Revealed: May's secret bid to get Labour to back Brexit deal

Senior Tories press ‘national interest’ case for supporting PM to avoid no-deal outcome
Theresa May has plans to persuade Labour MPs to to back her Brexit deal. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA

Heather Stewartand Dan Sabbagh-Fri 5 Oct 2018

Theresa May has drawn up plans for a secret charm offensive aimed at persuading dozens of Labour MPs to back her Brexit deal even if it costs Jeremy Corbyn the chance to be prime minister, the Guardian has learned.

Senior Conservatives say they have already been in private contact with a number of Labour MPs over a period of several months, making the case that the national interest in avoiding a no-deal outcome is more important than forcing a general election by defeating the government on May’s Brexit deal.

Now, with talks in Brussels entering their frantic final phase, the prime minister and her party whips are stepping up efforts to win backing for a compromise deal that one minister described as a “British blancmange”.

They are convinced they will need Labour votes to win, after a fractious Tory conference in Birmingham, at which determined opponents of the prime minister’s approach, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, won plaudits for saying they would vote against it.

One Tory source compared the challenge of striking a deal with the EU27 that would satisfy both sides of his own party to “landing a jumbo jet on the penalty spot”.

Labour MPs will thus be the focus of intense lobbying, in the period between May returning from Brussels with a Brexit deal and the meaningful vote, which is expected to come about a fortnight later.

Street art depicting Prime Minister Theresa May by street artist The Pink Bear Rebel in Glasgow. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA

Conservative whips are rehearsing an argument, the outlines of which were clear in the prime minister’s conference speech, that the deal on offer is a pragmatic one.

One cabinet member identified a string of Labour MPs they thought would take a “reasoned approach”, such as Chris Bryant, Rachel Reevesand Lucy Powell, politicians who have been critical of Corbyn in the past.

Bryant, a remainer, said he had not had any discussions with the government and would only be able to vote for a deal if May shifted towards Labour’s position of backing a customs union. Reeves said she had no intention of backing the government.

Privately, some Labour MPs believe at least 15 of their colleagues could vote with the government, rather than appear to their constituents to be trying to “block Brexit”, with up to 30, including some frontbenchers, prepared to abstain, rather than go through the voting lobbies with hardliners such as Rees-Mogg.

James Cleverly, the Conservative deputy chairman, has been liaising with some in this group.
May appealed directly to Labour backbenchers in her conference speech when she spoke of the “heirs of Hugh Gaitskell and Barbara Castle, Denis Healey and John Smith”, saying they were on the backbenches, not in the shadow cabinet of what she called the “Jeremy Corbyn party”.

She also told the party faithful that her deal “keeps faith with the British people” and was in the national interest. And she pointed to Sajid Javid’s announcement of a tougher migration regime as evidence that her approach delivers on the referendum result by ending the free movement of people.
Meanwhile, the EU is preparing to help May build a majority by offering Downing Street a written commitment to think again on “frictionless trade”if the UK changes its red lines after it leaves the bloc.

May appealed directly to Labour backbenchers in her conference speech in Birmingham. Photograph: Mark Thomas/REX/Shutterstock

EU leaders want to throw the prime minister a lifeline in the long-awaited political declaration on a future deal, a first draft of which is expected to emerge next week.

If she clinches a deal with her EU counterparts in the face of formidable odds, May’s team believe the national mood will shift in her favour.

And they hope a positive bounce from the financial markets will help to convince some Labour MPs to hold their noses and back a deal based on Chequers – though she did not use the word Chequers itself in her speech.

Senior Conservatives have also been stressing the aspects of May’s approach that Boris Johnson and other hard Brexiters object to – including signing up to EU regulations in key areas.

Tory whips are also working on persuading a separate group of MPs from leave-voting constituencies, such as Caroline Flint, from Don Valley, and Gareth Snell, from Stoke-on-Trent Central.

Labour’s official policy is to reject any final deal that does not meet six tests drawn up by Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, one of which is that it must offer the “exact same benefits” as membership of the single market and customs union.

Corbyn said in his conference speech that if the prime minister shifted her position on a customs union, and promised to uphold environmental regulation and workers’ rights, Labour could swing behind her. But his party is keen to secure the opportunity of pushing for a general election by voting down the deal.

A Labour source said: “Labour has been clear from the outset that if Theresa May’s Brexit deal does not meet our six tests then we will vote against it in parliament.” He added: “The Tories are wrong to say it’s a choice between Theresa May’s deal or no deal. No deal is simply not a viable option. There is no majority in parliament to take the UK off a cliff in March 2019.”

The tight parliamentary arithmetic and the likelihood of a rebellion by the Tory right means that Labour votes will be vital, at least as an insurance policy, while having the additional benefit of encouraging a split within Labour.

But Conservative estimates vary as to how many of their own MPs would rebel in such a high-stakes vote. Losing it could unleash a constitutional crisis.

Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, has suggested as many as 80 Tory rebels could vote against the prime minister, but Tory whips hope to “burn off” the majority, reducing them to around 10 diehards.

The government is also expected to argue that, while it will be possible to amend the final motion put before parliament, there is not enough time to delay article 50 and hold a referendum before the Brexit date of 29 March, because both would require primary legislation.

However, that has been disputed by second referendum campaigners who say the EU’s 27 member states would be willing to extend article 50 to give time for the UK to legislate for and hold a referendum if it were called for by parliament in the autumn.

What Anwar Ibrahim’s future premiership means for Asia and the globe

President of the People's Justice Party and leader of the Pakatan Harapan coalition Anwar Ibrahim (C) waves to his supporters before submitting his documents at the nomination centre for by-election in Port Dickson on September 29, 2018. Source: AFP

By A. Azim Idris | 3rd October 2018

MALAYSIA’s prime minister-in-waiting and former political prisoner Anwar Ibrahim is expected to cruise to an easy victory in a by-election next weekend, taking him a step closer to realising his decades-long ambition of taking office.

Since the historic general election on May 9, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has repeatedly named Anwar as his successor — based on a power-sharing agreement made among Pakatan Harapan’s (Alliance of Hope) member parties before the polls — although it may take some years before the 93-year-old leader passes the mantle.

But for that to happen, Anwar, who received a royal pardon for his second sodomy conviction within a week of the former Barisan Nasional (National Front) government’s downfall, will need to run for a parliamentary seat.

Democratic reforms

Come Oct 13, voters of Port Dickson, a popular seaside town in the central state of Negeri Sembilan, will be hitting the polling stations where Anwar faces six other candidates.

In a bizarre dramatic twist, Anwar’s sodomy accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, has also thrown his hat into the ring and will be fighting his former boss for the seat.

And although Anwar’s re-entry into Parliament brings much fanfare at home, his rise to the top post is expected to resonate across the region as well, especially with regards to Malaysia’s push for reforms and the promotion of democracy, experts say.

SEE ALSO: Malaysian opposition icon Anwar released from prison 

Director of independent pollster Merdeka Center Ibrahim Suffian said Anwar is expected to carry on putting the country on the path of reform due to numerous commitments he had made in the past.

“The expectation is that he will also allow for civil liberties to flourish in Malaysia and find a way to strike a balance between managing the interest between the majority Muslim community and the minorities that make up the country,” Ibrahim told the Asian Correspondent when contacted.

“At the same time, he will project a progressive Islamic image for the country that is in tune with the ideals of democracy and also good governance.”

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (R), politician Anwar Ibrahim (C) and Minister of Home Affairs Muhyiddin Yassin leave after a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on June 1, 2018. Source: AFP

In an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review, the 71-year-old former deputy prime minister said his return to Parliament would allow him to play a “check-and-balance” role by looking at institutional reforms that include a review of the bumiputra policy, a contentious affirmative action programme that accords privileges to the majority Malay population and native ethnic groups.

“The policy, which is race-based and (has been) abused to enrich cronies, has to stop,” Anwar was quoted as saying.

Foreign policy

While taking on the role as deputy prime minister during Dr Mahathir’s first term as premier, Anwar, who led a massive Muslim student opposition movement called ABIM in his younger days, enjoyed a cordial relationship with the west, especially the United States.

The relationship with the US continued to flourish even more when Anwar was removed from Cabinet and slapped with sodomy and corruption charges in 1998, accusations he maintains were politically motivated.

Regardless of Anwar’s long-standing relationship with the west, Ibrahim believes Malaysia’s foreign policy would remain consistent amid the backdrop of rising tensions between the US and China.

“As a leader of a country, he will in all likelihood continue the non-aligned nature of Malaysian foreign policy try to get the best relationship for Malaysia with major superpowers like China, US, India and the rest of West,” Ibrahim said.

“I think he will continue to maintain that fine balance to allow Malaysians to have a more independent foreign policy that is not too closely aligned or dictated by the major powers.”

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Faculty of Social Sciences Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian says Anwar has always been loved by the leaders in the Asian region and in other countries as well.

“I believe if he rises to become the prime minister, he may want to use his background, his character to ensure that democracy can be upheld and to move forward to make Malaysia a better country for Asia and the others,” he told the Asian Correspondent.

Sivamurugan said Anwar’s foreign policy would “very much focus on to what extent he will be able to become the voice of the Islamic world and Asean, and also for the third world.”

“He is well-respected and although he has a good relationship with America, he will also make sure that Malaysia is not caught in the fight between these two superpowers, especially when it comes to Asean,” he said.

SEE ALSO: The billion-dollar book sale: Malaysians show support for 1MDB chronicle 

Anwar’s wife and Malaysia’s current Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is expected to step down when Anwar replaces Dr Mahathir, has pointed out Anwar’s recognition as the “best” finance minister during the nineties.

“Previously what did Anwar Ibrahim do…he (Anwar) had done a lot to the extent that as the finance minister, he was the best then,” she told voters in Port Dickson recently.

Jailed former opposition leader and current federal opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (R) with his wife Wan Azizah (L) greet the supporters during a rally in Kuala Lumpur on May 16, 2018. Source: Roslan Rahman / AFP

Anwar needs to win big

In order to boost the morale of the People’s Justice Party (PKR), the multi-ethnic party that Anwar leads, the charismatic leader needs to secure a huge margin, Professor Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) said.

Mohd Azizuddin pointed out, however, that by-elections usually see lower turnouts.

“Anwar will likely win because Port Dickson is largely a fortress for PKR, but Anwar must win big in order to give a boost in morale to his party and for him to become prime minister.”

Anwar has met some opposition within his party ranks and strong backers, but Mohd Azizuddin says these factors were “negligible”.

“What’s important for Anwar to focus on are the locals – who are the ones who will go out to vote for him and see him win big. And the victory will be good for him to become prime minister.”

EU to hit Cambodia with trade sanctions, says Myanmar may follow

A girl from the Rohingya community stands outside her family's shack in a camp in New Delhi, October 4, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/Files

OCTOBER 5, 2018 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union told Cambodia on Friday it will lose its special access to the world’s largest trading bloc, and said it was considering similar trade sanctions for Myanmar in a toughening of EU policy on human rights in Southeast Asia.

After months of pressure from rights groups and the European Parliament, the EU’s trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom said the bloc was ready to punish abuses in both countries by removing trade preferences.

The EU warned Cambodia in July that it could lose its special trade status after elections returned a strongman to power after 30 years in office, and it has censured Myanmar over its treatment of the Muslim Rohingya.

“Our trade policy is value-based. These are not just words. We have to act when there are severe violations,” Malmstrom told reporters after a meeting of EU trade ministers in Austria.

Malmstrom accused Myanmar of “the blatant violation of human rights” in Myanmar, referring to what the West says is ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas and the failure of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to resolve the crisis.

A recent U.N. report accused Myanmar’s military of gang rapes and mass killings with “genocidal intent” in Rakhine state and called for its commander-in-chief and five generals to be prosecuted under international law.

Myanmar has denied most of the allegations in the report, blaming Rohingya “terrorists” for most accounts of atrocities.

The consideration of trade sanctions over the Rohingya crisis confirms a Reuters report on Wednesday.

However, the European Commission, which handles EU trade policy, is torn between supporting the development of Myanmar’s oil-and-textile economy and sanctioning the country.

The EU will send a fact-finding mission to Myanmar in the coming days, likely lasting up to four days, to see the extent of the rights abuses and the government’s willingness to change course, one EU official said.

“There is a clear possibility that a withdrawal (of EU trade preferences) could be the outcome,” Malmstrom later wrote in a blog post on the European Commission’s website.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay on Friday said removing the trade preferences would lead to job losses in the country’s garment sector.

He also said Myanmar had established a commission to probe allegations of human rights abuses and that the bloc should give the country time to report its findings.

“If a country is willing to do an investigation and if the process is not finished yet, the international community shouldn’t intervene,” Zaw Htay said.

Speaking to Reuters in Athens on Friday, the head of rights group Amnesty International said the EU should focus its pressure on Myanmar’s military leadership.

“We would rather see a targeted use of sanctions,” said Amnesty Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo.

He said Myanmar’s leader Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate for her pro-democracy campaigning, had become “unrecognizable” after her actions in the Rohingya crisis.

“What Aung San Suu Kyi has done in a role as the leader of parliament has been a betrayal of press freedom, minorities in Myanmar, and democracy,” Naidoo said.

“She is unrecognizable to The Elders that she was part of, all the progressive things that she did in the past.”

Suu Kyi was an honorary member of The Elders, a group of former world leaders and Nobel laureates founded by South Africa’s Nelson Mandela.

CAMBODIA’S ELECTIONS

The EU’s Malmstrom said she had told Cambodia that the bloc had launched a six-month review of its duty-free access to the EU, meaning Cambodian sugar, garments and other exports could face tariffs within 12 months under EU rules.

“I have notified Cambodia today that we will launch the procedure for withdrawal of EBA,” said Malmstrom, referring to the bloc’s “Everything but Arms” (EBA) status, which allows the world’s poorest countries to sell any goods tariff-free into the EU, except weapons.

European Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom holds a news conference in Brussels, Belgium March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Vidal/Files

“Without clear and demonstrable improvements this will lead to suspension of trade preferences,” she said.

Cambodia’s exports to the European Union were worth 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) last year, according to EU data, up from negligible levels less than a decade ago, with the EU using its trade policy to develop the country’s economy.

Cambodia’s July elections marked a turning point in relations with the West. Prime Minister Hun Sen was returned to power after three decades in charge and opposition supporters were stripped of their right to vote.

A Cambodian government spokesman said he was not able to comment immediately.

EU countries accounted for around 40 percent of Cambodia’s foreign sales in 2016. The bulk of those exports were from clothing factories that employ around 700,000 workers.

The European Union threatened to withdraw the trade preferences because of a crackdown on the opposition ahead of an election in July, which the European Union condemned as not being credible.
The main garment factory group said it remained optimistic.

“This is in the hands of the Cambodian government and the EU, and I believe that both would come to an amicable solution with mutual understanding,” said Kaing Monika, deputy secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers Association. “Continuous engagement, not sanctions, would be a way forward.”

UNHRC ADOPTS A RESOLUTION ON MYANMAR: CALLS FOR FAIR AND INDEPENDENT CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS AT ALL LEVELS

 Recently concluded 39th session of the UNHRC adopted the resolution A_HRC_39_L.22 on Myanmar which calls decides to  prepare files in order to facilitate and expedite fair and independent criminal proceedings, in accordance with international law standards, in national, regional or international courts or tribunals that have or may in the future have jurisdiction over these crimes, in accordance with international law.

Only 3 member states of the 49 member council including China,  voted against the resolution. Resolution was adopted with 35 votes in favour  7 absent and 3 against.

Relevant section  of the resolution A_HRC_39_L.22 fellows:

22. Decides to establish an ongoing independent mechanism to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011, and to prepare files in order to facilitate and expedite fair and independent criminal proceedings, in accordance with international law standards, in national, regional or international courts or tribunals that have or may in the future have jurisdiction over these crimes, in accordance with international law;

23. Also decides that the mechanism shall:

(a) Be able to make use of the information collected by the fact-finding mission and continue to collect evidence;

(b) Have the capacity to document and verify relevant information and evidence, including through field engagement and by cooperating with other entities, as appropriate;

(c) Report on its main activities on an annual basis to the Human Rights Council as of its forty-second session and to the General Assembly as of its seventy-fourth session;

24. Takes note of the International Criminal Court Pre-Trial Chamber’s ruling that it may exercise jurisdiction over the deportation of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, and requests the mechanism to cooperate closely with any of its future investigations pertaining to human rights violations in Myanmar;

25. Requests the Secretary-General to appoint of the staff of the mechanism as expeditiously as possible, taking into account the experience of other relevant mechanisms, and to recruit or allocate impartial and experienced staff with relevant skills and expertise, drawing upon terms of reference prepared by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;

26. Calls upon all States, including the Government of Myanmar and its independent commission of enquiry, and encourages civil society, business enterprises and other relevant stakeholders to cooperate fully with the mechanism to effectively fulfil its mandate and, in particular, to provide it with any information and documentation they may possess or come to possess, as well as any other forms of assistance pertaining to their respective mandate;

27. Requests the United Nations system as a whole to cooperate fully with the mechanism and to respond promptly to any request made by the mechanism, including access to all information and documentation;

28. Requests the Secretary-General to allocate the resources necessary for the implementation of the present resolution, including the logistical and technical resources necessary to support the functioning of the mechanism;

29. Encourages the General Assembly to consider taking further action to address the serious human rights violations committed in Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine, Shan and Kachin States, as documented in the final report of the fact-finding mission,¹ and to seriously consider the recommendations contained therein and to pay due regard to the establishment of the mechanism;

30. Decides to extend the mandate of the independent international fact-finding mission, established by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 34/22, until the new mechanism is operational to ensure that the large and continually increasing amount of evidence of human rights violations and abuses it has collected is fully documented, verified, consolidated and preserved in order for the material to be effectively shared, accessed and used by the mechanism, and requests the fact-finding mission to submit a final report on its main activities to the Council at its forty-second session;

31. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to present a written report, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, to the Human Rights Council at its forty-third session, on the root causes of the human rights violations and abuses the Rohingya Muslim minority and other minorities in Myanmar are facing, including discrimination, racial intolerance and xenophobia and Islamophobic practices, in violations of international human rights law and contrary to international declarations, including but not limited to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and to recommend concrete measures to be taken by the Government of Myanmar and the international community to address the current situation;

32. Encourages the United Nations system to give due consideration to the recommendation by the fact-finding mission on conducting a comprehensive, independent inquiry into the involvement of the United Nations in Myanmar since 2011 with a view to establishing whether everything possible to prevent or mitigate the unfolding crises was done, identifying lessons learned and good practices, making recommendations as appropriate, including on accountability, and enabling more effective work in future;

Read the complete resolution here:Myanmar HRC 39 English_1

Myanmar-HRC-39-English_1.pdf by on Scribd

Palu dual disaster – tsunami and earthquake liquefaction

I know I am not an engineer, nor a soil specialist, but I am trying to the best of my understanding to give the impression to my readers that “nature itself prepares the ground that man occupies” ready for devastation by natural forces, which man cannot control.

by Victor Cherubim- Oct 5, 2018

( October 5, 2018, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) It was a dual disaster on late Thursday 29 September 2018 when the tsunami followed by an earthquake, or was it the other way round, which struck the city of Palu, on the coast of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Entire neighbourhoods were devastated in and around this city. Part of the damage is the effect of the “earthquake liquefaction,” which made the soil flow like water.

More than 1 million people live in the area affected by the dual disaster. As of now over 2000 people have died including some 150 foreigners. We are told that in some places the tsunami reached a height of more than 20 feet.

More than 6400 personnel from Indonesian governmental agencies including the military, police, national search and rescue teams are involved “in efforts to find survivors, recover bodies and evacuate people”.

Many countries, at least 25 countries have offered assistance. UK will send military experts and a transport aircraft RAF A400 stationed in the Middle East with relief effort according the UK Defence Secretary. UK has also initially made £2 million available for relief effort. In addition, UK is supporting relief efforts through the International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

We are told some 200,000 survivors need urgent help, from tents to jerry cans for supply of fresh water.

There is debris and rubbish everywhere and according to reports hygiene standards are difficult to maintain, quite apart from getting access to food and clean drinking water for children and babies.

What went wrong with the Indonesian Early Warning System? 

No one was able to predict or give an early warning of the scale of the tsunami.

Palu has a narrow, deep and long bay, as if it was perfectly designed to make tsunamis more intense and more deadly. This complex configuration, perhaps, makes it very difficult to model potential tsunamis. It is hard to issue timely and accurate warning ahead of time to people who may be affected.

But it is not the first time earthquakes and tsunamis have caused mass destruction and death in Indonesia. A combination of plate tectonic activity in the region, shape of the coastline, vulnerable and dense communities, together with a less than efficient early warning system, have all combined to make the 7.5 magnitude on 29 September 2018 extraordinary, to say the least.

Why do people crowd to places of tectonic activity? 

Asking this question, is like asking how long is a piece of string?

In December 2004 and in March 2005 there was a pair of “subduction zone” earthquakes along the Sunda Trench off the west coast of Sumatra. The magnitude of this tremor and quake was as much as 9.1 in December 2004.

We all know in Sri Lanka what this earthquake did. It generated a devastating tsunami that killed a quarter of a million people all around the islands of the Indian Ocean.

Liquefaction 

Several strong earthquakes around the world have resulted in a phenomenon called “earthquake liquefaction”.

What seems to have happened according to experts is “the seismic generation of pore water pressures and the softening of ground soils, gravel and silt, with the ground soaked by previous heavy rain, turning the ground soil to behave in a manner similar to liquid, resulting in mudslides”. This made the ground unsafe to support the foundations of buildings and other infrastructure.

I know I am not an engineer, nor a soil specialist, but I am trying to the best of my understanding to give the impression to my readers that “nature itself prepares the ground that man occupies” ready for devastation by natural forces, which man cannot control.

Looking at the pictures, the roofs of the houses, particularly aluminium or “tin sheets” were all blown and scattered away by the tsunami, which made rescue work more perilous.

Ground Improvement methods 

Given the above conditions for liquefaction, researchers are now developing ground improvement methods to increase the stability of homes and other structures built on top of soils prone to liquefaction driving a strong earthquake.

Researchers from University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering are developing ground improvement methods prior to any construction work.

This knowledge is needed to develop foundation design solutions.

“Four ground improvement methods have initially been selected for testing: rapid impact compaction (RIC); rammed aggregate piers (RAP) which consist of gravel columns; low mobility grouting (LMG) and construction of a single row of horizontal beams (SRB) or a double row of horizontal beams(DRB) beneath existing residential structures via soil cement mixing.” This additional study and materials have been provided by research at Purdue University, Indiana, USA.

What can we in Sri Lanka do to combat liquefaction?   

It is all well and good for rich communities to play with modern research, but we have to be practical in our approach.

Effective engineering infrastructure to protect life and to mitigate the economic, environmental and social impact of tsunami and effects of earthquake liquefaction requires the ability to accurately assess the likelihood of liquefaction and its consequences.

Besides, it is never a wasted effort or expense, to evaluate at regular intervals our early warning systems and bring them up to date even with foreign assistance, which we hope is carried out by our Disaster Management Department.

A very rigourous risk assessment and scrutiny of planning permissions issued for house building and road and bridge construction, adjoining our coasts and river valleys, should be commissioned at the earliest, if it is not already in place.

It may even be necessary to pass legislation for flood prevention barriers at known sites prone to flooding, as well as commissioning the installation of ground foundation improvement methods.

Climate change is now part of our livelihood.

Awaiting for disasters to happen to take concerted action is too little, too late. It is an island wide duty of government to prepare for such eventuality.

Thinking of visiting Sri Lanka but concerned about human rights? We’re here to help

Oct 4, 2018

We are pleased to announce the re-launch of our Ethical Tourism Campaign, a resource pack designed to help those visiting Sri Lanka make informed choices about the human rights impacts of their travel spending.

In it, we flag a range of tourism companies which we believe pose ethical concerns, including (but not limited to) dozens of hotels, restaurants and attractions that continue to be run by the military and other individuals linked to human rights abuses. The resource pack – which is both available online and as a report – also contains advice about ethical alternatives, as well as useful information about visiting war-affected areas.

Our latest findings, diligently compiled by a Sri Lanka Campaign volunteer, underscore the alarming breadth and depth of militarisation in Sri Lanka nearly a decade after the end of the armed conflict. Despite commitments by the current government to reduce the military’s footprint, our database of companies to avoid has sadly only continued to grow.

The infographic below illustrates the troubling extent of the military’s influence in Sri Lanka’s booming tourism sector:

Another of the infographics that we are releasing today highlights the wider problem of ongoing militarisation in Sri Lanka’s north:

Why does this matter?

The Sri Lankan military are implicated in some of the most appalling atrocities this side of the millennium. Multiple UN investigations have documented how, as the war came to an end in 2009, tens of thousands of civilians were slaughtered by government shelling as they gathered in designated ‘humanitarian zones’. To this day, no one has been held accountable for these crimes – nor the litany of grave human rights violations, including torture, disappearances and extra-judicial killings carried out in the post-war period, largely against members of the Tamil minority.

We believe it is the duty of the ethical traveller to ensure that the military, and other companies linked to human rights abusers, are not supported.

This is not simply a question of paying due regard to the crimes of the past. As we highlight in the infographic below, unaware traveller’s run a real risk of not only assisting individuals who should be brought to justice, but also of undermining the prospects of lasting peace in Sri Lanka.

Making ethical choices

While we don’t think anyone should take the decision to visit Sri Lanka lightly, the good news is that, with careful thought and planning, visitors to Sri Lanka have the power to avoid doing harm. Indeed, we believe that by becoming informed about the situation and engaging with the struggles of ordinary people who live there, there are ways in which outsiders can play a positive and productive role.

We don’t advocate for a boycott of travel to Sri Lanka. Nor do we claim that any particular trip is ‘ethical’ or ‘unethical’. In compiling these resources, our aim is to enable you, the tourist, make informed ethical choices of your own.

Please help us spread the word by sharing this campaign with a friend today – or by re-posting our latest infographics on social media using the hashtag #TravelEthicalSL.

Click here to access the resource pack. Click here to access the PDF report version.

p.s. see anything missing from our suggested list of companies to avoid? Please drop us a line by email and let us know.

A Grave Mistake By The Jaffna International Cinema Festival

By Purujoththaman Thangamayl –OCTOBER 3, 2018

Purujoththaman Thangamayl

The Jaffna International Cinema Festival (JICF) begins today. The festival is taking place for the 4th consecutive year and many prestigious local and international films are being screened. Local short- film directors are also provided opportunities to showcase their talent. But this year, even before the festival kicked off, it caused quite a stir due to the Festival Committee being accused of threatening Freedom of Expression. This accusation is made by Jude Ratnam, director of the controversial film ‘Demons in Paradise’. 

Notification had been made that ‘Demons in Paradise’ would be screened on October 5th. But, on Monday the notification had been retracted, and it is this which led to Jude Ratnam’s accusation that his Freedom of Expression was being threatened. 

Ever since the inauguration of the JICF in 2015, it has caused controversy especially about the period in which the festival was being held.  In Tamil dominated areas Thiyagi Thileepan’s memorial events are observed from 15th to 26th September. There were accusations against the JICF that it was attempting to blackout Thileepan and his struggle by holding the festival during the same period. But, putting an end to such criticism the festival was shifted to October this time around and this decision was praised widely. 

Jude Ratnam’s criticism this time cannot be only taken as about the JICF committee alone and that is what necessitates this write up. This is because it fundamentally raises questions about activities and practices of the Tamil community.   

‘Demons in Paradise’ self- identifies as speaking about the internecine killings between Tamil militant groups. Even though the characters in the film speak about internecine killings the director narrates the film through his personal experiences and imposes his own political expectations upon the entire community. Further, he is willing to go to any length to justify it (Especially even going to the extent of justifying the mass killing of Tamil people during the final phase of the war). He has stated this view repeatedly not only in the film but also in conversations about the film and in interviews. He has accused the Tamil community of being averse to internal reflection and behaving childishly being devoid of any capability to accept criticism. 

In such a context apparently on the face of pressure by an unnamed group of people the screening of the film has been cancelled by the JICF. This ‘seems to’ validate Jude Ratnam’s criticism about the Tamil community. 

This writer watched ‘Demons in Paradise’ at a closed door screening in Colombo and immediately wrote his critical view of the film in ‘Demons In Paradise’: An Irreparable Miscarriage. But, this writer does not support any threats against creative freedom or the right to publish. In fact, this film should be shown to the Tamil community and there should be honest questions raised about the one sided politics of the film. That is what would displace the demeaning nature of opinions expressed by outsiders (non- Tamils) and their supporters about the Tamil community. What has happened instead?

The Director of the JICF is Anoma Rajakaruna. The Chair of the Festival is Dr. Raghuram. Members of the Festival Committee include academics like Dr. Cheran Rudhramoorthy and Dr. Sumathy Sivamohan and others. They are the ones who take the final decision about the films to be screened at the Festival. In such a context, every film should have been watched personally and their virtue and standard discussed before selection is made for screening. There should be courage to face the films’ political and social nature and the support and objections such films would raise. This is fundamental for constructive thinking.  

The whole concept of Literary Festivals and Film Festivals is to take society forward in a progressive manner. In a post- war society there is greater need to move forward and such conversations should be held in a perfect manner and arise both democratically and ideologically. Academics and intellectuals within the Tamil community need to contribute at every level of such movements and not give up or refrain when slight pressure is used. This actually pulls back the Tamil community. Academics who desire to be intellectuals need to face the society, educate them, and move towards progress through their thinking. It is nonsensical to back out in the face of the slightest pressure. That is what has happened here. 

There are also messages to be delivered to those who for the sole objective of identifying themselves as Tamil Nationalists engage in such childish behaviour. This arises out of the responsibility of reiterating the need to move forward by properly understanding why Tamil Nationalism came into being and the importance of its continued existence. Those who continue to create the impression that Tamil National Politics arose out of sentimentalism and is reactionary, abandon the real and legitimate political aspirations of the Tamils. Disallowing the release of books which contain alternate views or the screening of films and thereby giving legitimacy and recognition to those expressing half-baked opinions is not what a knowledgeable society would do. But, when some parts of the community continue to engage in such acts, the end result is that the entire gamut of Tamil activity and practice is tainted by that brush.

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