Tiran tries to reunite with Mangala!

Tuesday, 10 February 2015 

Mawbima owner Tiran Alles is trying to reunite with external affairs minister by meeting him in Great Britain, where the minister is on tour. Arriving in London yesterday (08), minister Samaraweera was met by Tiran and his business partner there Basnayake.

From the time Samaraweera arrived there, the duo gave repeated calls to his phone, but he did not answer. It is his habit not to answer telephone calls. But, not discouraged, Tiran got through to him through the mobile phone of his personal aide Sameera. That was followed by their meeting last night in Central London.

The aim of the meeting was to prevent the CID’s coming after Tiran in connection with his facilitator role in the fake agreement that has sent Tissa to remand prison. However, Mangala did not promise him anything. Since, Tiran is a long term friend of his, the minister met him.

The wife of Sameera, minister Samaraweera’s personal aide, works in a company owned by Tiran. He intentionally employs that woman in order to balance Mangala. The minister refrains from using telephones in order to escape from his friends and relatives. Anyway, we respect him for his lone struggle against crony politics.

The Unheard Voices Of The Tuna Fishermen Of Sri Lanka

By Rahul Aryasinha -February 10, 2015

Rahul Aryasinha

Sri Lankan fishermen have been accused of being involved in illegal fishing activities in unauthorized territories including Marine Protected Areas. As a result we have just lost 74 million Euros worth of fish exports per year to Europe. Now the Sri Lankan authorities are working on amending the fisheries act and taking steps to comply with EU regulations to curb illegal fishing activities. Why were these fishermen involved in illegal fishing activities in the first place? Even prior to the European ban, the most important stakeholders of this industry – the fishermen and boat owners, were facing daunting challenges and in many cases were failing to operate profitably. The EU ban has only exacerbated an existing unfavorable condition.

Technology versus hearsay

For the fishermen and the boat owners every single trip out at sea has turned into a gamble. All though the sole income for both parties depends on a successful catch of tuna, minimal catches have resulted in low profits for boat owners as well as for the fisherman who work on a profit sharing basis. Many of these boat owners are liable to financial institutions on a monthly basis and endure the inconvenience of not being able to honor timely payments. Having no scientific knowledge on where to find fish the conventional fisherman mainly rely on word of mouth. Facing low income and at times even a loss they are forced to do whatever it takes to catch fish and save the day. At this point the fishermen start poaching in restricted territories and many times they target marine protected reserves. When these fishermen get caught poaching they face even worse economic burdens in the form of fines to get the detained vessels and the crew members released. With all these risks involved in illegal fishing, why do our fishermen still take the risk of fishing in restricted or protected areas? Secondly why do our fishermen practice unsustainable methods of fishing such as ring netting that kill thousands of juvenile pelagic fish, ultimately depleting fish stocks and risking the future of the fishing industry?

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