknesses and threats could be overcome and how to build on the strengths and opportunities, to encourage them to take part of the responsibility for the final version (the Vision 2025 first describes a constraint facing the economy currently and then introduces a solution or strategy to solve it). There has not been any prior public consultation.

One of the first strategies in the new vision is solving the macroeconomic problems facing the country such as the tax revenue shortfalls, over expenditure, the public debt including the massive foreign debt. In this connection, the measure suggested to deal with the loss making State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) ‘monsters,’ is restructuring them to ‘operate as commercially viable enterprises with accountability’.

The problem is that the Government and even the previous Government has been mouthing this mantra and not being serious about it. The main reason for this could be that all governments in Sri Lanka have been using these as dumping grounds for their party faithfuls (ignoring their suitability to the posts) and as openings for resorting to corruption.

Even if ‘restructuring’ takes place, these may not succeed as most politicians think that if for instance if the SOE concerned deals with cashew, the person heading it should possess a knowledge of producing cashew! This is nonsense; what is required is thorough management ability, perhaps one of the scarcest in this country.

Unfortunately the external debt problem may also not be solved as some of the measurable goals/the objectives of the current vision may not be achievable like its export earnings target of $ 20 billion within the next three years.

The reasons are : a] it does not focus hard on the absence of investment to create the capacity to produce manufactured products and services (not non- tradable products such as roads and buildings which could generate commission/bribes) for the global market (Sri Lanka’s domestic market being too small to achieve economies of scale to lower the unit costs) and b] it does not focus on considerable reduction of import tariffs/duties to get rid of the strong ‘anti export bias’ and create competition among firms to pressurise them to invest and innovate for value addition to goods and services to satisfy the needs of global customers.

The vision states that para tariffs (like the various import tax exemptions and the cesses/taxes on exports) will be eliminated; as for import tariffs/taxes, it merely says they will be ‘simplified’; therefore there is a suspicion that protection of domestic firms without export market orientation may continue. The vision, however, rightly deals with improvement of productivity (or increase of outputs while lowering inputs to reduce unit costs) in factors of production like land, labour, and capital, as well as information technology, to support export expansion.

Several other strategies in the Vision 2025 that need comment are those relating to land/agriculture, education and the public service. The authors of Vision 2025 have to be congratulated for including a strategy on land/agriculture as manufacturing for the global market, tourism, development of the country’s geographic location, etc., will only result in a long drawn out trickledown effect and therefore may not successfully deal with poverty (and inequality of incomes) especially among the rural population of 17 million people in the near future.

The proposal to ‘offer clear transferable titles’ to land and establish a land market (it is not clear whether ownership of leased land will be given) is well and good; but consolidation of fragmented subsistence holdings should be the objective to improve agricultural productivity. Its recommendation for ‘establishment of large scale agro enterprises’ may mean something else; it may refer to large estates to be set up by private investors and not the enabling of millions of farmers of this country to improve their incomes.

There is a well-thought-out strategy in this vision for dealing with the mismatch of skills demanded and what is actually produced; inaction by the Government on this major weakness is surprising; without focusing on this problem and while talking about creating a knowledge economy, priority has been given to less important facilities like the grant of tablet computers free of charge, medical insurance and scholarships!

As for the very important strategy of improving the efficiency of the public service, there are no details; whether it would be done by selection and promotion of officials on merit or otherwise has not been mentioned.

4. Use every opportunity to communicate the vision including the strategies to create a culture among the people to realise the goals speedily, while instilling trust by showing short-term successes; in democracies it has to be done by consultation and consistently educating them using a language that they could understand, to create a culture of collective action.

Action plan

This completes the vision declaration; the rest is a formulation of a plan of action, implementation, frequent monitoring of implementation, especially while coordinating and synchronisation of the programs of all the institutions.

Despite the above-mentioned shortcomings, the current Vision 2025 is the most comprehensive and professional growth-oriented economic policy declaration made by a government in Sri Lanka. It should have made its appearance much, much earlier and been made popular for results to be obtained.


(The writer is a development economist and author of the new book ‘Export Competitiveness in South Asia , with special reference to Sri Lanka’, published by the Godage Book Emporium.)

Mangala did what others should have done

 Rohingya refugees pouring into Bangladesh with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

Sunday, October 08, 2017

What do Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and our yahapalanaya leaders have in common? A wall of silence that is what it is! When Myanmar’s military turned its guns on a community that has long been considered outcasts and denied any semblance of nationhood and went on a burning spree hand in glove with Buddhist hardliners, tens of thousands of Rohingyas fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

It is well known now that a major humanitarian crisis had developed on our doorstep. While the world was crying out for help as it did when thousands of fleeing refugees from North Africa were dying to reach safety on European shores, Aung San Suu Kyi, that angel of peace and compassion, remained silent for days over the plight of the people to whom she had promised reconciliation.

For days nothing was heard from Myanmar’s civilian leader who the west had embraced for decades as the one who had the popular support to turn Myanmar around and establish democratic governance.  Eventually when she did speak there was no condemnation of the perpetrators of what the world was beginning to identify as brutal ethnic cleansing. Nor were there any words of compassion, sympathy and hope for the victims who were pouring into Bangladesh with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

While this tragic drama was unfolding to the Northeast of us, a sub plot was being played out in the outskirts of Colombo. Some 30-odd Rohingya asylum seekers, mainly women and children, accommodated in a safe-house by the UNHCR since April this year suddenly came under attack by a mob led by Buddhist monks (one presumes so as they were in saffron robes) who breached the gates and threatened the inmates with violence.

They had finally to be moved to the Boossa detention centre for their safety. Was our yahapalanaya government that is quick to preach ahimsa, metta and karuna moved to utter a few words of sympathy for the victims and prevail on the forces of law and order to act promptly? The silence of the government was deafening.

One must surely be thankful for Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera who swiftly stepped into the breach. It was not Minister Samaraweera’s call – the Media Minister has no real role in this – yet he did what others should have done.

In a video statement he said “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack against the Rohingya refugees who were under the care of the UNHRC in Mt. Lavinia by a group of ‘thugs in robes’. In fact, I condemn these actions not only as the Minister in charge of Media but also condemn as a Buddhist, a Buddhist who is very proud of the fact that Buddhism is a religion of non-violence and compassion.”

He said the group of refugees, 30 of them from Myanmar, were rescued at sea by the Sri Lankan Navy in April this year and they were under the care of the UNHRC waiting to be resettled elsewhere in the US or Canada.

“In fact this is not the first time Sri Lanka has given temporarily shelter to such refugees. Way back in March 2008, the Navy rescued survivors of a boat after they were found adrift in the high seas. They were kept here until 2012 the year they were resettled in the US,” he said.

The minister said in a separate incident in 2013, the navy rescued two boat loads of Rohingya survivors from a shipwreck in the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka.

Thirty two of these refugees were kept under the care of the UNHRC until they were settled in the US and Canada, he said.

Samaraweera, as a long time foreign minister knew the importance of reacting promptly before the indifference of the Sri Lanka Government and its seeming refusal to condemn the threats and violence against an innocent group of people awaiting settlement reached the international media already alerted to what was happening in our neighbourhood.

While Samaraweera must deserve our thanks for acting where others failed to recognise the importance of a quick condemnation before the spotlight turned on Sri Lanka’s indifference to the pitiful plight of a group of innocent people, he is still not the government.

Mangala Samaraweera is but an individual minister even though through years of experience in the international arena he took it upon himself to condemn the rowdy conduct of a group of thugs, particularly so when these asylum seekers were under the care and protection of a UN agency.

Sometime after Mangala Samaraweera’s unmitigated condemnation Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne also added his voice to condemn the attack by a hardline Sinhala group and some Buddhist monks: “This is not what the Buddha taught. We have to show compassion to these refugees. These monks who carried out the attacks are actually not monks, but animals.”

What sticks in the craw is the absence of word of condemnation for this unprovoked attacked from President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Surely it is the leaders of the government – its president or prime minister- who should have been the first to do so.

These 31 Rohingyas, mainly women and children, are not terrorists as the mob of civilians and monks tried to portray. They are victims of a regime in Myanmar that presents a civilian face but is in reality a military junta that has not fully abdicated its role as the overlords of a country that refuses to lift its military jackboot.

During the three and a half years I spent in Bangkok I had close contacts with diplomats, journalists and Burmese people who painted a different picture from the one usually displayed by some western nations and their political and diplomatic representatives keen to provide Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar a clean bill of health.

If Suu Kyi is trying to protect her flanks by not uttering a word of condemnation against the extremist Buddhist monks such as Ashin Wirathu who are armed with weapons of hate instead of the Dhammapada, and the military, one might see a similar enactment by the yahapalanaya leaders who take refuge in the Buddha, dhamma and the sangha but actually hover behind the soiled saffron robes of the discredited thugs and others in military uniform.

Did Sri Lanka and the world have to wait for a cabinet meeting to hear the government’s condemnation of the thugs and hoodlums who attacked the UNHCR safe house and utter a word of compassion for the victims when our leaders are ever ready to rush in with tokens of sorrow when terrorists attack European cities.

Some might well say that our leaders are ready to grovel in the dust, as it were, to ingratiate themselves to western politicians but cannot find the time to utter a few words of apology to victims of mob rule in the country they lead.

The way the GMOA treats our leaders even threatening to strike without warning shows the abject disregard in which they hold this government.

It is not just the GMOA that acts this way. Last Sunday I wrote about the shenanigans going on in our national carrier called SriLankan Airlines. A few days later the news broke that its chairman Ajith Dias had proposed that his CEO Suren Ratwatte be given a bonus of Rs.10 million.

Heaven only knows what prompted this though the chairman has tried to make a puerile case to justify it which has set others laughing like hyenas.  Does this chairman have nothing called shame to even propose granting such a sum as a bonus payment when the airline is on its last legs? Is he and his CEO so dumb that they cannot fathom the criticisms that have been following them like their own shadows at the way they manage the airline.

When such largesse is offered from within is it any wonder that Suren Ratwatte was suggesting that the airline’s board of directors be allowed to run it without any intervention from higher up?

Just the other day the chairman of COPE Sunil Handunneti said that there were 190 employees of SriLankan who were earning rupees one million or more a month and top officials earning Rs.4 million.

However battered and bruised they are by the public, SriLankan’s managers will continue on the merry way until the airline drops its fuselage on the heads of the yahapalanaya leaders. Such is the lackadaisical attitude of our leaders to a failing enterprise though they try to hoodwink the public by promising stern action such as reconstituting the board of directors.

President Sirisena and his prime minister are probably too busy studying the world map to see what countries they have not travelled to yet and probably making plans to do so. No wonder they have not much time for running the country.

So saffron-robed persons and civilian extremist thugs can do what they want and airline bosses can share the loot without a care in the world. Our leaders who said they would only serve one term are now preparing for a second. Why worry about those who call themselves Rohingyas. There are those in coloured robes to take care of them, no.

Bank accounts of three per sons who gave money to Namal to be examined

October 7, 2017 by

Permission has been granted by Colombo Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge Lanka Jayaratna to inspect 14 accounts in state and private banks belonging to three persons including Nimal Hemasiri Perera, who is said to have credited funds to the account of Hambanthota District Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa. The permission was given on the 3rd as an investigation is being carried out in connection with the misappropriation of funds in leasing out a 4.3-acre land at Krrish Transworks Square in Colombo Fort.

The Magistrate has given permission to inspect 14 accounts of Nimal Hemasiri Perera, Kishin Ramachand Bhutani and Nanda Jayadewa Lokuwithana.

Investigations have commenced considering that misappropriation of funds had been committed and the Magistrate ordered the FCID to carry out investigations and report to Court. The Police has told Court that investigations have been carried out and statements have been recorded from the persons mentioned above.

The Court was told that Nimal Hemasiri Perera had credited Rs.70 million to Namal Rajapaksa’s account on two occasions and on three occasions he had credited Rs. 60 million, Rs.38 million and Rs.80 million to the accounts of Kishin Ramachand Bhutani to buy a 26.3 perch plot of land at Mt. Lavinia through N. Capitol company belonging to Nimal Hemasiri Perera.

FCID informed Court that investigations revealed that the land was leased by N Capitol company to Plant Asian PLC company and after the leases agreement terminated it was sold to Nanda Jayadewa Lokuvithan for Rs. 325 million. The bank accounts are investigated to find out whether a misappropriation of funds was committed in the transactions.

The investigations are being carried out by the FCID on a complaint made by the convener of Voice Against Corruption (VAC) Wasantha Samarasinghe that a misappropriation of public funds to the tune of Rs. 70 million had been committed.

Abortion: A Reply

Featured image courtesy Peter Muhly/Getty Images

SANJAYAN RAJASINGHAM-on 10/07/2017

In an article a few weeks ago, I argued that an embryo is a person with dignity and rights, and that this must change how we see both abortion and pregnancy. There were several responses, with questions about personhood, the right to life, the duty to support others, and feminist analyses of the law. This is a reply.

Embryology, the Right to Life and the Quality of Life

Abortion A Reply.docx by Thavam on Scribd

'One rape in every four hours in Sri Lanka'

 
2017-10-07

Sabaragamuwa Province Governor President’s Counsel Marshal Perera said it was a disturbing matter that a rape of a woman take place every four hours in Sri Lanka that carries the reputation as the country that produced the first woman prime minister and the first woman president in the world.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Textile and Trade Exhibition 2017 organised by the Provincial Minister of Industries he said that schoolgirls were the victims in many instances.

“According to statistics of the Police Department, rape is going on unchecked and it is increasing. A woman is raped every four hours. Much has been talked about and written regarding the protection of women, but it is sad that women are subject to rape so often. Socioeconomic conditions and standards of education should be lifted to save women from this threat. Administrators, economists, religious dignitaries and scholars should put their heads together and workout and effective mechanism to provide adequate safeguards for women,” he said.

Secretary to the Governor Lalith Dodankotuw, Secretary to the Rural Industries Ministry D,M,Malani, Director Industries , Sabaragamuwa Province V.O.L.S. Ratnasena and Asst.Director P.V.A.M.Pahalavithana were present at the occasion.

Ending ‘Period Poverty’: Wings for Girls in Sri Lanka!

Oct 07, 2017

Scotland became the first country in the world that ended ‘period poverty’. The success story emerged as a result of an effort of a six months pilot project that provided sanitary napkins and hygiene products to poverty stricken Scottish women. It is not a surprise if one wonders how such a project can end poverty. 

The 28-day menstruation cycle is a natural phenomenon that prepares a woman for motherhood. The menstruation (bleeding) that happens every 28 days, the beginning and end of this process, is like a mild punishment imposed on women by the nature. As a result, the blood starts to flow along her thighs giving excruciating pain in her lower abdomen. This is the natural way of the body removing the necrobiotic tissues or dead tissues of the uterus. In the conventional Sri Lankan terms this is the issue that put a woman strictly on house arrest. According to traditional ‘virtues’ she is ‘dirty’.  

In Sri Lanka a woman having menstruation is not allowed to enter a ‘devalaya’ or practice / take part in rituals like prophesy and astrology. Even on non- menstruating days, women are not allowed to enter the ‘patthirippuva’ of the temple of the sacred tooth relic where the tooth relic of the Buddha is kept. Considering historical chronicles that mention how the sacred tooth relic reached Sri Lanka, one would wonder whether Princess Hemamala never encountered menstruation during her months long tour from India with Prince Dantha securely carrying the Buddha’s tooth relic tucked in her hair! 

Due to this natural phenomenon, a woman is forced to bear serious mental and physical ordeal at least three days a month and a majority of this society is used to humiliate this tormenting experience. The belief is that a woman has to bear the consequences without any complaints simply because she happens to be born as a woman. This bearing is not just physical. A woman has to deal with the simple facts such as using and choosing sanitary napkins and to emotional stresses of avoiding the male members of the family and covering her lower body with a dirty old cloth.  

Women in our neighbouring state India faced similar consequences until recent times slightly changed to the positive. Fortunately, as Indian women had a stronger civil society organization support than Sri Lanka, they raised their voices and held open discussions. News reports from India stated that as a result a few months ago the Government brought in regulations to end the tax on sanitary napkins. It implied that the Government should not impose tax on personal hygiene utilities for women. The attempt of the Government to earn money from such venues was openly humiliated. As of latest reports, today in India sanitary napkins and cloths used during menstruation are collected at centres for research on cervical cancer. 

Today, eradicating period poverty is a global phenomenon. From the United States of America through Europe to Nepal, period poverty is discussed. Women are chased out of their homes during their menstruation period in Nepal, renowned as the birthplace of Buddha, the great leader who preached equality. They need to live in a ‘period hut’; in rural areas this is mostly the cattle shed. Being born to a foolish family the girl or the woman has to live several days among a herd of cattle, sleeping on hay. This ritual is called ‘Chahupadi’. Apart from being trampled by cattle she is at risk of getting raped by perverts of the village. To pervert men this is an opportunity as everyone knows sexual intercourse does not make women pregnant if it happens during the menstruation period. There had been media reports on women and girls dying due to venomous snake bites while living in these sheds. Conditions are similar to all Nepali women of fertile age, even a mother with an infant child has to spend days in the shed with the child. The main reason, as they say, is that the family cannot pay homage to the deities when an impure woman is living in the house. As these women are considered ‘dirty’ they are neither allowed to consume milk nor touch vegetables. 

The Supreme Court of Nepal banned this ritual in 2005. In 2008, directives were issued to eradicated ‘Chahupadi’. Despite the efforts, still 70% of Nepali women are still chased out to the cattle shed during the menstruation period. Some still believe that continuing education and handling books by girls during menstruation can disappoint deities. Therefore girls are not allowed to go to school. Even if they are allowed only old pieces of cloth will be available to give to these girls to wear during menstruation as mothers cannot afford to buy sanitary napkins. Schools are not equipped with disposing methods for sanitary napkins. In a recent event, reported from Tamilnadu, a school girl has committed suicide when humiliated by the teacher for the blood stain on the uniform of the girl. As the reports stated, the girl was asked to lift her shalwar inside the class which was a mixed classroom and seeing the blood stain the teacher has humiliated the girl saying ‘if you cannot bring a sanitary napkin keep this’ and has given the duster to the girl. According to currently available statistics at least 3000 girls annually stop schooling being unable to bear humiliation during their menstruation period. 

In such a backdrop, it is timely to evaluate the true Sri Lankan situation. The situation need to be analyzed from the day a girl attain age, which in most cases happen at school. For boys, being brought up with the influence of ultra conservative families, this is a hilarious moment. A girl attaining age at school becomes the breaking news of that day. Female teachers act in dismay blaming the girl for ‘making’ it happens during school hours. Certain female teachers, who act as models of virtue, freak out. 

This tribal mentality is yet to be understood. In a society where girls and boys are brought up as different species this is expected. In an education system, where sex education is absent and with hardly taught lessons on reproductive health, children go astray. This uneducated curiosity leads boys to watch pornography at a very tender age. What happens to girls? 

A fine example of the girls’ fate is mentioned in the award winning Sinhala novel ‘Senkottan’ by Mahinda Prasad Masimbula. In one chapter, written in the back cover of the book mentions an advice from fictional elderly woman. She says men are an abnormal species. And continues, referring to female private parts as a pair of conchs and a clam she tells a girl to protect them from ‘unwanted’ activities of men!

Even today, both in the rural and urban areas, girls are told by ‘virtuous’ women not to question sexuality and desire but to accept when given at the right time. This is the way the society pursue the imposed difference between male and female identities and desires. Ultimately girls, mainly from rural areas, lack a great deal of knowledge on pregnancy and childbirth. If you simply ask a kind friendly nurse with long term experience in labour rooms of rural hospitals they will divulge the truth. Many young women, when pregnant, are not aware that under normal circumstances a child will be delivered though the vagina. This is the hidden truth. Yet, the virtuous rural society calls this ‘cultured’. 

Since the day she reaches puberty, it is emphasized that a girl should be protected until she is given away in marriage. What is this element that needs to be protected? From men, the very species brought up at a much distance from the female species. At the end, males and females that are united are nothing but uncontrollable studs and foolish cows. Where have we gone wrong? 

It is these misconceptions that lead to encourage boys to humiliate girls when they start showing signs of puberty at school and embarrass girls for their lifetime. If we in Sri Lanka are to enact a project like end period poverty as in Scotland it definitely should start at schools. In it is essential to discuss the social tragedy caused by the absence of sexual education as well. Until Sri Lankan society shed the tribal mentality women and girls will continue to suffer for that blood stain on their cloths and humiliation. 

- Radika Gunaratne

Revealed: Balfour considered a Jewish state 'inadmissible'

Exchange of 1919 letters between UK foreign secretary Lord Balfour and Lord Curzon reveal British reservations over the idea of Jewish state

 

Basheer Nafi speaking at the British Library in London (Jehan al-Farra))

 

Arwa Ibrahim-Saturday 7 October 2017

LONDON - There is no official evidence that Britain supported the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine through the Balfour Declaration, claimed Palestinian historian Basheer Nafi during a conference on Saturday marking the centenary of the agreement.

While "the Balfour declaration was the source of all evils in the Middle East ... it seems [the Declaration] was not meant to engender the amount of evil it came to bring about," said Nafi, senior research fellow at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, during the conference held at the British Library, where the Balfour Declaration is now kept.

The event, organised by Middle East Monitor, brought together three panel discussions covering how the 1917 declaration came into existence while explaining Britain's role in the establishment of the Israeli state.

Jewish home is no doubt an ambiguous term but one that certainly does not mean a Jewish state

- Basheer Nafi, historian

Nafi insisted that Britain did not mean to officially condone the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine but a state eventually came about.

The Balfour Declaration has long been regarded as the document which underpinned the creation of the State of Israel after former UK foreign secretary Arthur Balfour spelled out the main points of the agreement in a letter to the leader of the British Jewish community, Walter Rothschild, for a Jewish state in Palestine.

"His Majesty's government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jews, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this objective," stated the letter.

"It is being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine."

Nafi claimed on Saturday that the agreement had only mentioned British support for a "Jewish home, [that] is no doubt an ambiguous term but one that certainly does not mean a Jewish state. It had no precedent in international law."

An exchange of letters between January and March 1919 between Balfour and George Curzon, who replaced Balfour as foreign secretary that same year, shows the trepidation that existed in British government circles over their earlier promise to create a Jewish home in Palestine.

"A Jewish government in any form would mean an Arab uprising and the nine-tenth of the population who are not Jews would make a short shrift with the Hebrews," said the interchange of letters.

Curzon reportedly went on to agree with this view while describing the "pretensions of Weizmann and Company" as "extravagant and out to be checked".

Chaim Weizmann was a Zionist leader and Israeli statesman who served as president of the Zionist Organisation and later first president of Israel in 1949. In a reply from Balfour to Curzon on 20 January 1919, it appears that Britain had been unsupportive of Weizmann's aspirations for a Jewish state.

"As far as I know, Weizmann has never put forward a claim for the Jewish government in Palestine. Such a claim is in my opinion certainly inadmissible, and personally I do not think we should go further than the original declaration which I made to Lord Rosthchild," said Balfour.

"While Weizmann may say one thing to you, and while you may mean one thing by a national home, he is out for something quite different," replied Curzon.

Rising tensions among Palestine's Arab community over Jewish immigration to Palestine made British governance of the mandate increasingly difficult.

A number of uprisings and riots eventually increased pressure on the British authorities to limit the number of Jews entering the territory.

Nafi explained that in a third letter Curzon expressed a "growing sense of desperation over the Palestine policy" while commenting on a decision by the Peace Conference to send an American commission of inquiry to the Middle East.

"Both [Balfour and Curzon] were unmistakably clear that the declaration was not about the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine," said Nafi.

He told MEE that while the letters show that there is no evidence between 1917 and the 1930s "that Britiain meant by the term 'Jewish national home' a Jewish state in Palestine ... that doesn't absolve Britain of its responsibility nor does it whitewash its involvement in the Middle East."

Australia’s flying doctors drop Israeli arms maker Elbit

Australia’s celebrated Royal Flying Doctor Service has shelved a venture with Elbit 

 Ali Abunimah- 6 October 2017

Activists in Dublin handed the government a 23,000-signature petition demanding an end to Ireland’s arms trade with Israel, 4 October. (Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign)

Palestine solidarity activists in Australia are welcoming a decision by the country’s celebrated flying doctor service to abandon a partnership with Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems.

The Palestine Support Network Australia, a coalition of solidarity groups, announced late last month that the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section had set aside a planned venture with Elbit.

Founded almost a century ago, the Royal Flying Doctor Service brings healthcare to the remotest parts of Australia, and is one of the country’s most trusted organizations.

“The RFDS has stated that while Elbit Systems Australia was announced as a supplier of a flight simulator following an initial request for a tender process early in 2016, this has not eventuated,” the Palestine Support Network Australia said.

The Palestine Support Network Australia said it had learned that the flying doctor service was considering alternate suppliers for a flight simulator system at its planned training base in Dubbo, New South Wales.

The group commended the flying doctor service “for its commitment to its guidelines of dedication and integrity in its mission to improve health outcomes and save lives, by refusing to enter into any association with Elbit Systems.”

The activist network credited Australian public support for an 18-month campaign against the proposed partnership with Elbit.

“In particular, we thank the Australian politicians and doctors who voiced their concern directly to the RFDS and to those who signed the petition and postcards,” the group said.

The campaign emphasized that Elbit, Israel’s biggest arms maker, “is one of the world’s most aggressive promoters of the use of drones in warfare as well as in population control and it is directly involved in Israeli military aggression against the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.”

“Stalled”

On Wednesday, The Australian Jewish News attempted to spin the story, reporting that the Royal Flying Doctor Service had “vehemently denied” that the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign for Palestinian rights had played any part in its decisionmaking process.

According to The Australian Jewish News, the project stalled due to “delays in obtaining a federal government development grant for the Dubbo training center and in finding commercial partners for the project.”

Last year, Australia’s public broadcaster ABC reported that Elbit was due to “invest” about $8 million in the Dubbo base, while the state government and charities were to provide millions more.

This was announced in Israel during an April 2016 visit by then New South Wales state premier Mike Baird and marketed as an initiative promoting “medical excellence in healthcare delivery” and “community engagement.”

But in fact, it was a for-profit venture that would have trained pilots from around the world.

Questions were raised in Australia’s parliament about whether the flying doctor service would violate its charitable status by teaming up with Elbit for a commercial enterprise, and whether joining up with a major weapons manufacturer would “conflict with RFDS charity work to assist sick and injured people across Australia.”

Western complicity

While activists are celebrating a significant setback for Elbit’s commercial and public relations efforts, the company still has major business interests in Australia.

Public records show that in recent years Elbit Systems has secured dozens of contracts adding up to more than $100 million with the Australian defense ministry and federal police.

In 2016, Elbit was awarded a $30-million contract for weapons sights, which like its other arms are marketed as “battle proven” – meaning developed through decades of use against Palestinians and other populations subjected to Israeli military occupation and assaults.

The arms maker also continues to sign contracts in other Western countries.

Last year, the UK awarded Elbit a $720 million contract to provide training to the Royal Air Force through 2033.

The company announced last month that it is bidding for more British military training contracts.
In 2013, Elbit started providing logistics support to the Dutch air force.

And in 2015 it scored a $150-million contract to provide “advanced systems” jointly to the militaries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

But in a surprise move last year, France rejected an Elbit proposal to supply drones.

The European Union has continued to award “research” grants to Elbit, despite the recent revelation that the company is helping the Israeli military circumvent international restrictions on cluster weapons.

Irish protests

In Dublin on Wednesday, activists delivered a 23,000-signature petition to the Irish government demanding an end to their country’s arms trade with Israel.

Human rights campaigners, joined by Irish lawmakers, staged a “die-in” near the office of the prime minister.

Activists say that Ireland has bought or sold $26 million worth of weapons in deals with Israel since 2011.

“Our aim is to highlight the Irish state’s shameful complicity in the oppression of Palestinians that arises from this trade in death,” Fatin Al Tamimi, chair of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told those taking part in Wednesday’s action.

“Ultimately we wish for an Irish arms embargo on this colonial apartheid state that kills, oppresses, tortures and steals land and liberty from my people on a daily basis.”

In 2014, the Dublin city council voted for trade sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel.

There is broad support for an arms trade ban on Israel from human rights and civil society groups across Europe.

Police find head and legs of journalist believed slain on submarine

Danish police announced on Oct. 7 that Navy divers found the decapitated head and the legs of Kim Wall, who was killed after boarding an inventor’s submarine. (Reuters)

By Avi Selk October 7 at 10:55 AM

Imprisoned in Denmark, the man accused of killing a woman in his submarine has described her death as a tragic accident and the subsequent disposal of her body in the waters off Copenhagen as understandable, considering his emotional state at the time.

Peter Madsen was showing a 30-year-old reporter named Kim Wall around his boat in August, he told a court last month. He said he lost his grip on a heavy hatch, which crashed into Wall’s skull, and then he panicked and gave her what prosecutors described as a “burial at sea.”

“In the shock I was in, it was the right thing to do,” Madsen told the court, Agence France-Presse reported.

But on Saturday, after divers recovered the better part of Wall’s remains from the sea floor near Copenhagen, police described what her “burial” looked like:

In plastic bags weighted with metal, they found her severed legs, according to the Associated Press.
They also brought up her head, which showed no signs of fracture by a hatch or otherwise.

[Danish inventor charged with killing journalist Kim Wall says she hit head on submarine hatch]

The divers found a knife in one bag, as well as the dead woman’s clothing. In the same waters several weeks earlier, police found a naked torso, which the AP reported had been stabbed 15 times.

Police have never believed Madsen’s account, which has changed several times since Wall disappeared on his boat.

As The Washington Post has previously reported, Wall was working on a story about the 46-year-old inventor and engineer, who had built the 60-foot UC3 Nautilus several years ago and plans to crowdfund a rocket launch from his space lab.

The two were seen boarding the Nautilus on Aug. 10. Madsen was spotted leaping from the sinking vessel the next morning, and Wall was never again seen alive.

Madsen first claimed that he had dropped the reporter off on shore before his submarine malfunctioned and sank. But police found blood in the boat when they pulled it up from the seafloor.

The inventor was soon arrested on a manslaughter charge and accused of scuttling his own ship.

[Police identify headless torso as that of missing journalist Kim Wall]

Madsen admitted Wall died on board several days later, after a passing cyclist found a headless, limbless, punctured torso washed ashore.

But he claimed it was an accident — the falling hatch and the burial at sea.

Nevertheless, a judge upgraded the charges against him to murder last month.

“Two people are on a boat. Her legs and head and arms were cut off, and we can prove that,” a special prosecutor for the Copenhagen police told The Post at the time.

Under questioning by prosecutors, Madsen said he had an interest in sadomasochism and had sex on board the Nautilus at least once, though he denied doing so with Wall. His defense lawyer told a Swedish newspaper that her client was “not quite like other people” in his sexual preferences — though they were harmless.

But earlier this week, as Susan Hogan wrote for The Post, prosecutors revealed they found videos on Madsen’s computer of women being strangled, decapitated and burned. And these images were believed to be authentic.

[Decapitation videos found on computer of suspect in killing of journalist Kim Wall, prosecutor says]

The footage on the computer wasn’t his, Madsen said. It could have belonged to anyone who worked in his space lab.

Madsen remains in pretrial detention through Oct. 31, though it could be extended.