Pradeepa unhappy with Dullas’ plight

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

Youth Affairs and Vocations Training Minister Dullas Alahpperuma’s wife, well known singer, Pradeepa has told with great sorrow the “political tragedy” faced by her husband.

Alahapperuma has started making various statements at public event since of late. He has said there would be another youth uprising with the next 10 years. He has attributed the reasons to the government’s failure to productively address the issues faced by the country’s youth population. He has said the government was pushing the youth in the country towards a culture of swallowing cyanide.

Minister Alahapperuma has suddenly remembered the many articles written by Dullas Alahapperuma the writer to alternative newspapers in the country during the early 1990s. The reason is because he is not been consulted on any matter related to the National Youth Services Council, which is under his purview. The National Youth Services Council is directly controlled by MP Namal Rajapaksa through Nil Balakaya. Head of the National Youth Services Council, Attorney Lalith Piyum Perera reports directly to the President’s son and not the minister in-charge. Alahapperuma has no other option to retire from politics given that he does not have control of one of the key instituted under his purview.

Alahepperuma met Pradeepa while acting in Nimal Ekanayake’s Ukdandu Ginna drama and married thereafter. He entered politics after contesting the 1994 general election from the Matara District. He was elected to parliament with over 70,000 votes after campaigning by walking from door to door without even carrying out a poster campaign. Following political disagreements with the then administration, Alahapperuma left the country to the US with his wife and two children saying he could not longer engage in principled politics in the country.

He returned to the country after Mahinda assumed office and has since been engaged in justifying the unjust acts that have taken place before their eyes. The person who revealed these details said that Alahapperuma through his recent comments was engaged in yet another acts.

Condemn Not Just North Korea; Deal with Global Nuclear Hypocrisy

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

North Korea has just announced that it has conducted a successful third underground nuclear test, and the world powers are all condemning the act unanimously. According to their reasoning, North Korea, Iran and a few other “rogue” countries they do not like cannot and should not develop nuclear energy or produce nuclear weapons.

But they themselves can do both. The United States, Russia, Britain and France can arm themselves to their teeth with thousands of nuclear bombs and all kinds of treacherous missiles. And, of course, we have nothing to worry about it as they are all White and straight. China, India, Pakistan and Israel are all encouraged to build more nuclear power plants and produce more nuclear bombs as these activities fetch more nuclear deals, more nuclear business and more billions of dollars to the big brothers’ nuclear industries and other MNCs. As an added advantage, this nuclearization entrenches the imperial powers’ world hegemony and neutralizes the growing economic and military strength of the “emerging” regional powers.

The U.S. disarmament ambassador Laura Kennedy has said at a Geneva disarmament forum: "I find it just an incredible contrast that while millions of people are celebrating the Spring Festival, a time which should be a time to celebrate peace and prosperity, that North Korea celebrates it by a third nuclear weapons test." This rule does not apply to the United States, however. They can invade any country anytime anyhow and do whatever they want whenever they want and wherever they want. If you wonder what moral authority and political legitimacy the United States government has to talk about nuclear armament and proliferation, you would be branded as a dangerous terrorist.

The U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the test as “a clear and grave violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions”. This Secretary General himself has been accused of not convening the Security Council in the wake of the Sri Lankan genocide against the Tamils and actually assisting in the genocide and related war crimes. Just as the UN has become pro-governments and anti-people thanks to Ban Ki-moon and company, several UN agencies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have become redundant and useless for the international community.

The South Korean disarmament ambassador Kwon Haeryong has said that North Korea was the "only country which has demonstrated blatant disregard by conducting nuclear tests" since a 1996 global treaty banning them was negotiated at the disarmament forum. He has conveniently forgotten that India and Pakistan conducted tests in 1998. Is it because South Korea has signed a nuclear business deal with India?

Similarly, the Japanese officials have said that they would deploy military jets to survey the radiation levels following the North Korean test and consider imposing “unilateral sanctions” on Pyongyang. But they themselves would hide so much vital facts and information about Fukushima and other nuclear installations from their own citizens and the international community. It is strange that they are more worried about the North Korean radiation when they have enough nuclear skeletons in their electricity closets.

The nuclear proliferation and the missile programs around the world are getting out of hand and the global nuclear hypocrisy is endangering the Earth and life on it very badly. It is high time we, the peoples of the United Nations, convened an international conference of the citizens of the Earth, and decided to abandon Uranium mining, phase out nuclear power, intensify non-proliferation efforts and begin a serious initiative on abolishing nuclear weapons all together in a time-bound manner. There cannot and should not be different types of justice for small and weak countries and the bigger and powerful countries. Let us get rid of everything nuclear from the face of the Earth! Here and Now!

People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE)

Idinthakarai 627 104

Tirunelveli District

Tamil Nadu, India