Facebook respond to facing £500k fine over Cambridge Analytica scandal

Siobhan KennedyBusiness Editor-11 Jul 2018

The Information Commissioner has slapped a half million pound fine on Facebook for failing to safeguard its users’ data. The maximum fine was issued after this programme and the Guardian newspaper revealed how political strategy firm Cambridge Analytica harvested data from millions of users of the social media site. The commissioner’s office also said it could now bring criminal charges against the parent company of Cambridge Analytica. Facebook and whistle blower Chris Wylie give their responses.

The City of London and Grand Theft Ethiopia

Today Ethiopia is struggling to build a sustainable future free from debt bondage and beggary, and the Billion$ sitting in former Ethiopian leaders accounts in the City of London could go a long way towards turning the situation around 

by Thomas C. Mountain-Jul 11, 2018

Jul 11, 2018

( July 11, 2018, Eritrea, Sri Lanka Guardian) For decades now, going back to when Bob Geldoff handed over millions in cash to Meles Zenawi back during “We Are the World” circa 1983-4 supposedly for food aid for the victims of what was then the Great Ethiopian Famine, The City of London has been at the heart of Grand Theft Ethiopia, grand theft Africa really.

With out a place to stash your loot why steal in the first place? If you cant hide your dirty money where no one can take it from you why bother? And this is just what The City of London has been doing, laundering Billion$, some say Tens of Billion$, of stolen “aid” money for the late Ethiopian Gangster Government lead by Meles Zenawi. War, drought, famine followed by more war, drought and famine, The Horn of Africa maybe better called the Horn of Hunger and thanks to The City
of London what was supposed to be used to feed the starving, house the homeless, nurture the sick and educate the illiterate was instead deposited in the financial cesspool calling itself a “City”, population seven thousand.

The City of London makes its own rules with some saying it was behind Brexit because it cannot survive if it must follow new EU banking regulations concerning money laundering and balance sheets. Cooking the Books is what its called and it is implanted in the DNA in the City of London.

Today Ethiopia is struggling to build a sustainable future free from debt bondage and beggary, and the Billion$ sitting in former Ethiopian leaders accounts in the City of London could go a long way towards turning the situation around.

The City of London is at the heart of international banksterism, and needs to be shut down and the ill gotten gains of crooks around the world returned to those they stole it from. The new Ethiopian peoples government has vowed to get Ethiopia’s money back and has promised a list of offenders and where they have stashed their loot. This could be the first step in helping expose how the City of London has been front and center when it comes to enabling Grand Theft Ethiopia.

Thomas C. Mountain is an independent journalist in Eritrea, living and reporting from here since 2006. See Facebook at thomascmountain or best contact him at thomascmountain at g mail dot com

Combatting climate change could create 24 million jobs by 2030

Source: William Bossen / Unsplash

By Max Walden | 12th July 2018

CLIMATE change provides a major threat to more than a billion workers, as well as opportunities to create employment for millions around the world if addressed correctly, according to a new report.

The World Employment and Social Outlook 2018 released in May by the International Labour Organization (ILO) claimed that at least 1.2 billion people rely on a healthy and sustainable environment in their work – particularly those in agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

Climate change poses grave risks to future employment. The ILO reported that 23 million working life years have been lost to natural disasters since 2000, and climate change will see disasters occur more frequently and with greater severity.

SEE ALSO: King penguins could ‘disappear’ due to climate change

Around 2 percent of total working hours – the equivalent of 72 million fulltime jobs – will be lost by 2030 due to heat stress, it said.

“The effects of environmental degradation on the world of work are particularly acute for the most vulnerable workers,” it said. “Rural workers, people in poverty, indigenous and tribal peoples and other disadvantaged groups are affected the most by the impact of climate change.”

As such, climate change and environmental degradation further exacerbate global inequality, which has risen sharply in recent decades.

According to the World Inequality Report 2018, the top 1 percent of individuals have captured twice as much income growth as the bottom 50 percent since 1980. This means “environmental sustainability is also an issue of social justice,” said the ILO.

It claimed that 18 million more jobs would be created if the world could meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping the increase in global temperatures to just 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

The ILO projected that while shifts away from carbon and resource intensive industries toward greener technology would see 6 million jobs lost in the short-term, it would also see the creation of 24 million jobs, “meriting complementary policies to protect workers and ensure that the transition is just.”

Demonstrators dressed as Donald Trump and as a polar bear are seen during a demonstration in Bonn against the COP 23 UN Climate Change Conference hosted by Fiji but held in Bonn, Germany November 11, 2017. Source: Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay

Some 23 countries have already succeeded in growing their economies while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions and their environmental footprint, the report’s authors said.

SEE ALSO: Women, ethnic minorities most likely to lose jobs to robots

Cambodia, for example, since 2013 has mainstreamed green growth into its national economic development plan and employment legislation.

Mongolia, meanwhile, identifies “green employment” as a priority, aiming to provide income to 80 percent of its working age population through decent employment and to increase resilience to the negative impacts of climate change.

“Low-income and some middle-income countries need support to develop data collection, identify and adopt best practices, strengthen implementation and finance both mitigation and adaptation strategies in order to achieve a just transition to environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all,” concluded the report.

Stopping type 1 diabetes from birth

Image copyright

By Michelle RobertsHealth editor, BBC News online-11 July 2018

Experts believe they may have found a way to prevent high risk babies from developing type 1 diabetes.

The idea is to train infants' immune systems by giving them powdered insulin to offer life-long protection.

Insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar, which goes awry in diabetes.

Pregnant women visiting maternity clinics in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire are being asked to sign up to the trial.

Pioneering type 1 diabetes therapy safe

Parents that take part will be asked to give their children insulin powder daily from the age of about six months until they are three years old.

They will have visits from the research team to monitor the child's health.

Half of the study participants will be given the real insulin while half will get a placebo powder containing no drug.

Neither the researchers nor participants will know which they received until after the trial so as not to bias the results.

Type 1 diabetes

It is thought about one in every 100 babies has genes that put them at increased risk of developing type 1, insulin-dependent diabetes.

Experts say a heel prick blood test that is routinely done on newborns to spot other conditions could also detect these genes.

The researchers, from Oxford University, want to screen 30,000 babies in this way to find eligible ones for their trial.

It is hoped that spoon-feeding insulin powder can train the immune system to tolerate the body's own insulin to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Currently, there is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes.

Others have been testing whether giving a different drug, called metformin, in childhood might hold off diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition where the pancreas does not produce insulin, causing blood glucose levels to become too high.

This can cause serious long-term health problems such as blindness, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Chief investigator of the Oxford trial Dr Matthew Snape said: "Preventing children and their families from having to live with diabetes and its threat of complications such as blindness, kidney or heart disease would be fantastic."

The work is being funded by the National Institute for Health Research, the type 1 diabetes charity JDRF, Diabetes UK and the Wellcome Trust, as well as the Leona M and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: "This is a huge endeavour, so we would encourage women living in the South East who think they might be eligible to find out more - research like this can't happen without the incredible people who take part."

For more information visit www.ingr1d.org.uk

Sri Lanka: The death penalty is a cruel and irreversible punishment

11 July 2018,

Sri Lanka must pull back from any plans to implement the death penalty and preserve its longstanding positive record on shunning this cruel and irreversible punishment, Amnesty International said today.

The Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Srisena, is reportedly pressing ahead with plans to execute 19 death row prisoners convicted of drug-related offences.

“By resuming executions after more than 40 years, Sri Lanka will do immense damage to its reputation. The government must immediately halt plans to carry out any executions, commute all death sentences, and establish an official moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty as a first step towards its full abolition,” said Dinushika Dissanayake, Deputy Director for South Asia at Amnesty International.

By resuming executions after more than 40 years, Sri Lanka will do immense damage to its reputation

Dinushika Dissanayake

“Sri Lanka has been a leader in the region, with an enviable record of shunning this cruel and irreversible punishment at a time when many other countries persisted with it. Now, when most of the world has turned its back on the death penalty, it risks heading in the wrong direction and joining a shrinking minority of states that persist with this horrific practice.”

Amnesty International is absolutely opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the crime or the method of execution.

Executing people for drug-related crimes is a violation of international law – which says the death penalty can only be imposed in countries that are yet to abolish it for the “most serious crimes”, meaning intentional killing– and would brazenly defy Sri Lanka's international commitments, including its repeated votes in favour of a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty at the UN General Assembly, including most recently in 2016.

There is no evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect against crime. Executions are never the solution and, for drug-related offences, constitute a violation of international law. Sri Lanka should choose a more humane and just path

Dinushika Dissanayake

Sri Lanka carried out its last execution in 1976.

“There is no evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect against crime. Executions are never the solution and, for drug-related offences, constitute a violation of international law. Sri Lanka should choose a more humane and just path,” said Dinushika Dissanayake.
Background

As of today, 142 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. In the Asia-Pacific region, 19 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and a further seven are abolitionist in practice.

In 2017, as recorded by Amnesty International, executions were carried out in an isolated minority of countries (23), and only 11 of these – or 6% of the world's total –carried out executions every year in the past five years.

Sri Lanka President ready to approve death penalty for drug dealers

Wed, Jul 11, 2018, 08:19 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

July 11, Colombo: As Sri Lanka is battling to eradicate its growing narcotics problem, President Maithripala Sirisena said that he would sign required orders to execute capital punishment for convicted drug traffickers who carry out large scale drug smuggling operations while in detention.

"Although there are certain opinions regarding capital punishment in a Buddhist society, if large number of criminal acts spread in such a society despite religious sermons, it will be necessary to take some timely actions to control crime," he said.

The Cabinet of Ministers yesterday approved a joint proposal presented by the President and Minister of Public Administration and Law and Peace Ranjith Madduma Bandara, to draft a Drug Controlling Special Provision Bill, empowering the Tri Forces for controlling the illegal drug trade for a particular period of time as recommended by the Attorney General.

Speaking at the opening of the 'Schools to Boost Fight Against Drugs' campaign at Gatambe Grounds in Kandy today, President Sirisena said that although the opponents level undue criticism, the number of crimes and rapes has dropped during the last three years.

He pointed out that the report on crime in the last 10 years presented to the National Security Council yesterday, has revealed that false propaganda about an increase of crime rates after this government came to power was carried out by the opponents with political agendas.

However, pointing out that some social websites and use of illegal drugs have caused an increase in murders and rapes, the President said that it is the responsibility of the government as well as the parents to give priority to save children from these evils.

President Sirisena emphasized that the children should be made aware of the dangers of drugs making them the messengers of creating a drug and alcohol free society.

The President presented awards to those who made special contributions to the success of the campaign against drugs and alcohol.

Ministers Lakshman Kiriella and Lucky Jayawardena, Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Bandula Yalegama and other politicians from different political parties, Kandy District Secretary, M P Hitisekera and other officials, Tri Forces and police officers, School Principals, teachers and students and 6,000 drugs prevention program representatives from 1188 villages were present on this occasion.

Sri Lankan military, police harass Jaffna temple workers over Tamil Eelam display at festival

10Jul 2018

Members of a Jaffna temple board have been harassed almost daily by Sri Lankan security forces, police and intelligence personnel since their deity was displayed with a Tamil Eelam-shaped backdrop on the final night of the temple's annual festival (thiruvizha).

Officers from Kankesanthurai Police's special investigation division, as well as from the investigation department at Jaffna Police Station went to the Kannagai Amman Kovil in Aanaikottai at 5am on 29th June, the morning after the festival ended to carry out investigations.

The following day, 30th June, temple authorities were called for interrogation by both Jaffna Police and Manippay police and were made to attend both stations.

On 1st July, Special Task Force personnel went to the temple and said they were also investigating.

Jaffna Police then summoned the temple management again on the 3rd July and demanded a list of the young people involved in creating the image of Tamil Eelam. The management refused.

On 4th July, military intelligence personnel from the Koppay camp went to the house of the temple's secretary and again demanded a list of young people involved. The secretary again refused.

Following this, intelligence personnel have been going from house to house in the area and attempting to gather information from locals.

Finally on the 6th July, members of the temple's youth council and other villagers were called to the Jaffna Police station, were a statement was taken from the youth council's chairperson and the secretary.

The Koppay Army camp also announced that a meeting will be held at the temple on 16th July and that the temple's administration, youth council, women's forum, and villagers must attend.

Meanwhile, Aanaikottai locals have reported that intelligence personnel can be seen watching residents during all hours of the day and night.

Related Articles: 

27 May 2018 : Militarisation: army plants coconut trees in Jaffna temple

03 May 2018 : More Sinhalisation of Tamil temples

05 April 2018 : Militarisation of Jaffna continues as military looks to renovate 100 Hindu temples

04 March 2018 : Sri Lanka’s militarisation of temples in North-East continues

A future hub for trade and logistics in the Indian subcontinent

Thursday, 12 July 2018

It is now certain, cemented and unstoppable that Sri Lanka Port City is the future hub of business activities and foundation of the success of new Sri Lanka in the new world and business order, on par with world giants, exploiting the strategic geographical location as well as historical and traditional links with China and other business leaders.

Sri Lanka has many advantages over other counterparts of landfilling projects in the world, ideally situated in strategic and geographical manner in the Indian Ocean, with full of future potential. Despite concerns, it is our duty and mandate to complement the project in the best interest of Sri Lanka and the rest of the world, including neighbours and beneficiaries in the orbit.

It is with this in the agenda that the special seminar titled ‘Towards the Main Financial Hub of Asia’ is being organised on 14 July at the Lighthouse Auditorium in order to plan out strategies in the implementation process of this mega project. Series of serious discussions and projects are due to launch in due course.


Second largest world economic giant

China is the second largest world economic giant and an emerging economic superpower helping the members of the world family, with no ulterior or any political considerations as many economic and political giants with geographical considerations and interests in small and neighbouring nations. It has 1.379 billion with GDP 112.2 trillion (in dollars) to feed, compared to the immediate neighbouring economic competitor – India – with a population of 1.324 billion with GDP 2,264 million.

The Chinese are historically and traditionally traders who travelled worldwide as merchants and cultural and business ambassadors, with no plans or schemes of controlling other states or extracting wealth as the Western colonial masters who colonised other states for exploitation of wealth and resources disturbing the religious and cultural values of its inhibitions.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is initiated and launched setting an international cooperation platform for the global public good following the traditional silk route for the 21st century with the rest of the world, with initial and substantial funding from China with the vision of President Xi Jinping as the leading personality on the multi-billion operation in which five trillion global trade passes through the South China Sea.

China-Sri Lanka relations run back into centuries with religious, cultural and close friendships, uninterrupted despite the asymmetrical size and distance, recorded in historic and religious documents by traders and Buddhist monks who voyaged in hundreds exchanging knowledge and customs with close bonds based on religious principles and teachings of Lord Buddha.

BRI is initiated for global public good forming an International Cooperation Initiative (ICP) platform. Sri Lanka is one of the first few countries to receive a loan of seven billion with 1.8 million (all in dollars) in 2015 with close relations maintained between the two friendly nations. The ICP initiative is the largest platform on economic growth connecting China, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean at the cost of 900 billion, for an era of global world order costing eight trillion for infrastructure benefiting 92 countries, which is 65% of global population, benefitting these countries at a cost of 9500 billion. India is concerned about the Chinese presence in Doklam (Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives Islands, Myanmar) and other small states in the Indian Ocean and on the Silk Belt maintaining economic bonds when the Chinese Leader has changed the constitution to a lifetime presidency.


Connectivity through modernised Silk Route

One of the main aims of the initiative is connectivity and cooperation between Euro Asian countries for the economic benefits of all, targeting the entire world economy to be on the doorstep of Asia – the booming and upcoming economic zone. The Silk Route will be transferred into a vibrant mega economic route reviving the traditional silk route that existed over thousands of years connecting the people’s countries and continents economically, socially and culturally.

China is the second largest world economy, trusted by the small nations as friendly, proven historically to lack ulterior hidden political agendas except trade, business and investment on long term plans. India with her regional supremacy mentality has antagonised many neighbours and small nations, being an important factor on the management of the foreign policy of small nations and more especially the neighbours, due to the cold war between the giants on the supremacy of the Indian Ocean coupled with economic and political competition.

It is time for us to manage diplomatically political and ideological differences, if any at all, and use the friendly relations and good offices of the Sri Lankan professionals abundantly available in Sri Lanka and worldwide for a coherent vibrant and Sri Lanka friendly Foreign and Trade Policy initiative on both political and economic fronts. It appears that there are constant disagreements on Indian and Chinese trade, foreign and policy on small states, with detrimental effects on the small nations sandwiched in between their trade and geopolitical war.

India is demanding a better foothold in Sri Lanka due to Chinese effective presence economic corporation; the new Belt Road Initiative will irk and worry India further planning closely with the common enemy for supremacy on trade and geo political power. In any event connectivity will help the countries in the belt, including India, and the success of the initiative will be for the best interest of many countries on the belt and the region, mostly benefiting Sri Lanka – a close friend and ally of China historically.


Hub diplomacy

China has two-way trade of 3.5 trillion, aiming to be a leader in the digital age having the digital giant Alibaba based in China, making use of world languages while uplifting Chinese language, is planning hub diplomacy, encouraging trade hubs on the proposed Silk Road with the new venture ‘One Road – One Belt’ initiative.

In the circumstances Hambantota-Magama Harbour is a win-win situation for centuries, for China to have a foothold in the most strategically important point on the sea route in Asia – Dubai, Singapore and Pakistan are developed hubs due to the strategic situation and manmade mega developments, out of which Hambantota-Magama is the hub leader, being the centre of the Indian Ocean and a main stopover in the traditional Silk Route, rejuvenated by the modern Belt Road Initiative by China, pumping trillions for development of 92 countries around the route.

Dubai, once a fish market with no oil (only 4% oil unlike rich Abu Dhabi), but with strategic sea and air routes, which the visionary leader exploited. In any event, the new Belt Road Initiative will be a boom on hub diplomacy and formation of new hubs along the silk route, with improved business for the surrounding nations as satellites of modern economic China initiative.


Foreign policy

Foreign policy of a nation is a pre-requisite for its development and prosperity. It has direct and impact on commerce and trade relations, between each member of the world family and the rest of the world, in the set of rules outlining the behaviour of a particular country. Sri Lanka has had excellent relations for thousands of years with the world; especially China moulded on religious and cultural values and developed on the traditional Silk Route, which is still continuing.

Rev. Faxian came to Sri Lanka in the 5th century with 200 monks and 256 Sri Lankan monks visited China in return, and there were subsequent visits continuously. Sri Lanka supported China in 1950 at the United Nations when she needed our help and Rubber Rice Agreement is a main milestone on SL-China relations. Though asymmetrical in size and economy the friendship was on equal grounds and both countries are friends in need which helped each other in international and UN deliberations. Let this be an eye-opener for India and the other countries close to the belt and in broader Asia to think Asian and come forward with similar innovative products and initiatives as Asians.

Contact 0777880166, 0779824007, 0772016641, 775904821 and 0777706056 for further information on the seminar on 14/7/2018 at Lighthouse Auditorium, 24, Horton Place Colombo 7 on ‘Towards the Main Financial Hub of Asia: Port City 2018’.

(The writer is a former Ambassador to UAE and Israel.)


References

• China Sri Lanka relations SL Guardian on 15/8/2015
• Economic Diplomacy 4/8/2015 Colombo Tribunal, 
• Madam B’s Charm and Firm diplomacy with China 16/4/2015 Telegraph, 
• Is Sri Lanka foreign policy effective and productive 5/4/2015 Telegraph

(All by the writer.)

Political Iftars Have Ruptured The Sanctity Of Their Observances 

By Mohamed R. M. Farook –JULY 11, 2018

Mohamed R. M. Farook

Party politics and power politics are the twin scourges the Sri Lankan Muslims are faced with in what the Muslim society sees as the hegemonic display of strengths of some group (s) over the others contrary to the teachings of Islam. The Ramadhan fasting (any fasting for that matter) has two sanctioned events, one at the start of the fast each day (taking of the pre-dawn meal) and the other is the time of breaking the fast known as Iftarwhich is done by taking date fruits plus water first followed by khanji (porridge), short eats and then immediately performing the prescribed prayer. Taking of pre-dawn meal is done by all Muslims in one’s own homes, other than in exceptional cases where such persons may have other arrangements. Getting up and taking the pre-dawn meal is recommended (has Blessings). On the other hand, Iftar – breaking of the fast – Muslim males may do it in their own homes or in mosques where dates, water, porridge (khanji) and short eats are provided to all those who come to the mosques to break the fast. Mosques spend (from the contributions from their congregational members and other Muslim well-wishers) lavishly on the preparation of Iftar porridge, dates and short eats. The Iftar porridge is prepared in large quantities (in some mosques the Iftar porridge costs from around Rs.40,000/= to Rs.50,000/= or a little more per day) and the porridge is also available to Muslim households, Muslim businesses and Muslim groups in state or private organizations (universities, factories etc. where preparation of the porridge is not possible) around the area of these Mosques. Few persons and households of other faiths sometimes do come and collect the Iftar porridge and the Mosques offer them with generosity and without any reluctance – All Praise Be to God [Allah]. 

Iftar has a special significance for Muslims who are fasting – a short time period before the time for breaking the fast, they must get involved in supplications to God (Allah) for any shortcomings in their fasting, supplicate for the good in this world and in the Hereafter, be meditative and concentrative of Islamic teachings, read Qur’anic verses and finally break the fast at the correct time without delay when the call for prayers is announced. This time period is specifically to be religious / devotional and be devoid of distractions. Thus any function in the name of Iftar with even the slightest distraction is against the spirit of fasting.  

Many world leaders have hosted Iftar functions in the past in their respective countries – originated first in the White House (USA) – some of which are yet continuing, some were discontinued, some restarted again and some world leaders do not host such functions at all, some are totally against it and some boycott it even if invited – that is the scenario of these Iftar functions worldwide. Sri Lanka too followed suit and we have had state sponsored Iftar functions hosted by the President and the Prime Minister separately on different days at the Presidents House and Temple Trees respectively. People are invited: Diplomats of the Muslim countries, parliamentarians (MPs and ministers), Muslim clergy, leaders and office bearers of Muslim social organizations, trustees of Mosques and so on. There is no question of any Muslim invitee not attending these functions because they are cherry-picked by the Public Relations Units of the President’s and the Prime Minister’s Offices and / or by the Muslim parliamentarians themselves. The Muslim public in general are neither happy nor annoyed over the hosting of the Iftar by the President and the Prime Minister as they (the Muslims) perceive the hosting as the absolute privilege of the President and the Prime Minister and also as part of governance to honour and show a sense of fraternity to the Muslims. Many Muslims would be very thankful to the two leaders for providing the necessary space to do the Call for Prayers (Azdaan) and performance of prayer of the hour (Mahgrib) to the Muslim invitees there itself. This Iftar function cannot be called political as the practice of hosting Iftar had been in existence during different regimes in Sri Lanka and the speeches given therein by the heads of state are (were) about the values, virtues and benefits of fasting and nothing about the ruling regime’s political views. Apart from the sumptuous food at the time of breaking the fast and at the immediate Iftar dinner and the luxurious interiors of the Presidential House and the Temple Trees, there is nothing whatsoever to be said as distractions in the sense of individual or collective thoughts of the Muslim invitees that may go against the spirit of fasting. 

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Govt. should reveal the fuel price formula – JVP

By Tharindi Pabasara-July 11, 2018 

The government should reveal the fuel price formula to the country, says the JVP.

General Secretary of JVP Tilvin Silva stated this at a press conference held in Colombo, today (11).

He stated that the public cannot bear the increased cost of living caused by fuel price hike.

According to him, the government should also introduce an income increment formula and increase the salaries of government and private sector employees every two months on par with the fuel price increments calculated by the fuel pricing formula.

The increase of fuel prices results in a price increase of many other services and products, he added.
Both current and past governments do not have a proper economic policy, further stated Tilvin Silva.

LET US COME FORWARD TO GET PRESS COUNCIL ABOLISHED – FREE MEDIA 0MOVEMENT

(2018 July 11\FMM Media Release.)

11/07/2018

Without considering the continuous appeal made by many Sri Lanka’s media organizations including Free Media Movement (FMM), to abolish Sri lanka Press Council, President Maithripala Sirisena has decided to appoint a Board of Directors to activate the Sri Lanka Press Council Act and FMM thoroughly condemns this action.

FMM believes this decision as acting against one of the election promises of the Present President by which he confirmed media freedom. One of the main agreements to which FMM and many civil society organizations arrived with the present President during the election was the abolishment of the Sri Lanka Press Council.  Beside this Free Media Movement had been handed over set of proposals included the abolishment of the Sri Lanka Press Council to the President. The steps taken by President can be seen as breaking an agreement made by the President Maithripala Sirisena on his part.

As in the past, we promise we would continuously make the society aware, activate a media voice about the inappropriateness, inapplicability and backwardness of this Sri Lanka Press Council and struggle against it until it is abolished.

Therefore as  this incident indicates the necessity of a broad media reform with media responsibility and media freedom, we request Sri Lanka’s media community and all those who love democracy to aggregate and fight against the establishment of the Press Council Act.

Convener , C.Dodawatta

Secretary, Dileesha Abesundara