Why Violence In Sri Lanka: Some Critical Notes On Sinhala-Buddhist Symbols

By Imtiyaz Razak –MARCH 7, 2018

Dr. Imtiyaz Razak

Why? That was the question raised by some non-Sri Lankans, who follow Sri Lanka, when they learned the recent wave of violence in Ampara, Eastern Province and Digana/Teldeniya, Central Province against Muslims by Sinhala-Buddhist Evidences suggest that Muslim properties were systematically targeted and destroyed both in Ampara and Digana. Violence against Muslim in the so-called post-war Sri Lanka surprised many Muslims because Muslims expected peace and harmony in the island when Tamil Tigers silenced their guns in May 2009.But careful observers of Sri Lanka should know that recent wave of violence against Muslims didn’t occur in vacuum. There’s an ideology and there’s a political program behind this stage of violence. This article would attempt to provide some thoughts on Sri Lanka symbols.

Sri lanka state’s central ideology rooted in Buddhism and the interests of Sinhala-Buddhists. Though Buddhism is not a state religion in Sri Lanka, Buddhism is accorded foremost position while allowing people of other faiths to practice. This place in the constitution actively empowered Sinala-Buddhists to pressure politicians to gain concessions and to mobilize Sinhala-Buddhists particularly in the villages. There was a pressure from liberal groups to change the constitution in order to reflect true secular nature by removing special status for Buddhism. But there was huge opposition from Sinhala-Buddhist forces and politicians Sources say that “more than 75 prominent monks warned the government not to change the constitution or it would face consequences.The opposition, led by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and hard-line Buddhist groups have warned the government of nationwide demonstrations if the government went ahead with changes to the charter.” This mirrors Sri Lanka’s challenge to establish peace. It is hard to win peace when we do not have willingness to offer concessions.

Since Buddhism is a crucial part of Sinhala-Buddhists’ symbol, experiences suggest that Sinhala-Buddhist politicians seek support from Buddhist monks and authorities to win and to consolidate power. In some cases, these forces win concessions from the state and its institutions, for example Sinhala-only language act and national flag, which is the lion flag.

National flag is key symbol of any nation.Sri Lanka’s national flag is the lion flag. The lion in the flag represents bravery of Sinhalese. “The four Bo leaves represent four main concepts of Buddhism Mettā, Karuna, Mudita and Upeksha. The stripes represent the two main minority groups. The saffron stripe represents Tamils and the green stripe represents Muslims, and the maroon background represents the majority Sinhalese. The Gold border around the flag represents the unity of Sri Lankans.” SriLanka’s national flag, which mainly repr mirrors the majoritorian domination and politics.

Sri Lanka’s national flag is called the lion flag. In the flag, “the lion represents bravery of Sinhalese. The four Bo leaves represent four main concepts of Buddhism Mettā, Karuna, Mudita and Upeksha. The stripes represent the two main minority groups. The saffron stripe represents Tamils and the green stripe represents Muslims, and the maroon background represents the majority Sinhalese. The Gold border around the flag represents the unity of Sri Lankans.”

The lion, which represents the Sinhala-Buddhists, occupies the majority portion of the flag. The stripes– saffron and green stripe represent Tamils and Muslims respectively. As I mentioned elsewhere, the lion with sword not only simply represents the Sinhala-Buddhists, but also it is warning both Tamils and Muslims with bloody consequences if they (Tamils and Muslims) would go against the interests of the majoritarian domination. In other words, the lion with sword passes the message to non-Sinhalese communities to “behave”in a way the majority Sinhala-Buddhists want or face the dire consequences.

Flag is one of crucial identity markers of a nation. In divided societies, state should represent multi dynamics of different ethno-religious communities. Exclusive nature of state symbols and state formation may provoke fears and tensions at popular level among the powerless groups. Such a dynamic may push powerless groups to resort to exclusive ideologies. In that political conditions, political societies rather than seeking inclusive agendas, they may resort to violence and extremism. This is a blueprint for instability and insecurities. If Sri Lanka’s political elites want to establish peace and reconciliation, they should demonstrate political willingness to take measures to establish peace. One of such a measure is to redesign the nation flag. Sri Lanka’s new national flag should be inclusive in ethnic nature and accommodating in political consciousness. This is not an easy task, because Sinhala-Buddhist politicians would use such a move to outbid their opponents in elections to win Sinhala-Buddhist votes. But that voter outbidding politics both by UNP and SLFP since 1948 ( as well as SLPP from 2018) forms a greater challenge to reach out to an acceptable political settlement for Tamils and Muslims.

The fact is that Sri Lanka has been struggling to win trust of Tamils and Muslims. As Ted Robert Gurr has observed, there is no comprehensive and widely accepted theory of the causes and consequences of ethno-political conflict] Instead, there are many factors that can lead to tensions between groups of people. In Sri Lanka, Sinhala-Buddhist majority’s minority complex is one of primary sources for the rise of violence against Tamils and Muslims. That minority complex primaarily encourage socalled saviors of Sinhala-Buddhists such as politicized monks to incite hatred and violence against Tamils and Muslims. This along with politicization of ethnic relations to win power continue to contribute to rising fears among Tamils and Muslims.

Read More

A big match between fire and fury

 Wednesday, 7 March 2018 

If you live in Sri Lanka and truly love it, what’s happening right now must hurt “real bad” (as the vulgar phrase goes). The hopes and aspirations of a peace-cherishing citizenry have gone up in smoke and flames, or so it seems this week.

What really triggered the riot in Teldeniya or started the rot off in Ampara, even set the faggots alight in Gintota earlier in the year, is a moot point. There is sufficient warrant from past conflagrations for the finger of suspicion to point at resurgent nationalism fuelled by inflamed political leaders slavering for more power. Or, if you’re into the softer more tender-minded avatar of apportioning blame, to finger the unfathomable Fabian tactics of the craven powers that be. As far as the vulgar mob goes – and the farther the better – it is caviar to the general. And I don’t mean to be Fonny.

A big match between fire and fury.docx by Thavam on Scribd

TAMIL CIVIL SOCIETY STRONGLY CONDEMNS THE VIOLENCE UNLEASHED AGAINST THE MUSLIM PEOPLE IN SRI LANKA.

Image: Anti- Muslim mobs took over the streets in Teldeniya.

Statement by Tamil Civil Society condemning violence against Muslim community.

 March 6, 2018.

 We strongly condemn the violence being unleashed against the Muslim people in Kandy this week and in Ampara earlier last week. Initial reports from Ampara and Kandy make clear that the police by inaction were complicit in the violence. We, as Tamil civil society organizations who work in the North-East, are very disappointed with the growing violence against the Muslim community. This Government came into office promising that incidents like the one that took place in Aluthgama under the former regime, will not be repeated. The Government should have investigated the crimes against the Muslim people in Aluthgama. If the incidents had been investigated and those responsible had been brought to book we could have prevented what happened in Kandy, Ampara and before that in Galle. Impunity breeds violence and this has been a recurrent theme throughout Sri Lanka’s history. The Government must do all that is necessary for the violence from spreading and investigate the reasons for the violence in Kandy and Ampara and hold those responsible to account for their heinous acts.

 We are also troubled by the growing Islamophobia within both the Sinhalese and Tamil communities which provide the atmosphere for the violence that we are witnessing. We must actively work against the spreading Islamaphobia and take remedial action. We stand in solidarity with the Muslim community against these attacks and pledge to work together to resolve matters of inter -ethnic tensions and ending the cycle of impunity that enables this violence.
Signatories

1. Tamil Civil Society Forum
2. Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research
3. Centre for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (Trincomalee)
4. Jaffna University Teachers Association
5. Jaffna University Employees Union
6. Justice and Peace Commission, Diocese of Jaffna
7. SUYAM – Centre for Women’s Empowerment
8. SUYAMPU – Theatre Active Movement

Let sanity prevail

2018-03-07

In the aftermath of violence in Ampara last week and in some areas of Kandy on Monday, the government yesterday declared a state of emergency for ten days. Reports yesterday afternoon said the situation in Digana, Teldeniya and some other areas was calm but certain groups could exploit the sensitive feelings and create more trouble. Thus we hope the police including the Special Task Force (STF) and the armed services will act fast and firmly to prevent such elements from creating trouble.

It is tragic that after a devastating 26-year war some sections and mainly extremist elements have still not realised that small riots in some areas could spread and cause havoc throughout the country. In the Digana and Teldeniya incidents, there is a belief that the security forces should have acted more effectively specially last Sunday afternoon when the victim’s funeral took place and tension was running high. Eventually it is reported that mobs which came mainly from outside created riots by setting fire to certain business establishments and damaging places of religious worship.

The events during the past two weeks underline the importance of moving effectively towards interracial and interreligious dialogue to bring about deep unity in diversity. The new government when it took office said it would give priority to bring about unity in diversity and many moves have indeed being made but there are questions as to whether such efforts have borne fruit.

Violence is rejected by all four major religions practised in Sri Lanka. Religions teach that conflict-resolution needs to come through a dialogue where the parties try to come to an accommodation on the middle path. For this to be achieved and sustained a paradigm shift is needed. We all need to be aware that our perception on any issue is always relative and never absolute. Then we will be conscience that there is some virtue and validity in what other people and parties are saying or perceive. Acceptance of this reality brings about what is called synergy -- that means one plus one makes not two but three. It means that different perspectives put together could create something new.

The world has seen enough of racial and religious extremism and we should be careful not to take such a destructive path. That is why that where religion and race, culture and civilisation are concerned, there is a principle we need to follow. While we respect our own race, religion and culture and practise its precepts we also need to respect the race, religion and culture of others though we may not fully understand the virtues and values in what they do. We also need to understand there are common areas where people of all religions and races could work together. Some of these priority areas are poverty alleviation, the battle against global warming and the campaign to ban nuclear weapons.

Recently Russia announced it had developed hypersonic or smart nuclear weapons which could hit any part of the world at twenty times the speed of sound. Russia’s President Vladmir Putin is trying to make Russia great again just as the United States President Donald Trump is trying to make America great again. That is why it is necessary for all religions to come together and work for a ban on nuclear weapons because otherwise the whole world could be destroyed in minutes.

With all these major issues facing the world, Sri Lanka’s responsible citizens need to commit themselves to the principles of unity in diversity. 

Justice Collapsed: Anti-Muslim Racists Take Law Into Their Own Hands

By Latheef Farook –MARCH 6, 2018

Latheef Farook

What had happened in Digana on Sunday 4 March 2018 was a crime committed on an innocent Sinhalese lorry driver by three drunken Muslim three wheeler thugs. It is a matter for law enforcement authority to deal with culprits in keeping with the law of the land.

Instead Muslim owned business in and around the area were burnt and caused havoc in the area. The government should have known that emotions were running high during funeral and it was duty bound to prevent the racist from implementing their evil agenda on Muslims in the area.

The government’s failure to take timely precautionary measures to prevent any untoward incident against Muslim business establishments sent a clear message to racists. The presence of Buddhist monk Galagoda Atte Gnanasara of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) gave yet another shot in the arm for these racists. The question is what was he doing there?

“There is no way for Muslims to defend themselves. First the STF comes and take from Muslims whatever they have, including knives, to defend themselves. Then they attack Muslims. In one incident they entered a mosque and attacked those inside. Then they allow racists waiting to attack Muslims. This included women with helmets’ “said a Muslim from Pallekelle.

Some suspects that the government allowed these attacks to take place to divert the country’s attention from the political crisis it is passing through.

It has become clear that disastrous Maithri-Ranil yahapalanaya racism is no different from Rajapaksa racism. Mahinda Rajapaksa has to his credit Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town carnage while Maithri- Ranil have to their credit Gintota and Ampara and Digana attacks.

No lesson learnt from the past and the country, it appears, is heading towards a disastrous future.

Earlier the senseless attack on innocent imam of Amara mosque, mosque and Muslim owned business establishments besides burning their properties. This has now become an ongoing affair.

There has been a pernicious campaign to whip up anti-Muslim sentiment among Sinhalese over the past few years. This includes the spreading of a canard that Muslim businesses surreptitiously try to sterilize Sinhalese customers using various means. Among them is the notion that substances are embedded in brassieres and the deliberate contamination of food with ‘sterilizing substances’.

It is part of a campaign to poison innocent Sinhalese minds to discourage them from patronizing Muslim owned businesses to cripple Muslim community’s economy.   

These mobs have nothing to do with Buddhism or Sinhalese culture. They are mercenaries of local and foreign anti-Muslim forces. So far they have never attacked a gambling den, liquor shop or even sex industry parlors. Their Buddhism is to attain Nibbana by attacking imams, burning mosques, Muslim owned shops, restaurants, vehicles and everything they could think of. They do not understand the harm they cause to the country to which they claim sole ownership.

Read More

Sri Lanka declares state of emergency after communal violence

Unrest between Sinhalese and Muslims spreads after arson attacks and riots in central Kandy


Michael Safi in Colombo, and Amantha Perera Tue 6 Mar 2018 10.08 GMT

Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide state of emergency for the first time since the civil war era in response to days of violent unrest between Sinhalese and Muslim communities.

The special measures permitting soldiers to be deployed in civilian areas will initially apply for 10 days, at which point the deployment would need to be ratified by parliament, said Mano Ganesan, the Sri Lankan minister for co-existence.

“There were concerns that communal violence would spread,” Ganesan told the Guardian. “We don’t want to spread communal disharmony and hate speech.”

Arson attacks and riots have hit the central district of Kandy in recent days and there was similar violence in late February when mobs set fire to Muslim-owned businesses and a mosque in the east.

The violence in Kandy is understood to have been sparked when a group of Muslim men in Digana town were accused of killing a man belonging to the majority Sinhala Buddhist community, who make up about 75% of the population.

Muslim-owned shops were set alight in response and the violence spiralled out of control after monks from hardline Buddhist groups with a history of inciting violence in the past travelled to the town to negotiate the release of the accused men.

When they failed to do so, more fires were lit, dozens of people were arrested and a curfew was imposed in two towns in the district.

On Tuesday morning the body of a 24-year-old man was pulled from one of the houses set on fire the previous day. His funeral was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

The Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said on Monday the violence in the town “appeared to be systemic and organised” and promised the government would take stern action.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

✔@RW_UNP

As a nation that endured a brutal war we are all aware of the values of peace, respect, unity & freedom. The Govt condemns the racist & violent acts that have taken place over the last few days. A state of emergency has been declared & we will not hesitate to take further action.

7:04 AM - Mar 6, 2018

• 208
• 214 people are talking about this

The Indian Ocean island nation has been trying to rebuild its tourism industry after a devastating 28-year-civil war between the government and Tamil separatists in the north. The last state of emergency, in place throughout the war, was allowed to lapse in November 2011.

Ganesan said the fresh state of emergency also widened police powers to detain suspects.

Tensions between Muslims, who make up about 10% of the population, and the majority Sinhala Buddhist community have existed for decades but have become more acute since the end of the civil war.

Sinhala Buddhist mobs rampaged through southern coastal towns including Aluthgama in 2014 after reports that a Muslim man had attacked a Buddhist monk in the area.

Alan Keenan, a Sri Lanka specialist with the International Crisis Group, said radical Buddhist groups had been attacking Muslims with “a significant degree of regularity” since 2012 and especially since last April.

“One of the key underlying elements is the sense that many Sinhalese and Buddhists have is that Sri Lanka is a Sinhalese and Buddhist island and other community, Muslims and Tamils, are here on the sufferance of the majority,” he said.

Sri Lanka’s army soldiers stand guard a road after clashes. Photograph: Reuters

Keenan said the previous president, the staunch Sinhala nationalist Mahinda Rajapaksa, had condoned instances of anti-Muslim violence and hate speech. The renewed violence in past months could be related to the growing strength of Rajapaksa’s opposition movement, he added.

Last month Rajapaksa’s party swept to victory in municipal elections in the country in his strongest electoral performance since he was defeated in the 2015 presidential elections.

“Many have argued that it [the inter-communal violence] is a product of the search for a new enemy to replace the Tamils, unite the Sinhala and win votes by cultivating a sense of Sinhala Buddhists under siege,” Keenan said.

“This is a small number of Sinhala Buddhists playing on more widely held fears and myths and concerns.”

Amnesty International called for Sri Lankan authorities to “end the impunity” for hardline Buddhist groups accused of inciting or carrying out violence.

“The failure to hold to take action against these groups has only emboldened them further and plunged minorities in a deeper state of fear,” said Dinushika Dissanayake, the group’s deputy south Asia director.

Unity and stability crucial for Sri Lanka’s future: Prime Minister

• Highlights importance of regional integration and trade liberalisation
• Stresses need for unity in Lankan society
• Says Sri Lanka must exploit geographical location for economic growth
• Insists FDIs vital for growth in debt-ridden economy
• Urges SL must look at establishing land route with India for better trade
• Reiterates education system needs change

By Skandha Gunasekara-Tuesday, 6 March 2018


In a bid to win over liberalisation sceptics, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday highlighted the importance of bilateral trade, underpinned by unity and stability in the country.


Addressing the Organisation of Professionals Association, under the theme ‘Future of Sri Lanka’, the Prime Minister stressed the need for unity in and stability in Sri Lankan society.

“The civil war that took longer than three decades to conclude took an immense toll on the country’s economy. The war is over but we still haven’t achieved unity. There is no single formula for unity. What worked in the US may not work in Sri Lanka but it is achievable. Look at our neighbour India, even with its diverse communities it is united; it is a modern wonder. Unity is a process,” he said adding that unity will help build a stable nation.

Noting the importance of Sri Lanka’s location in the Indian Ocean, the Premier asserted that free trade agreements and bilateral trade would be crucial for Sri Lanka’s future.  “The Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal are becoming more important each year and given our location we must exploit that. Our economy should become more and more competitive because we have a market of 3 billion people. That’s the challenge for our economy. We are an important part of India’s Neighbourhood First policy, we are an important part of Japan’s maritime policy and we are also an important partner of China’s One Belt One Road initiative. Our economy should become more and more competitive because we have a market of 3 billion people. That’s the challenge for our economy.”

Although SAARC was unsuccessful in regional integration, the Prime Minister pointed out that countries in East Asia and beyond were ready to trade with Sri Lanka. “Trade agreements are the beginning. We must engage with our immediate neighbours as well as those further away to develop. SAARC has not been successful in this sense, but ASEAN, China, India, Australia, New Zealand are markets we can tap into. We have a free trade agreement with China, one of the only countries in the world to have such a deal.”

The Prime Minister then affirmed that FDIs were key to Sri Lanka’s economic growth in light of the heavy debt burden the country has borne. “Debt servicing is taking the bulk of our revenue. This is why we need FDI’s. We need their technology and their market expertise. That is the only way forward. Immediate challenge is to manage economy and then turn it around,” he said.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister said that the Government may have to look at establishing a land route with India in the future.  “India is already looking at setting up land routes from Bangladesh all the way to Thailand. We already have strong and steady maritime routes. Now we may need to look at establishing a land route with India to better our trade relations.”

He went on to say that Sri Lanka had a long way to go in developing the local tourism industry. “There are big opportunities in tourism. Tourism is growing. The largest number of tourists will come from India and China. There are hundreds of millions of people travelling the world. How do we exploit that? How do we attract more tourists from Europe? Australia? That’s a good industry for us. That’s a good sector for us but we have only dipped our toe into it.”

 He went on to say that Sri Lanka’s education system needed change, particularly teacher training. “The problem of the school system is rote learning. So let’s move out of the rote learning and then start adjusting it. We must look at our post-school institutions. Post-school institutions are flexible and react to the demands of the market. We must look at these institutions and the transformation our economy has to make. Larger numbers will have to go in for vocational skills and technical training. My view is to first focus on this section and then sort out the school system. In the meantime, within the school system, you train your teachers. Let them do their postgraduate in education. That is the route that can take you away from rote learning. How we move out of that is the challenge,” the Premier said. 

TAKE SWIFT ACTION TO PREVENT FURTHER VIOLENCE & ARREST AND PROSECUTE HATE MONGERS – CPA

Image: Military in Digana after 27 Muslim owned shops were set on fire by Sinhalese mobs.

CPA Calls Authorities to Take Swift Action to Prevent Further Violence and to Arrest and Prosecute Individuals Advocating National, Racial and Religious Hatred.

March 06th 2018, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) condemns the recent violence unleashed against the Muslim community, which has now claimed the life of Abdul Basith, a youth from Teldeniya and destroyed several Muslim homes and businesses as well as several mosques in the Kandy area. This recent spate of violence accompanied by the incitement of racial and religious hatred is orchestrated as attested to by video footage on social media and statements made by government ministers. According to media reports, the current violence commenced as a consequence of a personal dispute between M.G. Kumarasinghe and a group of Muslim men on 22nd February, which on 3rd March cost Mr. Kumarasinghe his life. The present violence ensued soon thereafter.Media also reported that those accused of attacking Mr. Kumarasinghe were immediately arrested and placed in remand custody.This must be followed by prosecutions in adherence to the law.

CPA is also deeply concerned by the viral circulation of video clips inciting violence against the Muslim community. CPA is in possession of several such clips including one by a person claiming to be a Buddhist monk.The individual in the video uses demonstrably false information as fact to incite violence against the Muslim community and accuses the Chief Prelates of favouring Muslims over Buddhists.

CPA calls on citizens from all communities to refrain from inciting further violence and on the authorities to take swift action to both arrest and prosecute perpetrators within the existing legal framework. Inaction or half-hearted action at this critical junction will deepen mistrust, fear and tension within and among communities, fuel hate and violence and cement a culture of impunity.

The recent incidents in the Kandy area and Ampara are not isolated incidents but highlight the persistence and increase of communal tensions in post-war Sri Lanka. Despite CPA citing the relevant legal provisions when calling upon the law and order authorities to arrest and prosecute perpetrators, including those responsible for the production and circulation of inflammatory videos and hate speech, no prosecutions have to date resulted in any convictions.Yet again, in the spirit of constructive engagement, CPA has today dispatched another letter to the relevant authorities calling for swift and decisive action. If the relevant law enforcement authorities cannot or will not take necessary action, CPA is of the firm belief that they should resign their office or be removed in accordance with the law. The gravity of the situation, the growing perception of government inability to fulfill it responsibilities in respect of reconciliation, the prevention of religious and ethnic violence and intolerance and the maintenance of law and order, demands no less.

Considering Sri Lanka’s history of violence, these recent events and statements made by individuals inciting racial and religious hatred should not be taken lightly. Immediate action must be taken to arrest this behaviour, which actively plays on the fears of people and seeks to channel that fear to harm persons of other ethnic and religious communities. Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic and multi –religious country and should be strongly defended as such without fear or favour. In all of this, the President and Prime Minister must give decisive and unequivocal leadership to prevent any future violence, uphold the rule of law and halt the fast erosion of an increasingly fragile peace in post-war Sri Lanka.

The Country in Chaos

  

2018-03-07

A New Minister For Law And Order Is A Crying Need:
It is about time we had a Minister of Law and Order, who could uphold and administer Law and Order in the explicit. We need a man with a spine, a man with guts, one who is not afraid to call a spade a spade, to put his foot down with a firm hand.

Sarath Fonseka is the only man who can fill that post and carry it to perfection. The man has guts. This country needs Sarath, not a namby-pamby; who is insipidly pretty, sentimental and weak!!! We need a man who can say what he means and means what he says, regardless of to whom or on what.
Our President says Reconciliation is the need of the hour. Ranil has only just woken up to form a Three Member Committee to look into corruption.

Who looked into corruption all this time and why was it not given due cognizance? The country is steeped in corruption but our leaders are only just waking up to it, OR ARE THEY REALLY?

What the country needs is TRUTH, DISCIPLINE, EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL CITIZENS, ENTRY TO SCHOOLS MADE POSSIBLE, JUDICIARY AWAKENED AND JUSTICE ENFORCED, CORRUPTION FREE MINISTERS, COST OF LIVING CONTROLLED, THE RULE OF LAW ENFORCED WHETHER THEY BE BIG OR SMALL. THESE ARE VITAL TO THE VIABILITY OF OUR COUNTRY!!! 

---

The Plight of The People:

What is the plight of the poor people? Cyril Ramaphosa once said, “We are building a nation where our greatest concern must be those in the society who have the least, the poor, the unemployed.” Is this fact or fiction??? WHAT ARE WE BUILDING??? Aren’t we SUPPOSED TO BE BUILDING A NATION WHERE THE GREATEST CONCERN MUST BE THOSE IN SOCIETY WHO HAVE THE LEAST. THE POOR, THE UNEMPLOYED!!! The burning question is ARE WE? How about the Judiciary.

All we get today are postponements and more postponements. Whether it is land, human rights, murders, rape, fraud, drugs, all we get are postponements; they are the order of the day.

I know of one land case that has been going on for 20 years. 20 YEARS and still not RESOLVED. WHY? The petitioner is a humble driver with a wife and two children, struggling to get his portion of the land. 20 YEARS in and out of Court wondering when and where this will all end.

ISN’T THIS A CRIME AGAINST ALL THE NORMS OF HUMANITY? Is this a nation whose greatest concern is the poor?

A poor man who goes to Court month after month for 20 years to settle a land dispute? Who is getting rich with all these postponements? Has anyone asked if these horrendous delays are justified in the name of JUSTICE? More Important, IS THIS A BUDDHIST COUNTRY? LIES,
DECEPTION, MURDER, PARENTS MURDERING THEIR CHILDREN, FATHERS RAPING THEIR DAUGHTERS, DRUGS AVAILABLE EVEN IN SCHOOLS, CRIMINALS WALKING FREE, ABORTIONS, LIQUOR CONSUMPTION, POOR PEOPLE’S GRIEVANCES NOT DEALT WITH, COST OF LIVING SKY HIGH, ETC., ETC., ETC.

THE THRICE BLESSED LORD BUDDHA MUST INDEED BE SHUDDERING THAT HE CHOSE TO COME TO THIS COUNTRY TO SPREAD BUDDHISM!!’

---

Lies, Lies And More Lies:

We were told of a Cabinet Reshuffle - PURPOSE NIL!!! Not only the people but the Ministers themselves are laughing through their backs. This bunch of politicians-starting with the President himself- firmly believe they are fooling the people.

No lesson has been learned.

Suddenly, Lasantha’s case, which never reached completion “IS IN A MUDDLE”- WHO CREATED THE MUDDLE AND WHY???

— Arjun Mahendran has skipped Singapore!!! Udayangana cannot be found!!! Are we playing hide and seek here? Aloysius and Palisena want to be housed in the Prison Hospital. Gota has returned and His Presumptuous Royal Highness says he cannot be Prime Minister because he holds dual citizenship.

Good Lord - Who offered it to him anyway??? One could really go on and on about ALL the cases that never reached completion.

About all the those who skipped the country. Gota has returned, Namal is out, Jaliya cannot be found but who allowed him to get away?

None other than the Director of the National Eye Hospital, who confirmed that Jaliya’s “SUPPOSED EYE CONDITION” could not be treated in this country. WONDER HOW MUCH THAT WAS WORTH TO THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR???

Thajudeen’s remains will probably be desecrated again. The list is endless and we have to keep adding to the atrocities committed in the name of JUSTICE. The Cabinet Reshuffle was the biggest travesty.

Even Ravi thinks the Reshuffle is A JOKE!!! The bottom line is they cannot stand each other. Each one wants what the other has.

A Minister For Law & Order – Thinking Out Of The Box

By Rajeewa Jayaweera –MARCH 7, 2018

Rajeewa Jayaweera

The dilemma of a full-time Minister for Law & Order continues while President Sirisena vacillates over Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s nominee, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka. According to at least one media report, no UNP Minister is agreeable to accept the post resulting in the UNP deciding to resubmit Fonseka’s name.

Reasons for the President’s reluctance to accept the Prime Minister’s nomination are unknown. One is justified in questioning if the President’s reluctance is due to political reasons. Law and order should not be traded off for political expediency. 

Meanwhile, law and order in the country is going to the dogs, the latest being the episodes in Amparaand Teldeniya. The Police and STF, unable to bring the situation in Teldeniya under control have requested for assistance from the army. Both incidents have begun to take a communal dimension. Images of burnt-out shops and marauders armed with poles in the streets have started to trickle through social media. Such incidents are bound to reverberate in the current and future UNHRCsessions in Geneva.

Not a single day passes without multiple traffic accidents, often involving fatal causalities.

It is understood, over a dozen senior Police officers, many of DIG rank are opposed to Fonseka’s appointment. The Police force of today is not the force of years gone by. Recent news about the conduct of senior police officers is appalling. One about to be arrested former IGP has managed to obtain a court injunction preventing his arrest over the improper influencing of the investigation in the death of a well-known sportsman a few years ago. A Senior DIG, a DIG, and an OIC too have been taken into custody for questioning over the same crime. Another former IGP had a proven track record for keeping the company of leading members of the underworld and drug trade. It is no wonder senior police officers are opposed to the appointment of a military man known to be a disciplinarian. 

Fonseka might be the answer for a thorough cleanup and instill some badly needed discipline in the Police force.

There is yet another very valid reason for the appointment of Fonseka. The former Minister for Law & Order, a Wickremesinghe protégé, was accused of going slow on following up on corruption charges against members of the previous government and Rajapaksa family members. Politics and politicians in Sri Lanka being what it is, most appointees will suffer from the ‘you tickle my back, I tickle your back’ syndrome. On the other hand, Fonseka will be one of the few who will not suffer from such a syndrome. He has the necessary motivation to pursue pending corruption cases relentlessly. Some rapid results could be expected with him heading the Law & Order Ministry.

One of the several reasons attributed to the poor performance of the current regime in the recent Local Government elections was the lack of delivery on promises made before Presidential and Parliamentary elections to prosecute stalwarts of the previous administration accused of corruption.

Commencement of proceedings against even a few such politicians during the next two years will help the image of President Sirisena and Yahapalana government tremendously.           

Law and order in the country has been deteriorating beginning shortly after the Yahapalana government assumed office. Regular protest marches resulting in traffic log jams are a common occurrence.  University students protesting over SAITM, wild cat strikes by GMOA members, some others protesting over ETCA, Petroleum Corporation employees over the leasing of the oil tank farm in Trinco and Hambantota Port workers over the handing over of the Port to a Chinese company despite generous redundancy packages offered, are a few of the many other instances.

‘Invest Sri Lanka’ forums will not gain traction with foreign investors so long as regular work stoppages take place due to strikes and protest marches bringing the central business district to a halt regularly.

Read More

President - Dep. Speaker joint human smuggling - outsiders as journalists on foreign tours !

(Lanka-e-News - 06.March.2018, 5.05PM)  President Maithripala Sirisena who is now begging on a 4% has during his foreign tours taken masqueraders as journalists and left them in those countries he visited . This human smuggling operation unfortunately has come to light with evidence a trifle too late . No leader of any country had resorted to this kind of despicable , detestable, disgraceful activity in the whole wide world..!
 
Maithripala who from the day he became the president has only succeeded in proving he is not deserving of the exalted position he is holding , has now once again indulged in a most  stinking operation  which even an individual from the garbage bin or loony bin would feel ashamed to engage in. 

Unbelievably the other collaborator in this sordid activity is none other than the deputy speaker Thilanga Sumathipala.

In the impending tour of Japan (next few days) of president Sirisena , Thilanga has arranged another individual instead of a journalist of his Lakbima newspaper  for the president to take along on the Japanese tour. He is a layout designer  and his  name is Manjula Perera. Believe it or not , it is no less a person than  our deputy speaker of parliament and  Lakbima newspaper owner Thilanga Sumathipala who has changed his media identity into a photo journalist of the newspaper to facilitate this racket.
 
The professional journalists association has sent a letter protesting against this to the president exposing this racket ( letter is appended ) .

May we reveal , the professional journalists of the association who accompanied the president  during the previous foreign tours of the president  have complained many times to Lanka e news unidentified individuals were seen coming on the tours as journalists . However as there weren’t palpable evidence , we did not expose that.  But now one racketeer (of the many ?  ) supported with evidence had fallen into the snare .

This racket will go down in  history as a most abominable  human smuggling operation because it is the  president of the country and the deputy speaker of parliament who are behind this . Nowhere in the world such rackets are organized by a president and a deputy speaker . Certainly this is creating a huge dent  in  the country’s image . May be the president is unaware of this rascally operation , but being the highest in the hierarchy of the country  he cannot disclaim  responsibility.

The letter of the Professional Journalists Association is hereunder. 

---------------------------
by     (2018-03-06 11:40:03)

Lack of inclusive policy burns hole in State revenue and public health

Wednesday, 7 March 2018

Sri Lanka has made great strides in the arena of tobacco control with the imposition of graphic health warnings on cigarette packs, public place smoking ban, purchase age restrictions and a preventive pricing regime that renders stick prices amongst the highest in the world.

In consequence, one would anticipate that these measures made a significant impact on Sri Lankan smoker incidence, but in reality, they haven’t and smoking rates remain relatively constant. This conclusion is derived from figures gathered from the market, during discussions with traders and consumers islandwide.

The former Health Minister who is now our President, and the current Health Minister both espoused a country free from tobacco when they put in place the above measures. But the failure to impact smoking rates are the result of inaction on two critical fronts.

On one hand we are posed with the problem of contraband. Smuggled foreign brands are available in most urban areas and are attractive to local smokers due to price and perceived prestige, and retail at an average Rs. 40 in contrast to legal products which are priced Rs. 10 higher.

Official estimates point to over 100 million sticks entering the Sri Lankan market illegally throughout the year. Media reports point to a large number of detections of contraband by authorities at points of entry, and the government is now mulling issuing new licenses to stem illegal imports. Licensing new imports will do little to control smoking prevalence.

However, the bigger obstacle towards tobacco control comes from within in the form of the local beedi industry. It is grossly incorrect to still term this trade a cottage industry, as it is in real a multi-billion-rupee industry employing thousands of Sri Lankans islandwide with no form of regulation of taxation.

In the Hakmana area, we had the opportunity to meet with a beedi manufacturer, working as a sub-contractor, who in turn employed 32 families rolling out over 1,000 sticks day. He revealed there were four other sub-contractors such as himself working for the trader in the area. Some simple math would then tell us that on a 22-day work month, these five sub-contractors and their workers churn out 4.2 million sticks annually – in the Hakmana area alone!

This presents a mere tip of the iceberg. There are over 500 licenses issued for the manufacturing of beedi in Sri Lanka. The age-old practice is to measure beedi production via the importation of Tendu leaves from India, and as the Central Bank itself acknowledges this process of measurement is grossly misrepresentative and outdated.

We encountered similar operations in the Anuradhapura, Kandy, Matale, Kegalle, Badulla, Puttalam and Colombo Districts with every household striving to roll a 1,000 sticks a day for the traders. In our estimate, on average every province contains over 650 families engaged in beedi manufacturing – rolling and labelling – and upon extrapolating the above numbers we arrive at an island wide annual figure of over four billion sticks.

These four billion sticks are priced at Rs. 5 each and present no tax revenue to the Government. Retailers say they sell on average five bundles of beedi a day. In addition, they remarked that beedi sales have grown over the past one year relative to cigarettes, following the sharp increase in price of the legitimate products.

With four billion sticks in the market, the imposition of a tax of just Rs. 5 on a beedi will yield Rs. 20 billion in much needed revenue for the Government. The tendu leaf tax is irrelevant and it is grossly misrepresentative. The Government needs to add tooth to its effort on tobacco control and device a mechanism to tax beedi at the point of production or sale, lest it wants to suffer the ignominy of having achieved nothing for all its clamour. But whether the Government will find the real motivation and will to do so in the light of concerns over antagonising the voter base and members with vested interests in its own fold remain to be seen.

There is a lot to be gained by widening the tax net and regulatory control over the ‘cottage industry’. Besides the revenue aspects, it will enhance understanding and control over health and social investments and strengthen law and order.

With over 16,000 families engaged in manufacturing beedi islandwide, there are further environmental and social issues that requires attention, which we will discuss in time to come. But if the Government is really committed to controlling tobacco consumption in the island, then it must extend its controls to the beedi trade.

There is little point in brandishing regulatory achievements on any stage if an informal sector is allowed to prosper as a cheaper but inferior alternative; effecting the same ills and more the Government claims to have controlled. Once again, it is a question of political will and the courage to do what is right; rare attributes within Sri Lanka’s corridors of power. 

(The writer is a Researcher engaged in social and economic impact analysis.)