Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Singapore HIV registry data leaked online in health breach

Undated picture of Mikhy Farrera-Brochez provided by the Singaporean health ministry

Singapore issued a photo of US national Mikhy Farrera-Brochez, who they believe is behind the leak

28 January 2019

Confidential data about more than 14,000 people diagnosed with HIV, including foreign visitors, has been stolen in Singapore and leaked online.

Authorities revealed details about the 2016 health data breach on Monday.

They believe an HIV-positive American whose partner was a senior Singaporean doctor is behind the leak.

The hack comes just months after the records of 1.5m Singaporeans, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, were stolen last year.

Confidential information including names, addresses, HIV status and other medical information is reportedly included in the latest breach.

Officials say the details of 5,400 Singaporeans and 8,800 foreigners dating up to January 2013 have been compromised.

Singapore country profile

Until 2015, foreigners with HIV were not allowed to visit the city state, even as tourists.

Now, anyone who wants to stay beyond 90 days, including for work, is subject to mandatory medical screening to make sure they do not have HIV.

Who was behind the breach?

Officials believe a 33-year-old US citizen who lived in Singapore from 2008 is behind the leak.

Mikhy Farrera-Brochez was convicted and jailed for fraud and drug-related offences in 2016 and was deported last year.

He is the former partner of Ler Teck Siang, the former head of Singapore's National Public Health Unit, who was convicted of helping Farrera-Brochez falsify his medical records to disguise his HIV-positive status.

Officials said Ler offered his own blood labelled as Farrera-Brochez's to allow him entry to the country.

In a statement, the health ministry blamed Ler for the breach, accusing him of not complying with the policies regarding the handling of confidential data.

They said they were first made aware in 2016 that the American may have had confidential information - but thought all material had been seized and secured by police.

Singapore police are reportedly seeking international help in the case

They say they were notified on 22 January this year that Farrera-Brochez could still have possession of the HIV registry data.

"I'm sorry that one of our former staff who was authorised to have access to confidential information in our HIV registry appears to not have complied with our security guidelines," Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said at a Monday news conference, Singapore's Today Online news website reports.

On Monday, health officials said they had tried to contact "virtually all" of permanent resident and Singaporeans on the list - but had only managed to speak to about 900.

A hotline has been set up for those affected, and counselling will be offered, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Chan Heng Kee confirmed.

He also said officials believe Farrera-Brochez was abroad, but do not know where.

"There is a risk of him continuing to publicly disseminate the info," Mr Chan warned.

Vaping twice as likely as gum to help smokers quit, research finds

Study shows 18% success rate with e-cigarettes, compared with 10% with other methods

Researchers in the UK have hailed the study as a landmark but US researchers have treated the findings with more caution. Photograph: Tim Ireland/PA

Sarah Boseley-Wed 30 Jan 2019 22.00 GMT

People are almost twice as likely to succeed in quitting smoking if they use e-cigarettes than if they rely on nicotine replacement patches and gums, a new study has shown.

The research, focused on nearly 900 long-term smokers seeking NHS help to quit, was hailed as a landmark by experts in public health in the UK who believe e-cigarettes have already helped bring down the smoking rate. However, there was less enthusiasm in the United States, where there is concern that vaping nicotine is addictive and may cause children to start smoking.

Prof Peter Hajek from Queen Mary University of London led a randomised controlled trial to establish whether e-cigarettes were a better aid to quitting than nicotine replacement therapy. Their research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The mostly middle-aged smokers were randomly assigned to be given an e-cigarette starter kit or nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, lozenges, sprays or gum. All were given behavioural support. At the end of the year, 18% of the vapers were no longer smoking , compared with almost 10% of the others.

It is the first trial to compare the licensed quitting aids with e-cigarettes, which are not licensed for medical use. Hajek believes the results could change the advice smokers are given.

“Although a large number of smokers report that they have quit smoking successfully with the help of e-cigarettes, health professionals have been reluctant to recommend their use because of the lack of clear evidence from randomised controlled trials. This is now likely to change,” he said.

The early problems smokers experience when trying to give up, such as irritability and inability to concentrate, were lower in those using e-cigarettes. Vapers reported more throat and mouth irritation, but nicotine replacement therapy users reported more nausea.

At the end of the year, nearly 80% – the vast majority – of those using e-cigarettes were still vaping, whereas only 9% of the other group were still using gum and other forms of nicotine replacement therapy.

“I think one can see it as potentially problematic and also potentially beneficial,” said Hajek. “There are both sides to it and I think the beneficial side is stronger. The negative one is they are still using something and e-cigarettes are unlikely to be totally safe. They are unlikely to have more than about 5% of the risks of smoking but there is still some risk and if using it for one year means that they are using it for 30 years and if that generates some health risk then they would be better off not using it.
“Now the positive aspect is that we know from studies of nicotine replacement therapy that some heavy smokers need that crutch for longer to protect them from relapse.

“They will get quite a bit of benefit in that they will avoid feeling miserable and having urges to smoke and feeling there is something missing in their life and they will not put on weight, which these type of heavy smokers do, which puts them at risk of diabetes and so on.”

Public Health England and many UK scientists involved in tobacco research have strongly supported the potential of e-cigarettes to help people quit.

“This landmark research shows that switching to an e-cigarette can be one of the most effective ways to quit smoking, especially when combined with face-to-face support. All stop-smoking services should welcome smokers who want to quit with the help of an e-cigarette,” said Martin Dockrell, tobacco control lead at Public Health England.

“Smokers trying to quit have been choosing e-cigarettes over other types of support for some time. The research indicates that health professionals and Stop Smoking services should reach out to smokers who want to use e-cigarettes and support them in making this life-changing step,” said Prof Ann McNeill from Kings College London.

Prof Robert West from University College London said the study was “of huge significance. It provides the clearest indication yet that e-cigarettes are probably more effective than products such as nicotine gum and patches. It fits previously published trend data showing an increase in quit success rates in England and the US linked to more people using e-cigarettes.”

All agreed that more research is needed into the long-term potential harms of e-cigarettes.

But a comment paper on the study in the journal by US scientists takes a more cautious view. Belinda Borrelli and George T O’Connor from the Henry M. Goldman school of dental medicine at Boston University say the possibility of long-term harms – and the fear that children will learn addictive behaviours by watching adults vaping – mean that e-cigarettes should not be tried ahead of nicotine therapy products licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“We recommend that e-cigarettes be used only when FDA-approved treatments (combined with behavioural counselling) fail, that patients be advised to use the lowest dose needed to manage their cravings and that there be a clear timeline and ‘off ramp’ for use,” they write.

ITJP releases dossier of evidence of Silva’s crimes

190129 Silva ITJP dossier.jpg

Shavendra Silva and heavily armed troops pictured interrogating female LTTE cadres who surrendered to the Sri Lankan army.

29 January 2019

There is “more than enough evidence” to suspend Sri Lanka’s new Chief of Army Staff, Major General Shavendra Silva, and charge him with war crimes and crimes against humanity, said the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) on Tuesday, as they released a 137-page dossier detailing his role as a military leader during an offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils.

“There is a staggering amount of evidence in this dossier meticulously collected by my team over many years,” said ITJP’s Executive Director, Yasmin Sooka.

“Many successful cases at international tribunals or the International Criminal Court had less to work with. There is now no excuse for this man to remain as number two in the Sri Lankan Army; he must be suspended immediately and a criminal investigation instituted.”

The dossier compiles details from UN reports, witness testimony, official Sri Lankan military releases as well as photographs and other evidence from the 2009 massacres.

“After the UN investigation completed its work in 2015, the ITJP continued to document and collect evidence regarding the war,” added Sooka.

“This means our NGO now has the most extensive archive of evidence pertaining to the final phase of the Civil War and violations in its aftermath. This dossier is just a fraction of the information we hold. This illustrates the importance of a dedicated team of experts to do this work with knowledge that builds up over years.”

The dossier details several of the crimes Silva oversaw as commander of the 58 Division, including attacks on hospitals, the use of white phosphorus and cluster munitions, summary executions and sexual violence.

“The international community cannot seriously talk about progress on rule of law and accountability so long as Shavendra Silva enjoys impunity,” said Sooka.

“How can the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations continue to recruit peacekeepers from Sri Lanka when the army is run by this man? It would condone the gravest international crimes.”

“If Sri Lanka fails to act, we look especially to countries in the region with close military ties to Sri Lanka to deny Shavendra Silva visas or, better still, to arrest him under universal jurisdiction.”

See the full text of the dossier here.

President needs to limit opposition in government

By Jehan Perera-January 28, 2019, 9:23 pm

The issue of the Leader of the Opposition’s position once again came to the fore when it was brought up in parliament last week by TNA leader R Sampanthan. This issue seem to have been resolved when Speaker Karu Jayasuriya issued a ruling earlier this month that the UPFA’s Mahinda Rajapaksa would be the opposition leader. Parliament, the media and majority opinion seem to have taken this decision in their stride as the right and proper one. Certainly the UPFA is much larger in numbers than the TNA, both in parliament and outside parliament, and more vociferous in their opposition to whatever the government is doing.

However, until the breakdown of the UNP-SLFP national government in October last year it was the TNA leader who held the opposition leader’s position. During the three years in which Mr Sampanthan held that position, the UPFA which included SLFP members was much larger than the TNA and more vociferous in its opposition. But during those three years, Speaker Jayasuriya ruled that the UPFA could not hold the Leader of the Opposition position as its main component party, the SLFP, was participating in a national government.

It was the breakdown of the UNP-SLFP national government that changed the equation for Speaker Jayasuriya. With the SLFP no longer in government he awarded the position of opposition leader to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa who was nominated to that position by the UPFA. But what may seem to be the correct decision to some, even though they be a majority, can be challenged as incorrect by others who may be in a minority. TNA leader Sampanthan’s speech in parliament points to the need for solutions to be found.

PROTECT MINORITIES

Democratic governance is not only one of popular sentiment and what seems to be common sense. It is also about the rule of law and adherence to constitutional provisions. If democratic governance meant only catering to majority sentiment, President Maithripala Sirisena’s sacking of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October last year would have been a reality. During the time of the political crisis, when the newly appointed prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was unable to secure a parliamentary majority and unwilling to step down, there was popular support for fresh general elections as the way out of the political deadlock that had set in.

However, the political deadlock was finally broken by the judiciary on the basis of their interpretation of the constitution and the rule of law. The main underlying issue at stake was the transfer of power from one government to another in conformity with the rule of law. The judiciary did not shirk its constitutional responsibility. It took the lead in taming the politicians who would run amok in both the executive and legislature. The TNA was one of the parties that filed legal action asking the courts to declare the president’s action in dissolving parliament to be unconstitutional. TNA leader Sampanthan’s position was that in matters of governance the constitution should be strictly followed.

In a like manner, on the issue of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Sampanthan has made it clear that the constitution should be followed. President Sirisena’s dual role as head of the cabinet and holder of three ministerial portfolios and more than 40 government departments, while his party member former president Mahinda Rajapaksa simultaneously leads the opposition is questionable. The TNA has also questioned the validity of those members of parliament, including Opposition leader Rajapaksa, who have taken membership of the SLPP which is not registered as a party represented in parliament. However, in the absence of a legal initiative in the courts, this situation is unlikely to change.

Ensuring adherence to law is of special importance to those who are minorities. Whether they be ethnic, religious or social minorities, the view of minorities is less likely to be taken into consideration in situation involving political power. Due to their lesser numbers they have less voice. The opposition leader’s position was important to the Tamil minority because, in the absence of their willingness to join governments like members of other minorities, it gave them some limited but official access to the institutions of the state.

CHALLENGE PRESIDENT

In the course of his speech in parliament objecting to the change in the opposition leader, Mr Sampanthan referred to an article written by Dr. Nihal Jayawickrema, that "Under the Constitution the President is the Head of the Government. Of his own choice Maithiripala Sirisena is also the President of SLFP and the UPFA which is a coalition of likeminded political parties that includes the SLFP. Mahinda Rajapaksa who claims to be member of the SLFP /UPFA is reportedly now the Leader of the Opposition. Therefore, Parliament is entitled to ask the President to explain how he can concurrently serve as Head of the Government and as Head of the Opposition and whether he does not understand that functioning simultaneously in both capacities is a gross violation of the fundamental democratic basis of the Constitution".

On the other hand, Speaker Jayasuriya, making a special statement in response to the matters raised by TNA Leader R. Sampanthan on the Opposition Leader’s post, said that a remedy to the issue could not be found within the confines of the present Constitution and the Standing Orders. He said, "In my ruling, delivered on 08th January 2019, I have not in detail touched upon the subject of conflict of interest pointed out by Sampanthan. The recognition of MP Mahinda Rajapaksa was not consequent upon any request from the UPFA General Secretary, but because of the age old convention of this House that the Speaker should recognize the Leader of the Parliamentary Group of the recognized Political Party having the largest number of Members sitting in the Opposition, as the Leader of the Opposition."

However, the political reality is that the power of numbers lies with the UPFA as against the TNA. In addition, President Sirisena is presently working in close cooperation with former president Rajapaksa. The current arrangement where the duo control the commanding heights of both the government and opposition is too advantageous for them to give up. President Sirisena’s visit to Singapore in which he took members of the SLFP with him as part of his official entourage brings the opposition into governance. This is the contradiction that TNA leader Sampanthan has shown, which needs to be changed.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Can Gotabaya deliver ?

Mr. Welgama is also making waves due to a different reason: his persistent opposition to the presidential bid of Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Former defence secretary is a formidable contender for presidency
It is sad that the UNP has failed to exploit an opening that was given by the aborted constitutional coup

2019-01-29

Kumar Welgama, Member of Parliament from Kalutara is a colouful personality. Recently, he is in the limelight due to a revelation by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that 18 buses which had been given to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) had gone missing during his tenure as the Minister of Transport. Earlier, he was indicted in a separate case of financial misappropriation for allegedly creating a non- existent position of vice chairman at the SLTB in order to employ a crony and paying Rupees 3.2 million to him as salaries.

However, Mr. Welgama is also making waves due to a different reason: his persistent opposition to the presidential bid of Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Interestingly, despite being a loyalist of ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mr. Welgama made his opposition known even while Gotabaya was testing waters through a showpiece event of Viyath Maga.

Now that the former defence secretary has publicly announced his desire to run for the presidency, Mr. Welgama’s protestations are getting louder and also more pinpointed. Recently, the Kalutara MP argued that political parties should not promote as presidential candidates individuals who would kill everyone who disagrees with him or her.

Mr. Wickremesinghe’s detractors want Sajith Premadasa to be the presidential candidate. Mr. Premadasa is an untested populist backed by a controversial media mogul

Whether Mr. Welgama’s opposition to Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is driven by principles or by self- interest is open to question. (He is reportedly nursing presidential ambitions, some say). Whatever his motives, he has a point: the prospect of Gotabaya’s presidency is alarming. It does not necessarily mean that former defence secretary would reign from a skull island. But, even a milder form of Gotabaya styled government is bound to reverse current democratic gains.

Some tend to view Gotabaya’s highhandedness and militarization of the state apparatus with a sense of nostalgia. However modernizing and diversifying the economy of a country, of which export basket has not changed since 1990s requires a lot more than jackboots. That brain power, ideological clarity and dispensation are lacking in the Gotabaya camp. He will end up with ‘yes men’ and charlatans, the kind of people his elder brother , ex -president Mahinda Rajapaksa found more comfortable to have around.

Still, former defence secretary is a formidable contender for presidency. His prospective opponent from the UNP, most likely Prime Minister Wickremesinghe still finds it hard to make a serious impression on the conservative Sinhalese Buddhist vote base.

It is sad that the UNP has failed to exploit an opening that was given by the aborted constitutional coup. Also, despite his commitment to democracy and good governance, and identification of the long neglected micro and macro-economic reforms, which are mandatory for the country to leapfrog from the current lower- middle income level of the economy, Mr Wickremesinghe is a poor implementer of economic policy. If his government was able to proactively undertake large development and investment projects, it could have added probably an additional one per cent to GDP growth.

Mr. Wickremesinghe’s detractors want Sajith Premadasa to be the presidential candidate. Mr. Premadasa is an untested populist backed by a controversial media mogul. Mr. Premadasa’s trademark program, ‘Udagamas’, aka, building free houses from other people’s tax money, does not necessarily reflect social and economic priorities in a resource scarce society. Such populist measures undertaken in places like Brazil and Venezuela effectively ran their respective economies to the ground. Youthful Mr. Premadasa can also wait for his time.

Then, others want Karu Jayasuriya, one of the last remaining gentleman-politician. However, Mr. Jayasuriya at 78 is perhaps a bit too old.

Gotabaya’s presidential bid, and support he enjoys from certain quarters highlight the popular frustration towards incompetent, self- serving traditional political elites

All that points to an extremely narrow pool of individuals, who rule the roost and are not willing to accommodate a more competitive set up of politics.
That constrained political competition tends to perpetuate a culture of political delay and erosion of public trust in political institutions. Those conditions in turn allow unrelenting despots to encroach the political space with the promise of revitalizing the system. A desperate populace fall prey.

Gotabaya’s presidential bid, and support he enjoys from certain quarters highlight the popular frustration towards incompetent, self- serving traditional political elites. Ex-defence secretary dupes the gullible with the lie that he has a quick fix for all that ail the country. His quick fix, i.e. white vans and militarization of civilian space, has very limited utility other than when it is about removing squatters from Kompanna Veediya or deploying soldiers to clean canals.

But, governing the country with respect to its institutions, and fixing its economy in a sustainable manner requires a lot more than brute force of the state’s coercive organs.

Probably, Gota will not win his election gamble. By pardoning controversial Buddhist monk Galabodaatte Gnanasara thera on the independence day, President Sirisena for one more time, would inadvertently help Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to rally minority votes around him. Still, the prospect of wolves in sheep clothing hijacking the pinnacle of political institutions is a real threat, and would remain so as long as internal party democracy and political competition are suppressed in Sri Lanka’s political system.

Follow @RangaJayasuriya on Twitter

Keppapulavu families continue protest for land in front of army camp

190128 NG Kepp protest (8).JPG

Tamil families in Keppapulavu continued their protest demanding the release of their land from Sri Lankan military occupation on Sunday.

28 January 2019

Over 100 displaced families from Keppapulavu in Mullaitivu began their protest on Saturday, with Sri Lankan security forces deploying police and military personnel in the area and photographing the families from within the camp in apparent acts of intimidation.

The intimidation had continued on Sunday, with soldiers seen taking photographs of the protesting families, many of which included young children.

The protestors continued their demonstration regardless, which takes place even though the Sri Lankan police filed a court order trying to prevent it from taking place. The Mullaitivu Magistrate court however ruled that the demonstration could go ahead, though protestors must keep 75 metres from the army camp entrance, which is situated on their lands.

Although almost ten years have passed since the end of the armed conflict the Sri Lankan military continues to control and occupy vast swathes of land in the Tamil homeland, forcing families to remain displaced.

In October, the president, Maithripala Sirisena promised to ensure all occupied land in the North-East would be released by December 31, 2018. Following this unfulfilled deadline, families attempted to enter the army camp on their lands on January 1, however faced dozens of police officers halting the entry.

Keppapulavu families began their prolonged campaign for their homes in March 2017. The campaign, which has seen widespread support among Tamils across the North-East and diaspora worldwide, has reached out to several international bodies, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Canadian IDRC Grantee ICES In Sri Lanka Is Sued For Research Fraud

By Muttukrishna Sarvananthan –JANUARY 29, 2019

Dr. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan

This author had exposed research fraud allegedly committed by the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) on a research study jointly funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada), Department for International Development (DfID, UK), and the Hewlett Foundation (USA) in early 2016 in the Colombo Telegraph.

The titles and the corresponding web links of these exposes as follows:

1. Mario Gomez, ICES, and IDRC commit Research Fraud in Sri Lanka – (Colombo Telegraph – January 17, 2016)

2. Canadian IDRC continues to fund corrupt ICES in Sri Lanka even after a damning Evaluation Report – (Colombo Telegraph – January 23, 2016)

3. Messiahs of Good Governance at the Helm of Incorrigible ICES in Sri Lanka – (Colombo Telegraph -January 28, 2016)

A number of landmark lawsuits filed by this author and the Point Pedro Institute of Development (PPID) against breach of contract as well as violation of the intellectual property rights by the ICES, Mario Gomez (Executive Director), and Daneshan Casie Chetty (Chairperson) are earnestly due for trial from the beginning of this year, 2019.

The case number bearing DSP 52/16 filed at the District Court of Colombo on May 05, 2016 against the ICES, Dr. Mario Gomez (Executive Director), and Mr. Daneshan Casie Chetty (Chairperson) for breach of contract is due for trial shortly. The objection/s raised by the Counsel for the defendants against the amended plaint submitted on behalf of the plaintiff was rejected by the Honourable Judge in mid-2018. Then the ICES had filed an appeal against this order of the District Court of Colombo at the Western Province High Court of Civil Appeal in September 2018 bearing the case number WP/HCCA/COL/102/2018/LA. The judgement on this appeal was to be delivered on January 22, 2019, but it has been postponed.

The case number bearing HC / Civil / 35 / 2017 (IP) filed at the Commercial High Court of Colombo in November 2017 against the ICES for violation of the intellectual property rights has reached the stage of trial on January 22, 2019 and the next dates of the trial are fixed for May 14 and 16, 2019.

The case number bearing HC / Civil / 13 / 2018 (IP) filed at the Commercial High Court of Colombo in early 2018 against Kethaki Kandanearachchi, Rapti Ratnayake, and the ICES for violation of the intellectual property rights is due for hearing on April 04, 2019.

The case number bearing HC / Civil / 14 / 2018 (IP) filed at the Commercial High Court of Colombo in early 2018 against Dr. Jeevasuthan Subramaniam of the University of Jaffna and the ICES for violation of the intellectual property rights is due for hearing on March 06,2019.

The case number bearing HC / Civil / 15 / 2018 (IP) filed at the Commercial High Court of Colombo in early 2018 against Dr. Iresha Lakshman of the University of Colombo and the ICES for violation of the intellectual property rights is due for hearing on April 04, 2019.

A lawsuit against Dr. Ramani Gunatilaka, Ranmini Vithanagama, and the ICES for violation of the intellectual property rights is due to be filed at the Commercial High Court of Colombo shortly.

As and when the judgements on these cases are delivered, Mario Gomez’s position at the ICES would become untenable. It is because of this inevitability that various delaying/stalling tactics are being employed by the defendants. In order to find out the precarious state of the defendants in these cases, this author publicly invites the staff and the members of the governing board of the ICES to personally attend the hearing/trial/judgement of the aforesaid case/s on the respective dates mentioned above.

Kokkadichcholai massacre by STF officers remembered in Batticaloa 32 years on

190128 Kokkadichcholai massacre EA 5.jpg

Residents in Batticaloa gathered at the Kokkadichcholai memorial to remember the massacre of 87 Tamils by Sri Lanka's Special Task Force officers at a prawn farm.

28 January 2019

On January 27, 1987 STF officers raided a prawn factory in the village, shooting dead the workers, which including seven boys aged between 12 to 14.

According to relatives of the victims, the night before the massacre, government helicopters were seen circling the area.

When STF officers arrived, the workers were rounded up and their identity cards checked, as the officers searched for LTTE fighters.

Some of the workers were then taken to nearby road and shot dead. Forty people, who had been hiding in a nearby farm, were also killed.

The bodies of those killed were burnt on old tyres, the relatives of the victims said.

The massacre, known as the 'prawn farm massacre' took place during the then UNP government. No one has been brought to justice for the crime.

Residents gathered at the newly rebuilt memorial erected for the massacre. The memorial was rebuilt and opened May last year, after the original monument was destroyed by Sri Lankan troops.

The event, held today, was organised by the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF).