When I wear robes, I have no religion: Deepika Rajawat, lawyer for the Kathuarape victim’s family

“You will not be forgiven.”

“Are you hand in glove with the Hurriyat?”

Aditya AK  April 28, 2018  Interviews, Litigation Interviews

These are just some of the comments Advocate Deepika Rajawathas received from members of the legal fraternity ever since she took up the Kathua rape and murder case earlier this year. Her colleagues have shunned her, branding her as an anti-nationalist. Others have even gone to the extent of issuing rape and death threats.

“I am facing a social boycott…They have removed me from their groups as if I have committed an offence! According to them, the fact that they are standing for the rape accused is not an offence; what I have done is an offence.”

She recounts a recent incident that left her in tears.

“I am a human being, I have emotions. The other day, I went to a notary public in the court and asked her to attest some documents. She said, ‘I will not do it’. That really hurt me; I left the court with tears in my eyes.

They stopped me from getting service in the bar rooms. The other day, one of the lawyers had written on my Facebook wall: ‘You will not be forgiven’. This is the way they are trying to weaken me, by damaging my reputation.”

Rajawat has been subjected to constant criticism from her colleagues at Jammu

These are not just one-off incidents; Rajawat claims that there has been an organised effort on the part of a section of the Bar to discredit her. She recounts how the President of the Jammu Bar Association, BS Salathia – a Senior Advocate no less – also tried to deter her from pursuing the case.
“On April 4, President of the Bar Association Mr Salathia tried to stop me from appearing during the suspension of work. He used derogatory language as well.”

But what shook her most was the attempt of a section of the media to paint her as a “vampire” (her own words). She makes special reference to Zee News’ Sudhir Chaudhary’s coverage of the case.

“He had accused me of being part of the alleged ‘Bharat Tere Tukde Honge’ gang. It was alleged that I was at JNU. All of sudden, I was portrayed as an anti-nationalist, without confirming facts…
…When I saw that story, I lost my senses. I almost lost hope. When you have lived a life without having a negative record, and you are branded like this all of a sudden, you lose your faith.”

The coverage added fuel to the fire; the threats and intimidation increased, so much so that she had stopped taking calls on her mobile number. That is when she decided to hit back.

Sudhir Chaudhary, Zee News

“I pity Sudhir Chaudhary, who was in Tihar jail for extortion. Does he have the standing to question my patriotism and credibility? Even after I served a legal notice on him, he is saying, ‘I will keep exposing you!’ (laughs). I don’t understand what kind of journalism this is. He said I was in JNU for three days. If you prove it, Mr. Chaudhury, I swear I will surrender my licence to practice law.

He has damaged me and the very fabric of our society. He has tried to create communal violence, and brand us as anti-nationalists. He has committed an offence and he will be dealt with very seriously. I have already sent a legal notice; in the days to come, I plan to file a defamation case against him. We will not spare him for what he has done.”

And despite the constant barrage of criticism, Rajawat will not be deterred from continuing to do what she thinks is right.

“Everyone holds their pride close to their heart. And when I see my pride getting attacked, my heart beats faster. Especially after I have lived an extremely hard life and belong to a less privileged section of society. But if you were to ask me to choose between getting damaged this way and not fighting for the child, I would fight for the child, and not care for the damage.”

Apart from defiance, Rajawat carries with her a sense of duty and a commitment to the cause of helping those in need. This served as her inspiration to take up the case.

“I am a lawyer, and it is my duty to work for such people. When I wear robes, I have no religion. Mrs. Indira Jaising, who is my guide, said the other day that the Constitution is our Holy Book. That inspired me to take up the case and render justice to an eight-year-old child who was gangraped and murdered, as per the charge sheet.

…I am a woman, so I could feel the pain of the child. You need to be sensitive to take up these cases. Indira (Jaising) told me, ‘Deepika, first get satisfied with the facts. Feel the pain. Then you will actually represent the victim’.”

For all the abuse she has received for representing the victim’s family, Rajawat has also garnered support from various quarters. She is grateful to Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, who is appearing in the matter before the Supreme Court pro bono.

“I feel empowered and strengthened from the support Mrs. Jaising has given me.”

“I must say that the number of people threatening me is few. The ones who are supporting me are larger in number. I feel empowered and strengthened from the support Mrs. Jaising has given me, and with the support of the national media and the people of India. The international community has also extended support to us, and I am thankful to them on behalf of the parents of the victim.”

And after the Supreme Court intervened in the matter, things have taken a turn for the better.

“We requested protection before the Supreme Court, and the Court directed the state to provide us protection. We are being protected now, there are personal security officers for me and my daughter. As on date, I feel safe because the boys are protecting us.”

Another relief sought for in the Supreme Court is the transfer of the trial out of Kathua, where Rajawat believes a fair trial is impossible.

“You have seen the situation; you have seen how the Crime Branch team was stopped from filing the charge sheet. I strongly feel that in such circumstances, the trial cannot take place peacefully at Kathua. It should be transferred to a place which is safe and convenient to the parents of the victim.”
She is, of course, referring to a section of the Bar along with an organization called the Hindu Ekta Manch, which has painted the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl with communal hues. Amidst consternation among the general Indian public, the Manchalong with the lawyers had sympathised with the rape accused and called for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the case.

The lawyers behind these protests, Rajawat claims, have political motives. To them, she says,

“I want to say that if you have political ambitions, please be on that side, don’t be on this side. As a lawyer, you have a different role to play, don’t intermingle the two. If you do, you will be bringing disgrace to both.

If you analyse the situation from the beginning, you will know how things have gone wrong. I have listened to a speech of one of the lawyers who has been at the forefront of seeking a CBI investigation into the case. He has said that the Hindu Ekta Manch was created for this sole reason.”

 As for her own motivation, Rajawat says,

“I am a proud Hindu and a proud nationalist. I have no political aspirations. My motto is to be a roaring voice for the protection of the interests of the underprivileged…

…A true nationalist is one who stands up for a cause, irrespective of anything. Our religion teaches us compassion and to protect people in need. If it is a bad thing to fight for the weak, then we are probably bad people.

I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve; I keep it inside me and try to apply it through my actions.”
Even as the Kathua case has provoked the government to pass a knee-jerk Ordinance allowing the death the penalty for rapes committed on minors below the age of 12, Rajawat feels that this is not the solution to a systemic problem.

“Had that been the case, rapes would have stopped after Dhananjay Chatterjee’s hanging. How many rapes have happened since then? “

“Legislation on this issue will not work. Had that been the case, rapes would have stopped after Dhananjay Chatterjee’s hanging. How many rapes have happened since then? The incidents of Nirbhaya and the eight-year-old child have happened.

In India, where because of a few people the setup has become polluted, I don’t think capital punishment would work. I believe the system needs to be changed. Stakeholders need to work more efficiently, and everyone needs to do their duty. The Prime Minister, President and Chief Ministers have a role to play.”

And speaking of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajawat feels that he needs to play a less passive role in all of this.

“Our Hon’ble Prime Minister has a role to play. He should not go scot-free, and we should not let him. While he is governing the country, his party men are making slogans defending rape accused, misusing the Tricolour, and a Union Minister made a shameful statement about rape. He should outrightly throw such people out if he wants to have a good nation.

He is not representing only one community; he needs to have the confidence of everyone. If we keep fighting on religious basis and keep damaging statues of people like Babasaheb Ambedkar, it will be very unfortunate. In the interests of the nation, I request him to keep watch on his people and others, and to be neutral.”

At a time where the schism between people grows wider and communal disharmony continues to rear its ugly head, Rajawat concludes on this note:

“I strongly feel that if we stand by each other and realise the difference between good and bad, good days will come. Good days will not come by giving slogans; they will come when the nation wakes up.”

Dementia risk linked to some medicines

A study links the long-term use of some drugs with a higher risk of dementia.

26 April 2018

In England, 1.5 to two million people are likely to be taking anticholinergics for depression, Parkinson's and bladder problems.

University of East Anglia researchers found more cases of dementia in patients prescribed larger quantities of particular anticholinergics.

But experts said patients should not stop taking them, as their benefits may outweigh any risk.

The study found no risk with other anticholinergic medicines used to treat common conditions such as hay fever, travel sickness and stomach cramps.

What did the study look at?

The research, funded by Alzheimer's Society and published in the British Medical Journal, looked at the medical records of 40,770 patients aged from 65 to 99 with a diagnosis of dementia between April 2006 and July 2015 and compared them with those of 283,933 people without dementia.

It also analysed more than 27 million prescriptions - making it the biggest study of its kind into the long-term impact of anticholinergic drugs in relation to dementia.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

What are anticholinergic drugs?

They block acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that carries signals across the nervous system.

Some are available on prescription only.

What should patients do if they take any of these drugs?

The most important thing is "not to panic", according to Dr Ian Maidment, from Aston University.

"Don't do anything suddenly. Don't stop taking your medication," he told the BBC.

"As a patient, if you are concerned about it, go and speak to your doctor or your pharmacist. You don't have to see them urgently."

Not taking prescribed drugs could have serious consequences, Dr Maidment said.

"Having untreated depression is also a risk as people can die from that, so it is a question of balancing risks," he added.

How have experts reacted?

Alzheimer's Society head of research Dr James Pickett told the BBC that compared with the risk of dementia being caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, the potential risk of an anticholinergic drug contributing to the onset of the disease was "quite small".

"We don't exactly know within those that are taking these drugs, who is at the increased risk and who isn't," he said.

Image captionDr James Pickett said it was hard to say who may be affected

Dementia Research national director Prof Martin Rossor said: "It is important to be cautious about associations as they do not prove causation."

Alzheimer's Research UK research director Dr Carol Routledge said: "The study didn't investigate what might cause this link between anticholinergics and dementia risk, and researchers will need to build on these findings in future studies."

Rob Howard, professor of old age psychiatry at University College London, said: "It is possible that use of some of these drugs may have actually been to treat the very earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, which can be associated with low mood and lower urinary tract infections, many years before the development of dementia."

Dr Parastou Donyai, associate professor of social and cognitive pharmacy at the University of Reading, said: "This type of study imagines that patients actually take their drugs as they were prescribed for them.

"But we know from other research that people with long-term health conditions really only take their medication as prescribed around half of the time - the other half, people either take more or less of their medication or not at all."

Why violent Buddhist extremists are targeting Muslims in Sri Lanka

The aftermath of anti-Muslim violence in Kandy. EPA/M. A. Pushpa Kumara

Andreas Johansson-April 26, 2018 9.06am EDT

Director of Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET), Lund University

New clashes between Buddhist extremists and Muslims occurred in two different towns in Sri Lanka, Kandy and Ampara, in early 2018. Triggered in part by hate-filled posts spread by nationalistic Sinhala Buddhist Facebook groups, these riots resulted in the death of one Muslim and the destruction of many buildings.

To many non-Buddhists outside Asia, this sort of violence can seem surprising. Westerners think of Buddhism as a peaceful religion, folding Buddhist terms and practices into stress relief practices such as mindfulness. But like any religion, Buddhism has a far more complicated story than that – and Sri Lanka has seen many disturbing and violent episodes that attest to that fact.

The Buddhist Protestantism of the 19th century, the monks who invoked Buddhist texts to justify the Sri Lankan civil war, and the extremist movements surging today all have one thing in common: a belief that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist nation that must be protected from foreign elements, violently if necessary. The Sri Lankan case shows that nationalism and extremism can be filtered through anything.

Buddhist revivalism in the early 20th century

The movement known as Buddhism revivalism or Protestantism in Sri Lanka started with Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933). Known as the father of Buddhist Protestantism in Sri Lanka, Dharmapala had an anti-imperialist and nationalist agenda. Besides fighting the British, who ruled Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) at the time, Dharmapala focused on founding Buddhist schools and strengthening the Sinhala language and Buddhism in Sri Lanka’s public sphere.

Anagarika Dharmapala. Wikimedia Commons

To this day, Sinhala nationalists portray him as a hero and their saviour from “the evil influence of Western domination”; his birthday is celebrated every year in the Sri Lankan media, reminding people of the deeds of a national hero.

In 1915, police changed the original route of a Buddhist festival procession in order to prevent them from passing a mosque. Mockery by Muslims did not help the matter, and riots soon erupted in Sri Lanka, pitting Sinhala Buddhists against Muslims. 25 Muslims were killed, around 200 were injured, mosques were damaged, and many businesses belonging to Muslims were destroyed. The British were accused of killing both Sinhala and Muslims when they tried to stop the riots, providing the spark that ignited the Sri Lankan independence movement.

Buddhism and the civil war

Between 1983 and 2009, Sri Lanka was plagued by a civil war between the Sinhala government and Tamil (mainly Hindu) rebels. The war had numerous causes, but prominent among them were government moves to embrace religious nationalism.

After they won independence from Britain in 1948, Sri Lanka’s politicians started to enforce the use of the Sinhala language across the country’s public institutions, making it the official language. They also inserted Buddhism into the constitution: “The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the state to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana.”

This angered Sri Lanka’s Tamil-speaking minority. Militant student organisations were soon formed with the aim of forming a new Tamil homeland. In July 1983, also known as Black July, Tamil rebels killed a number of soldiers from the Sri Lankan army. During subsequent riots, various Sinhala mobs killed many Tamil civilians. The civil war was now a fact.

Buddhism was invoked to justify the war in various ways. In her book, In The Defence of Dharma: Just-war Ideology in Buddhist Sri Lanka, religious studies professor Tessa J. Bartholomeusz offers some examples. To take just one, a Sinhala army song from 1999 said to be composed by a Buddhist monk contained the following verse:

Linked by love of the [Buddhist] religion and protected by the Motherland, brave soldiers you should go hand in hand.

But it wasn’t just the army; everyday people and monks also used Buddhist texts and used military metaphors. Some Buddhist monks extolled warrior virtues as stemming from Buddhism:

That Buddhism is a religion of ardent aspiration for the highest good of man is not surprising. It springs out of the mind of the Buddha a man of martial spirit and high aims … Buddhism … is made by a warrior spirit for warriors.

After the war

When the civil war ended in 2009, many hoped that Sri Lanka’s ethnic groups would find a way to coexist in peace. But it didn’t take long before the country’s Buddhist extremists found another target.

Currently, Sri Lanka’s most active Buddhist extremist group is Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist power force, or BBS). BBS entered politics in 2012 with a Buddhist-nationalist ideology and agenda, its leaders claiming that Sri Lankans had become immoral and turned away from Buddhism. And whom does it blame? Sri Lankan Muslims.

Nationalist monk Wirathu rallies his supporters in Myanmar. EPA/Lynn Bo Bo

BBS’s rhetoric takes its cue from other populist anti-Muslim movements around the globe, claiming that Muslims are “taking over” the country thanks to a high birth rate. It also accuses Muslim organisations of funding international terrorism with money from Halal-certified food industries. These aren’t just empty words; in 2014, one of their anti-Muslim protest rallies in the southern town of Aluthgama ended with the death of four Muslims.

BBS also has links to Myanmar’s extremist 969 movement. Led by nationalist monk Ashin Wirathu, who calls himself the “Burmese bin Laden”, it is notorious for its hardline rhetoric against the Rohingya Muslim community.

It is hard to say if these latest events really do represent a global trend, but it’s deeply ominous to see extremist organisations collaborating across borders. Sri Lanka and Myanmar aren’t the only countries where this is happening; Thailand is also often mentioned as a hotbed of increasingly belligerent Buddhist extremism. Perhaps the next violent riots to pit Buddhists and Muslims against each other will be taking place in yet another country.

The Exposure Of Disgusting Abuses: The Justice System Of Sri Lanka

By Sisira Weragoda –APRIL 27, 2018

Sisira Weragoda

The Exposure of Disgusting Abuses: The Justice System of Sri Lanka: Evaluation of Its Impact on the Public & Strategy for its Remediation

While commending efforts of Attorneys Nagananda Kodituwakku and Ms Sugandhika Fernando, to formulate a strategic follow-up plan to foster their aims, it is important to assess the true impact of the presentations made up to now in respect of the subject on the pubic and the national economy. Hence the need to evaluate the following:

(a) the quantitative impact of Sri Lanka’s Judiciary’s escalating disarray, eroding public confidence on the national economy based on revelations of the 2013 World Bank study: lack of reliable data and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools that are essential for management; escalating backlog of cases, almost 850,000, most pending for over a decade and increasing; the resulting litigant population, nearly 70,000, forced to commute daily to Courts in the midst of traffic congestion and parking hassle at courts, road accidents etc., most to be informed of the next calling date instead of their cases being dealt with. This is compounded by the litigants’ task of obtaining and filing copies of documents and the attorneys filing papers without consulting clients, thus disregarding critical errors and omissions. The resulting daily national loss of productivity of nearly 50,000 man days. Their outcome is the very lucrative enrichment of the legal fraternity at the expense of national productivity and public convenience;

(b) the Constitutional Assembly’s Judiciary Subcommittee Report: endeavoring to preserve the status quo by overlooking the most anguished public inconveniences aforesaid at (a) above; not revoking the perk of Three Court Vacations of 70 days despite it eroding the average delay per pending case, by nearly 20 percent;

(c) the importance of E-court services and Lay Judge system: a multidisciplinary platform of expertise field proven in many countries, including China, India and Bhutan- creating synergies to generate integrative knowledge focused to resolve pending problems of the Judiciary; -to accomplish the aims of the new Constitution Mr Kodituwakku intends to put up to remediate the notorious ills of the current system; and

(d) the impact of Jurisdictions due to the void of expertise guidance: illustrating its ILLS by an example of the very notorious jurisdiction in entirety by a team of the legal fraternity in SEATS of POWER upholding a flawed Telecom Tariff proposal prepared by THREE attorneys and published around July 2007. It is yet afflicting the public – an outcome that could have been averted had the bench comprised a mix of Professional and Lay Judges. (Daily Mirror 7 May 2008, SLT cheats through Mathematical Jugglery)

1. The Exposure of “Some Disgusting Abuses of Sri Lankan Justice System,” by attorney Sugandhika Fernando, the appeal by Attorney Nagananda Kodituwakku for unswerving public support, to rid the malaise of the Judiciary – the guardian of the nation’s peace, order, and good governance, – of its aberrant and rent seeking conduct, depriving of the most important deliverable, affordable and expeditious delivery of Justice, yearned by the public, but neglected for generations of the Parliament. It is a loud whisper decried then and now by the public, and –though very few in number-, also by bold luminaries of the fraternity: for example, a prominent luminary of the fraternity, PC Romesh De Silva- opining to the Sunday Observer “I have spoken many times about the issue on different platforms and even addressed the Bar Association. I don’t want to speak about it anymore“.

2. The 2013 World Bank study also reveals inefficacies of its management, gross lack of reliable management data, ICT tools even the most basic like email service, resulting in a backlog is said to be over 850,000 cases most of which are pending over a decade and steadily increasing. The estimate of consequent litigant population of nearly 70,000 is forced to commute daily to Courts, -most to be informed of the next calling date, yet forced to travel in the midst of aggravating traffic congestion, road accidents and parking hassle at courts etc. The resulting daily national loss of productivity is nearly 50,000 man days. The outcome of all these is the very lucrative enrichment of the legal fraternity at sacrifice of harsh erosion of national productivity and public convenience.

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MAY DAY: SAMPANTHAN URGE ALL PARTIES TO JOIN HANDS TO RESOLVE THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE NATIONAL QUESTION

May Day Message:

27/04/2018

As we commemorate one of the most historically important days of the world history, my best wishes go to all working-class people of this country who give their best to take this island nation to a brighter future.

The working class is the backbone of our economic prosperity hence the rights and the well-being of the working class must be protected and ensured. Sadly, the present governing structures of our country do not treat everyone equally or give the same respect and dignity to all people.

As we remember this International Labor Day let us also take stock of our past which has caused us to be far behind in economic prosperity in the region and make necessary radical steps to address and find a solution to the root causes of the same.

Inevitably we need to evolve a Constitution the supreme law of the country that treats each one of its citizens equally with dignity and self-respect in order to enjoy lasting peace and economic prosperity. We have missed many opportunities in the past in fulfilling this great need of our motherland and we cannot afford to lose another opportunity in this regard.

My appeal to all political parties on this May Day, for the sake of the future of this country and for the future generations of this Island is to set aside all political differences and to join hands to resolve the root causes of the national question.

Hon R. Sampanthan, Leader of the Opposition – Parliament of Sri Lanka, Leader of Tamil National Alliance.

A WAY TO LIVE AND A WAY TO DIE

 

What is Buddhism? Is it a religion or a philosophy?

2018-04-28 

A true Buddhist would accept the basic Buddhist analysis of life as one that accommodates the teachings of the Buddha.

It involves no dogmatism, no form of worship. One could say it is a code of morality, a way of life as it were.

The Buddha with his infinite wisdom discovered the fundamental disease affecting all men and women, the unsatisfactory nature of all phenomenal existence.

All the desires by which we are cursed leads to misery; if not gratified, alike to misery: if gratified, to misery of extreme satiety

It was he who raised the veil and showed us the world as it is, the unending suffering and pain all men, women and all living beings are heir to.

In Buddhism, there is no creator-God who rewards or punishes.

“Look not for refuge to anyone but oneself. I am only your teacher,” the Buddha said. These words give us the satisfaction of knowing that in our own hands lies the power to mould our future lives.

We and we alone are the creators of our destiny. Did not Shakespeare himself say, “Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, which we ascribe to heaven”

It was the Buddha who said that there was a solution, a cure to this problem. He prescribed the four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-Fold Path that led to a place free of distress and danger - Nibbana

No prayers, no entreaties to heaven, no priest’s absolution, any rites and rituals can liberate us from the entanglements of human life. As we sow, we reap. That is the karmic theory.

So, it seems imperative that we find a method of escape from this unending chain of suffering called Sansara.

It was the Buddha who said that there was a solution, a cure to this problem. He prescribed the four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-Fold Path that led to a place free of distress and danger - Nibbana.
What is Nibbana and what is its ultimate purpose? The answer to this world-old question is contained in a word for which there is no English correlation.

“If any teach Nirvana is to cease,
Say unto such they lie,
If any say Nibbana is to live,
Say unto such they err.”
Such is Edwin Arnold’s admonition.

There are the three great instruments of Dhana, sila and Bhavana. Sila or more aptly called discipline regulates our words and deeds.

It is the foot-rule that marks out a straight line to a life of virtue. Meditation is the compass that helps dispel all vanity, pride and selfishness and helps fill our minds with Metta or universal love. No easy task. It requires resolve and great dedication.

It was he who raised the veil and showed us the world as it is, the unending suffering and pain all men, women and all living beings are heir to

“Ananda. They who are correct in living according to the Dhamma are the ones who will reach their goal,’ the Buddha said.

“We see men’s lives riddled with lust, greed and revenge usually it is the ‘I’ and the ‘mine,’ the foremost factors in our lives, that bring on these defilements of the mind. It sprang and flourished on the soil of selfish desire, passions and delusion.

The cause of all suffering according to the Buddha was the craving for worldly things. This craving is often deep, unending and insatiable. Dazzled by life’s deceptive show, its allure, we are drawn to everything that brings us joy and satisfaction. Good food, fine clothes, the fame that gives weight to one’s slightest word, are they not good things? Of course, they are.

Yet, one must think about its impermanence, its illusionary nature. Blinded by these false delights we cling to them, not realizing their emptiness, their hollowness.

Herbert Spencer, a renowned philosopher, impressed by the transiency of the world wisely said,
“The one thing permanent is the reality hidden under ever-changing things.”

Thomas Macaulay, another English writer voiced his sentiment thus: “All the desires by which we are cursed leads to misery; if not gratified, alike to misery: if gratified, to misery of extreme satiety.”

The lesson to be learnt is not to ossify the hearts ill it cannot feel, but to transfer desire to a higher plane of being, a loftier one.

The key word that should dominate our minds is detachment. Do not cling to worldly things.
‘Let Go’ the Buddha said over-and-over again.

So weed out the noxious weeds of greed and avarice. Do not let it blur your vision and block your path to deliverance. The Buddha extolled us to practise virtues like generosity, compassion and kindness to all living things. We must shun evil thoughts like anger, hatred and revenge.

These defilements only corrode the mind and heart and bring on unending misery.
Wounding and killing others is a heinous crime.
“Kill not for pity’s sake the 
meanest thing,
Give freely and receive and take from none
by greed or force, or fraud what is not yours.”

Always there will be a retribution justice. Punishment for evil acts will be pitiless and will go beyond the penalties of courts and jails.

Giving should not be tainted by any idea of favour or return. It must flow from a heart full of sympathy “and love for all living things.

Then comes death, the end of life. All sentient beings are doomed to die. This is true not just for one man, one family, one city, but for the whole world. Some live in abject fear of death but face it we must. It is only an incident in life, a mere incident of being.

Parting from loved ones is inevitable. One must restrain one’s tears knowing how fragile, how uncertain life is. Wailing, lamentations bring no comfort. Let those who grieve meditate on the teachings of the Buddha, seek solace from his doctrine.

“I teach my disciples but one thing - sorrow and the deliverance from sorrow.” So, said the Buddha.
It is after a mighty struggle each one of us has acquired the human form. Endeavour to tread the spiritual path and so break the bonds that tie us to this world, a world filled with pain and misery and anguish. Strive to save oneself from all of it and so reach that blissful state called Nibbana.

“Walk ye -as Princes who follow the way of right living,” extolled the Buddha.

“Be like unto brethren; one in love, one in holiness and one in zeal for doing good.”

This is the only way to live and also the only way to die.

International Acceptance Needed For Cabinet Posts: President Sirisena – A Response

By P. Soma Palan – APRIL 27, 2018

P. Soma Palan

I refer to the news report in the Daily Mirror of 25th April under the above heading. In an Interview with the BBC Sinhala channel in London, President Sirisena has said that “one, who is to be appointed to a Ministerial Portfolio, should have local and International acceptance”.

Firstly, the above, is an unqualified statement of a general principle on appointment of Cabinet Ministers, although it was said in the context of the recent appointment of a new Minister for Law and Order. Appointment of Cabinet Ministers is entirely and purely an internal matter of the country. International acceptance has no relevance at all. The country, more specifically the Government, has the sovereign right to appoint anyone to any portfolio it thinks fit. If it really wanted to appoint Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka as Minister of Law and order, International acceptance is not a bar, nor a necessity. It could have done so, instead of the one appointed. In actual fact, he was the more favoured candidate for the Portfolio of Law and Order. No country will interfere with the internal governance of a country. One cannot understand why the Government should invite a fetter, when none exist, and self-inflict a limitation on its Sovereignty. In the case of appointment of Ambassadors to international countries, the acceptance or rejection of the host country is a required Protocol. But not for Ministers who function within the country.

On the contrary, the President and the Government have said that, it will not allow foreign Judges to a Court to hear charges of “War Crimes” brought against the Political leadership and the Defense forces. In this instance, the Government’s stand is that, it violates the Sovereignty of the country, while gleefully stating that” International acceptance is needed “for appointment of country’s Ministers”. Isn’t this an utter contradiction of principles?

As a member country of the UN, and by extension, the other institutional arms of the UN, notably the UNHRC, it is obligatory and binding on the Country to accept Resolutions adopted by the International body, relating to War Crimes charges. Our defense is that it violates the country’s Sovereignty. All countries of the world as Members of the UN have implicitly agreed to forego a little bit of their sovereignty in the interest of World Peace and Order.

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Towards a common future: A revitalised and relevant Commonwealth

Saturday, 28 April 2018 

The recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London brought together leaders representing the interests of 2.4 billion people, nearly one third of the world’s population. Sri Lanka is no stranger to CHOGM. It hosted the meeting in 2013 and President Sirisena led the delegation to London this year.

Forty-six Heads of Government, over 50 Ministers and 15,000 delegates attended. Heads of delegations met in London and at Windsor Castle, while Ministers and other participants took part in forums for women, youth, civil society and business, and dozens of side events and multilateral and bilateral meetings.

Discussions focused on the theme ‘Towards a Common Future’ for the citizens of the Commonwealth and considered how the organisation needs to change and grow in order to remain relevant to their aspirations.

The Commonwealth is a unique institution built on deep partnerships. CHOGM 2018 reconfirmed the value of the Commonwealth as a modern forward-looking organisation, responsive to the global challenges we all face today, and will face in the future.

The meeting showed how effectively the Commonwealth can unite its 53 Member States around issues of common concern, issues like equal access to education and environmental sustainability, both of them tremendously important to the billion young people who live in Commonwealth countries as they look to the future.

Commonwealth members used the opportunity to give further substance to commitments on limiting climate change with the launch of the ‘Commonwealth Blue Charter’ to protect the oceans, supported by a ‘Clean Oceans Alliance’ to tackle plastic pollution, which Sri Lanka joined. Sri Lanka will lead work on the conservation of mangroves in Commonwealth countries.

The Commonwealth’s uniqueness lies in its human networks. People-to-people links define the institution and we need to recognise and nurture them. President Sirisena in his address to the Commonwealth Business Forum highlighted how the Government’s “Blue-Green” economic plan will aim to advance the full utilisation of the ocean and the other natural resources of Sri Lanka in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable way.

In his address to business leaders he commented on the importance of finding solutions to common problems: “There is no standard approach for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, and each country decides its own path. However the approach led by our countries should be people centred,” he said.

Leaders discussed the need for increasing cooperation across security challenges and committed to implementing global programs that will facilitate better coordination of efforts. Agreement on the ‘Commonwealth Cyber Declaration’, the world’s most geographically diverse intergovernmental commitment on cyber-security co-operation, illustrated the opportunity for the Commonwealth to bring its members together to meet emerging challenges and threats to the security of all our countries. Commitments relevant to the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention also illustrated how the Commonwealth can bring members together behind approaches to common global security problems.

The Summit also provided the opportunity for discussions on boosting trade and investment within the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth contains some of the world’s fastest growing economies and its members account for one-fifth of global trade. Part of its strength lies in so many of its members shared instincts about the importance of open societies and open economies.

Sri Lanka pledged financial support as an anchor investor in the Commonwealth Small States Trade Financial Facility which will help small, vulnerable countries access global markets. Commonwealth small states are expected to have access to $ 300 million of incremental trade finance over a three-year period from this program.

Sri Lanka leading the way in this endeavour demonstrates another truth of the Commonwealth – that the size of a country is not a limit to ambition and impact. In thanking the Queen for her years of dedicated and unfailing support, British Prime Minister Theresa May summarised this. The Commonwealth is a grouping in which “the voice of the smallest member country is worth precisely as much as that of the largest; [in which] the wealthiest and the most vulnerable stand shoulder to shoulder”. In the many outcomes of CHOGM 2018 we saw this reaffirmed.

(The writer is British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.)