Maturing A Fledgling Democracy

By Ruvan Weerasinghe –MARCH 16, 2018

Dr. Ruvan Weerasinghe

If there’s a single overarching lesson the Local Government Polls of February 2018 has taught us it is this: united we stand, divided we fall. Before the month passed us by, this has been underlined in the tragic acts of mob violence against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka. What is significant though, is that even a previous regime that arguably bred this kind of communalism has been forced to distance itself from this particular phenomenon, and even condemn it. News of restoration efforts of destroyed properties by all ethnicities in a given community coming together, are further strong signals sent out to the marauding mobs and their political backers, that there’s a better way.

So, what does it mean to stand together united in the Sri Lankan political scene? It means nothing short of abandoning party politics altogether for the sake of the country. This was indeed the mandate that the people of this country gave the incumbent government, which obviously was lost on the current President primarily, and the Prime Minister. What has been most disturbing is the post-election tug-of-war to do exactly the opposite: to try to somehow form a government of one’s own party, even if it means ‘sleeping with the enemy’. We have indeed reached the absolute bottom of our ‘party political’ pit.

Is there hope for Sri Lanka, given this abysmal failure by our rotten political inheritance? I wrote before that the only long-term solution able to insure us against even tyrannical rule is to build a strong civil society: one that would truly act as the conscience of the nation. However, the recent social media clampdown shows how such efforts could be frustrated by governments (however justified it may have been in this case at the onslaught of the violence we experienced).

Here, I want to underline what many others have recently said in different ways: we need a brave and courageous shift away from party politics to statesmanship. Unfortunately, it seems that only the smaller parties have shown any tendency towards this: the JVP and the TNA. Both the SLFP and the UNP need to awaken to the new reality that, what they are up against is not each other, but something far more ominous: a return to a completely different kind of Sri Lanka under a largely intolerant regime based on ethnic chauvinism and a leadership which feeds off the ignorance of its citizenry.

Will the real leaders stand up please?

Can Sri Lanka, rise up from the political pit it has fallen into within 18 months and unite to defeat this menace? That is the proverbial $64m question. The President and the Prime Minister largely will determine the answer to this question. It roughly translates to: can the President forget about salvaging a largely broken party whose majority chose to follow the ‘previous ways’ (possibly owing to the kickback politics it espouses) and concentrate on working towards the best outcome for the country in the next 2 years? Can he rise up once again, as he did, taking a huge risk back in 2014, this time to bring only the progressive sections of the SLFP with him? This incidentally also means shedding some of his Ministers. In short, can he become a real Statesman and forget about his party political ambitions? Doing this, he would give up his ambition of contesting the next Presidential election. If he can rise up to this challenge however, he is sure to gain the credibility of not just the Sri Lankan populace, but the global community. Paradoxically, he in fact, could even be asked to reconsider and contest for that very election as the unanimous common candidate! As it is said, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed; but if it dies (to itself and self-ambition), it produces many seeds”.

Similarly, the Prime Minister too has some lessons to learn: to move away from rewarding loyalty (a very archaic cultural construct) to recognizing competence, within his own party, so that a new political culture based on demonstrated evidence of significant achievement (even in other domains) would be cultivated. Bold decisions are required on his part to get rid of the corrupt ‘old guard’ and usher in a new enthusiastic and able generation of politicians who place an intrinsic (not extrinsic) value on local and national governance. This calls for a paradigm shift in the way politics is done in Sri Lanka.

Above all, these two leaders would need to learn true humility: something seen as ‘weak’ in our cultural context. They’d need to learn how to listen: to their constituents, their members (however ‘junior’ they are) and most importantly to members and constituents of the other progressive political parties within and outside a national coalition. These smaller, but significant parties too need to metamorphose from their primarily ‘opposition’ mindset to a ‘governing’ mindset (something which the JVP and the TNA have done intermittently in the past) for the long haul in the interest of the country.

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Sri Lanka must bring redress to victims of violence on all sides

By Thamil Ananthavinayagan | 16th March 2018

Muslim men pray at a ground after a mosque burned down following a clash between two communities in Digana central district of Kandy, Sri Lanka March 9, 2018. Source: Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte

SRI LANKA’S ferocious civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam came to an end in 2009, resulting in a death toll of more than 80,000 people and many citizens who remain disappeared.

While the end of the war -despite its means and methods fought- was received with relief not only in Sri Lanka but also by the international community, many hoped that the island would enter an era of sustainable peace, reconciliation and development.

But these hopes and expectations were scattered with the newly inflamed violence against another enemy of the Sinhala-Buddhist state: the Sri Lankan Muslim.

SEE ALSO: 3 world conflicts Facebook has been blamed for this year

Anti-muslim violence 

The sparking point of this untamed violence was a road-rage incident in Kandy. A lorry driver, a Sinhala, ended up dead, while a group of Muslims was identified as being responsible. Angry Sinhala mobs, incited by Buddhist monks, began attacking mosques and businesses which were owned by Muslims.

They threw rocks, set fires, caused severe damages to Muslim-owned shops and, more worryingly, killed at least two human beings. Dark memories from the anti-Tamil pogroms from Black July 1983 emerged and are omnipresent in Sri Lankan consciousness: hundreds of Tamils were hunted and brutally killed by Sinhala thugs in the public, incited by Buddhist monks and without any governmental intervention. This time, however, President Maithripala Sirisena declared an island-wide state of emergency.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hands with Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena as he arrives to attend the International Solar Alliance Founding Conference in New Delhi, India, March 11, 2018. Source: Reuters/Adnan Abidi

The violence against Muslims, in any case, is not a novelty – it is an assault that already took place with the first Sri Lankan inter-religious riots in 1916, led by the later Prime Minister of the country, D.S. Senanayake. More recently, Sinhala-Muslim clashes at Aluthgama in 2014 left several dead. The violence, however, is not only and solely directed at the Sri Lankan Muslim.

The United Nations Refugee Agency set up a temporary stay for the Rohingya Muslims fleeing the genodicial attacks by state forces Myanmar (Burma). They had been staying in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka with the government’s approval and United Nations was providing assistance until a long-term solution was found. However, Sri Lankan monks and nationalists stoned the shelter, prompting its 31 Rohingya occupants – mainly women and children – to flee for their own safety.  Monks stormed also the shelter chanting, “Rohingyas are terrorists” and accusing them of having killed Buddhist monks in Burma.

SEE ALSO: Sri Lanka imposes state of emergency, social media ban to curb communal violence

Violence in post-colonial Sri Lanka

The post-colonial state was always subjected to violence – two chapters are noteworthy: first, the inter-ethnic violence against the Tamils in 1956, 1958 and then 1983 – 2009 and then, second, the intra-ethnic violence against the Sinhala Marxist uprising in the 1970s and 1980s. Sri Lanka is prone to violence, it is conducive to hatred. The question remains: why? The post-colonial state of Sri Lanka nourishes its existence from the ancient myth Mahavamsa.

The myth permits the majority community, the Sinhala, to exist and justify their ownership over the country. Meanwhile, this myth issues a carte blanche to the sovereign to expel, persecute and kill anyone who contradicts the majoritarian narrative rooted in Sinhala Buddhism. Sri Lanka, as we know it today, is run by a fanatic Sinhala Buddhist ideology. This ideology has not only hijacked the governmental raison d’être, it is the very essence of statehood. Anyone who stands against this ideology or differs will be at least an intruder who is granted a status of second class citizen.

A Muslim woman talks with a police crime officer near her damaged house after a clash between two communities in Digana central district of Kandy, Sri Lanka March 8, 2018. Source: Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte

The eternal desire for an enemy: once the Tamil, now the Muslim

The famous Italian academic Giorgio Agamben had correctly noted that biopower is a thesis instead of a hypothesis and sees it as the very structure of power, directly related to life. The logic of sovereignty, he explains, is a logic of capturing life, isolating ‘bare life’ as an exception. This very life is not only subject to the sovereign’s violence and power over death, but also to quality of the life’s value. This means that the sovereign’s power establishes and perpetuates itself by producing a ‘biopolitical body’ upon which it exercises power.

The Sinhala governmentality is determined by their ethnicity and this ethnicity legitimises their power: Sri Lanka is not a democracy, but an ethnocracy that leaves no room for non-Sinhala Buddhists. Meanwhile, the renewed declaration of the state of emergency is not a new phenomenon in Sri Lanka: with exception of short periods during post-colonial governance, the island has been always under a state of emergency for the sake of state survival.

The state of emergency migrated into a state of normalcy, where human rights were eroded, the enemy dehumanised and the rule of law was made a mockery.

SEE ALSO: What do Sri Lanka’s local elections mean for the future of democracy?

Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force soldiers walk past a damaged mosque after a clash between two communities in Digana central district of Kandy, Sri Lanka March 8, 2018. Source: Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte

State of emergency not enough

The government seems to believe that the state of emergency will calm the situation and disperse tensions. It will not. Instead, the government must still address the systemic grievances and causes of these interethnic riots and attacks.

Sri Lanka must address issues like accountability for alleged war crimes, enforced disappearances, expedite land returns, and bring justice and redress to victims on all sides, including the often-forgotten Muslim minority. The government should also order an independent investigation into the violence and hold those responsible – even those belonging to influential Buddhist sects or with loyalties to powerful political leaders – to account.

This country must absolve itself from its post-colonial, Sinhala Buddhist emperor’s clothing. Unless this does not happen, the country will be destined for another tragedy.

By Dr Thamil Venthan Ananthavinayagan, PhD (NUI Galway), LL.M. (Maastricht University), Lecturer in International Law at Griffith College Dublin, Ireland.

No Political will, No Answer to Unrests

Objective of politicians is not finding solutions, but gaining mileage out of anything

• Until leaders develop political will the country would have to undergo state of emergency and curfews
• JO argues that UNP orchestrated the riots to prevent the No-Confidence Motion and the anti-Wickremesinghe rebellion in UNP
• Muslims seem to be more inclined to believe the UNP theory  
• Earlier Muslims complained that SLPP supporters harassed Muslims in Kandy and Kalutara Districts for not supporting them.

 2018-03-16

The very blame-game among the politicians, especially between the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on the recent attacks against Muslims is an indication that Sri Lankan politicians are not serious about any kind of ethnic strife, leave alone finding solutions to them.

Their objective is not finding solutions, but to gain political mileage out of anything.

Almost all political parties, especially the two main political parties in the country, the UNP and the SLPP claim that the attacks against ‘few’ Muslim owned shops and mosques in Ampara and hundreds of houses, businesses and mosques in various areas in the Kandy District were orchestrated.
But by whom?

All political parties seem to attempt to use the recent rampage to prove their political credentials or the detriment of the politics of their adversaries.

The UNP argues that the SLPP or the loyalists of the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa were behind the attacks, while the SLPP attempts to contend that the Government premeditated the anti- Muslim pogrom.

Interestingly, both groups have their own reasons to put the blame for the crimes on the other.
Muslims had continued to support the UNP at last month’s Local Government elections, despite more than 1.5 million voters, who supported the party at the last Parliamentary Elections, rejecting it this time.

The SLPP that won the majority of councils had managed to get only 45 percent (or 40 percent according to Minister Champika Ranawaka) of total valid votes and this showed that they could not win the next Presidential Election.

Therefore they as a strategy to pit the Muslims against the UNP had calculated the anti-Muslim attacks, according to the UNP theory.

Expanding the same theory, the senior Tamil columnist D.B.S. Jeyaraj claims that conspirators had set in motion a plan, where the Government would hesitate to take action against the attackers for fear of losing the Sinhalese votes and it would also lose the Muslim votes as well due to its inaction against the rioters.

Whether the attacks were premeditated or not, whether this was really the strategy, this was what really happened.

The belief among the Muslims that no untoward incidents would happen against them under a UNP regime was shattered by the incredible inaction of the law enforcement authorities during the Kandy attacks which lasted for not hours, but days

On the other hand, the unrest started at a time when a No-Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was to be handed over to the Speaker of Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya and several UNP local leaders had started to challenge the leadership of Mr Wickremesinghe in the party.
The Joint Opposition, the Parliamentary group loyal to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, argues that UNP orchestrated the riots to prevent the No-Confidence Motion and the anti-Wickremesinghe rebellion within the UNP.

However, the victims of the week- long mob attack, the Muslims seem to be more inclined to believe the UNP theory, in spite of the fact they have lost confidence in the UNP as well due to its inordinate lethargy in quelling the attacks on them.

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL), on the wake of the SLPP sweeping the majority of Local Councils at the February 10 elections wrote to that party complaining about SLPP supporters having harassed Muslims in two places in Kandy and Kalutara Districts for not supporting them.

While Mr Basil Rajapaksa had promised the MCSL to look into the matter, party Chairman Professor G.L. Peiris and General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam had flatly denied the allegation. Despite the MCSL having not gone public with the allegations the SLPP did so with its denials.

Against this backdrop it is natural that the Muslims suspect SLPP’s hand in the Ampara and Kandy mayhem.

However, the belief among the Muslims that no untoward incidents would happen against them under a UNP regime was shattered by the incredible inaction of the law enforcement authorities during the Kandy attacks which lasted for not hours, but days.

The frustration is still being compounded with the Government’s aversion to probe into the allegations that the police and the STF colluded with the marauding rioters and to take action against the personnel responsible.

President Maithripala Sirisena’s announcement that a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) would be appointed to look into the incidents in Kandy, including the lapses on the part of the authorities has not made any impact.

The fact that the Government is not prepared to probe the role played by the Police and the STF is perplexing in the light of several leaders of the very Government including Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ministers Champika Ranawaka, Rauff Hakeem, Abdul Haleem and Lakshman Kiriella having complained that the delay in Police actions had contributed to the spread of the attacks. Even the Army Commander did not deny the allegations against the Police when he referred to them while talking to media in Kandy.

This has prompted Executive Director of Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) Rajith Keerthi Thennakoon to lodge a complaint on Police inaction with the National Police Commission (NPC).
The Government is said to be going to take action jointly with the Facebook Inc. Officials to filter hate-mongering posts in the social media.

One has to be skeptical about the outcome as the Sinhalese society has already been fed with enough malice, hate and unfounded fear of extinction by the Facebook and WhatsApp users since 2012, the year in which Bodu Bala Sena started its anti-Muslim campaign.

Despite the Government having attempted to enact a law to prevent hate-speech, which was later withdrawn on the grounds that it would curtail freedom of speech, it is ironic that it never thought of filtering social media, which has been far more harmful and sinister than the mainstream media.
The Government’s inaction in containing unrest at its initial stages as accepted by the Prime Minister and many Ministers and its aversion to probe that inaction would lead to those elements that unleashed the attacks gaining moral high ground and justifying their acts, hiding behind flimsy arguments such as wanda pethi or Muslim extremism and fundamentalism.

With the entire Sinhalese society, including the Mahanayake Theras, political parties and intellectuals condemning the attacks and the unfounded allegations of sterilization of Sinhalese, those elements are now on the defensive, at least overtly.

However, they have already been given a solace, though unwittingly, by several politicians such as Bimal Ratnayake of the JVP, Co-existence Minister Mano Ganesan and Deputy Minister Harsha de Silva, by dragging the irrelevant Muslim women’s attire into the debate.

Majority of Muslim women who wear the Abaya or the face veil worn with it are an innocent lot, who do not know any politics or at least anything happening around them.

The Arabian dress came to Sri Lanka as a result of women going to the Middle East countries in search of employment. That is it.

Had there been any radical or so-called fundamentalist Muslim groups in Sri Lanka they would have responded to the anti-Muslim attacks that had been going on since 2012.

However, it goes without saying that the continuous unrest against Muslims in Sri Lanka has the potential of attracting the attention of dreaded terrorist organizations operating in the Middle East in future while developing a breeding ground for them among the possibly frustrated Muslim youth in Sri Lanka.

The simple truth that has been rejected or overlooked by the authorities is that the main culprit of the hate crimes is the continuation of a culture of impunity.

This time too, there are no assurances that even the so-called leader of the Mahason Balakaya, Amith Weerasinghe whom the authorities describe as the mastermind of the Kandy unrest, would be penalized, despite him being detained.

Until the leaders developed political will within them, at least to accept this fact, the country would occasionally have to undergo declarations of state of emergency and curfews.

Yet, most probably everything would be forgotten in a few weeks as what happened to the war and the recent natural disasters, until the next wave of hate, has a field day.

Take decisive action to end sectarian violence in Sri Lanka — The Elders

Sri Lanka has had more than its fair share of strife, violence and gross human rights abuses in recent years.

( March 16, 2018, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Elders today called on the Government of Sri Lanka to act with greater urgency and thoroughness to end sectarian violence targeting Muslim communities on the island.

They noted that the Government has taken some measures to counter the criminal violence, but also warned that since unrest erupted on 5 March, police and civil authorities have failed to make sufficient arrests or counter the inflammatory messaging on social media against Muslims being propagated by extremist Buddhist monks.

To avoid further deterioration of the security environment and loss of life, The Elders urged decisive action from the Government to end impunity for those committing and inciting violence, defend human rights and promote inter-communal reconciliation.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Deputy Chair of The Elders and former Prime Minister of Norway, said:

“I am deeply alarmed by the recent upsurge in sectarian violence in Sri Lanka. Anti-Muslim attacks are an increasing threat to peace and security across South and South-East Asia, and the authorities in Colombo need to act urgently to restore peace and order before communal relations deteriorate further.”

Lakhdar Brahimi, Elder and former UN diplomat, added:

“Sri Lanka has had more than its fair share of strife, violence and gross human rights abuses in recent years. The people of Sri Lanka deserve peace, and their Government fully understands and accepts that it has a responsibility to protect the rights of all its people. All political and civil society leaders must reject the toxic rhetoric of Islamophobia from extremist Buddhist monks, the consequences of which can be seen across the region. All should do more to promote tolerance and reconciliation.”

After Kandy Riot: The Way Forward

By Aboobacker Rameez –MARCH 16, 2018

Dr. Aboobacker Rameez

Much has been written about the recent Kandy violence unleashed against Muslims by the Sinhala Buddhist fringe groups. The trigger of violence began with a personal altercation between a lorry driver belonging to majority ethnic group and four drunkards, who happened to be Muslims, that led to the demise of the lorry driver. In response, it triggered a full-scale anti-Muslim violence in the central province that resulted in 2 deaths, 28 injuries and damage on 445 houses and shops, 24 mosques and 65 vehicles. Although those perpetrators were brought before justice, nothing could avert a violence spiraling out of control with the involvement of Sinhala Buddhist fanatical groups and due to laxity on the part of law enforcement authorities at the time of crisis. 

Economy of the country collapsed

Kandy violence brought nothing but a colossal loss not only to the Muslims but to the economy of the country as well. It is reported that almost 1 billion worth of damage has been caused to properties owned predominantly by Muslims. Hotel industry has already suffered a severe blow with sudden cancellation of reservations made by tourists in the hotels, particularly in central province and many countries in the world have forewarned their citizens of impending danger waiting ahead of their scheduled visit to Sri Lanka. In short, tourism industry has experienced a huge disaster due to the violence occurred in the hill country, coupled with declaration of the state of emergency and censorship of social media. Although politicians took pride in saying that the telecom industry was able to generate some financial gains by the censorship on Facebook and WhatsApp, its effect on our country’s overall economy is far-reaching. Report of share market going down as a result of Kandy riot is already observable, while foreign investors and would-be investors in the country will revisit their intention of doing so in future.

Factors behind the riot 

I do not wish to do the post-mortem of what other writers have extensively dealt on the factors that contributed to the violence against Muslims not only in Digana or Teldeniya, but other parts of the country in the past too. Myth of sterilization pills ( wantha pethi), paranoia of population growth of Muslims and their inordinate wealth, among others, lack of integration and acculturation, and Islamicization of Sri Lankan society are highlighted as the key factors for wanton onslaught against Muslims. Medical practitioners and other scholars have effectively debunked these allegations against Muslims. However, it helped serve for fanatical groups, who are reported to be politically motivated, as an excuse to attack the Muslims in all parts of the country. It appears that anti-Muslim sentiment, due to incessant campaign by fanatical groups, has deeply entrenched in the psyche of the youth who are apparently misguided and misinformed of truth. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done in a large scale despite the violence has ceased. The peace that prevails now in Kandy and other parts of Sri Lanka is only ephemeral, since the government has not arrested the root cause of factors that led to the violence against Muslims. Instead, the government has apprehended some actors who were dancing to the tune of masterminders of the Kandy riot.  Then, what is the way forward for this malaise that has apparently deep-seated?

Way forward

In my view, the following are some of my suggestions to curb such violence in the country in future. For easy reference, I have listed in numbers as follows: 

1. Laxity of the government was largely highlighted as the key factor to contain the violence in Kandy. When a situation arises of this nature unexpectedly, onus is on the government to enforce full force of the rule so that the situation can be brought under control and the perpetrators could be held accountable.

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Harassment of women on public transport, lack of childcare contribute to declining female labour for

 Saturday, 17 March 2018

Harassment of women on public transport in Sri Lanka and lack of high quality childcare services and marketable skills contribute to the declining female labour force participation in Sri Lanka, the World Bank says.

World Bank Sri Lanka and the Maldives Operations Advisor Valerie Layrol addressing a roundtable discussion on ‘Women’s Accessibility’ on Thursday said Sri Lankan women, especially younger ones, do not sufficiently acquire marketable skills, face higher unemployment rates and can expect to receive lower wages than men.

According to a new report from the World Bank, ‘Getting to Work: Unlocking Women’s Potential in Sri Lanka’s Labour Force,’ Sri Lanka lags behind in women’s participation in the workforce, especially compared to other middle-income countries and despite steady economic growth, the number of women participating in Sri Lanka’s workforce has declined to 36% in 2016 from 41% in 2010.

The World Bank representative noted that there is a large degree of harassment of women on public transport in Sri Lanka and it is limiting women’s mobility, participation in public life and overall wellbeing.

According to the findings of a UNFPA study, over 90% of women have experienced harassment but just 4% of women have sought help from the Police. This study initiated in 2015 covered the whole country with 2,500 respondents included in the survey. Findings indicate a wide range of mistreatment on public transport including leering, verbal abuse and unwelcome advances. The majority of harassment was physical.

Layrol pointed out that women in low income groups of Sri Lanka rely heavily on public transport and there is clear evidence that harassment and the threat of harassment are limiting women’s mobility, participation in public life and overall wellbeing and removing these barriers to women’s paid work will encourage more Sri Lankan women to participate in the workforce.

Among many recommendations, safe childcare and transportation and implementing gender equal labour laws and practices are policy recommendations of the UNFPA study.

The roundtable discussion brought urban, social and transport sectors together with representatives from the Government, civil society, private sector and donors working on initiatives to improve women’s accessibility in the metro Colombo region.

The collaborative conversation aimed to exchange knowledge on the issue and identify gaps, share ideas based on experiences, especially initiatives led by the private sector and also identify ‘quick wins’ and small scale opportunities that could kick-start improvements to women’s accessibility and public transport experiences in the short term and also identify long term changes that would improve the liveability of metro Colombo region for both women and men.

“I believe all of us working in Sri Lanka are accountable to help expand women’s options for productive, safe and fairly compensated work which in turn would benefit her family and also the country,” the World Bank official said.

Govt. trying to outsource surveying to US company: Surveyors

2018-03-16

The Government Surveyors’ Association (GSA) today resort to a countrywide indefinite work stoppage claiming that there was a move to hand over several operations of the Sri Lanka Surveys Department (SLSD), the second oldest department of the country, to a US-based company.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, GSA President Duminda Udugoda referred to an attempt to transfer the duties of the SLSD including Land Information System (LIS) and Aerial Survey Operations to ‘Trimble Navigation Ltd’, a US-based land administration solutions group, under the guise of providing title deeds to landowners.

Mr Udugoda said the Cabinet approval had been sought to the proposal to handing over the operation under a foreign loan obtain for USD 154 million (Rs.25, 000 million) although the department was capable of completing the task for Rs.10, 000 million.

It was learned that the approval had been sought without a proper tender procedure in an arbitrary decision of several top officials to be retired soon.

Mr Udugoda revealed the attempt could also threaten the national security as according to the measure Trimble Navigation Ltd is permitted to scan the landowner's eye and get their Biometric authentication and there was a threat to people’s privacy as well.

“In the proposed mechanism the company can’t provide a clear title deed as it can’t provide a clear blue print of the land,” Mr Udugoda said.

Following a discussion with the Prime Minister’s Coordinating Secretary yesterday, the GSA members were informed that their matter would be discussed with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and their matter would be addressed on Wednesday (21).

However, Mr Udugoda said their work stoppage would not conclude until the authorities revoke the proposal.

The Daily Mirror was the first to reveal the attempt on January 19 last year and responding to our inquiry regarding the matter, SLSD Additional Surveyor General (Field) K. A. Kasthuri said that such an operational devolution had not yet been introduced. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)

OPEN WARRANT FOR UDAYANGA

Lakmal Sooriyagoda-Saturday, March 17, 2018

The Colombo Fort Magistrate yesterday issued an open warrant written in English through the Interpol for the arrest of former Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga, a first cousin of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

This is in connection over the financial fraud that is alleged to have taken place in procuring seven MiG-27 ground attack craft for the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).

Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne made this order pursuant to a request made by FCID citing that he is continuously evading courts.

The FCID conducting investigations into MiG aircraft transaction had named Udayanga Weeratunga as a suspect in the case through a B report filed in the Fort Magistrate’s Court.

The Court was informed through FCID that INTERPOL had issued a ‘Red Warrant’ on Udayanga Weeratunga, naming him as a fugitive wanted by the Sri Lankan authorities.

The FCID had informed Court that Udayanga Weeratunga had directly intervened into the questionable transaction in procuring MiG-27 ground attack crafts. The FCID said the deal amounted to US$14 million.

On June 9, 2016 the Colombo Fort Magistrate had issued notices on Udayanga Weeratunga to appear in Court July 15 but he did not turn up. Thereafter, on October 20, 2016 court had issued a warrant for the arrest of Udayanga Weeratunga.

The FCID had told Court that they were investigating whether the former Sri Lankan ambassador in Russia had invested money in a company called Sri Lankan Limited Liability Company in Moscow, which were earned through the Mig-27 transaction.

Meanwhile, the FCID named foreign nationals and foreign company as suspects regarding this case.

The FCID launched this investigation following a complaint lodged by defence columnist and political writer Iqbal Athas.

In his complaint to the FCID, journalist Iqbal Athas stated that he had written several articles regarding the financial irregularities that had taken place in procuring four Mig-27 aircraft at a higher price. He told the Police that these ground attack aircraft had been manufactured between 1980 and 1983.

He said financial irregularities had taken place during the transaction between Sri Lank and Ukraine.

Chief Inspector Nihal Francis appeared for the FCID.

Palestinians have seen Trump's 'deal of the century' - and want nothing to do with it

The US has made it clear that Palestinian approval is not required for new peace plan, a copy of which Saudi officials delivered to Mahmoud Abbas

Director of Palestinian General Intelligence in the West Bank Majid Faraj whispers to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (AFP)

Friday 16 March 2018

JERUSALEM – Saudi officials delivered a copy of US President Donald Trump's 'deal of the century' to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, but he has refused to open the document or play any role in the process, Middle East Eye can reveal.

Details of US President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” have not yet been officially released.

But armed with the 35-page document from the Saudis, the Palestinian Authority already knows every single article in the proposed plan and say the Americans will "not find any Palestinian to accept such a deal".

“The plan calls for having a Palestinian state with provisional borders on half of West Bank and the Gaza Strip, without Jerusalem, and calls for humanitarian solutions to the refugee issue,” a Palestinian official said, on condition of anonymity. 

“The deal calls for building a new Jerusalem for the Palestinians from the surrounding villages and communities,” he said.  

Trump and Netanyahu are planning to terminate the Palestinian cause by removing Jerusalem from any solution, annexing major settlements and finding a capital for us on the outskirts of Jerusalem

- Saeb Erakat, chief Palestinian negotiator

It also keeps Palestinian security and borders in the hands of Israel and leaves the settlements and the final borders to future negotiations.

The plan says the Palestinians can develop their own “Jerusalem” from villages and neighbourhoods around the original city – which both Israel and Palestine want as their capital, officials said on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorised to talk to the media, as the plan has not yet been officially released.

The plan also calls for having a route from the new state of Palestine to the Old City of Jerusalem where the Palestinians can pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of Holy Sepulchre.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Middle East Eye that he believes that Trump’s plan is based on confining and limiting the Palestinian state to the Gaza Strip and only parts of the West Bank, without Jerusalem.

That's the reason behind the sudden American interest in the Gaza Strip, he said.

Earlier this week, the White House held a meeting on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which included participation from 19 countries - Palestinians boycotted the conference. 

“The sudden American awakening on Gaza is full of suspicions," Erekat said. 

"Trump and Netanyahu are planning to terminate the Palestinian cause by removing Jerusalem from any solution, annexing major settlements and finding a capital for us on the outskirts of Jerusalem," Erekat said.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman recently phoned the Palestinian president, asking him to send his intelligence chief, Majid Faraj, to Riyadh, according to a Palestinian official.

Faraj was received in the Saudi capital by Riyadh’s intelligence chief, who handed him the US proposal.

Sources said Faraj came up with a counter proposal, after consulting with Abbas by phone. The Saudis then passed it to the American team who refused to discuss it and warned that “the plan is not for negotiation, it’s for implementation”.

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Abu Dis: The Palestinian 'capital' Saudi Arabia wants to force on Abbas

Saudi Arabia raised the financial aid the kingdom gives to the Palestinian Authority in the past couple of months from $7.5m to $20m per month, seen by some as a bribe to accept the deal.

But officials say Abbas will not accept any deal that falls far short of the creation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, including East Jerusalem.  

“We expect to come under pressure from the US and some Arab countries to engage in such a process but we will not, simply because we know what is being cooked up for us,” the official added.

With or without Palestinian approval

At a meeting last month with EU representatives in Jerusalem, US envoy for the Middle East Jason Greenblatt said that the US peace plan is designed to benefit the region as a whole, and does not require the consent of the Palestinians, sources told MEE.

“The Palestinians are no longer the deciding party. We have a plan for the region and the Palestinians can join in if they want, but they are also free not to,” he is understood to have said in the meeting.  

The US envoy said the American “deal of the century” is a regional plan designed to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and create an Arab-Israeli coalition to counter the joint threats of Iran and terrorism, he said.

The Americans are planning to have a regional peace deal, and they don’t care if the Palestinians are in or out

- Ali Jarbawi, political science professor

Abbas is deeply concerned that major Arab countries might sign on to such a US-led regional peace deal, despite the Palestinian objections, officials told MEE.

An aide to Abbas said that the Palestinian leader has shut the doors to any US efforts to present such a peace deal, but that he is worried that the American could convince other Arab governments to agree to the “regional peace deal,” bypassing the Palestinians.

Ali Jarbawi, political science professor at Birzeit University in the West Bank, said the Palestinian concerns are legitimate.

“The Americans are planning to have a regional peace deal, and they don’t care if the Palestinians are in or out," Jarbawi said.