We have nothing to do with this Government 

JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake spoke about the much looked forward to provincial council elections, the SAITM issue, the Rajapakse’s and how the party he represents hopes to move forward in the political scene in an interview with our sister paper Deshaya. following are excerpts of the interview.   

The JVP is always in the forefront regarding the issues faced by the country, but there seems to be no solution to these problems.What are your comments?  

2017-10-19

Solutions couldn’t be found regarding some issues. Take for instance the 19th Amendment. We are the ones who were responsible for initiating a major part of the amendments. When it came to the Local Council Elections Act, we played an important role during this debate and were able to establish what is more suitable for the country. When elections were being postponed repeatedly, it was we who insisted in January to have two days for the debate and take a vote in Parliament. The abolition of the Executive Presidency and the Bond issue aren’t over yet. The SAITM issue is also connected to this. The reasons for the delay in moving forward on these issues is of concern to the JVP as well.   

We have nothing to do with this Government.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Sri Lanka: SLFP Reforms within the Political Party System

by Laksiri Fernando- Oct 18, 2017

( October 18, 2017, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) Reforms in political parties are necessary in the process of democratisation of any country, however on the condition that those are progressive and democratic, and not regressive or authoritarian. In the history of political parties in Sri Lanka there have been many splits, famously in the Left parties, and formation of new parties, but very few attempts at reforming parties within and in the democratic direction.

Sri Lanka SLFP Reforms within the Political Party System.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Sirisena gets into political hot water as elections approach

P K Balachandran, October 17, 2017


Elections to the Sri Lankan local bodies and Provincial Councils are due in 2018. But President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe heading the Yahapalanaya or Good Governance regime in Colombo, not prepared for it.

The lack of preparedness is seen in the way they had been trying every trick in the book to get the elections postponed until it became politically impossible to continue to do so.

The main reason for the reluctance is the lackluster performance of the “National Unity” government which is basically an uneasy alliance between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led by Sirisena and the United National Party (UNP) led by Wickremesinghe.

Promising Start

To give the devil its due, the Yahapalanaya government can boast of making peace with the UN, the West and India, all powerful forces which had been alienated by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The government enacted the 19th. Constitutional Amendment to make it impossible for anyone to be President more than twice and had established Independent Commissions to oversee the working of key arms of the State.

But all other problems facing the war-torn developing country have remained unattended, leading to a steady erosion of popular support.

Also Read: Lanka heads for political stalemate as extremisms come to the fore

Job opportunities have not increased for the hoi polloi given the absence of adequate, large scale public and private investments. Much money has been pumped into the private construction sector, but this is a bubble which can burst given the shortage of labor due to the political reluctance to recruit foreign labor.

Although the Yahapalanaya government promised to end high level corruption and set up new institutions to investigate thousands of cases against the predecessor regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa, progress on this has been slow.

The different parts of the government have been blaming each other for this with the President himself once openly accusing the Prime Minister of having a secret deal with Rajapaksa. Earlier, the Prime Minister’s party, UNP, was blaming the President saying that he was going slow to keep the pro-Rajapaksa faction in the SLFP with him.

Lack of unity in the government grievously affected policy making, policy consistency and policy implementation. Decisions taken by the UNP or the Prime Minister would be nullified by the President, which had caused frustration among major foreign investors like China and India.

Constitutional Conundrum

During the honeymoon period when the government was enjoying goodwill all around, the government promised to re-draft the country’s constitution to end the 70 year old ethnic problem involving the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils. But the ardor has dimmed over time, as both the communities feared the worst about the attempt to change the constitution and hardened their stand.

The Sinhalese began to feel that the constitution will give too much to the Tamils, and the Tamils felt that government was backing out of its commitments to them for fear of losing its Sinhalese voter base.

Based on the content of the Interim Report on the new constitution, the Sinhalese led by nationalists such as Rajapaksa and the top rungs of the Buddhist clergy, alleged that Sri Lanka will cease to be a “unitary” State and become “federal” which, according to them, will be a stepping stone to the secession of the Tamil areas of the North and East.

Fearing rejection and loss of power, government leaders from the President downwards, pledged that they will not do away with the “unitary” State and will not bring about a constitution which does not pass muster with the top Buddhist clergy.

Alienation of Tamils

The stance of the government annoyed the Tamil leaders and dismayed the Tamil masses, who had overwhelmingly supported Sirisena in the January 2015 Presidential election in the hope that they he will give them a political solution based on regional autonomy.

While disappointing the Tamils in regard to constitution making, the government also failed to deliver on other promises made to them and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The Office of Missing Persons (OMP) is yet to start functioning. A credible Sri Lankan-led Judicial Mechanism to investigate and try cases of alleged war crimes is yet to be set up. There has been commendable progress in the return of seized lands to Tamil civilians .But the military’s overbearing presence in the Northern Province is still an irritant.

Also Read: Sri Lanka arrests ex-president’s son for protesting sale of int’l airport to India

Apart from the fate of thousands of missing persons, the continued detention of about 132 Tamil prisoners is a major emotional issue among the Tamils.

While the Tamils consider these to be “political prisoners” who ought to have been released after the war ended in May 2009, the State considers them to be hardcore cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). some of whom have serious cases against them. Three of them had allegedly massacred 38 Sri Lankan soldier-prisoners towards the end of the war.

TNA Forced To Choose Side

The leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), who support the Sirisena government have been wanting to speed up the investigations and trials, but the government has been too slow, partly on account of the tardy judicial process and partly out of a fear that releasing detainees of this sort will cost it Sinhlese-nationalist votes.

In the meanwhile, anger has been brewing in the Tamil community, which has begun to accuse of the TNA of not doing enough, given its “influence” as the government’s “loyal opposition.”

Sensing the Tamils’ mood, the TNA supported the total shut down in the Northern Province last Friday and boycotted Sirisena’s visit to Jaffna on Saturday.
Read this in Bengali 

Sirisena boldly met the demonstrators led by the firebrand M.K.Shivajilingam and warned them frankly that if the Tamils stop supporting his efforts to render justice, the “devil” (Rajapasa) is waiting to step into his shoes.

The government has failed to help Tamils on the economic front too. Steps to promote the economic advancement of the Tamil hoi polloi are yet to be taken. The accent has been on improvement of infrastructure like arterial roads and railways which do not address the day to day problems of the people who are yet to recover from the war and stand on their own feet.

Will Party Purge Help?

Sirisena is struggling to retain his hold on the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which could break up in December 31 if the deadline set by the President for setting the house in order is not met.

Though the house that has to be set in order is the government and not the party as such, Sirisena appears to have done precious little to get the government moving.

On the contrary, he has turned his attention to the SLFP, purging it of Rajapaksa loyalists. Seeing that offering carrots like ministerial portfolios has not worked, Sirisena is now sacking pro-Rajapaksa elements from organizational positions and replacing them by hand picked loyalists.

He hopes that the Rajapaksa camp will get the tired old warhorses and that his camp will spring to life with the injection of new blood. But even new blood cannot deliver votes if the performance of his government continues to be below par.

AG promises transparent inquiry into massacre of 27 inmates at Welikada Prison

By S.S. Selvanayagam- Wednesday, 18 October 2017 

The Attorney General yesterday assured that the investigation into the alleged killing of 27 inmates of the Welikada Prison in December 2012 would be conducted in a transparent manner, following which a progress report will be submitted.

Senior State Counsel Madhava Tennekoon, appearing for the Attorney General, informed Court that there were inquiries conducted by teams from the Special Task Force, Army and prison officers.

He said that a fresh investigation is being conducted by a team of police officers appointed by the IGP and 75% of the investigation has been completed and sought permission for another four to six weeks to complete the entire investigation.

Counsel K.S. Ratnavale, appearing for the petitioner, pleaded that the investigation should be conducted in a transparent manner and its progress should be conveyed to Court.

The bench, comprising Justices L.T.B. Dehideniya (CA President) and K.K. Wickramasinghe, yesterday fixed the matter for support on 6 December.

The writ petition was filed by W.S. Nandimal Silva seeking an investigation into the alleged killing of 27 inmates of Welikada Prison in December 2012 where it is alleged that the Army, STF, TID and Prison Intelligence stormed the prison and opened fire.

The petitioner, claiming that he was a direct eyewitness to the incidents which occurred on 9 and 10 November 2012, cited the Commissioner General of Prisons, CID Director, IGP, Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs and the Attorney General as respondents.

The petitioner is 45 years old and was an employee of the Railway Department from 1994-2007. On 25 June 2007 he was arrested and charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and was in remand custody at Welikada Prison from 2009. As the confessions were rejected by the High Court, the indictments were withdrawn by the Attorney General consequent to which the petitioner was released from prison on 19 September 2013.

 While in remand custody, he claims he saw the incidents which occurred on 9 and 10 November 2012 during which 27 inmates of the Welikada Prison were killed.

The petitioner states that on 9 November 2012 at about 1.00 p.m., he and other prisoners at Welikada Prison received information that personnel from the Army and STF were about to enter the prison to conduct a search operation.

He stated that there was an argument between prison officials and a contingent of Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) and Special Task Force (STF) personnel waiting at the gates of the prison on the procedure related to search operations.

The prison officials had objected to the entry of TID and STF personnel armed with firearms without prior permission being sought.

The TID and STF officials insisted that this was an order issued by the Secretary of Defence and therefore such protocols were not necessary.

However, at this stage, Chief Jailor Indika Sampath, who was attached to the Intelligence and Security Division and is presently an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons, intervened and stated that he would take responsibility and asked to allow the TID and STF personnel inside while the prison officials on duty had lodged a log entry regarding this irregular entrance into the prison by outsiders.

He states that soon after gaining entry into Welikada Prison, the STF, TID and prison Intelligence unit personnel had gone into ‘L’ hall and assaulted the prison inmates with the intention of provoking them.

As the prisoners had not retaliated, they moved into Chapel Hall, where the convicted prisoners were kept.

At this stage, the STF and Prison Intelligence, carrying weapons and tear gas canisters, surrounded the building. As tear gas was directed even close to cells, several inmates fell unconscious. Other inmates were rounded up and assaulted. This went on for a few hours.

He states that at around midnight the STF, TID and Prison Intelligence stormed the prison and started shooting. The petitioner, who was in L Hall, saw a prisoner named T.H. Lesely De Silva shot dead. The petitioner and other prisoners got to know that inmates Jothipala, Kapila, Manjusri and Marlon were brought in from Chapel Ward to M Ward and shot. These prisoners were heard screaming and shouting before they were shot dead. TID and Intelligence units gave updates of what was happening with the purpose of intimidating the prisoners, he reveals.

The petitioner had seen an officer in a yellow T-shirt whom he later got to know as one Rangajeewa, a former member of the Narcotics Division of the Police, armed with a pistol. He had asked for one Thushara alias Kalu Thushara. There were several prison officers, including the Commissioner General of Prisons P.W. Kodippili, inside the prison at that time, together with the said police Narcotics Unit officer Rangajeewa, he alleges.

The petitioner saw Thushara being dragged to the floor and shot near the gate. The petitioner had personally seen the body of Thushara the next morning and it had gunshot injuries to the neck. At about 6.00 a.m. the petitioner and other prisoners saw Amila Malik Perera, alias Konda Amila, being taken away in handcuffs and subsequently the petitioner got to know that Amila had also been killed.

He states that the prison was in the control of the Army until 10.00 a.m. on 10 November 2012. By that time 27 of the prison inmates had been killed by STF, Army, TID and Prison Intelligence officers, he says. The petition made a complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department on 2 February 2015 over the incident.

Stolen belongings

It had also been reported that a store which contained prisoners’ belongings, including jewellery, that were to be returned to them upon their release, had also been ransacked along with many valuable items during this planned attack by the STF, TID and Prison Intelligence.

He states that there had been an inquest held in the Magistrate’s Court of Colombo, however, these proceedings have yet to conclude.

There have been several commissions that had been appointed to inquire into the deaths in prison, however, none of these commissions had the mandate to investigate and prosecute perpetrators.

He complains that although four years have lapsed since the brutal killings of these prisoners, no action has yet been taken by the Police or the Attorney General to conduct an investigation and prosecute the offenders.

The petitioner states that the dead prisoners were kept in prison in fiscal custody on the orders of the Judiciary. He contends that it is the Judiciary which has the supreme duty to supervise, oversee and be in control of the affair pertaining to the prisoners.

He laments that often their application for bail is rejected by the Judiciary and consequently their remand is extended. He underlines that when the lives of prisoners are endangered, the Judiciary is under obligation to call for an investigation into such incidents and make appropriate directions.

He states that the report recently issued by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has cited the Welikada Prison massacre among other cases in Sri Lanka and has drawn the attention of the Government to the fact that no justice has been provided for the victims.

He alleges that the Criminal Investigation Department and the Police Department have neglected to perform their duties according to the law and have failed to even launch basic investigations leading to the prosecution of the offenders.

The conduct of the prison authorities in failing to prevent outsiders from entering the prison and committing the alleged atrocities should be made the subject of a credible investigation by the CID, he asserts.

He is petitioning court to issue a Writ of Mandamus on the second and third respondents commanding them to commence legal investigations into the incidents. State Counsel Maithri Amarasinghe appeared for the State.

Over 4,000 more LG members heavy burden on taxpayers-100% increase under new system

 By Shamindra Ferdinando-October 18, 2017, 10:49 pm 

Doubling of the number of members of local authorities from current 4,000 to 8,000 in accordance with the newly introduced hybrid electoral system would be a massive burden on the taxpayer, civil society grouping, the ‘March 12 Movement’ said yesterday.

People’s Action for Free and Fair Election (PAFFREL) spokesperson Rohana Hettiarachchi said the very purpose of the new system would be lost if electors failed to choose honest candidates who hadn’t been jailed, received suspended sentences, embroiled in corruption or abuse of political power.

The ‘March 12 Movement’ came into being within weeks of the change of government in January 2015.

Manjula Gajanayake of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) also affiliated to the March 12 Movement said the number of local government members could be as many as 8,300.

Gajanayake emphasised the urgent need to examine future requirement in respect of infrastructure as well as funding to meet the 100 per cent increase in the strength of local government representatives.

The civil society activist said that once the local government elections were held those elected would agitate for several months demanding facilities. Both Gajanayake and Hettiarachchi pointed out Provincial Council and Local Government Ministry wasn’t geared to cater to more than 4,000 additional councillors in the absence of a proper system now.

Gajanayake urged the ministry to conduct an immediate survey to identify the needs.

Asked by The Island whether the March 12 Movement’s call made to political parties to field honest politicians at the forthcoming local government polls applied to Provincial Council and parliamentary polls as well, Hettiarachchi said "Yes."

When The Island asked him whether he realized the impracticability of their effort against the backdrop of Central Bank-Perpetual Treasuries bond scams perpetrated weeks before the setting up of the March 12 Movement,

Hettiarachchi emphasized their resolve to fight for a better system.

Hettiarachchi claimed that due to efforts made by the civil society, the two major political parties had deprived several undesirable elements nominations to contest parliamentary polls in 2015 August. Challenged by The Island to name at least one such rejected politician, Hettiarachchi said that it wouldn’t be right.

Hettiarachchi strongly criticized those members of parliament as well as Provincial Councils who acted irresponsibly. The PAFFREL chief expressed concern over members routinely skipping parliament at the expense of the multi-party democratic system.

Hettiarachchi, Gajanayake, Nisantha Prithiraj (Sarvodaya), Shashee de Mel (Transparency International), Athavuda Jayawardena (OPA), Hemanthi Gunasekera and Saman Hamangoda urged political parties to field suitable candidates. They said that political parties should accept the responsibility for fielding the best as the voters no longer enjoyed the right to choose one from three candidates as in the previous system but one candidate picked by the party.

Alleging that the country had been overwhelmed by unbridled corruption Athavuda Jayawardena said the electorate for some strange reason continued to vote for corrupt politicians. Jayawardena said waste, corruption and irregularities had deprived those struggling to make ends meet even basic facilities.

The civil activist urged the media to step up attacks on those engaged in corruption and facilitate their efforts to create a cleaner political environment.

Jayawardena explained how the growing black market economy ruined the country with those responsible for the wellbeing of the masses causing irreparable damage to the national economy.

India-China Rivalry Spills Over in Sri Lankan Airport

21:02 17.10.2017

India and Sri Lanka are close to finalizing a joint venture to manage and expand facilities at the Mattala Airport, which is situated near the Hambantota Seaport, a key port in China’s multi-trillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Sri Lanka had been scouting for alternate investors for the Chinese-built airport, which began operations in 2013.The airport can handle a million passengers but has not been able to use even 5 percent of its passenger handling capacity. The cargo service has also been extremely under-utilized, with just 69 metric tons moved in 2016 despite an annual capacity of 45,000 tons.

China invested $230 million in the airport, built at a total cost of $253 million. China had reportedly bid to operate the airport, but couldn't reach an agreement over financial conditions set by the Sri Lankan government.

"It was during this time that India came up with a proposal. They were ready for a joint venture with the Airport and Aviation Services," Reuters quoted Sri Lankan Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala as saying.

© AP PHOTO/ GURINDER OSAN

India Appoints One of its Most Astute Diplomats as Ambassador to China

India's revival plan for the Mattala Airport includes a plan to start a flight school and a maintenance hub at the airport to boost revenues while it builds up traffic. The size of the joint India-Sri Lanka investment in the airport is estimated to be around $293 million initially, of which India will cough up around 70% for a 40-year lease. India's multi-conglomerate GMR has shown interest in the airport's operations.

China, however, may not like to lag behind as the nearby Hambantota Seaport is part of the country's multi-trillion dollar infrastructure-related Belt and Road Initiative. China has a 99-year lease of the seaport. Beijing also plans to build an investment zone and a refinery, the largest in Sri Lanka.

© AFP 2017/ FREDERIC J. BROWN

Battle for Ecology: How China, India Can Wrestle Down US Nixing Paris Deal

China is struggling with the local opposition as residents face eviction to make way for the projects. Indian experts say Chinese projects, which are backed by the financial support of its government, have pushed Sri Lanka into a vicious long-term debt trap.

New Delhi had pointed to this major weakness in China's model of development when it declined to join the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Our government took a principled stand when it declined China's offer to join the Belt and Road Initiative. We also pointed at the long-term sustainability of many of these projects from both a financial and environmental point of view. Sri Lanka is already facing many of the issues which we feared are part and parcel of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative," Smruti Pattanaik, Research Fellow at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, told Sputnik.

India has reportedly given very flexible options to Sri Lanka to determine New Delhi's size of the stake and decide on a partner company for operating the Mattala Airport.

SLFP ‘s proposal to continue executive presidency is due to those who have got the taste of corrupt power and robbing !

-Ex president Chandrika during special discussion with LeN

(Lanka-e-News - 18.Oct.2017, 11.00PM)  When the president handed over the letter appointing her as the Attanagala organizer , she  felt ashamed , but now she does not consider that as  something derogatory , because the Bandaranaikes by having been organizers of  Attanagala  for the last 90 years have created  a world record , said Mrs. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge  a former president of the country. 

The proposal of the SLFP to continue with the executive presidency is contradictory to the promise made by the president , and the latter is  hence caught between two worlds . It was she for the first time  proposed that the executive presidency shall be abolished unconditionally , Chandrika asserted.

During the recent discussion with the editor, Lanka e news  , Chandrika in relation to her  appointment as organizer for Atanagalla , the abolition of executive presidency and the current political situation explained  as follows :

Chandrika  Bandaranaike who explained at length about her Atanagalla organizer post went on to comment thus :

''It was the first time in history, SLFP lost in the Gampaha district at the last two elections.  After the founding of the SLFP in 1952,  for the first time the SLFP lost  was on 2015-01-08 , and that was because of my moves- we wanted to defeat the squalid era at that time , and because of that we did it.

It was Arjuna Ranatunge who was appointed as the organizer for Attanagalla at that time.   We worked for  him even providing my staff . At the August elections , a large group including myself opposed nominations being given to Mahinda Rajapakse yet  the president gave him nomination . Even until today I do not know the reason for that.

When nominations were granted to Mahinda , Arjuna and I kept  away from the SLFP campaign. After defeating Mahinda 7 months ago , how could  we work with him again?  Arjuna contested under the UNF. During that time , under the laws governing the SLFP, when contesting under another party , the contestant loses not only the membership but even the electoral organizer post .

Accordingly , Arjuna lost the membership and the electoral organizer post.  At that time I accepted the post of Attanagalla organizer temporarily. Since August   2015  I have been  the Attanagalla organizer. 

Recently , we had a meeting to discuss the future political affairs  of the party. I also participated in it. The president on that occasion issued fresh letters under his signature to the party organizers . When my name was also announced and a letter appointing me as Attanagalla organizer was handed over to me, I felt rather ashamed when my name was mentioned. 

Yet I do not think that  was a deliberate  effort to degrade me. My father , mother , Anura and I have continuously been Attanagalla electorate organizers. This year , we have completed 90 years as Attanagalla organizers. I think that is a world record.”

Upon inquiries made by Lanka e news from Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike regarding the proposals made by the SLFP and should the executive presidency be continued ? She gave the following answer …

''According to the agreement signed with the UNP and Civil Organizations on 2015-01-08 , the president promised to abolish the executive presidency .Now the SLFP says that should be continued. As far as I am concerned  the pledge we made should be honored. Because I am insisting on that , from the top to the bottom , all of them are angry with me. Now some are claiming it is we who first removed  the executive powers. In 2000, when I proposed a constitution I consented to totally abolish the executive powers unconditionally, and a new chapter too was introduced. That constitution had provisions to grant sweeping powers to the Tamil people. It was I who did that. Yet it was Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP that foiled it. But that was what should have been done.

 Now I hope the president would fulfill the promises. It is my view the president is between two worlds – caught  between the opinion of the party and president’s own. However  it is my view that the president will finally  honor his promise made  to the people that he would abolish the executive power .''

Commenting further on the proposals made by the SLFP to retain the executive presidency , Chandrika a former president  had this to say ...

''Some of those in the SLFP , after being in power again and again , and robbing again and again , have descended to a state in which they cannot be without power. It is only these individuals who  bring proposals which  will eventually destroy the present president , the party and the country .''

-Discussion with Sandaruwan 

---------------------------
by     (2017-10-18 17:46:11)

Enough of madness, Mahinda, form a strong opposition!

Oct 18, 2017

Whatever our likes and dislikes are, bringing up ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa is unavoidable when we talk about the country’s politics. It is true that we lose our cool when we remember what he had said and done. But, if we talk about politics realistically, Mahinda is an inevitable subject. Where does he stand in today’s politics?

Mahinda is a good organizer. Also, he has strong public relations. He is a leader with a big public attraction. If not, he would not have become the executive president to rule the country for nearly a decade. How does he make survival in politics today? He does politics in collaboration with a gang of jokers, thieves and deal strikers. They await a give-and-take opportunity to join the government in order to cover up the court cases against them. The only result will be that he will be distanced from the public.

A country needs a strong opposition to maintain democracy. But, Sri Lanka is without a strong opposition today. The TNA, the nominal opposition, is not active as the opposition of the entire country. Their politics is centralized, based on regional demands. The main opposition should serve as a shadow cabinet and should have the ability to take over if the regime collapses. It is impossible in our country.

In our politics, the opposition means a group that opposes everything, or a commodity that can be bought.

Where did Mahinda go wrong? He may believe it to be a matter of astrology. But, the real reason was that he did not have a strong opposition, or to say more reasonably, he had destroyed the opposition. What he did was to strike deals and pocket members of the opposition. Thereafter, he went on in his journey, believing that everything he did was correct. There was no opposition to point out his mistakes. His journey ended without ever knowing what hit him.

In regional politics too, India does not appear to have a strong opposition. Rahul Gandhi is a weak leader. The Supreme Court has taken over the role of the opposition in Pakistan. Those are not good signs for democracy.

We may like it or do not like it, but it is incumbent upon the Mahinda-led forces to play the role of the opposition. That is the bitter truth. Therefore, what he has to do now is to send the jokers, thieves and deal strikers around him on leave and form a real opposition. G.L. Peiris, Dullas Alahapperuma, Vasudeva Nanayakkara and Vidura Wickremanayake have never been branded thieves or racists. But, those closest to him are thieves and racists. Without getting rid of them, he cannot form a real opposition.

Also, there are talented professionals he can depend on, such as senior doctor Anula Wijesundara, senior professor Carlo Fonseka, doctors and administrative officers. He may not be able to give leadership to convince them that patriotism is not racism, but Mahinda should not let them be overcome by racists.

Excepting a handful of racists close to him, no one close to Mahinda believes that Sri Lanka can have a ‘Sinhala only’ politics. Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural country. No political journey is possible without accepting that. If Mahinda still has any reservations about that, he can recall the result of the last presidential election.

What he should do now is to form a strong opposition. That is not either easy or difficult task. If he does so, it will be good for his personal political targets as well as for the country’s future.

This entire narration is applicable to president Maithripala Sirisena and prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as well. If they think of following what Mahinda once did by pocketing members of the opposition, their political journey will be a short-lived one. That is a lesson they should learn from what Mahinda has undergone.

Two arrested in Wattala with 137 kilos of Kerala Ganja

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

The Police Narcotic Division arrested two suspects with more than 137 kilos of Kerala Ganja valued at Rs. 2 million in Wattala yesterday.

The raid was made according to a tip-off received by the Police.

Police investigations revealed that these suspects, residing in Kolonnawa and Talaimannar, have brought the Ganja from Kilinochchi.

The suspects and the Ganja will be produced before Courts.

Further investigations are underway.

Polythene & Plastic: Use It Wisely

By Dinuka Jayasinghe –OCTOBER 19, 2017

Dinuka Jayasinghe

Polythene is being dumped hazardously in socially and environmentally sensitive places like road sides, marshy lands, low lying areas, public places, forest and wild life areas, causing numerous negative environmental impacts such as ground and surface water pollution, air pollution and even deaths (recent Meethotamulla disaster).

Waste collection and disposal play an extremely important role in a country’s cleanliness and sustainability drive, with people’s health and the conservation of resources being the responsibility of every Government.

Plastic is some kind of a superhero when it comes to making our life easier. So much of the objects in our lives are built with plastic, so it’s no surprise that the stuff gets everywhere. We don’t even care about how it will impact the environment though. Single-serve beverages and snacks in plastic packaging are an easy grab-and-go option when you’re on the go. We all know the story when we look around. And how about plastic shopping bags so you don’t have to remember to bring another bag every time you head to the store? Buy it free and throw it on the go. Approximately 20 million shopping bags and 15 million lunch sheets used in Sri Lanka daily. Wherever you dump those polythene will stay as it is for more than 1000 years and killing you slowly. But who cares?

Do we care about our Environment?

It is very sad to say right after the Dalada Perahara it became apparent that there were about 200 tons of garbage near Dalada Maligawa premises. Also it was reported that more than a million plastic bottles were collected from Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) area which were discarded by pilgrims who had travelled to Sri Pada for past few months. If we can’t protect the sacred places from garbage, how are we going to protect the other places? Even BMICH premises found to be filled with so many garbage after the recently held book fair. Is that the mentality of our so called readers?

These kinds of stupid behaviours have to be changed immediately if we want to move forward as a country.

The Government and us

The Government had planned to reduce polythene usage without even introducing an alternative. Hope the Government had conducted a feasible study before implementing this strategy. Almost everyone complaining the Government and do nothing. My opinion is banning polythene is not necessary if we have the right discipline to use it.

Read More

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• Report by Ministerial Committee on LNG supply terminal proposals to be presented to Cabinet next week

By Chathuri Dissanayake-Thursday, 19 October 2017

The Power and Renewable Energy Ministry is now in the process of floating tenders for 90 projects of 1 MW solar power plants under the second phase of the Suryabala Sangramaya Program.

Approval was granted by the Government this week to go ahead with the program, where the ministry will call for tenders to purchase power from solar power generators to be connected to 17 grid substations identified by the Ceylon Electricity Board.

The bidding conditions followed in stage one of the Suriyabala Sangramamaya Progam have been revised to ensure more bids are received during the second phase. During the first phase, although 63 bids for 1 MW plants were received, less than 25 qualified for the job.

Unlike the first bid round where only one proposal per bidder was entertained for 60 projects of 1MW each, bidders can tender for any quantity of power up to 90 MW, Power and Renewable Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told Daily FT.

Further, the land requirement under the selection criteria has been broadened to give more flexibility to bidders. Stage one of the project required the proposals to provide proof of ownership of a five-acre plot for the generation plant. The new condition has revised the extent to three acres.

Identifying the availability of land and ownership to be a limiting factor from stage 1 of the project, the conditions of ownership have been further relaxed to include leased land, Minister Siyambalapitiya explained.

The 17 substations listed in the second phase are different to the 20 stations listed in stage one, except for a few stations which did not receive bids earlier. Further, unlike the earlier round where only 1 MW was added to one substation, the quantity of power absorbed by the substations in the new list will differ according to capacity, giving the bidders greater flexibility, spokesperson for the Ceylon Electricity Board Sulakshana Jayawardana told Daily FT.

However, the maximum purchase price per unit of power will remain Rs. 18.37.

“We have received bids with prices quoted as low as Rs. 11, so we are confident we will receive very competitive prices this time as well. That is why we have revised the selection criteria as well.

The CEB will call for tenders for the project within the next few weeks, the Minister said, adding that the revisions in tender criteria were now being finalised.

The report of the Technical Evaluation Committee on the bids for tender on the 300 MW Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant in Kerawalapitiya is expected to be handed over tomorrow for a final decision, the Minister said. A proposal to form a JV between India and Japan to set up a 500 MW LNG plant is seen as the favoured option of the Government, despite receiving a proposal from South Korea for the same project.

However, the Ministry is yet to make a final decision on the proposals for an LNG supply terminal.

“The President has appointed a ministerial committee on the matter and the report will be presented to Cabinet next week,” Siyambalapitiya said, adding that a final decision will be given on the matter following the discussion in Cabinet.

The first report given by the Cabinet Subcommittee appointed to make recommendations on the Government policy on the usage of LNG in electricity generation and the construction of required infrastructure advised the Government to set up a Floating Regasification Storage Unit (FRSU) in order to receive and regasify liquefied natural gas before 2019 to support the move to switch to LNG, which the committee recommended.  It also recommended a floating unit due to the relatively low costs involved in setting it up compared to building a land-based gas receiving terminal and the time consumed.

October Revolution marked a new epoch in world history

Centenary Celebrations ( 1917-2017)

The October Revolution was the first major attempt to create a society free from class exploitation. It was the first successful revolution by workers, peasants and other exploited sections to establish a new society.  

2017-10-19

The October Revolution in Russia marked a new epoch in world history. It created the first socialist state -- the Soviet Union. Pre-revolutionary Russia was controlled by the Tsarist monarchy. This presided over the whole of Central Asia. Large tracts of land were owned by landowners, and factories and the mining industry was owned by a 

few monopolies.  
The Europeans were entangled in a war to colonise the world. Russia too, was involved in the first world war in 1914. The Russian Tsar sent thousands of people to the battle front. Russia began losing the war with Germany. Death and hunger was widespread. This gave rise to mass discontent among the ordinary people. The Bolshevik party launched an insurrection against Tsarist rule. This resulted in Tsarist rule being replaced by a bourgeois-dominated government. Some social democratic parties were also represented. This took place in February 1917, and the provisional government began looking into the interests of a few rich people and landowners.   
The February revolution had also given rise to a new form of peoples organization:the soviets. Soviets of workers, soldiers and peasants sprang up in all major cities and in rural areas. The Bolshevik Party became very popular among the worker soviets and armed forces. The provisional government became very unpopular by the end of September. Many soviets in Petrograd and Moscow formed armed detachments to defend the ongoing changes. The peasants took over land from the landowners. Soldiers in the army had elected their own soviets. They were calling for an end to the war.  
The changes in the Russian society was well understood by the leader of the Bolshevik Party, V.I. Lenin. He said that power should be transferred from the first stage of bourgeois revolution to the next stage of workers and peasants. This gave rise to the formation of a Revolutionary government headed by V.I. Lenin with the Council of 
peoples Commissars.  
The masses rallied around the Bolshevik Party for Peace, bread and land. The first step taken by the new government was to place a decree on land. The land decree adopted took over all landed estates and all lands of church and monastery with their livestock, implements and buildings and placed them under the authority of local land committees and soviets of peasants deputies. The decree on peace called for an end to the war with immediate peace negotiations between all governments and peoples involved in the war.  

"The Europeans were entangled in a war to colonise the world. Russia too, was involved in the first world war in 1914. "

Other decrees were on the elimination of illiteracy , for universal primary education , provision of free medical health care and creation of the new Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR). The Russian Revolution liberated various non-Russian nationalities from the colonial yoke and gave them an autonomous setup as Socialist Republics within the Union.  Recital of a poem at the gathering of Peoples commissars:  

“You fell in the fatal fight, For the liberty of the people, For the honour of the people,   
You gave up your lives and everything dear to you, you suffered in horrible prisons , You went to exile in chains,   
“Without a word you carried your chains because you could not ignore your suffering, brothers, because you believed justice is stronger than the sword……………………  
“The time will come when your surrendered life will count,That time is near; When tyranny falls the people will rise, great and free!  
“Farewell brothers, you chose a noble path, You are followed by the new and fresh army ready to die and to suffer……………  
“Farewell brothers, You chose a noble path, At your grave we swear to fight, to work for freedom and the peoples happiness….”  
(Ten Days that shook the world – John Reed)  

Before the Soviet state could start on building socialism it had to face a counter- revolution. A bitter civil war erupted.The Red Army had to fight the white guards and the counter-revolutionary forces. Ten capitalist countries including Britain, France, Germany and the USA supported counter-revolutionary forces with money and weapons.   After four years of fighting the civil war the Red Army finally crushed the reactionary forces . Some of the finest comrades were killed in the battle front. Thousands of class-conscious workers and peasants sacrificed their lives .   
The October Revolution was the first time in history the working class and its allies like the poor peasantry -- the exploited classes -- led a revolution to overthrow the ruling bourgeois and the exploiting classes. Lenin had stated that a revolution is successful only when the old state power is smashed and a new form of state power is established. This is what happened in the Russian Revolution which dismantled the old state power and put in place a new state In the form of Soviets which represents the interests of the workers and poor peasants.  
The world before 1917 was very different from what it is today. The beginning of the 20th century was dominated by empires. The British and Americans , the French, the Austro-Hungarian, Russians and Japanese dominated and divided the world.The lesser empires such as Italy and Portugal had fewer colonies. The bulk of the world population lived in colonies subject to these empires.   The Russian Revolution put an end to the old-style colonialism. The October Revolution sparked off the chain of National Liberation struggles which overthrew colonial rule. The struggle against imperialism reached a higher plane with the success of the socialist revolution. The national liberation movements in Asia, Africa and Latin America drew their inspiration from the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union lent its support to the national liberation struggles.  

"Nearly 27 million Soviet people lost their lives in defeating fascism. It was the Red Army which spearheaded the smashing of the Nazi war machine"

The ‘October Revolution’ was based on the revolutionary strategy of the worker-peasant alliance . This strategy was well used by the national liberation movements to be free from colonial exploitation. Following these footsteps, three decades later the Chinese Revolution took place under the guidance of the Communist Party of China. This was followed by revolutions in Vietnam and Korea. All these revolutions were direct descendants of the worldwide anti-imperialist and anti-fascist struggles which developed in the 1930s.   
The defeat of the greatest evil of the 20th century, that of fascism, was mainly due to the existence and the struggles waged by the Soviet Union. Nearly 27 million Soviet people lost their lives in defeating fascism. It was the Red Army which spearheaded the smashing of the Nazi war machine. The victory of Soviet Union cost the imperialist countries their colonial legacy. Many colonial pundits came and brought reforms so that the colonies do not breakaway from them and develop relationship with the Soviet Union.    The end of WW II saw a new alignment of nations. The Soviet Union was thrown into an arms race by the western countries led by USA. This resulted in huge nuclear arsenals and stockpiling them in third countries. The Soviet Union dismantled its military alliance, the Warsaw Pact, and also worked with the USA in dismantling nuclear weapons. 

Although the Soviet Union kept its promises,the agreements made by US presidents had not been fulfilled. The US presidents’ promises not to sell advanced weapons to eastern Europe or draw them into NATO has not been fulfilled. Instead many hotspots have been created in the Ukraine, Georgia, and Estonia, which are states bordering Russia. Many economic and trade embargoes are placed on Russia.   
When Russia celebrates its centenary of the Russian Revolution, we salute them for their historic contribution to mankind.     

US KNEW ABOUT 1960S MASS KILLINGS OF COMMUNISTS IN INDONESIA, DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS REVEAL

Image: Members of the Youth Wing of the Indonesian Communist Party (Pemuda Rakjat) are watched by soldiers as they are taken to prison in Jakarta following a crackdown on communists after an abortive coup against President Sukarno’s government earlier in the month AP.

18/10/2017

Declassified files have revealed new details of US government knowledge and support of an Indonesian army extermination campaign that killed several hundred thousand civilians during anti-communist hysteria in the mid-1960s.

The thousands of files from the US Embassy in Jakarta covering 1963-66 were made public Tuesday after a declassification review that began under the Obama administration. The Associated Press reviewed key documents in the collection in advance of their release.

The files fill out the picture of a devastating reign of terror by the Indonesian army and Muslim groups that has been sketched by historians and in a US State Department volume that was declassified in 2001 despite a last-minute CIA effort to block its distribution.

In 1965, Indonesia had the world’s third-largest communist party after China and the Soviet Union, with several million members, and the country’s President, the charismatic Sukarno, was vociferously socialist and anti-American.

US officials despaired of Indonesia’s apparently unstoppable drift into the communist fold and were ecstatic when conservative generals imposed martial law in Jakarta, seized state radio and set out to annihilate the country’s communist party on the pretext that it had tried to overthrow the government. Within months, the army would prevail in its power struggle with Sukarno, shifting Indonesia’s political orientation to the US and opening its huge market to American companies.

The newly released files underline the US Embassy’s and State Department’s early, detailed and ongoing knowledge of the killings and eagerness to avoid doing anything that would hinder the Indonesian army. Historians had already established that the US provided lists of senior communist party officials, radio equipment and money as part of active support for the army.

The documents also show that US officials had credible information that contradicted the Indonesian army’s lurid story that the kidnapping and killing of seven generals in an abortive coup by junior officers on 30 September 1965, which paved the way for the bloodbath, was ordered by the Indonesian communist party and Beijing.

The documents specifically mention mass killings ordered by Suharto, a general who within months would seize total power and rule Indonesia for more than three decades, and the pivotal role in carrying out the massacres by groups that today remain Indonesia’s biggest mainstream Muslim organisations: Nahdlatul Ulama, its youth wing Ansor and Muhammadiyah.

A 21 December 1965, cable from the embassy’s first secretary, Mary Vance Trent, to the State Department referred to events as a “fantastic switch which has occurred over 10 short weeks.” It also included an estimate that 100,000 people had been slaughtered.

In Bali alone, some 10,000 people had been killed by mid-December, including the parents and distant relatives of the island’s pro-communist governor, and the slaughter was continuing, the cable said. Two months later, another embassy cable cited estimates that the killings in Bali had swelled to 80,000.

A cable that was part of the 2001 State Department volume showed that by April 1966, the embassy was staggered by the scale of the murders and acknowledged, “We frankly do not know whether the real figure is closer to 100,000 or 1,000,000.” Even the Indonesian government had only a “vague idea” of the true number, the cable said.

The release of the documents coincides with an upsurge in anti-communist rhetoric in Indonesia, where communism remains a frequently invoked bogeyman for conservatives despite the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly three decades ago and China’s embrace of global capitalism.

Discussion of the 1965-66 period that departs from the Suharto era’s partly fictional account of a heroic national uprising against communism is still discouraged. A landmark symposium last year that brought together ageing survivors of the bloodbath and government ministers sparked a furious backlash. And last month, an anti-communist mob led by retired generals attacked a building in central Jakarta where activists had planned to discuss the killings.

“The mass killings of 1965-66 are among the world’s worst crimes against humanity, and our country’s darkest secret,” said Veronica Koman, an Indonesian human rights lawyer. “The 1965-66 survivors are all very old now, and I’m afraid that they will not see justice before they die. Hopefully with these cables coming to light, the truth can emerge and perpetrators can be held accountable.”

US Senator Tom Udall, who in 2015 introduced a resolution in the Senate urging Indonesia’s government to create a truth and reconciliation commission, said the US must also confront its role in these “terrible acts.”

Indonesia’s Muslim mass organisations are among those reluctant to face scrutiny for their role, which in the fevered atmosphere of 1965 was characterised by Islamic leaders as a holy war against atheists.

Under the direction of the army, the Muslim organisations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah were enthusiastic participants in mass murder, carrying out indiscriminate killings as well as organised executions, according to the documents. They also mention the army’s recruiting of Catholics to help with its extermination campaign in central Java.

A December 1965 cable from the US Consulate in Medan, Indonesia, reported that preachers in Muhammadiyah mosques were telling congregations that all who joined the communist party must be killed, saying they are the “lowest order of infidel, the shedding of whose blood is comparable to killing chicken.”

A detailed four-page report covering mid- to late November 1965 by the US Embassy’s political affairs officer, Edward E. Masters, discussed the spread of mass executions to several provinces and the role of youth groups in helping to solve the “main problem” of where to house and what to feed PKI prisoners. PKI is the Indonesian acronym for the country’s communist party.

“Many provinces appear to be successfully meeting this problem by executing their PKI prisoners, or killing them before they are captured, a task in which Moslem youth groups are providing assistance,” the report said. A cable from earlier in the month mentions an estimated 62,000 prisoners in the province of Central Java alone.

Ansor, the youth arm of Nahdlatul Ulama, was responsible for “brutal attacks” on communists, according to a 10 December 1965, cable, but also caused problems by doing the same to non-communists involved in personal feuds with its members.

Possibly the earliest mention of systematic bloodshed in cables to Washington is a mid-October 1965 record of conversations between the embassy’s second secretary and Bujung Nasution, a special assistant to Indonesia’s attorney general involved with intelligence matters. Like other intermediaries of the Indonesian army and its allies sent to approach the embassy, Nasution was apparently trying to assess whether the US would object to the extermination campaign.

According to Nasution, the army had already executed many cadres, but this information, he said, must be closely held because the army needed more time to break the communists.

The memo described Nasution as alarmed that reports of atrocities had been leaked to the Malaysian press. It said he warned that it was critical that Sukarno did not learn of the extent of the army’s repression, especially from the foreign media.

In response, the second secretary, Robert G. Rich, reassured Nasution.

The US government was fully aware of the sensitive nature of the current events, said Rich, and was “making every effort to avoid stimulating press speculation.”

AP.