Vigilance urged in scarlet fever outbreaks

Comprehensive surveillance is needed to monitor human disease epidemics, according to Chinese and Australian researchers analysing a Chinese outbreak of the highly infectious childhood disease, scarlet fever.


Study co-author, Director of The University of Queensland's Australian Infectious Diseases Centre Professor Mark Walker said the 2011-2016 outbreak disease incidence was almost 3 times higher than that seen in the last 30 years.

Dr Yuanhai You, the first author of the study, said "The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) in Beijing continues to investigate the underlying reasons for the outbreak against the background of rapid development of the Chinese economy; improvement in the national health system, and increasing mobility of the Chinese domestic and international population.

Study co-author, Deputy director of The National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC Professor Jianzhong Zhang said "Many factors may interact in this outbreak, including streptococcal isolates with propensity to cause disease, environmental factors, climate, living standards, population movement, host population genetics and herd immunity; such factors may have influenced changes in the numbers and geographic distribution of cases."

Professor Walker said scarlet fever outbreaks began in 2011 in mainland China, Hong Kong, and South Korea, and in 2014 an epidemic was reported in the United Kingdom, although there has not yet been an Australian outbreak.

"Despite the epidemic lasting over six years, there had not been a comprehensive nationwide epidemiological description at the epicenter of the North Asia outbreak," Dr Yuanhai You said.

"The new study, led by theChina CDC, used epidemiological data and molecular analysis to address this issue.

Researchers found the highest incidence in the Chinese outbreak in children aged five years, with kindergarten children accounting for 44 per cent of cases.

The highest incidence was reported in males in May and June (early summer) and December (winter), in Beijing, Shanghai and northern provinces.

"It also collected both historical and outbreak-related strains of the bacteria causing the disease from distinct geographic regions of mainland China, and used whole genome sequencing to gain insight into genomic evolution, virulence and antimicrobial resistance."

Professor Walker said the study compared information from the Chinese outbreak with information collected from Hong Kong and UK outbreaks.

Professor Walker said the new study identified various antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, and found Hong Kong strains in mainland China, suggesting a role in the selection and expansion of scarlet fever lineages in China.

He said scarlet fever ranked as one of the most severe infectious diseases before the widespread use of antibiotics in the 1940s.

Scarlet fever symptoms include a red rash on the skin, sore throat, fever, headache and nausea, and severe illnesses treated with antibiotics, although some strains are becoming more resistant to treatment.

"It's caused by Group A Streptococcus bacteria, which is responsible for other diseases including pharyngitis, tonsillitis, impetigo, toxic shock and necrotizing fasciitis," he said.

The study, which also involved researchers from the University of Melbourne and UQ's Schools of Public Health and Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, is published in EBioMedicine: Scarlet Fever Epidemic in China Caused by Streptococcus pyogenes Serotype M12: Epidemiologic and Molecular Analysis. You Y, Davies MR, Protani M, McIntyre L, Walker MJ, Zhang J. EBioMedicine.

2018 Jan 11. pii: S2352-3964(18)30014-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.01.010. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:29342444

This work was funded by the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of the China CDC, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

Media: Professor Mark Walker, mark.walker@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3346 1623 (Australia)
            Dr. Yuanhai You (China), youyuanhai@icdc.cn (China)

Exclusive: Evidence of ongoing torture of Sri Lankan Tamils

Al Jazeera has uncovered allegations and evidence of security forces continuing to use torture against Tamils in Sri Lanka.

by Barnaby Phillips-1 Mar 2018

It's more than three years since President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in Sri Lanka.

He took over from a government which was accused of human rights abuses during the war against Tamil separatists.

Sirisena had promised a less authoritarian style of leadership.

But Al Jazeera has seen disturbing evidence of continuing torture.

Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips has this exclusive reports from London.

SRI LANKA/WORLD: Josefina Bergsten’s documentary “The Activist”

The full documentary can be viewed HERE.

by Basil Fernando- March 1, 2018


Josefina Bergsten is a producer of several social documentaries. Some of these documentaries are, “Unjust – a story of three surviving widows of three human rights activists who were assassinated in their countries”. They were, Munir Said Thalib from Indonesia, who was assassinated by poisoning while travelling in an Indonesian Garuda Airlines to the Netherlands; Mr Somchai Neelaphaijit, a senior human rights lawyer in Thailand who was abducted while travelling in Bangkok and thereafter disappeared; and Jerad Perera a Sri Lankan torture victim who was pursuing his cases before the courts and who was murdered while he was travelling to work by bus.

The three widows, Suciwati, Angkhana and Padma have been going to courts for many years seeking justice. But, the courts system is so arranged in favour of the perpetrators of these crimes and to impose hardships on those who demand justice. However, the three women courageously persevere, year after year, to seek justice and to let the world know about the kind of injustices done to their husbands who were decent men devoting their life in the pursuit of justice. This touching story is told by Josefina Bergsten in her documentary “The Unjust”.

In a documentary entitled “Healing Manipur” Josefina covered the moving story of widows in Manipur whose husbands were killed during the prolonged civil conflict in North and East of India. How these women cope-up with their lives, deal with their traumas, and look after their loved ones is told in this documentary with graphic illustrations. This documentary was done with the collaboration of the famous Indian Psychologist Dr. Rajat Mitra.

Josefina Bergstein also has done several stories on torture victims in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and other countries.

In the present documentary “The Activist”, she covers the problems involved in human rights work in the Asian countries through a long interview with Basil Fernando, Human Rights lawyer and activist who has been involved in human rights work for many decades. The story is narrated with biographical details into work on human rights issues such as caste discrimination, enforced disappearances, misuse of national security laws, and the painful stories of how all these things affects the lives of the ordinary folk.

With large amounts of photographs from Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Hong Kong, these stories have been beautifully illustrated. Comparisons between Hong Kong and Sri Lanka and Cambodia illustrates the vast differences between societies where the rule of law systems are well established and those where these systems have seriously collapsed.

Story then leads to the global human rights situation since the 9/11 incident and the kind of problems that are now being faced universally.

Several poems by Basil Fernando have also been used to illustrate various aspects of human problems involved in present day human rights tragedies.

The Documentary can be watched HERE.

UK expects adding further input to UN Interim Report on SL

2018-03-02

The UK Government said it was anticipating further representations on the UN Interim Report on the implementation of UN Resolution on Sri Lanka, at the ongoing UNHRC Sessions in Geneva.

In response to a question by Opposition Whip Vicky Foxcroft in House of Commons on Tuesday, Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field said the UK was closely monitoring the delivery of the commitments made by Sri Lanka under UN Resolution 34/1.

“In collaboration with the UN, international partners, Sri Lankan Government and civil society, we are closely monitoring the delivery of these commitments. The UK continues to support the Sri Lankan Government in its efforts to promote reconciliation and human rights,” he said.

He said the UK is also providing Sri Lanka with £6.6 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, funding over three years, to include support for police reform and training, reconciliation and peacebuilding and demining.

Meanwhile, Minister Field said he discussed the importance of the Sri Lankan Government meeting its obligations during his visit to Colombo and Jaffna in October last year.

“Among these were establishing transitional justice mechanisms, including a credible accountability process for those most responsible for violations and abuses during Sri Lanka's civil war and the return of military held civilian land, particularly in the north and east,” he said.

When asked what recent assessment has been made of the human rights record of Sri Lanka, Minister Field said the UK is committed to the full implementation of UN Resolution on Sri Lanka.

“This year the UK will continue to encourage progress on human rights issues, including modern slavery, gender inequality, and reform of discriminatory laws,” he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)

Leading Tamil Diaspora Organizations Welcome UN Human Rights Commissioner’s Report on Sri Lanka and Call for International Action

Geneva March 2, 2018:

GENEVA, March 2, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC), the British Tamils Forum (BTF) and the Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) welcome the report by High Commissioner Zeid to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) as the current Council session commenced on the progress made by Sri Lanka in implementing the HRC resolutions it co-sponsored.  The report notes that progress is 'virtually stalled,' so we call on member states to assure that Sri Lanka presents a time-bound plan for moving forward on its commitments and that Sri Lanka stays on the Council's agenda until those commitments have been met.

USTPAC, ATC and BTF fervently endorse the High Commissioner's call to the Member States to "explore other avenues, including the application of universal jurisdiction that could foster accountability."

After two and a half years since Sri Lanka committed to implement Transitional Justice measures called for by Resolution HRC-30/1, and nearly nine years since the end of war, the Tamil areas of NorthEast Sri Lanka remain heavily militarized. Disturbingly, there are ongoing violations of arbitrary arrests, surveillance, and torture of Tamils continuing to take place. Yearlong protests by relatives of the missing Tamils have been ignored causing despondency and distrust. Attacks by Sinhala Buddhist mobs against other communities are occurring with impunity and political leaders routinely use ethnic/communal slurs for electoral gain.

In his report, High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein noted, "The lack of sufficient progress in implementing critical confidence-building measures, such as the release of land, the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the solution to the pending cases under the Act, have antagonized key constituencies that could be instrumental to the Government's reform efforts."

Highlighting the continued impunity even in the emblematic cases, the High Commissioner argued, "The authorities have not yet demonstrated the capacity or willingness to address impunity for gross violations and abuses of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law."

Prince Zeid further observed that, "the failure to show major progress in these emblematic cases strengthens the argument for the establishment of a specialized court.. staffed by specialized personnel and supported by international practitioners."

We call upon the Member States of the Human Rights Council to stop accepting Sri Lanka's promises and start demanding concrete accomplishments. Bilateral initiatives should push Sri Lanka toward fulfilling its commitments in a timely fashion. The exercise of universal jurisdiction as called for by the High Commissioner, imposition of military and trade restrictions, and referral of Sri Lanka to the Security Council are other important alternatives to be considered to assure progress is made on transitional justice in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka should be encouraged to present at this 37th session of the HRC, a time-bound action plan to deliver on all aspects of Transitional Justice with parallel mechanisms for achieving accountability, investigation into the missing, reparations, truth-telling and a political solution ensuring non-recurrence.

http://srilankabrief.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Sri-Lanka-Report-of-the-OHCHR-2018-March.pdf

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/exclusive-evidence-ongoing-torture-sri-lankan-tamils-180301070109291.html

About USTPAC: USTPAC is a US-based Tamil advocacy group advocating for  cessation of ongoing human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, accountability for crimes committed during and after the civil war, and a political settlement to address  root causes of the conflict. Since 2009, it has worked for these goals with the US Government and UN Human Rights Council.

About BTF: British Tamils Forum exists to harness skills and the knowledge of members of the forum, and significant others including mainstream decision makers in the UK with the aim of alleviating the sufferings of the Tamils community in the Island of Sri Lanka and to further their right to self-determination within a democratic framework underpinned by international law, its covenants and conventions.

About ATC: The Australian Tamil Congress encourages positive participation of Tamils in Australian society, highlights issues of importance to Tamils, engages other communities, governments and organisations in addressing the socio-cultural and political concerns of Tamils. Educating people on Tamils' right to survival and self-determination, and teaching the lessons of Tamil Genocide in Sri Lanka for future generations.

Contact:

S. Sivam, USTPAC
T: +1 202 595 3123
Website: www.ustpac.org
Email: 191258@email4pr.com
Twitter: @UstpacAdvocacy

R. Jeganathan, President, ATC
T: +61 300 660 629
Website: http://www.australiantamilcongress.com/en/
Twitter: @austamilcongres

S. Sangeeth, BTF
T: +44 (0) 7412 435697
Website: www.britishtamilsforum.org
Email: 191258@email4pr.com
Twitter: @tamilsforum

2018_03_02_ATC_BTF_USTPAC_On_OHCHR Report_L.pdf by Thavam on Scribd

Criminals have a whale of a time with beast Eeya Sundariya’ s Kangaroo court decisions ! Restraining orders derail justice !

(Lanka-e-News - 02.March.2018, 6.20AM) An infamous   ex lover 'Eeya Sundariya' of Mahinda Rajapakse, well known for her bestiality but still tolerated as a judge of the Supreme court (SC) of Sri Lanka has made issuing judicial restraining orders her favorite occupation with the assistance of the magistrate court  .  This beast 'Eeya Sundariya'  is most brazenly and wildly  issuing illegal injunction orders to halt the criminal investigations into  the crimes  and corruption that are being duly conducted by  the CID, Bribery Commission and the Financial frauds division .Nowhere in the world such grave  criminal and illegal actions have been indulged  in by a judge of the SC, of all people. 

It is the duty of the police and law enforcing Institutions to conduct investigations into crimes  and corruption while forwarding reports to the relevant magistrate courts , and at the same time seeking   the assistance of those courts. Sadly however in SL , the supreme court has now been made a cesspit of corruption itself , by this bestiality  prone Eeya Sundariya  who instead of gracing the bench is disgracing  it by issuing injunction orders with gay abandon to discourage criminal  investigations and court proceedings in order to encourage the criminals and the corrupt.

Ex IGP Jayantha the suspect in Lasantha’s murder

This 'Eeya  Sundariya' only fit to be an inhabitant of the forests   is a disgrace to the sacrosanct bench . She had  issued two such villainous injunction orders last week alone , and on  the 28 th of Feb. , she had issued another injunction order against the arrest of  suspect ex IGP Jayantha Wickremeratne in connection with the cold blooded brutal murder of Lasantha Wickremetunge during which period Jayantha was the IGP . It is to be noted ,the then ex DIG Prasanna Nanayakkara of the CID  who forced Tissa Sugathapala SI investigating the Lasantha  murder to tear off the relevant page in the police notebook, is already in custody .It was based  on the information elicited from Prasanna , Jayantha Wickremeratne  the then  ex IGP was to be arrested. 

No sooner Jayantha heard of this than he went into hiding. When his wife , a lawyer , and relatives filed a fundamental rights petition in the SC  against the arrest , it  was  'Eeya Sundariya'  along with two other judges of the SC who heard the petition, to   finally issue  a restraining order on the  28th against the arrest of ex IGP Jayantha  the suspect in Lasantha’s murder.

One of the judges of that panel was L.T.B. Dehideniya who became notorious for precluding  the arrest of culprit Gotabaya earlier on. The other judge of the panel was  Priyantha Jayawardena who was the lawyer for Basil Rajapakse. He was also the lawyer who played a key role when the Rajapakses took the diabolic steps to chase out a former CJ unlawfully , and was therefore promoted to the SC  by the Rajapakses over and above others as a reciprocal gesture.

Overriding lawlessness and Kangaroo court of the beast ..

On the  26 th of February too , this 'Eeya Sundariya' of the wilds   issued a similar illegal restraining order defying all canons of logic  and legal norms. That was,  in the case filed by Bribery commission against  ex C J Mohan Peiris ,  present appeal court judge Duleep Nawas and former secretary of ministry of power and energy , Ferdinando who has now bolted –fled  the country . She gave a most bizarre injunction order beating even the Kangaroo court decisions ,  restraining the Colombo magistrate court from hearing the case filed  against them.

Unbelievably this order was issued based on a petition filed  by the accused  in the case. If the SC is to  issue a restraining order against a case  filed by the Bribery Commission while it is being heard in another court , no criminal case in this country can be duly tried. 

The SC is there to probe the correctness of a decision of the lower court after the latter has delivered  its verdict , and not to impede or preclude the hearing in the lower courts. If the SC is to take such obnoxious measures  to hinder administration of justice  , then the SC itself can  rather  carry on all the functions of the magistrate court too.

Can there be a SC in the whole world which does not know how cases should be heard ? Only in SL there exists such a Kangaroo court with 'Eeya Sundariya' as the judge.  In no other country such weird things happen in a SC  . 

Are Mohan Pieris and Duleep Nawas above the law and  granted immunity from prosecution ? Shouldn’t the crimes and corruption of these individuals and their criminal entanglements be made known to the public? 

When Ferdinando was the secretary of power and energy ministry , lands were  purchased  under a  project of  LECO .  In those transactions after quoting higher prices than the actual value of the lands , the extra collection was pocketed . As a result of that monumental corruption ,  that corrupt group became instant millionaires.  The lands purchased by Ferdinando in Australia after fleeing to that country  are all out of those illicit earnings – robbed public funds of Sri Lanka !

When the   CID launched an investigation based on a complaint during  Ferdinando’s tenure of office., shockingly , while the investigation was under way , Feridinando as the ministry secretary (the culprit)  had inquired from the Attorney General (AG ) whether he is facing criminal charges ? In fact such an inquiry should have originated from the CID and not from Ferdinando the accused. In  fact  , the AG should have  told him that then and there though he did not.

Mohan Peiris who was the AG at that time being corrupt himself and full of guiles and guises,  could not give him any advice. He instead  entrusted that task to his immediate subordinate Duleep Nawas who was then in the AG’s department . The  advice given by Nawas at that time was , a criminal case cannot be filed, and Nawas did not open a file in that connection. 

In any event , the CID on the contrary   systematically investigated and opened a file . When they  inquired from the AG then whether a prosecution case can be steered forward , the  AG had replied , ‘yes you can.’ But thereafter  the AG changed, and Mohan Peiris became  the CJ.
 
In the correspondence exchanged between the CID and the AG’s department , 'Eeya Sundariya'  who was in the AG’s department at that time  had also written  her comments. 

After the change of government , the Bribery Commission conducted an investigation into these  grave charges of corruption , and a case was  filed  in the magistrate court against Ferdinando , Mohan Peiris and Duleep Nawas .The latter has by now been appointed as an appeal court judge. Accordingly the case is now filed against  a former CJ ,   a present appeal court judge  and a ministry secretary who had fled the country. 

Jungle laws under an 'Eeya Sundariya'  the beast of the wilds …

It is in these circumstances , Mohan Peiris and Duleep Nawas filed a petition in SC to  halt this case proceedings. At that time , it was the bestial Eeya Sundariya  an erstwhile officer of the AG’s department who was on the bench . Despite  valid and strong opposition being mounted that she is legally not eligible to hear the case, 'Eeya Sundariya' committed a grave wrong by  hearing the case . What’s more ! she issued the restraining order unilaterally without consulting with the  other two judges, namely  Nalin Perera and Prasanna Jayawardena  of  the panel.

As  AG Priyasad Dep is out of the country these days , it is infamous 'Eeya Sundariya' of the Kanagaroo court  who is deputizing for him. Consequently the SC has been converted into a loony bin by her  diabolic judgments delivered according to her own whims and fancies.

It is significant to note since the advent of the pro good governance government , as many as 30 (approximately)  similar unlawful restraining orders were issued by the SC halting  case proceedings . Believe it or not all those orders were issued by 'Eeya Sundariya' the beast who has descended from infernal hell to deride  justice , demean the judiciary and contaminate the whole world. 

Chandrapradeep 

Translated by Jeff 

---------------------------
by     (2018-03-02 01:01:21)

‘Wanda Pethi’ My Foot!   

By Mass L. Usuf –MARCH 2, 2018

Mass Usuf

How many of the Sinhalese people can be fooled?  I have to deliberately mention Sinhalese because the fictional ‘victims’ are the Sinhalese people. ‘Victims’ of what? The ‘victims’ of ‘wanda pethi’. Victimised by whom? By the Muslims who are targeting the Sinhalese by mixing ‘Wanda Pethi’ (tablets to make a woman barren) in the food that they eat. The alleged objective is to reduce the Sinhala population while increasing the Muslim population so that Sharia law can be introduced in Sri Lanka.

Foolishness sometimes comes out of innocence and that can be understood. However, foolishness arising from gullibility conditioned by prejudice is unpardonable. Especially, when such tomfoolery paradoxically, are from the educated lot.

New Discovery

Eureka! It seems that the Muslim Hotels and Muslim Garment outlets in Sri Lanka have discovered what the advanced medical scientists of the developed world has not; That is, a tablet by which a woman can be made barren. Many Sinhalese people including many monks have fallen hook, line and sinker to these absurd lies. In Ampara, on 27th February, a Muslim hotel was attacked by a Sinhalese mob over the allegation that they were mixing these tablets with food served to the Sinhalese customers. The customers in this instance were men and the food served obviously would have been consumed by them. One wonders how could the women become barren through this. Sounds illogical and unscientific.

Reportedly at least five people were wounded and several shops and a mosque damaged. A video clip where the cashier admits that he had mixed the tablets has gone viral. The fact is that the video recording had been done under coercion and the cashier who is not fluent in his Sinhala does not even know what ‘wanda pethi’ is. In a later recorded clip the Cashier explained what had happened. He said that he had nodded his head in admission that the hotel used to mix chick peas flour to thicken the gravy. It was after he was told by his friends at the Police Station that the issue is about mixing some tablets in food which causes infertility that he realised what all this was about.

Law And Order

The serious lapse in the enforcement of the law, interference by corrupt politicians in matters of the Police and the general lack of self-confidence in the Police force is portending disaster to this country. It is alleged that the distance between the Police Station and the Hotel that was attacked is less than one kilometre. Strangely, it had taken a longer time for the Police to arrive at the scene of crime. The attack party was mobilised without delay indicating that this was organised and pre-planned. Altogether, giving credence to the theory that there was collusion. Something that needs to be investigated. Also, the Police needs to be instructed with regard to efficiency in response time, making it mandatory.

Read More

Wandha pethi and Facebook racism

 Saturday, 3 March 2018

The Prime Minister and Minister of Law and Order has suffered a blow as he assumed his new portfolio with the unleashing of violence by some Sinhala Buddhist vigilante groups against Muslims at D.S. Senanayake Veediya, Ampara. The litmus test for the Prime Minister as Minister of Law and Order lies in his willingness to take firm action against violence on minorities and making sure law and order prevail.

A mosque, a local teashop, many vehicles and other property belonging to Muslims were vandalised and burnt, causing millions in losses.

The extremist mob this time has claimed that Muslims are introducing contraceptive tablets in food sold in restaurants that would make Sinhala men and women barren. They maintain that the Muslims are mixing these dangerous tablets to ensure that the Sinhala population does not grow and the Muslims could become the majority community in the country. Statistical evidence shows that there has been a proportional population growth of all communities since the census of 1871.

The violence in Ampara could not have been a spontaneous reaction by any affected person as hundreds gathered within minutes in the middle of the night. How and why this large group gathered at such short notice at a little known location where this violence broke out needs to be investigated. If it were due to any conflict with the proprietor of the teashop, why would they attack and destroy a mosque, which is 150 metres away from the teashop?

As in all communal or ethnic violence in the history of Sri Lanka, the Police had arrived after the horse had bolted from the stables. They have failed to arrest any of the culprits who caused so much destruction within a short distance of the Police Station. The local Police Station was not even 100 metres away from the scene of violence and local residents say it took them over one hour to arrive at the scene after it was reported. Serious charges of Police complicity have been levelled for failing to control this racist attack not just in Ampara, but also in Aluthgama and many other places as in the past.

Gynaecologists and health experts confirm that there is no oral pill available anywhere in the world that could make a person barren, yet some Buddhist priests and racists continue to brainwash the average Sinhalese with this canard so that hate is propagated against the Muslim community. Social media has become the main platform for these extremist hate mongers. (blob:https://web.whatsapp.com/58e221c0-0284-471f-a1c9-83e5abfc5637)

This myth of contraceptive use to control the population growth of Sinhala Buddhists by Muslims was created a few years ago to target the textile retail chains owned by Muslim businessmen. There have been periodic calls to boycott Muslim eating-houses, textile retailers, etc. The call to boycott Muslim textile dealers often happens a few months before the Sinhala/Tamil New Year, confirming the suspicion that these are undertaken or financed by commercial interests.

The usual claim is that toffees mixed with contraceptives were given free to their Sinhala female customers, special contraceptive sprays have been used in lingerie to prevent pregnancy, jells are embedded in brassieres, etc., to affect the reproductive system of Buddhist females. The average Sinhalese started believing these, with growing suspicion and hatred towards Muslims became common in Buddhist majority cities and villages.

Successive governments have ignored the various complaints made to the Police and to other Government authorities by hundreds of Muslims. A lie repeated continuously convinces many as the truth as even enlightened Buddhists have become suspicious of Muslims.

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) has called upon the Prime Minister and Minister of Law and Order to investigate these charges through the Sri Lanka Police and Health authorities. They have also requested the authorities to appoint a team of doctors and health scientists to investigate whether there is any possibility of making people barren using any drug introduced through food consumed in restaurants or elsewhere. A thorough investigation and clarification by health experts will dispel this myth and restore peace amongst the different ethnic communities.

Rupavahini’s 8 p.m. news bulletin of 28 February carried total dismissal of this myth by a few respected doctors. The media should play its role in dispelling this myth.

The majority of Muslims voted for the Yahapalanaya coalition in January and August 2015 mainly because of the extreme racism experienced during the previous regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Now, we witness the re-emergence of that trend in the recent months by hate mongers mainly using social media. Immediate attention is needed by the Government to nip it in the bud. Some may say the bud has already blossomed!

Facebook heroes and hatemongers continue to intimidate Muslims and post live videos threatening violence against innocent people. The Evangelical Christians too face the wrath of these hatemongers. Their churches and prayer centres are constantly attacked and destroyed. Christians participating in prayer meetings are also assaulted. This is a major scam mainly done as a fund raising gimmick for personal monetary gain by a few Facebook heroes. The gullible, especially the Sinhala diaspora, continue to donate to these Facebook heroes.

Where were these ‘defenders of the Sinhala race’ who are unleashing hate and violence now, during the war? Why did they not have the will or courage to protect country and race then? They now ride on the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers and citizens, on their tears and blood, to realise their personal and political agenda.

The extremists started their assault on the Muslims by destroying a 400-year-old historic shrine in Anuradhapura and moved to remove a 65-year-old mosque in Dambulla claiming that it was a historic Buddhist city. Between 2013 and January 2015, there were 538 incidents of hate, intimidation and violence against Muslims in different parts of the country. Successive governments have failed to maintain the rule of law to ensure the freedom to practice one’s religion.

Former President Rajapaksa sadly missed a golden opportunity. Yahapalanaya of President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should not make the same mistake, to miss the opportunity of uniting Sri Lankans and forging ahead with development to ensure Sri Lanka is placed on the global map for peace and not racial intolerance.

THE ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION (OIC) EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN ON ATTACKS ON MUSLIMS IN AMPARA, SRI LANKA.

Image: Mosque  and number of hotels were attacked in Ampara by Sinhlease mobs.

02/03/2018

(JEDDAH /Saudi Gazette )The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed deep concern over the tense situation in Sri Lanka after a mosque, several hotels and vehicles owned by Muslims were vandalized by mobs in the town of Ampara, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

While expressing its concern over the highly explosive situation in the island nation, the OIC stressed the need to protect the rights of the Muslim minority, foremost of which is the sanctity of places of worship. It said Muslims should be able to perform their religious duties without fear or harassment and there should not be any direct or indirect attacks.

The OIC also said Muslims should have the freedom to earn their livelihoods and conduct business under the full protection of the law.

The OIC secretary-general called on the government of Sri Lanka to proceed expeditiously with an investigation of such abuses and to ensure the safety and security of the Muslim minority while practicing their religious rights in accordance with all relevant international human rights conventions and instruments.

SG/SPA

Attacks Against Minority Muslims In Ampara, Eastern Sri Lanka

By Mohamed Fazil –MARCH 3, 2018

Mohamed Fazil

At least five people were wounded, and several shops and a mosque were damaged in a clash between majority Sinhalese Buddhists and minority Muslims in Ampara, Eastern Sri Lanka, on Tuesday. The attack in Ampara transpired after a group of people accused a Muslim shop owner of incorporating “sterilization pills” into food. Although doctors in the field announced through social media that such an act is impossible, the Muslim shop owner should inquire for the court or a relevant authority.

The protracted conflict between the Sinhala and the Tamil transformed into the 26-year Sri Lankan civil war that ended in 2009 when the military defeated the LTTE. The state has yet to attempt meaningfully resolving this conflict. Unfortunately, anti-Muslim campaigns and numerous attacks against the religious rights and economy of Muslims increased after the civil war. The clash in Ampara is yet another widespread contestation between the Sinhalese majority and the Muslim minority who complained that in this incident, the police failed to control the mob attacks against them, the mosques, and other properties. Muslim politicians and civil society organizations requested that the government conduct impartial inquiry and take essential measures to arrest the culprits.

In a newly released report, Amnesty International (2017/2018) noted that last year, “Sri Lanka saw a rise in Buddhist nationalist sentiment, including attacks against Christians and Muslims.” In September 2016, a group of hardline Buddhist monks attacked the homes of Rohingya refugees in Boosa, southern Sri Lanka, and in November, dozens of Muslim homes and businesses were attacked near the southern city of Galle. According to media, these incidents are the main reason why the abovementioned report included such statements. In this light, the 37th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) commenced on 26 February 2018. Media reported that Ampara incident has been informed to the UNHRC officials via some civil society organizations within this week. The ongoing session will reportedly allow international human rights organizations to submit the arguments they incurred from several parts of the world. The clash in Ampara along with the aforesaid report might also induce increased criticism on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC session, which may vehemently mar the image of the country.

It is important to mention here that attacks and discrimination against to the religious minority should stop to avoid another full-range of ethnic contestation, therefore following measures can be considered to avoid future clash:

If any clash or ethnic contestation were to occur anywhere in the island, then a high level of police authority in that region must be accountable for maintaining law and order. However, these attacks against minorities would only be inhibited if the police acted without partiality. The post-independence history of Sri Lanka imparts a powerful message to the Sri Lankan and international communities: partiality that originates from state police and security forces is one of the root causes of widespread violence against minorities.

Specially trained peace-keeping forces can be deployed in each district to control attacks against particular religious groups and to maintain a peaceful environment.

Furthermore, the government should ensure that its officials, including members of law enforcement bodies, respect religious freedom and abstain from discrimination based on religion or belief. Officials should also be trained on basic human rights, especially religious freedom.

Fragmented Muslim politicians and civil society must take collective dealings and request to the government to give safeguard and compensation for the attacks against to their community and property. Powerful ministers from the Muslim community must stop to gain political advantage during their people face challenges.

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Int’l community welcomes Govt. activating OMP

2018-03-02

The international community praised and welcomed the move by President Maithripala Sirisena to appoint seven commissioners to the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) on Wednesday, two days after the 37th UNHR Council session commenced in Geneva.

A number of foreign ambassadors in Sri Lanka yesterday tweeted expressing their optimism over the move.

US Ambassador in Sri Lanka Atul Keshap said the establishment of a robust and independent OMP is an important step forward for enduring peace, non-recurrence, accountability and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans, especially those citizens who seek answers about their loved ones.

While welcoming the move, British High Commissioner James Dauris said it was a step forward which families of the disappeared persons from around Sri Lanka have long been waiting for.

“I share the hope of many people from all communities that the OMP will be given all the help it needs to be effective and become fully operational quickly,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of the Netherlands Joanne Doornewaard said the appointment of the OMP commissioners was good news. “Hope they’ll start working right away,” she said.

Canadian High Commissioner David McKinnon said “This is welcome, if long overdue. Those committed to ensuring a peaceful, reconciled, and prosperous Sri Lanka know that much more needs to be done. Canada is pleased to be a partner on this journey, but the real progress has to be driven by Sri Lankans themselves".

The appointed Commissioners of the OMP are Saliya Pieris, PC (Chair) Jayatheepa Punniyamoorthy, Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) Mohanti Antonette Peiris, Dr. Nimalka Fernando, Mirak Raheem, Somasiri K. Liyanage and Kanapathipillai Venthan. (Lahiru Pothmulla)

A framework for a Cabinet reshuffle – if the Government is serious about it

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 Friday, 2 March 2018

On 16 September 2015, still under the euphoria of a new government and new possibilities, I wrote an article titled ‘The real issue is not the size of the Cabinet but its performance’.

There I said – “There seems to be much dissatisfaction about the size and the composition of the present Cabinet, but, it is time to accept the state of affairs and turn the spotlight on the performance of the Cabinet of Ministers. Splintering of responsibilities in key policy domains such as development, infrastructures, trade, and home affairs into several ministerial portfolios; or the overlap of responsibilities across domains will bring inefficiencies no doubt, but, a heightened focus on performance could alleviate some of those problems.”

Two-and-a-half year later, the Local Government elections have given the Government the jolt it needs and the realisation that its performance has been poor. Whatever the reasons for under performance, the collective responsibility lays with the Cabinet.

Removing the rose-tinted glasses I wore in September 2015, it is now only too easy to see why this Cabinet is not able to perform. It is too large and disjointed and there are different driving forces. The driving forces issues is a political issues. In this article, I wish to present the administrative solution in the form of a set of core portfolios, and the need to work within the constraints of the core, as portfolios are split up and redistributed.

The method I used is an empirical one. The composition of a cabinet is determined by the saliency of issues in a particular setting. At this point of time, we have 47 Cabinet Ministers. The subjects assigned to them give us a good distribution of issues relevant to Sri Lanka. Next, I compare and contrast existing Cabinet portfolios from Singapore and USA to compile a core set of 15 portfolios, and distribute our 47 current portfolios across the core (see table). This is so that subjects are not distributed randomly leading to policy paralysis.

This framework recognises reality of developing countries where portfolio inflation is a fact of life, but it allows for expansion within a logical framework of 15 core subjects. The core subjects can be refined and redefined.

15 core subjects

When Lee Kuan Yew formed his first Cabinet in 1959, there were only 10 portfolios including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. There were ministries for Home Affairs, Finance, Labour, Law, National Development, Health, Education and Culture.

Even today, Singapore has a lean Cabinet of 17 portfolios with Communications and Information, Defence, National Security, Environment and Water Resources, Foreign Affairs, Culture, Community and Youth, Muslim Affairs, Social and Family Development, Transport and Trade and Industry added to the original eight to reflect changing times.

The Cabinet portfolios in the United States have remained largely unchanged from a core of 15 which consists of Agriculture, Commerce, Defence, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labour, State, Transportation, Treasury and Veterans Affairs, with Cabinet standing given more recently to administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency and Small Business Administration, among others.

Putting these two systems together, a global core of sorts can constructed with four big ones – i.e. Finance, Defence, External Affairs, and Interior Affairs and eleven other subsidiary ones – i.e. Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection, Justice, Labour, Trade & Industry, Transportation, Infrastructure, Communications and Information and National Development. The Infrastructure category carries a diverse set of portfolios.

47 Ministerial portfolios

To date, 47 Ministers have been sworn in. I have clustered the 47 portfolios awarded so far within the 16 core portfolios we identified and summarised in the given table. To make the distribution comprehensive we need also to include agencies under the appropriate core subject. For example, the Paddy Marketing Board is currently under the Minister for Rural Affairs, but it is the Minister for Agriculture who gets the questions about shortages of rice.

If the Government is serious about performance, the Cabinet reshuffle has to make sense.

First, the Presidential Secretariat should distribute each agency under the appropriate core subject and ensure that the agencies don’t get distributed outside of the core area for petty reasons. Second, the ministers within each area have to work together with common objectives, taking responsibility for Key Performance Indicators for each core area.

With the clock ticking and three elections to face within the next two years, this Government has to muster all its analytical and political muscles and deliver. 

Sri Lanka: The return of Rajapaksa

VICTORY NEWS Rajapaksa reading newspaper reports. Photo: PTI

March 1, 2018

Among rural Sinhalas, the belief that former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was cheated out of a victory in the last presidential election held in January 2015 resonates strongly. Many even believe that Rajapaksa's defeat was a conspiracy hatched by the western powers. Apparently, these voters were largely responsible for the victory of the political party backed by Rajapaksa in the local government poll held on February 10. The poll result has in a way put him back in the driving seat and plunged the coalition that ousted him from office into disarray.

Rajapaksa's party won nearly 45 per cent of the total votes cast while the United National Party (UNP) of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the single largest party in parliament, came second, polling around 33 per cent of the votes. The showing by the two parties backed by President Maithripala Sirisena was dismal. He managed to win less than 15 per cent of the vote.

While losing a local council election does not result in the downfall of a government, many see it as a referendum on the popularity of the ruling coalition put together by Sirisena and Wickremesinghe after they ousted Rajapaksa. The electoral setback plunged the already faltering alliance into turmoil with immediate calls for Wickremesinghe's resignation and a snap parliamentary election.

CRACKS IN THE COALITION? Sirisena (right) and Wickremesinghe at a public ceremony in January. Photo: ReutersDinuka Liyanawatte

As most political analysts have pointed out in the aftermath of the polls, containing Rajapaksa has proven to be a tough challenge for Sirisena-Wickremesinghe. "His political opponents were not in the same weight class as this Muhammad Ali of politics," wrote political analyst Dayan Jayatilleka. While his views are usually pro-Rajapaksa, this poll result signals the return of the former president under whose tenure the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were militarily defeated.

This may not be a welcome scenario for the liberals among the Sinhalese population, the Tamil and Muslim communities, who together comprise 23 per cent of the country's population of around 21 million. Rajapaksa's ardent supporters mostly belong to the majority Sinhalese Buddhist community. Tamil politician and leader of opposition Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, who leads the Tamil National Alliance, has criticised the communal line that Rajapaksa took during the election campaign by saying that a vote for the UNP would lead to the creation of a separate Tamil state. "It was a malicious, vicious, fallacious, false propaganda," he says.

Rajapaksa left office in 2015 amidst a barrage of allegations ranging from human rights abuses, nepotism, fraud and corruption. People complained of a repressive regime run by Rajapaksa and his brothers. Amid international pressure, mounting debt and public outcries over abuse of power, Rajapaksa declared an early presidential poll aimed at fortifying his position but unbeknownst to him, Sirisena, one of his closest associates and minister, was roped in to run as a common candidate against him. The gamble paid off and Sirisena was elected the president with the backing of the Tamil and Muslim voters. However, the government of National Unity put together after Rajapaksa's defeat has been fraught with ideological differences. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the leadership of which Sirisena took over, is a Left-leaning party that has historically forged alliances with China and Russia and spearheaded the Non-Aligned Movement. The UNP is a right of the centre party with leaning towards the West. Sirisena and Wickremesinghe also come from contrasting backgrounds-the former hailing from the rural agriculture district of Polonnaruwa while Wickremesighe hails from an affluent family in Colombo. The two had formulated a common programme with promises to bring back the money allegedly siphoned off abroad by Rajapaksa, curb corruption, restore human rights and address war crimes allegations levelled at the armed forces.

However, the probe into allegations of corruption against those in the former regime have dragged on without breakthroughs. Further, the PM's close confidant, who was appointed governor of the Central Bank, faces charges of sharing confidential information with his son-in-law on the sale of bonds, which resulted in a huge loss to the state exchequer. Sirisena appointed a presidential commission before which the PM had to appear as a witness. This caused a rift between Sirisena and members of the UNP who accused him of going against the party that helped him to come to power.

Promises to move away from Rajapaksa's pro-China policy have been all but forgotten with the controversial Port City project, which Wickremesinghe had promised to scrap once in office, going ahead full steam. The Hambantota Port, too, has been handed over to a Chinese company amid protests from local workers.

The bitterness among the coalition partners was reflected throughout the campaign. Instead of focusing on Rajapaksa, Sirisena accused his alliance partners of corruption. The UNP members, on the other hand, slammed him for 'ingratitude'. This, coupled with people's anger over rising cost of living, cutbacks in fertiliser subsidies and allegations of corruption against ministers, worked in favour of Rajapaksa.

In the aftermath of the poll, the government looked shaky for a few days but its members have since rallied behind the president and the prime minister. "The future plans of the government will be implemented for the betterment of the public while taking into consideration the message given to the government," the president said after a recent cabinet reshuffle. The PM admitted that the ruling alliance had suffered a major setback. "We accept the people's verdict.... We will look inwards," he said.

The country's constitution bars anyone from running for president for more than two terms. Hence, Rajapaksa cannot contest for the post. He is a member of parliament and if he can muster the support of a majority, he could become the prime minister. This seems unlikely given that the UNP and Sirisena have the majority in parliament. Presidential and parliamentary polls are due in 2020 and, elated by the recent success, Rajapaksa would have set his sights on regaining power. Sirisena and Wickremesinghe would do well to stop their bickering. Otherwise, their prospects don't look too bright. Chandani Kirinde is Assistant Editor with the Sunday Times, Colombo