SC rejects stay order Basil asked to get LG election postponed

December 13, 2017 by

The stay order requested by former Minister of Mahinda Rajapaksa regime Basil Rajapaksa, through several Samurthi/ field officers, to get the forthcoming Local government Election was rejected by the Supreme Court today (13th).

The petitioners had requested that the holding of the Local Government Election should be postponed until field officers could contest (until one year after the bill is passed). However, the request was rejected and the Supreme Court decided to hear the petition tomorrow (14th).

The petitioner s had filed the case under CA(Writ)02/2017, CA(Writ)04, SC/FR/419/2017. The petitions stating field officers are denied the opportunity to contest the election while they are in service is a ploy to get the local government election postponed sway election monitors.

One of the petitioners that had stated he is unable to contest the election as he is a field officer has already retired. Another has already resigned from service. Several petitioners who had asked for a writ to postpone the election have either retired or resigned from service.

Some such petitioners who have retired or left the service are

1. Priyantha Waduge (Galle) has left the service.

2. S.P. Janaka Nalin Kumara (Polonnaruwa) – has retired

3. K.P. Kumarasiri (Polonnaruwa) – has retired

4. H.K.N.N. Jayasekera (Gampaha) – has left the service

5. S.A.M.A. Athula Kumara (Gampaha) – has left the service

6. Ranasinghe Banda (Nuwara Eliya) – has left the service

Filing these petitions show that Mahinda faction, just like the Maithri faction fears to face the local government election say, political analysts. With the announcement of the election, several political conflicts surfaced within the Mahinda faction. There are disputes regarding nomination lists while Members of the Mahinda faction are leaving Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa. As a result, Mahinda faction, like the Maithri faction, fears to face the election. It is to avoid the embarrassment of defeat that Mahinda factions, just like the Maithri faction, want to get the election postponed.

Alleged money laundering case:-Indictments filed against Mahindananda

Lakmal Sooriyagoda-Thursday, December 14, 2017

The indictments filed against former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage for allegedly purchasing a house worth Rs.27 million at Kynsey Road, Colombo 7 over a complaint that he had allegedly purchased properties through illegally acquired money were yesterday read out to Aluthgamage by the Colombo High Court.

However, MP Aluthgamage through his lawyer informed High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga that his client was not pleading guilty to the charges.

Meanwhile, the High Court yesterday commenced recording evidence from prosecution witnesses in the case. Further trial is fixed for today.

The Attorney General had filed indictments against Mahindananda Aluthgamage alleging that he (Aluthgamage) had purchased a house at Kynsey Road, Colombo 7 from an individual named Christopher Roshan for Rs.27 million.

The Attorney General alleged that the accused has failed to disclose how he was able to raise the money for the purchase of the house and further alleged that he had committed an offence that comes under Section 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The former Minister stands accused of financial irregularities in a complaint lodged against him by the convener of the Voice Against Corruption Wasantha Samarasinghe.

Deputy Solicitor General Thusith Mudalige appeared for the Attorney General. Counsel Kanchana Ratwatte appeared on behalf of the accused. 

Why are farmers not utilising their lands and watching them go to waste despite Government efforts?

Thursday, 14 December 2017 

Ramanathan (not his real name), a land owner, received a letter from the Govi Jana Sevaya, stating that his fields and some bare lands have not been cultivated for several years. He wrote back stating the reasons and was requested to attend a meeting with the field officer on a scheduled date at 10 in the morning. 

Ramanathan, an elderly gentlemen in his sixties, went on the appointed time and date, only to find the said field officer had gone to a funeral. This is the real state of affairs at the grass root level when it comes to agriculture. 

History of land use

The current land use arrangement in Sri Lanka dates back to the British era where export-based commercial plantation agriculture was superimposed on traditional subsistence farming. After the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom in 1815, the British Government consolidated its power and grip of the economy with the Crown Land Encroachment Ordinance in 1840 where more than 90% of the land was vested with the Government, and such State land was known as Crown Lands. This was the beginning of the peasant landless problem. 

Today after 177 years, the State still controls 82.3% and the privately-owned land is 17.7%. As a result 27% of the peasants are landless; for those who own land 42.4% own less than an acre. Private holding of land was affected by the Land Reform Law of 1972. This act nationalised the most productive private lands, during a period of three years from 1972-1975 land extent of 419,100ha was vested to two state corporations; Janatha Estate Development Board (JEDB) and State Plantation Corporation (SPC). This reduced private holdings even further. 

Landless problems have led to encroachment of State land and the victim has been Sri Lanka’s forests. In 1900 the population was 3.5m and the forest cover was 90% and today forest cover has receded to 29.7% with an estimated population of 21m in 2017. This landless problem is a serious matter where approximately 600,000 hectares (9%) of the total land area has been encroached. 

Land under agriculture

Sri Lanka’s land area is 6.55m hectares of which only 50% is arable. The country is characterised with a plantation and non-plantation sector. Non-plantation agriculture comprises rice, maize, vegetables, fruits and other crops (Ayurveda and medicinal plants, spices, etc.). Out of 2.5m ha of agricultural land 80% is used for non-plantation food crops grown on small land holdings. 

Approximately 1.65m small land holders operate on less than 2ha (five acres) and contribute to 80% of annual food production. Non-plantation agriculture depends heavily on irrigation and two-third of the land is in the dry zone, whereas plantation sector depends on the monsoon rainfall and is located in rain fed areas, mostly in the south west and the central mountains of Sri Lanka.

Problems of the 

small holding farmer

Any person travelling by train or bus will observe that many fertile land are not cultivated. Most land overgrown with weed and in an unsatisfactory state. It’s easy to blame the farmers. This is what happens when the public does not understand the deep problems of the small-scale farmer. 

Generally, people believe that farmers are not cultivating due to the drought, floods, lack of capital and being downright lazy. In fact none of this is true. 

The Sri Lankan agri sector is the hardest working sectors, where over 28.7% of the labour force is involved and has to toil in the sun and despite calamities of nature. Saying this, there is a contradiction, where hard work has proved low productivity contributing only 8% to GDP. Among SAARC countries Sri Lanka has the lowest GDP contribution from agriculture.

Why are our farmers not cultivating? Lately the authorities have orders to threaten to acquire uncultivated lands.  Hopefully this is only a threat, because taking away the land will increase poverty, loss of livelihood and landlessness. 

The greatest threat to farmers is from wild animals. Wild boars, porcupines and monkeys are destructors of crops in large quantities. These animals have no predators and our legal system protects these animals with wildlife laws. Unable to cultivate means losing one’s livelihood and falling into debt and poverty. As it is 25% of Sri Lanka’s population is nearly poor, earning just $1.50 per day and below $2.50 per day.

To make things worse, Wildlife Department officials capture monkeys in one area and release them in jungle areas close to villages. In no time these animals find their ways to the village and start “monkey problems” in the village. They not only run on roofs and peep through open windows but become an economic problem when they start destroying crops on the field and trees. 

Many a home gardener would have the bitter experience of having his crop eaten by porcupines. Generally porcupines simply chew the plants and do not eat it. It is even more painful to realise that the plant was destroyed rather than eaten.

An article on 4 November in the Daily Mirror (page A7) has an article that says “Monkeys wreak havoc in Kegalle”. This article says a 30 ft long petition was submitted by 500 farmers and agricultural officers says there were 80,000 monkeys in 3,000 troops in the area. The request was to obtain shotguns from the authorities. It is a trend that will have future social implications. 

Farmers have taken the law into their own hands and become “vigilantes” by using high tension electricity, trap guns to kill wild boars. This indiscriminate killings has cost the life of many an innocent man, deer, dogs and cattle. Some have made “grenades” laced with meat to trap boars. This is called “hakka pattas” and is popular among farmers. This too has cost the life of children and innocent animals.

In the north east, the human elephant conflict has had a heavy cost in terms of life, livelihood and territory. This is an area sociologist and wildlife officers need to solve with clear policies on land allocation to farmers in elephant habitats. It has become a national problem and debated in many forums and in Parliament. Feeble attempts to solve the issue has angered the population and cost the elephants dearly. This issue has to be solved by experts.

The Sri Lankan farmers are a discouraged lot. It seems nobody is on their side, primarily weather, Government agricultural officials, successors from family members to carry on farming, market prices, transport and many more. Since the farmer does not determine market prices, the middle man earns the most while the toiling farmer gets a pittance. Since the commodity is highly perishable, the farmer has to sell at the price commanded by middlemen. Lack of storage facilities has been a major problem for lower agricultural prices in general. Many a time the farmer does not get his Return on Investment and ends up in debt.

Sri Lanka is an ageing nation where 12% of the population will be over 65 years in less than a decade. Most farmers today simply don’t have the vigour and vitality due to age. They followed their parents’ footsteps and have low educational achievements. However, accessing family members or hired hands who are better educated to farming has been a failure, Today’s younger generation dislikes farming and prefers a Government job or a job in the services industry. This leaves the farmer to work the plot on his own or with his ageing spouse.

Land use planning 

and land use policies

Sri Lanka’s agricultural policies are complex, misunderstood, unpredictable and sometimes contradictory. Many lands today are unused or underutilised. Land owners are reluctant to lease the land to farmers on a profit sharing basis. The owner fears that the farmer who cultivated the land for several seasons will go to courts and litigate and claim part of the land or the full extent. This uncertainty makes the owner keep the land fallow, thereby depriving the land owner and the farmer of an income and the nation economically. Conflict resolution with the present legal system takes too long. The land could stay idle while a court case drags on for years.

The administration and management of land in Sri Lanka is governed by more than 39 operational laws. Laws are vested with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Lands and even departments such as Irrigation Department. Currently land use policies are implemented on an ad hoc basis. There has been no recent study on land use and a mapping of agricultural land based on crops. The major drawback has been the limitation of robust data. With such reliable data future land use planning could be formulated. Innovative thinking must be utilised to achieve a reliable methodology to optimise land use. 

Another problem is there are six Ministries involved in agriculture, most of them working independently and not communicating to optimise synergy to consolidate agriculture development. This fragmentation has a heavy cost to the farmer, the nation and ultimately agriculture suffers. The ministries are:

1. Ministry of Mahaweli Development

2. Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Development

3. Ministry  Plantation

4. Ministry of Agriculture

5. Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources

6. Ministry of Land 

Future agriculture strategies must take into account these six key stakeholders. One must eschew party and political ideologies to set up a frame work of cooperation for Sri Lanka to achieve success. 

Alleviating poverty

Between 2002 and 2012 Sri Lanka’s poverty was reduced from 22.7% to 6.7%. Given that Sri Lanka was only recently liberated from a 30-year ethnic conflict, it’s a credible achievement. Sri Lanka has achieved United Nations Millennium goals in areas of poverty elevation and improving sanitary conditions. However, despite great strides in health and education, this nation has remained poor and primarily agricultural.

As mentioned earlier in the article, Sri Lanka’s population has remained nearly poor. The Yahapalanaya Government has identified that agriculture will be a game changer.  Better understanding of the rural population and improving living standards, including improving women economically has been the aim of this Government. Yahapalanaya’s New National Program for Food Production 2018 is the first step. It has to be a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). In this case the Government has to engage a partner (farmers) who are not business savvy unlike in a traditional PPP where the private sector is on equal footing.

To reduce inequality and poverty, the Government needs to give priority to agriculture in areas such as land usage, land encroachment, training agricultural workers, improving agricultural productivity, agricultural strategies for domestic and export markets, mechanisation, improving supply chain, evaluating tariffs, tax policies, fertiliser subsidies to be reduced by organic fertiliser, crop diversification, improving dairy and poultry farming, value addition to agricultural products, economic impact on sustainable agriculture, research and development on crops, studies on climate change, soil erosion and degradation, infrastructure development to reduce perishability, reduce wastage, and build storage facilities to provide all year round fruits and vegetables.

All this is possible if the Government has a clear mandate to frame policies with regulatory frame work where food is safe to consume and create market-oriented agri-economy. With such far-reaching policies, Sri Lanka’s agriculture will rise to a new plateau and reduce poverty and bring Sri Lanka to a Higher Middle Income bracket. This will be in line with the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Vision 2025.

Attitudes of Government servants in 

agriculture advisory

Public day is on a Wednesday and the villagers wait for this day to meet a specific officer. Many a time such officials are not available. These officials are tasked with mundane things of local politicians. Most of these officials spend a lot of time away from office conducting political work especially when an election is on the horizon. This politicised culture has hurt the Sri Lankan economy. 

Even after all these years Sri Lanka’s non-plantation agriculture is on a diminishing return. Paddy production increased due to large amounts of land made available after the war. These officials are very friendly and cordial. They know everybody in the village and are on familiar terms of calling the villagers aiya, mama and many endearing terms. Despite being friendly they are not useful. Nobody complains; the worst part is, where does a villager complain about Government officials? So the common man grumbles and suffers silently and meanwhile agriculture gradually declines. 

Just take the spice industry, a major foreign exchange earner, but every year the yields are dropping. There is no sustainability and more small-scale farmers plant a few hundred pepper vines in their existing plots. It must be encouraged that every village household should have a pepper creeper and a cinnamon tree in their garden, just like the coconut, banana and the jack tree. This is not much to ask from a village household. The benefits are enormous to the nation. The question is, where is the effort?

If the above far-reaching policies are to be implemented, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Agriculture needs a new breed of agricultural officers at the grass root level. My opinion is that the current officers are not trained to the task. A special training programme by the Agriculture Ministry affiliated with a university to teach the above mentioned specialised value added subjects. A new cadre of qualified officers must be groomed to this huge task. They must be placed on a district and divisional level. 

Strategies must be framed to set the industry to increase yield, bring down food prices, higher protein intake to the populace, export opportunities, improve agri knowledge, higher employment and higher income to improve rural standard of living.

How Thailand’s 

agriculture improved

It must be noted that Thailand where the country was not colonised, the State only owns 20% and privately-owned land is 80%. Between 1962 and 1983 agriculture grew by an average of 4.1% a year. During this period the Thai economy employed 70% of the labour force. This was a time when the State focused on agriculture to realise their plans for future industrialisation. 

The country developed other sectors; agribusiness was highly encouraged, the nation invested in education, irrigation canals, rural roads and the sector continued to grow year by year. Today many Thai farm lands are mechanised and 90% of the farmers use machinery and agriculture labour is less than 34%.

Currently industrialisation has overtaken agriculture and agriculture contributes only 9.3% to the GDP. The success of the Thai agri business was due to their innovation and adaptability to the market conditions.

Conclusion

Government top-down policies must be evaluated and grass root feedback taken, where bottom to top feedback will clear the farmer problems. Farmer grievances must be addressed, their household indebtedness must be resolved, new methods of farming, high yield seeds and mostly a caring attitude to guide the farmer to achieve objectives. 

The Government in collaboration with international donors should undertake Policy Research Studies to be conducted independently by researchers and think tanks. Private research will highlight problems and present findings without fear and be objective. Implementation of such findings must be undertaken without delay. 

Government officials’ attitudes must change to work with the private sector. Nominated Government officials must be dedicated to the task, otherwise this will be another exercise that starts with great fanfare but ends with a whimper.

Pilot projects must be started and the learnings shared to other areas over a set period of time. It is never too late to get the farmers galvanised to farm, if we only need the will to resolve issues. Need long-term vision and must start now.

(Sun Lai Yung has worked in USA, Singapore, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. He is currently employed as a consultant, and heads the China Investment Desk at KPMG. He has a Master’s Degree in Economics from Northeastern University Boston. He can be contacted at slai4@kpmg.com.)

The Human-Elephant Conflict: Moving Towards Solutions

Featured image courtesy Anton Croos

KALANA KRISHANTHAon 12/11/2017

Recently the famous tusker, “Dala Puttuwa” of Galgamuwa was killed by poachers, renewing the public discussion around the ongoing human -elephant conflict in Sri Lanka.

Investigators found that Dala Puttuwa was killed to sell its tusks and for coveted ‘elephant pearls’ as they are known. Adding to the controversy, a Buddhist monk has been connectedwith this killing, revealing the widespread nature of this phenomenon. The human elephant conflict dates back centuries, as historical records by Robert Knox reveal. According
to data gathered by the Elephant Conservation Unit of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), around 2,844 elephants were killed by farmers and 1,138 people were killed by elephants between the years from 1991 to 2010, while a total of 3,103 homes in Sri Lanka were destroyed by elephants (from 2004 to 2007).

Sri Lanka is home to 10 to 20 percent of the Asian elephant population; more than any other state in this region. A land area of nearly five square kilometres per elephant is needed to ensure that the natural balance that exists between the elephant and its dry zone habitat is not disturbed. According to this data, the current population of 3,500 elephants requires around 17,500 square
kilometres or 27 per cent of total land mass while the protected areas in Sri Lanka cover only 12.5 per cent of the land (or 8,200 square kilometres). This indicates that nature parks and reserves are unable to ensure the sustainable conservation of these beings. Long-term solutions are sorely needed and political will is the deciding factor.

The lack of sufficient land to sustain elephants is the foremost reason for the human elephant conflict. Drought, flooding and climate change have worsened the situation in Sri Lanka while Sri Lanka has been ranked as the riskiest country for climate change in 2018 (?) according to the global climate risk index.

The Hambantota Managed Elephant Reserve(MER)

Due to this situation, the concept of managed elephant reserves has been put forward as a possible solution. A proposal was prepared by the ‘Gaja Mithuro’ organisation with a help of villagers, prominent elephant conservationists and officers from the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The plan, which arose out of a two – year project (conducted between 2009 to 2011) was completed in 2012 and suggested the establishment of a Managed Elephant Reserve. The proposal was sent to the head office of the DWC. However, DWC officers have failed to implement the proposed MER to date.

It is a fact that around 300 – 400 elephants inhabit the greater Hambantota area. This is nearly 10% of Sri Lanka’s elephant population. So, the DWC should ensure the safety of these elephants. The proposed conservation plan connects the Udawalawa , Lunugamvehera and Bundala wildlife reserves, after studying the animal’s migration patterns through longitudinal research and even satellite technology.

This plan suggests the demarcation of these vast tracts of land as protected areas, reclaiming land from the inhabitants and resettling the residents outside this area. This would help avoid human-elephant conflict.

Instead of implementing the proposed managed elephant reserve, the Rajapakse regime initiated vanity projects in the Hambantota area such as the Mattala airport and the Sooriyawewa International Stadium, both of which are located in the proposed MER. This has deprived elephants of their habitat, forcing them to roam about in search of basic needs such as food and water. These elephants then have to face various violent deterrents put in place by the villagers to protect their paddy, ranging from gunshots to poisonous pumpkins.

According to data, 25 people in the Hambantota district have been killed between 2010 to 2017 due to wild elephant attacks. 347 properties were damaged by elephants. Conversely, 58 elephants have been shot or targeted by other violent means. So, there is a need to establish the proposed managed elephant reserve as soon as possible.

Instead of doing this, the current government is also permitting people to clear more land falling within the proposed MER, utilizing it for human needs instead. Construction of the Matara highway, for instance, has progressed through the MER. Many factories, including solar power generation plants have been constructed within MER, with the result that the human-elephant conflict is worsening day by day, as the land allocated for elephants shrinks.

Steps to Reduce the Human Elephant Conflict

 The urgent step that the government should take is to establish the proposed MER in Hambantota district, which will pave the way to reduce human elephant conflict in Southern province.
Some of the main activities conducted for conflict mitigation and elephant conservation in Sri Lanka are translocation by capture-transport, elephant drives, the distribution of elephant thunder crackers, the construction of electric fences and law enforcement. Elephant drives and thunder crackers cannot be considered successful deterrents. In fact, it has been consistently true that these giant beings only become more aggressive as a result of these methods. Electric fences are useful, but only as a psychological barrier. Once the elephant breaks the fence, it learns and adapts to break it continuously. The need to select the right locations to install fences is critical, a task at which the DWC has continuously failed at.

Elephants are protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance – the harming or killing of an elephant carries a penalty of a fine of between Rs. 150,000 to 500,000 or imprisonment of 2-5 years, and in some cases, both a fine and imprisonment. In Sri Lanka around 250 elephants have been killed a year, but unfortunately prosecutions are relatively low.

Strategies to protecting elephants both within the conservation areas and as many outside these areas that the land can support and landholders will accept, and not restricting elephants to the protected area network alone may be a good approach.  As a short term effort, organizing and mobilizing farmers in affected villages and raising awareness on elephant behavior patterns is necessary. From convincing people about the importance of this gentle giant listed in the IUCN Red Data book could reduce the human elephant conflict. The eco-friendly bus service which was introduced to Wasgamuwa could be considered as a great example of simple ways to resolve the human-elephant conflict. The erection of Dandu Weta (log fences) along the areas where elephants cross may also be helpful. Villagers in some frequently raided areas have said that elephant invasion could be prevented with the Dandu Weta or the Wooden Fence. The fence is erected using large logs and is not deeply embedded in the ground. Generally elephants do not touch or move over swinging or unsteady fences. A few years ago, there was a discussion over the construction of palmyrah fences, but with time, these discussions died.

As a long term approach, habitat enrichment could also be implemented. This could be done by planting fodder trees in the forest areas frequented by elephants. For example, cultivating Beru (a water grass elephants love to eat) in tanks (reservoirs) and other trees (such as Velang) that form the main part of the elephant’s diet. In fact, about 100 species of plants are eaten by elephants. The best and most sustainable mitigation approach is through precise conservation policy planning for different geographical locations. This needs years of research, awareness and lobbying and more understanding of the prevailing situation in each area.

Above all, political will is needed to implement any policy, otherwise the large sums of money spent researching this issue will have been in vain.

Editor’s Note: Also read “The world’s first EleFriendly bus: A success story” and “Man vs Elephant“. 

Sri Lanka’s Historic Mistake to “Gift“ Hambantota Port to China

Unfortunately, the public opinion in Sri Lanka has not been strong enough to prevent the Sirisena government from signing this suicidal agreement with China.

by N.S.Venkataraman- Dec 14, 2017

( December 14, 2017, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) In governing a country, it is necessary that the government should pay due consideration to the long term implications of it’s decisions. Sri Lanka government’s decision to handover the Hambantota port to China is a classic instance of a government taking decision, without viewing the long term implications, that can prove disastrous for the country in several ways.

It is now well known all over the world that Government of China with Xi Jinping as President has huge territorial ambitions and it wants to emerge as the undisputed leader of the world. The ambition of China is not much different from the ambition of Germany’s Hitler who initiated the second world war, thinking that he could conquer the world with his military might. China has learnt lessons from the misadventure of Hitler and has realized that dominance of the world can be achieved only by combination of economic dominance and military might.

China forcefully occupied Tibet several decades back and has now consolidated it’s total control over the region. As the world has been watching China’s aggression in Tibet silently, China has now gained more confidence that it can have it’s way in achieving it’s ambitions. It is taking the world opinion for granted or viewing it with unconcern.

China’s ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative is part of it’s carefully and cleverly designed strategy to move on with it’s world dominance target.

Now, China’s domination over Pakistan is nearly complete with it’s 50 billion USD China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. China has already made huge investment in Pakistan by way of this CPEC project and extended large loan and gained access to several vital infra structure projects in Pakistan. There is no way that Pakistan can get rid of China’s control in future.

In the same way, China has extended loans to Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other neighbouring countries to push them into debt trap and leverage these countries within it’s strategic orbit. China has recently signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Sri Lanka and Maldives that would enable it to get greater say in the economy of these countries. China will gain much more by signing the FTA with these small countries than what Sri Lanka and Maldives will gain.

File Photo: China’s President Xi Jinping and former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse inspect a Sri Lankan Army guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony for President Xi Jinping in Colombo on September 2014.

While the Asian countries are becoming increasingly apprehensive about China’s strategies and plans and China is already claiming that Arunachal Pradesh province in India belong to it, it is shocking that Sri Lankan government has closed it’s eyes to the ground realities and has taken the decision to hand over the Hambantota port to China, which many people think that it amounts to almost irresponsible decision with least care for long term sovereignty of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan government is giving some weak justification that it has handed over the Hambantota port to China in a 99 year lease to settle the debt. It is giving an apologetic explanation that with Chinese management, it would be converted to a major port of Indian Ocean, leading to economic development and promotion of tourism.

Sri Lankan government further provides laughable explanation that the Hambantota port would not be permitted to be used as a military base by China and security measures of the port would be under it’s control. . Under the agreement, only the Sri Lankan navy will be responsible for the security of the deep sea port , which is a tall order for Sri Lankan navy , with the effective presence of Chinese with full control of the port. Having now allowed China to become the owner of the strategic Hambantota port, the question is whether a small and militarily weak country can effectively prevent China from using the port for it’s military advantage.

The fact is that China’s dominance and control over Sri Lanka has now reached alarming level, as China is already involved in constructing the Colombo Container Terminal expansion and the Colombo Reclamation Project overlooking Colombo port. With 99 years lease agreement for Hambantota port, China’s dominant presence in Sri Lanka has now become permanent and this step is a big leap forward for China in it’s world dominance target.

There is really nothing wrong in two countries collaborating for setting up projects. Investment of companies based in one country in another country is also now a well accepted practice. But, what is happening in the case of Hambantota port is that Sri Lankan port authorities signed 1.1 billion USD deal with CM port for the control and development of the port. It is well known that China is a totalitarian country and CM port controlling the Hambantota port virtually mean control by government of China.

Unfortunately, the public opinion in Sri Lanka has not been strong enough to prevent the Sirisena government from signing this suicidal agreement with China.

The earlier Mahinda Rajapaksa government was accused of getting into the debt trap of China with least level of care and caution,. Now, Sirisena government has shown that it is no better.

Pollution is the greatest enemy of GREEN ECONOMY

2017-12-14

Green Economy is a subject being talked about all over the globe. What is Green Economy has to be understood before debating about it. Most educated are aware of it and those not educated about Green Economy have to be educated. Getting on to Green Economy and finding a solution is analysing cause and effect. 

We in Sri Lanka too talk about Green Economy. Some think of it as an economy proposed by a green government. When President of Sri Lanka talks about Green Economy, people wonder why president talks about Green Economy. Fortunately in Sinhala it is “Haritha Arthikaya”. 

All developed countries used global natural resources and gave back emissions and pollution. Some developing countries are still doing it. Some developed countries do so not in their own countries but in countries they have offered to develop as those countries are more interested in FDI, introduction of industry, technology and employment. 

We in Ceylon being a developed country in 1940’s became an under developed country from 1958 onwards and became a poor country that could not feed its people from late 1960’s to 1976 and once again started to venture out to be a developing country from 1977 by opening its closed doors. 
Singapore was an unknown state. Started developing from 1960’s thanks to leftist policies of Ceylon which closed its doors to international companies. An intelligent Head of State of Singapore opened doors and invited all the displaced companies of Ceylon to establish themselves in Singapore. Ceylon became poor and Singapore started to grow to be a recognized State within a few years. Singapore followed Ceylon and now we want to follow Singapore after wasting 60 years of country time. Even now,  it is not too late. 

Now that we are on the subject of Green Economy! Cause has been identified as Pollution. Pollution comes in many forms. Taking a lead is Air, followed by water, sound, air pollution in SL has been controlled to some extent by issuing a clean air certificate once a year to vehicles at the time of obtaining revenue licence. There are two private smog testing companies.

A million trees if scientifically planed need 5000 acres of land i.e. approx. 180 – 200 plants per acre. High time to start! There is no forward planning in this country. 

How is it that we still see belching vehicles on the roads? Prime movers, land vehicles, tractors 2 wheel and 4 wheel, earth moving equipment and backhoes. Practically all combustion engines and  equipment inclusive of generators, boilers, coal power generation plants etc., have to be registered and subjected to emission testing. Portable Emission Measuring Equipment is available in plenty all over the world.

Sri Lanka too imported them to do sudden checks of emission. What happened to them is a golden question. Some of the state vehicles inclusive of public transport vehicles, service vehicles, prime movers and sometimes vehicles used by law enforcement authority can be seen emitting black smoke from exhaust. No action has been taken up to now to control black smoke emitting from diesel locomotives of Sri Lanka railway.

On certain days pink clouds could be seen in the sky as well as smog. Most of us are unaware about it. It can be seen very well when travelling by air during the day when your flight is approaching or leaving Colombo Airport for taking off or landing facing East. Aircraft travels overland for approx. 20 minutes. It is easy to observe pollution and destruction and rape of forests at high elevation even by an untrained mind. Take a look at the sky on a normal day. Hardly any blue sky is seen. On a day after rain in the night a very clear deep blue sky can be seen. That is because all the pollution has been washed down by rain. Recently when I ran for shelter along a side walk where many vendors were selling fruit and vegetables.

I found them rushing to close their stock. I told them it would be great for the rain to wash the dust off their goods. One of them told me, they always prevent rain on their products as it is acid rain and it ruins their fruits and vegetables. That means the common vendor is aware of the pollution in rain water being acidic but none of our legislators is aware of it. Air quality in Colombo was measured some time back and displayed. Nothing of the sort takes place now. Why? Is CEA worried that their inefficiency will be displayed to public? 

In Delhi, there is a digital green and red pollution Display at all police stations. It is always red and some days air quality alerts are given by a warning siren. It will take many years for them to do a green display. But they are trying. Emission testing has been made compulsory every three months for all vehicles in India. 

Next is pollution of water. All rivers, lakes, water ways are used as dumps for release of effluents and garbage by the public as well as industry. Animals are given a bath in lakes, vehicles are washed in lakes and people too bathe in lakes. Water in lakes in some arias is used as city supply with chlorine treatment.

Does it undergo filtration? Colombo City Supply has brown-coloured sediment if filtered. How can there be sediment?. This shows the filtration system of Colombo City water supply is inefficient or not being maintained or monitored. Most big industry does not release polluted water to waterways but yet some do as affluent treatment filtration plants are expensive and maintenance cost is high, but it is a part of their corporate social responsibility.

Small industry, especially rubber industry including people has to be educated about release of used water in to waterways without eliminating chemicals. Sewage too is released in to waterways by allowing settlements along rivers, canal banks. It is easy for us to write about it but difficult to implement. We need a lot of education and monitoring by dedicated, uncorrupted public officials.
 
Another great pollutants is sound. There is religious sound pollution especially in the morning and evening. Do we need this type of sound pollution which is a public nuisance? Those who want to listen to their prayers can do so in their homes, offices, workplaces by use of radio, TV or mobile phones without being a public nuisance.

There is a law in the country that sound has to be below 80 decibels at the perimeter. If so religious pollution has to be controlled below 80db or completely eliminated. Next is the sound from horns of vehicles the biggest culprit being drivers of buses. Horns are supposed to be below 60db. Special equipment was imported to check sound of vehicle horns.

Is it happening? What has happened to the equipment? Even God may not know. Our efficient Sri Lanka Police is deaf to sound pollution from horns. Any traffic cop can prosecute drivers of Buses for excessive use of horn and sound of horn. Does it happen? If the police is efficient, they can publish records of prosecutions weekly or monthly. 

Going back to creating a Green Economy. The best friend, the whole world has that converts carbon products back to green are trees and plants. Much publicity is given to planting of millions of trees. Approx. 6000 acres were destroyed by man-made forest fires in 2016/17. A million trees if scientifically planed need 5000 acres of land i.e. approx. 180 – 200 plants per acre.

High time to start! There is no forward planning in this country. Only political noise and closing the door after the horses have bolted. A special force to monitor and take action is a good thought but will it reduce the felling of forests as politicians are the biggest culprits of all destruction be it forest or sand mining just to name a few. 

Pollution is also caused by garbage. This is a country that is yet to convert garbage into economic profit but still believe in dumping anywhere and every ware. Many exposed granite quarries, clay mining sites are available but no land fill tales places at these sites, as no money can be made by councils. People are made to protest on use of landfills encouraged by hidden hands. 

This country does not have a Green Economy target. Most countries have planned to bring down air pollution by 50% by in the years 2020 - 2025. Do we have such a plan? Plans are made in other countries to electrify all vehicles on roads inclusive of cars, trucks, buses, trains. Do we have such a plan? Electric vehicles are considered luxury in this country.

Intelligent countries give rebates on purchase of electric vehicles made locally and imports are offered concessionary duty or zero duty. Trains are electric and most on linier motion technology zero emission and soundless as they travel above track. Most countries now have three lane roads. We have hardly any other than neglected plants planted during modification of Galle Road and a few other roads by a far thinking secretary responsible for environment. Assume there are no curators in RDA, Municipal Councils, Town Councils but only tree choppers. 

Our politicians’ plans are to stay in power or topple a government that is in power. Not to look after the country. Elections are declared. Soon we will be polluted by noise from political meetings and musical shows going on late till night, air and noise pollution by fire crackers. Polythene decorations of streets and stage, empty water bottles, plastic cups scattered all over after meetings. Noise pollution must be stopped by 11 pm as the law states.

All laws will be violated by those responsible for governance. In order to show good governance, the President, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Environment should not attend rallies and meetings that do not follow laws of the country.  

A universal good: How increased health coverage can help beat back antimicrobial resistance

• Universal health coverage is critical to keeping our most precious drugs fit for purpose

 Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Ensuring all people everywhere have access to health services that are affordable, of good quality and within reach is a public health imperative. Whether to drive down maternal and child mortality, to halt rising rates of noncommunicable disease, or to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies, strong, accessible health systems are key to achieving the sustainable development agenda and securing health and wellbeing for all at all ages.

They are also critical to beating back the rapid advance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a problem caused by mutations in microorganisms – including bacteria – that then become resistant to even the most powerful antimicrobial and antibiotic drugs.

Though the battle against AMR across the WHO South-East Asia Region is being fought on many fronts – from optimising the use of antibiotics in the animal and agriculture sectors to investing in research and the development of new antibiotics – increased health coverage remains a powerful tool to counter AMR’s deadly menace and ensure our most precious drugs remain fit for purpose. This is so for a number of reasons.

First, increased access to health services – both prevention and treatment – boosts overall population health and diminishes the spread of infectious bacteria. This is especially important for poor or marginalised populations, many of whom lack adequate sanitation and hygiene and are therefore at greater risk of bacterial infections. Where infections do occur, increased access to quality health services may result in the more rational use of antibiotics – a critical outcome given that unnecessary use of antibiotics accelerates AMR. At present an estimated two-thirds of antibiotics are consumed without prescription, in many cases inappropriately.

Second, better quality services can decrease health care-associated bacterial infections. Infections occurring in health facilities have an estimated prevalence of more than 10% in low and middle-income countries, meaning advances in antibiotic stewardship and infection control – including the provision of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene – have the potential to reduce this burden dramatically. In similar fashion, better quality antimicrobial drugs will help ensure bacteria are destroyed rather than given the chance to mutate, while access to advanced diagnostic tools will help health workers identify and treat infections more effectively.

And third, policies that make health care more affordable, including by reducing out-of-pocket expenditure, can help increase access to antimicrobial drugs when they are needed. At present an estimated 70% of out-of-pocket payments across the Region are on medicines, including antibiotics. This makes access to effective treatment unnecessarily costly for poorer people, who may then purchase and consume incomplete courses of antibiotics, hastening AMR. If accompanied by more stringent treatment guidelines and revised incentive schemes (for example de-linking the payment of health workers from the volume of drugs sold), cheaper antibiotics have significant potential to advance both the UHC and AMR agendas.   

Importantly, one of the best ways to achieve this outcome is via the dissemination of high-quality information and advice to health workers and the general public. More and better information on the rational use of antibiotics will help health workers treat ailments more efficiently, while also helping relieve the pressure to prescribe antibiotics where their efficacy may be in doubt. At the same time, messaging that persuades the public that antibiotics aren’t the ‘cure-all’ they have come to be known as will help ensure they are sought-out only where necessary, reducing inappropriate consumption and the resistance it breeds.   

On both UHC and AMR, the South-East Asia Region’s Member countries have made solid, mutually reinforcing progress. On UHC they have prioritised the strengthening of human resources for health, including the capacity of health workers at the primary level. They have also developed a regional regulatory network to help guarantee the quality of medicines, and have assessed health services coverage using a new WHO and World Bank index. On AMR, all Member countries have now developed and are implementing multisectoral national action plans, each of which emphasise the need for better infection control in health facilities, as well as enhanced public messaging on the rational use of antibiotics.

Progress on both fronts must continue. It should also be scaled up. By continuing to increase access to health services and striving to achieve universal health coverage, Member countries can further advance health and wellbeing for all, including by reversing the rising tide of antimicrobial resistance. And by continuing to implement multisectoral AMR national action plans, Member countries can help safeguard the efficacy of our most precious drugs, while at the same time advancing health equity and ensuring no one is left behind. When it comes to public health and development, universal goods can be hard to come by. Increased health coverage is one of them, and should be pursued accordingly.

SAHR calls for action on section 57 of ICT Act, protecting freedom of expression and allowing political comment in Bangladesh

December 12 2017-Press Statements - Bangladesh

South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a regional human rights defenders’ network expresses grave concern at the continued institution of cases in Bangladesh against individuals under Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act curtailing fundamental rights to freedom of expression and personal liberty. We note that the use of the law has resulted in hundreds of prosecutions of individuals simply for political criticism or comment or expressions of dissent. The threat of prosecution, including for comments on high officials of Government, is having an increasingly chilling effect on the press and civil society.

In the most recent incident, we note that cases have been filed under Section 57 for ‘hurt to the image of the nation’’ under the ICT Act and for defamation under the Penal Code against Professor Asif Nazrul of the University of Dhaka, a respected columnist and legal academic, and a Member of SAHR. The cases appear related to postings from an account regarding which Prof. Nazrul had publicly stated was not his and was fake.

We note with grave concern that the ICT is being used to harass and victimize people of dissenting opinions without giving them the opportunity of being heard and of defending themselves. We call on the Government of Bangladesh to identify the steps taken to repeal Section 57 of ICT Act and to ensure protection of the right to freedom of expression, and on the National Human Rights Commission to investigate this and other cases under Section 57 to assess compliance with the State’s obligations under international human rights law.

On behalf of the members of South Asians for Human Rights,
Sultana Kamal
Chairperson
Mohamed Latheef
Co-Chairperson

Palestinians no longer accept US as mediator, Abbas tells summit

Palestinian president demands UN takes charge of peace process after Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel

Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech during an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

 Peter Beaumontin Jerusalem-Wednesday 13 December 2017 11.59 GMT

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has formally declared that Palestinians will no longer accept the US as a mediator in the Middle East peace process following Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

In his strongest public statement since Trump’s announcement last week, Abbas said Palestinians would go to the United Nations security council to seek full membership of the UN while asking the world body to take control of the peace process as Washington was no longer “fit” for the task.

The meeting took place a day after the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, suggested that the linked – and equally contentious – move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem might not actually take place during Trump’s current term in office.

Abbas was speaking at a hastily convened meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, where members were called upon to recognise a Palestinian state, amid strong condemnations of both the US and Israel. 

“Jerusalem is and will forever be the capital of the Palestinian state,” Abbas told delegates. “We do not accept any role of the United States in the political process from now on, because it is completely biased towards Israel.”

The Palestinian president’s comments were echoed later in the summit’s official closing statement, which declared “East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine” and invited “all countries to recognise the state of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital”. 

The statement said the OIC summit viewed Trump’s move “as an announcement of the US administration’s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace” in the Middle East, describing it as legally “null and void” and “a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts” that would give impetus to “extremism and terrorism”.

The summit was attended by King Abdullah of Jordan, the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, the emirs of Qatar and Kuwait, and the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, who called on all Muslim nations to unite to defend the rights of Palestinians.

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, opened the meeting by denouncing the US move as a provocative “red line” for Muslims, describing Israel as an occupying and “terror” state. His remarks were echoed by other speakers.

But in a sign of cracks in the unity of Muslim countries – and reflecting the wider tensions in the region – Saudi Arabia and Egypt were represented at a relatively junior level, and took a back seat in the proceedings.

In comments pointedly aimed at Saudi Arabia, Rouhani said the only reason Trump had dared to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was because some in the region were seeking to establish ties to Israel. 

Rouhani’s remarks – and the prominence of countries closer to Iran at the summit – suggested there is a risk that the contentious issue of Jerusalem will be sucked into the escalating confrontation between Riyadh and Tehran.

Away from the summit, however, King Salman of Saudi Arabia echoed its language, telling the kingdom’s consultative council that Palestinians had the right to establish the Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem as their capital.

“The kingdom has called for a political solution to resolve regional crises, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue and the restoration of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, including the right to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the king said.

Analysts raised doubts as to whether Turkey’s leadership could bridge gaps in the Muslim political community, which is divided along Shia and Sunni lines.

Despite the strength of the condemnations, the meeting appeared to have fallen short of Palestinian hopes for a display of unity. 

There are fears that regional tensions may be fanned further by a visit by the US vice-president, Mike Pence, early next week, originally billed as focusing on the experience of Christians in the Middle East.

Abbas has already said he will refuse to meet Pence in protest, and Christian Palestinian leaders have also come under pressure to boycott his visit.

Trump’s announcement last week prompted an outpouring of anger in the Muslim and Arab world. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to denounce Israel and show solidarity with the Palestinians.

Firing aimed at Israel from inside the Palestinian coastal enclave of Gaza, which began after the announcement, continued on Wednesday morning. The Israeli air force – which has killed four Palestinians in Gaza in recent strikes – retaliated, wounding several Palestinians.

Islamic countries declare East Jerusalem capital of occupied Palestine

OIC summit statement condemns US recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, and brands Israel 'racist'

A Palestinian woman prays in front of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (Reuters)

A Palestinian woman prays in front of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (Reuters)

Suraj Sharma-Wednesday 13 December 2017

 

ISTANBUL, Turkey –  The biggest grouping of Islamic nations put aside differences and recognised East Jerusalem as the capital of occupied Palestine, the most concrete response yet to the American move of recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. 

The surprise announcement came despite Saudi Arabia and its allies sending low-level officials to the heads of state Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul on Wednesday, suggesting an unwillingness to adopt a strong position.

(We) declare East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine and invite all countries to recognise the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital

- Communique of the OIC

The final communique declared "East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine" and invited "all countries to recognise the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital".

It stated it rejected and condemned "in the strongest terms the unilateral decision by the President of the United States America recognising Al-Quds [Jerusalem] as the so-called capital of Israel, the occupying power." 

It said the move was considered "null and void legally" and "an attack on the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people, a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts, an impetus to extremism and terrorism, and a threat to international peace and security".

"I believe that we showed the world today that Jerusalem is not alone nor abandoned," a triumphant Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced at a post-summit news conference flanked by Palestine's president, Mahmoud Abbas, and OIC secretary general, Yousef al-Othaimeen.

"I want this display of unity over Jerusalem to be a lesson to everyone. As 1.7 billion Muslims we rejected Trump's decision today. We will never give up on Palestine.

"Today's summit was a message of decisiveness towards US provocation. There is no need [for them] to continue with a mistake."

"We repeatedly warned the United States that it was plunging the region into fire with that wrong decision."

Undercover Israeli police arrest a Palestinian demonstrator near the illegal settlement of Beit El on 13 December (Reuters)

As the OIC released its draft statement, Palestinians clashed with Israeli police around Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. The Mista'arvim, Israeli police disguised as protesters, arrested demonstrators near the illegal settlement of Beit El, north of Ramallah.

In al-Birah, also near Ramallah, Israeli soldiers fired rubber coated bullets and tear gas at Palestinian protesters.

And in Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian protesters managed to scale the border fence as they confronted Israeli soldiers.

The OIC communique did express the OIC's continued commitment to the search for a peace based on a two-state solution.

However, speakers at the conference had said the US had lost its ability to mediate following its decision.   

"The United States contradicted itself over Palestine. The US can no longer be a mediator for us. We will seek a cancellation of the US decision at the UN security council," said Abbas.

"For me this is one of the rare Islamic summits to conclude in success," said Abbas.

"The US can no longer mediate between Palestine and Israel. That process is over. The process can only continue with a neutral side, not a biased one."

The OIC warned the US it would be responsible for the consequences of its decision, without expanding on what those consequences would be.

The draft communique also called Israeli actions and policies "colonial" and "racist".

The OIC also expressed its unequivocal support for the just struggle of the Palestinians and condemned Israeli attacks on peaceful protests.   

The strongly worded document also called on the UN Security Council to step in and act against US President Donald Trump's decision.

"Today we adopted a healthy position against the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital," said Othaimeen.

OICDraftDocument.pdf by Thavam on Scribd