Sri Lanka Massacred Tens of Thousands of Tamils While the World Looked Away

Sri Lankan soldiers recorded these terrible crimes on their mobile phones and camcorders—and over the past four years, more and more of this footage has emerged.

Isaipriya, the much-loved presenter and actress, reading the news on Tamil Tiger TV. Her death would shock the world.
This article appears in the August Issue of VICE Magazine

Callum Macrae-Aug 4 2015, 8:00pm

To the Tamils of northeast Sri Lanka and to much of their global diaspora, Isaipriya was a star: a presenter and actress who came to symbolize the Tamil resistance.

Sri Lanka Massacred Tens of Thousands of Tamils While the World Looked Away.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Tamil Question & The Tamil Nadu Factor

By Karikalan S. Navaratnam –29November 2017

“……..In the upsurge of political and cultural consciousness of the Tamils, the Dravidian movement has played an exemplary role. The Dravidian leaders used to claim that it was their sacred duty to champion the cause of Overseas Tamils.” – (“Tamil Nadu and Tamils Overseas” Prof. V. Suryanarayan, University of Madras)

Emergence of  Dravidian Movement:

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was founded in 1949 by C. N. Annadurai(affectionately called ‘Anna’ – elder brother, by Tamils all over). The Federal Party (ITAK – FP) was set afloat in Ceylon in the same year. The Congress Party was in power in Tamil Nadu (then, Madras State). DMK entered the hustings in 1957 and had since incrementally increased its presence in the Madras Legislative Assembly of 235 members. At the 1967 elections Anna dealt a knockout punch to Congress Party and floored it. The Congress could not thereafter wrest power from the Dravidian parties – DMK or, its breakaway rival, the ADMK.

Madras, renamed Tamil Nadu :

Incidentally, it was Chief Minister Anna who initiated the process and, almost a month before his untimely death on 3^rd February 1969, rechristened the Madras State, Tamil Nadu. When the Sinhala leaders of post-1948 Ceylon sequentially introduced malevolent measures, designed to cripple the Tamils politically, State leaders had murmured their concern. Even the Indian media took little or no notice of the evolving ethno-political situation in Ceylon. The unsophisticated Tamil population in India virtually remained uninformed. D.S. Senanayake’s Ceylon Citizenship Act 1948, which was the first legislative effort by a fledgling government, was not a baby step; but a giant leap in a process contrived for eliminating the Tamilelement from the body politic of the country. SWRD’s Sinhala Only Act, 1956 was another inimical step. Reactions from the Tamils in India were muffled.

Slowly, Tamil Nadu was shaken from its slumber, courtesy, the ultra-Sinhala nationalists. The DMK platform accentuated the collateral consanguineous relationship between the Tamils living on either side of the Palk Strait.

Reverberations of  1958  riots:

The reverberations of the 1958 anti-Tamil riots were heard by the Tamils in India. In his “Homeland” journal (15 June 1958) Anna wrote on the “Cinderellas in Ceylon”. DMK observed the “Ceylon Tamils’ Rights” day with public rallies. Lest his clarion call may be misconceived, Anna explained:

“…..That does not necessarily mean,  demanding a Tamil Raj comprising Tamil Nad and that portion of Ceylon wherein Tamilians are in a majority. The task immediately ahead is to focus public attention on the problem. World opinion should be harnessed to the cause for justice and fairplay. The plight of the Tamilians in Ceylon should be placed before the discerning public all over the world…….”  (‘Homeland’, 10 August 1958)

Sixty years have since elapsed. Tamil Nadu people’s perspective – tone and diction – on Sri Lankan Tamil issue have drastically changed .

Chelva visited Tamil Nadu:

Tamils boycotted the 1972 ( and 1978) constitution-making process. In March 1972, weeks before the new Constitution was promulgated,  Mr. S.J.V. Chelvanayakam (Chelva) visited Tamil Nadu. He met with different political leaders including  Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and the octogenarian E.V.R. Periyar, the father-figure of the Dravidian movement, and apprised them of the plight of Tamils in Ceylon. Chelva’s plea had struck a sympathetic chord among the political class in Tamil Nadu and provoked public discourse on the subject.

Tamils on  tenterhooks:

It was as though the Sinhala nationalists wanted to keep the Tamil people on tenterhooks. A series of onslaughts on the Tamil people in Sri Lanka excited outrage and anger in Tamil Nadu and left them seething with indignation. Thus,

• In January 1974,  as the grand finale events were in progress at the Fourth– World Tamil Research Conference held in Jaffna, a truckload of Police, led by  ASP  Chandrasekera, ploughed through the mammoth crowd and ran amok. Police action resulted in the loss of eleven lives and over fifty people were severely injured. Tamil scholars, Prof. Nainar Mohamed (Jamal Mohamed College, Trichy) and  Prof. Salai  Ilanthirayn (Delhi University), who attended the Conference,  carried the sordid story to Tamil Nadu.

• August 1977 anti-Tamil pogrom, which erupted in the wake of JR’s landslide Victory  at  July 1977 Elections, unfolded in the usual manner and with the usual actors. – killers, rapists, looters and arsonists. There were protests and demonstrations by Tamil Nadu activists – including one outside the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Madras.

• The Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1979 particularly targeted young Tamils. As hundreds of them were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and were, in many cases, extra-judicially killed, scores of youths fearing for safety fled by illicit boats to Tamil Nadu and found shelter with sympathetic families.

Burning of Jaffna  Library:

• On the 1^st June 1981 night, Police set fire to the Jaffna Public library and destroyed it completely, along with over 97,000 volumes of books and irreplaceable manuscripts. The same night, the TULF office and Jaffna M.P. Yogeswaran’s  house also were torched and destroyed. Two UNP Ministers had personally orchestrated the orgy of violence. Burning of the library had sent shock waves across Tamil Nadu, especially among the intelligentsia. SJV Chelva had left the scene on 26 April 1977.  At the 1977 Elections, the TULF (which had subsumed the FP) contested on a  ‘separate  Eelam’ platform and had registered a resounding victory.

Pondy  Bazaar  Shootout:

Sri Lankan rebels staying in Tamil Nadu at this time were only a handful. They kept a low profile. Initially, Prabhakaran and Uma Maheswaran (who later formed the PLOTE) were working in tandem; but had later become rivals. On 19 May 1982, Prabhakaran and his friend had an encounter with Uma and his aide at Pondy Bazaar in Madras and an exchange of fire ensued. Uma’s aide suffered bullet injuries. They were arrested by Madras police and charged. Sri Lankan government requested India to hand over the rebels to them to face criminal charges pending in Sri Lanka. They despatched Mr.Tilak Marapana (then, a Senior State Counsel in the AG’s Dept., and now, the Foreign Minister) together with senior Police Officers to New Delhi to pursue their request for extradition.

There was no Extradition Treaty between India and Sri Lanka. MGR  (Leader, ADMK) was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Mr. P. Nedumaran, Leader of the Kamraj-Congress Party (a splinter of the Congress Party) and a MLA, (Member of the Legislative Assembly) took the initiative in mobilizing the State’s political parties and appealed to New Delhi not to hand over the rebels to Sri Lankan authorities, lest they would be mistreated or killed under the PTA. 

New Delhi  rebuffs Colombo:

Mrs. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. Nedumaran was previously a loyal sentinel in the Congress Party and had a personal rapport with Mrs. Gandhi. Further, Mrs. Gandhi had a personal dislike for JR. Citing some procedural problem, Indian government refused  Sri Lanka’s request. It was a solid victory for the pro-Eelam lobby in India.

Indian/Tamil Nadu media outlets saw something sensational in the Pondy Bazaar shootout and evinced an interest in reporting on the ethno-political genesis of Eelam demand and the emerging Tamil militancy in Sri Lanka.

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SRI LANKA: UN EXPERTS ON ARBITRARY DETENTION LAUNCH OFFICIAL VISIT

Image: Welikada prison, Colombo, Sri Lanka ( AI photo)

29/11/2017

GENEVA (29 November 2017) – A three-member delegation from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention will carry out an official visit to Sri Lanka from 4 to 15 December 2017 to assess the country’s situation regarding the deprivation of liberty.

José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, Leigh Toomey and Elina Steinerte will visit a variety of places where people are held, including prisons, police stations and institutions for juveniles, migrants and people with psychosocial disabilities, to gather first-hand information which will form part of their overall assessment.

The delegation will visit Colombo as well as western, north-central, northern, eastern, southern and central provinces, where they will meet Government officials, civil society groups and other relevant stakeholders.

The experts will share their preliminary observations at a press conference on 15 December 2017 at 14:00 local time at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Working Group will present its final report on the visit to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2018.

ENDS

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention comprises five independent experts from around the world: Mr. José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez (Mexico), Chair-Rapporteur; Ms. Leigh Toomey (Australia), Vice-Chair on Follow-Up; Ms. Elina Steinerte (Latvia), Vice-Chair on Communications; Mr. Sètondji Roland Adjovi (Benin) and Mr. Seong-Phil Hong (Republic of Korea). The expert group was established by the Commission on Human Rights in 1991 to investigate instances of alleged arbitrary deprivation of liberty. Its mandate was clarified and extended by the Commission in 1997 to cover the issue of administrative custody of asylum-seekers and immigrants. In September 2016, the Human Rights Council confirmed the scope of the Working Group’s mandate and extended it for a further three-year period.

The Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

In Light Of Dr Nalaka Godahewa’s Speech At The UNHRC In Geneva – Part V

By Lionel Bopage –27November 2017

[Part 4 of this series was published on Thursday, the 23rd November 2017]

More on the Points Dr Godahewa has raised

2. No other minority community in Sri Lanka seems to be complaining about discrimination based on ethnicity; there is no discrimination based on ethnicity; It is pure political propaganda (by the Tamil political leadership) with an ulterior motive.

Dr Godahewa’s statement that “no other minority community seems to be complaining about discrimination based on ethnicity” is a total misrepresentation of facts. The non-majority communities in Sri Lanka are many fold. There are Tamils, Muslims and Burghers, then Hindus, Christians, Malays, Chinese, Kfirs amongst others. Out of these only Tamils, Malays, Chinese and Kfirs could be considered ethnic based. Others are not ethnic, but they are faith based. How could anyone be unaware of the several recent disturbances in the south against non-majority communities just because they are Christians^[1] or Muslims^[2]? Bodu Bala Sena fuelling the flames of conflict against Muslims in Aluthgama in June 2014 received widespread condemnation and swift action was urged by the international community to curb the deadly riots. Intentional disturbances against Tamils^[3] and Malaiyaha Tamils^[4] have continued in some estate plantations in the south, even after the end of the war, for which there is no reasonable justification.

 

3. Tamils holding very high positions in politics, judiciary and academia, in government and private sector are evidence for non-discrimination;

Holding high positions do not reflect inclusiveness

Non-majority community members holding high positions in the public and private sectors is not a barometer by which existence of non-discrimination or equality in a country can be gauged. In the United States, African-Americans have moved a long way from the eras of slavery and Jim Crow laws of racial segregation. Many have held prominent positions of power and wealth. Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Muhammed Ali, Jesse Jackson, Michael Jackson, Patricia Roberts Harris, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Loretta Lynch and Susan Rice are some notable celebrities who have shone in politics, judiciary, academia, music, arts, media and sports. Yet, discrimination and racial violence continue in the US both at personal and institutional level. Despite holding high positions many had made enormous sacrifices and paid with their life due to discrimination or because they chose to stand up against discrimination. Crispus Attucks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Muhammed Ali and Dr. Maya Angelou, just to mention a few. Most of them had to revolt against the State to defend civil rights and rights of the black people. The 1992 acquittal of white policemen in the case of the savage beating and killing of Rodney King^[5] – the 47 year old African-American taxi driver, aptly drives the point.

Many First People of Australia (the aboriginal people) have been prominent members of the society. They have excelled in various disciplines, but the issue of discrimination against the First People has never ceased. Even now, the indigenous leaders are calling for a referendum on establishing a special Indigenous Advisory Council.

In Sri Lanka, as we know, there have been many Tamil cabinet ministers, cabinet secretaries, two opposition leaders, government agents, district secretaries, academics, artists and sports personnel. Tamil political parties have joined hands with many governments forming coalitions. There have been many illustrious Tamils elected or appointed for prominent positions in Sri Lanka’s two main political parties. These individuals have wielded power, on and off, for the last seventy years. Yet this has not shifted the institutionalised cultural prejudice and discrimination that the Tamil community and its members had endured.

If the language policy framework of 1956[6] was designed as an affirmative action to redress grievances of the Sinhala Buddhists because they suffered under colonialism, then the same affirmative action should have been made available to Tamil Hindus who suffered a similar fate under the colonial rule. The Sri Lankan colonial economy was primarily based on the plantation sector and the infrastructure development in the country was designed to cater to this economy. The harsher climate of the north-east drylands could not profitably contribute to this colonial economy underpinned by the plantations, and therefore infrastructure development in the region was very insignificant. Under the circumstances, Tamils had considered education and public service as the only avenues for upward social mobility. Even the pro-colonial, post-independence regime that was in power since 1948 did not carry out much development activities in the north and east. While economically the situation of the Sinhalese down south was very similar, the discriminatory language policy framework compounded the situation of the Tamils.

 

As mentioned earlier, the Jaffna Peninsula is predominantly a region affected by arid terrain, water scarcity, low irregular rainfall, environmental degradation, shallow sandy soil and salinity. Crop productivity, employment rate and income from farming continued to be unsatisfactory due to the policy failures in allocating lands for agricultural growth. In such an environment, receiving good education was considered to be offering the best chance for a bright future. It is, therefore, no wonder the Tamil community perceived the government’s standardisation policies of the 70’s as blatantly discriminatory. Reaction to this by the young Tamils was to increasingly support Tamil nationalist politics that culminated in the demand for a separate state. Such unfair discriminatory policies and large-scale opening of educational institutions – whose curricula wasn’t helpful for gainful employment – contributed to the youth uprisings in the south as well as in the north.

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Cabinet spokesman admits LeN ban is illegal; Media minister lies but tongue betrays the truth ! (Video)

(Lanka-e-News - 27.Nov.2017, 6.15PM)  Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera had to admit at the last cabinet meeting that the ban imposed on Lanka  e News prohibiting its viewers to access it within Sri Lanka is illegal, while  Minster Rajitha Senaratne was remaining  silent. 

When a satyagraha was staged in Matara recently ‘On behalf of 6.2 million’ , the minister of media who was   reticent in the above  connection  , however made a statement . Though he uttered  a lie his tongue as though cannot be controlled betrayed the truth.

When he should say , the law and justice must override and prevail over the president , prime minister and minister , what escaped from his mouth was , that is not happening .The current  media minister Mangala Samaraweera who espoused the cause of media freedom and spoke loudly on its behalf when he was in the opposition tried to show  , ‘Editor’s lack of knowledge ‘ was responsible for this illegal media ban. 

Vide footage is hereunder 

---------------------------
by     (2017-11-27 13:34:42)

‘Time is opportune to formulate new constitution’

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

“The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) have formed a consensus government to finalise and adopt a new constitution for Sri Lanka as we do not know who would be elected as the Executive President in the future; so let's use this opportunity for the betterment of the country," Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said.

He was addressing the gathering at the third ‘Sathyagraha’ campaign, ‘6.2 million on alert’, which is carried out island-wide, held opposite the Sacred Bo Tree in Matara last Friday (24) evening. TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran, Ven. Dambara Amila Thera, NSSP Leader Vikramabahu Karunaratne, religious leaders and activists who supported the National Movement for a Just Society attended.

“The government of good governance proved that no one is above the law by Prime Minister's presence at the Bond Commission.” the Minister said.

“Power should be devolved for every citizen to live amicably as one family and Sri Lanka to prevail as ‘one nation’,” TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran said.

He related a story of a family of three girls and a boy. "They were to decide where they were going to spend their school vacations. "Every time a vote was taken, the girls had the majority until the boy was forced to revolt against the democratic process,” he said.

Ven. Dambara Amila thera said the late minister, N. M. Perera, forecast that the executive powers vested by the new constitution formulated by the National Assembly in 1978 would be disastrous someday for the country.

NSSP Leader Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne said MP Sumanthiran was in Matara to address people of the south in Sinhala because he has faith in the present government.

“In the past, northern politicians who addressed people of the south in Sinhala were assassinated by northern extremists. "Sumanthiran has ignored this threat as this duration may be the last opportunity to adopt a new constitution,” he said.

Central Bank’s move to flexible inflation targeting: Wide public education is needed

Central Bank of Sri Lanka Senior Deputy Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe

Going for inflation targeting in full strength

Monday, 27 November 2017

Delivering the Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Oration 2017 in Colombo recently, the Central Bank’s Senior Deputy Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe outlined the change of the game plan of conducting monetary policy by the bank in the years to come (available at: http://www.cbsl.gov.lk/pics_n_docs/02_prs/_docs/speeches/speech_20171120e.pdf). That was to control inflation directly instead of controlling intermediate factors that contribute to inflation.

Central Bank’s move to flexible inflation targeting Wide public education is needed.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Why Ranil is the last hope for Good Governance?

  

2017-11-29

Looking at why, for the sustenance of the current administration, a solid and firm understanding and empathetic dynamic between Ranil and Maithri is a prerequisite

Maithripala Sirisena did his job. His job was not to win the Presidential Elections in January 2015. His was to leave his Party and its leader and the Executive President of the country at the time and challenge him at the elections.   
“There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them”
~Winston S. Churchill

---

• Maithri, as he is fondly called by his friends and foes, made an enormously decisive move, which is rarely embarked on by politicians.   
• A corrupt set of political vultures, who flourished under the Rajapaksa regime managed to secure some Cabinet portfolios and are now trying to steer the ship as if it was they who elected Maithripala Sirisena to power.   
• An intimation of being let down was audible and being at the receiving end of woeful ‘ungratefulness’ was the greatly felt sentiment.   
• Ranil and Maithri must be now realising the fundamental error that they committed -the absence of a comprehensive code of conduct for MPs of both parties

---

That decision was a momentous one. It was a daring move only either the most stupid or the most courageous would take, whichever way one looks at it. 

The scorn that was hurled at him and the vituperative verbiage that was aimed at him recognised no boundaries. Maithripala Sirisena’s decision was momentous because his decision entailed, among others, bidding adieu to a long-winded political life in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). By deserting his Party and challenging the ‘Pseudo war-hero’ Mahinda Rajapaksa, withstanding the contempt of the Rajapaksas as a traitor to the cause of the common man and succeeding at the last Presidential Election, Maithri, as he is fondly called by his friends and foes, made an enormously decisive move, which is rarely embarked on by politicians. 

How the nomination of Maithripala Sirisena as a common candidate of the then Opposition came about, the writer is not privy to discuss. But in the shadows of Maithripala’s desertion of his SLFP, lurked another ‘strategic sacrifice’. That was Ranil Wickremesinghe’s.

Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Leader of the Opposition; he was the undisputed leader of his Party, the United National Party (UNP) which had been at the losing end at the electoral level for a span of twenty plus grueling years. 

The ‘starvation of political power’ on the part of the UNP stalwarts and its lower level supporters had reached insufferable dimensions. 

Good Governance is not a slogan. It is not an illusion and nor is it a utopian dream. Good Governance or Yahapalanaya is a real, dynamic and living organism. Its survival is very much dependent upon the commitment on the part of the partners of the coalition.

The 18th Amendment had buttressed the Rajapaksas well beyond all expectations; it lent a delusional satisfaction to its authors and framers that their power was forever. But that was to anticipate events to come.

In order to accommodate the nomination of a common candidate against Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ranil, the leader of the UNP, had to make a specific sacrifice. The prevailing belief at the time was that Ranil Wickremesinghe was never destined to be the President of the country. Yet the elections held just prior to the declaration of the Presidential Elections for the Uva Provincial Council signalled a strong indication that the UNP was on an upward swing. The United People’s Freedom Alliance’s (UPFA) domination of Sri Lankan elections continued as expected.
It retained control of the Uva Provincial Council. However, the UPFA recorded a loss of votes in the province, after the Presidential Election in 2015 a number of UPFA councillors crossed over to UNP to back Harin Fernando which enabled him to secure the position of Chief Minister and toppling the UPFA rule in Uva Province.

A sizeable erosion of the Sinhalese-Buddhist voting bloc from the Rajapaksa-led UPFA at the Provincial Council elections to the anti-Mahinda Rajapaksa candidate (Maithripala Sirisena) is very much close to the swing that was visible in the 2014 PC elections. 

In other words, even if the candidate was Ranil Wickremesinghe, the UNP leader would have had more than a fighting chance of securing a victory at the Presidential Election.

The point I’m trying to make is that Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP made a huge sacrifice in conceding the nomination to Maithripala Sirisena. It was the UNP, Tamils, and Muslims who placed Sirisena at the seat of power, not the SLFP-led UPFA voters. 

There is a nagging constant in Presidential Election in Sri Lanka. It is that no candidate can secure a victory at the elections if he or she cannot ensure the majority of the Tamil and Muslim votes. 
The only exception was in 2009 and it was due to the prevailing conditions in the country in the immediate aftermath of the ‘war-victory’. In 2005, Mahinda Rajapaksa managed to win because the Tamils in the North were prevented from voting at the behest of Velupillai Prabhakaran. Who was primarily responsible for Prabhakaran’s decision is no secret anymore. 

Maithripala Sirisena did his ‘job’ by deserting his party, SLFP and consenting to run as the anti-Rajapaksa candidate. Ranil Wickremesinghe did his job by securing 100% of the UNP voting bloc for Sirisena.

It is utterly futile to debate as to which job was greater or which one smaller. Later, the SLFP Ministers and other Parliamentarians were accommodated in the present Government because it was provided for in an agreement between the two leaders, Ranil and Maithri. Even after the General elections later in 2015, the UNP could have formed a Government without the aid of the SLFP had the UNP decided to form one with the help of the TNA and the Muslim Congress.

A corrupt set of political vultures, who flourished under the Rajapaksa regime managed to secure some Cabinet portfolios and are now trying to steer the ship as if it was they who elected Maithripala Sirisena to power.

During the last couple of weeks, I had the occasion to speak to some UNP Cabinet members as well as a number of MPs on the current ‘crisis’ which the Joint Opposition is wanting to make real. 
An intimation of being let down was audible and being at the receiving end of woeful ‘ungratefulness’ was the greatly felt sentiment. It is not good. 

For the sustenance of the current administration, a solid and firm understanding and empathetic dynamic between the two leaders, Ranil and Maithri as well as the second and third-tier leaders of the two parties, UNP and SLFP, is a prerequisite. 

Without that mutual understanding, the breakdown of the anti-Rajapaksa forces is inevitable. 
It is not rocket science. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s hands must be strengthened and it must be done now, not tomorrow or the day after. 

Those who delivered the elections to Maithripala Sirisena cannot be discarded like karapincha. That was the treatment that was meted out to the Rajapaksa loyalists. The strength of the current government is nothing but the strength of the UNP, no more, no less. Criticism of either party by any leader, whatever layer he or she comes from, must stop forthwith. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s personal commitment is visible but he must ask his party members to do so too. 

Chasing newspaper headlines is childish and would not serve any short, mid or long-term interests of the country. Maithripala Sirisena has an enormous responsibility to get his party people to do the same. Ingratitude is no worthy badge to wear. 

Both Ranil and Maithri must be now realising the fundamental error that they committed at the very outset of forming the new Government in 2015. The absence of a comprehensive code of conduct for Members of Parliament of both parties is a grave omission. 

Lack of discipline could kill a political alliance in no time, whether the alliance did look solid and unbreakable at the beginning. The worst part of the new coalition between Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe must in every nook and cranny look better than the best part of the Rajapaksa regime. 

That is a very tall order. Then only the people at large would accept the current administration. 
Good Governance is not a slogan. It is not an illusion and nor is it a utopian dream. Good Governance or Yahapalanaya is a real, dynamic and living organism. Its survival is very much dependent upon the commitment on the part of the partners of the coalition.

Supporters of both parties, the UNP and the SLFP, might well be advised to grasp the wisdom of the following quotation by Sun Tzu who wrote thus: 

‘Do not engage an enemy more powerful than you. And if it is unavoidable and you do have to engage, then make sure you engage it on your terms, not on your enemy’s terms’. 

If mutual defeat is to be avoided, it is not only the party leaders of the coalition, the lower-level supporters too need to be disciplined and well-guarded against the vagaries of political winds.
Don’t let the victories of January 2015 go waste; don’t let your elongated egos override the simple logic of survival and sustenance. 

In the current and immediate context, safeguarding and protecting Ranil Wickremesinghe is of utmost validity; its significance cannot be overstated. Even a hint of a Rajapaksa-return is not an option. That is why Ranil could be the last hope for Sri Lanka’s failing good governance.

The writer can be contacted at vishwamithra1984@gmail.com

Latest ‘Judarse’ beats Judas in betrayal..! Sirisena in league with Rajapakse rogues ; First resign and wallow in people’s despair !

-Wimal Dheerasekera-

(Lanka-e-News -25.Nov.2017, 11.50PM)  ‘The time has arrived to those who are still thinking that Maithripala Sirisena is the president  of good governance of 2015-01-08 , to divest themselves of that misconception .  He is an ungrateful double faced double dealing villain who says one thing, but does the very opposite. Hence directly  action must be taken to defeat his crafty aspirations .The  pro good governance forces that  elected him to power on 2015-01-08 must rally together and get ready  to serve him and the confirmed  Rajapakse crooked scoundrels with the same dose of medicine. 

This is because it is certain Maithripala Sirisena will at a not too distant date join hands with not only the Rajapakses but any anti national lethal destructive force in order to perpetuate  his power going by his putrid antecedence  . That is ,  Maithripala  after becoming president on the votes of the pro good governance masses on 2015-01-08 ,  by July 2015 like a chameleon changed color to join with the racist forces to contest  elections   under the common  list .Hence those who think Maithripala will have a sense of shame and will not repeat that same betrayal in three years, are political ignoramuses.’

The aforementioned revelation  was  published in our article captioned ‘Enough is enough! Don’t expect feathers of good governance from an overturned Maithripala tortoise ! Identify the faceless, policy less, power crazy creature !’ written by this same writer in October .

On the  23rd   of November (night)  , by the SLFP group of Maithripala and the racist crooked group  of Rajapakses taking a decision to contest the forthcoming local government elections jointly , the dire prediction was  proved 100 % true.

What is most significant to note in this despicable and disgraceful betrayal  scenario is , though the Rajapakses were inclined to contest the elections alone , it is none other than Maithripala Sirisena the shameless opportunistic politico who went begging and crawling on all fours  to the Rajapakses , thereby demonstrating to the whole world he is an adherent of  his  own  despicable ‘hopper theory’ which has taught him all the low breed traits of a slave.

Maithripala Sirisena has by now  without any qualms  kicked out  the people’ s referendum of  2015 -01-08 on which he was  elected to power based on 6.2 Million votes of pro good governance masses , meaning that he has displayed to the world he is even worse than a piece of stinking excreta meriting  nothing but disdain and rejection.

Following his betrayals and chameleon traits coming to light  , it has now become crystal clear who was shielding and safeguarding the confirmed corrupt and the crooks all these days. It has also become clearly manifest why  UNP the main party which installed him in power, the Civil Organizations and social media were maligned , mud was slung  at them and banned.

What ‘s more ! he has most brutally stabbed Chandrika Kumaratunge in the back who reposed  implicit faith in him. It is fortunate most Ven. Sobitha Thera who made an invaluable contribution to make Maithripala the president died prematurely , otherwise Maithripala would have not hesitated to  slit his throat too  literally and metaphorically if he was living. 

It is an incontrovertible fact  , Sirisena will go down in the annals of political history as a leader who committed the worst betrayal Sri Lanka had ever known. Being born shameless and most unscrupulous , earning that stigmatic discredit may mean nothing to him , but his incapacity to understand what doom and gloom he is going to plunge the country into by this historic betrayal is most unpardonable and thoroughly reprehensible no matter what explanations he might offer  in his defense.

Consequent upon this historic betrayal of his , the continuation of the consensual government has been rendered unsure. Based on unofficial sources , Maithripala has already decided to leave the consensual government and within two weeks will make a unilateral announcement to that effect. 

Due to  this gross historic betrayal by Sirisena , three ministers of Maithri group are holding discussions with the UNP to cross over to the latter . However , since according to the pact signed between the parties  by the consensual government , members of the two parties to the agreement cannot cross over from one side to the other . Therefore if ministers crossing over are to be taken to  the UNP  it would become necessary to terminate the pact. And ,if Sirisena  is to join with Rajapakses , he must resign from his executive president post.

If Maithripala Sirisena is to join with the corrupt deposed people discarded Rajapakses who were rejected and defeated by 6.2 Million voters, he must  first and foremost resign his presidential post , and go for a fresh  people’s referendum. While clinging on to the post of president  he has no ethical grounds  to act totally against the mandate of the people because his presidential campaign was not based on his giving leadership to the people after getting them to rally round him. Maithripala was chosen as the common candidate by a number of other forces of the people. They are the forces who carried him on the shoulders to the winning post. Hence Sirisena has no right at all while warming the presidential seat  also  to merge with the corrupt brutal discarded Rajapakses , to  eat and enjoy like  wolves  feasting and feeding  on their  kill. 

About the world’s notorious Biblical  Judas the historic betrayer, there are a number of stories written , but our own ‘Judarse’ Pallewatte Gamaralalage Yapa Sirisena the opportunistic self seeking , shallow , slimy politico’s betrayal has broken even his record. Judas only betrayed one individual, but our own “Judarse” betrayed a whole 6.2 million people – mind you , those are his  faithful voters who reposed implicit faith in him !

Judas betrayed only once and only one individual . Our ‘Judarse’  Pallewatte Gamaralalage Yapa Sirisena being a double faced double dealer went even further –is  guilty of double  betrayal ! He earlier  betrayed the SLFP . Now he has betrayed 6.2 Million people. 

Judas unable to bear the guilt hanged himself . In the case of our own Gamaralalage Yapa Sirisena,  an entire  6.2 million Sri Lankans unable to bear the evil consequences they have to face owing to his gross betrayal are earnestly praying and hoping the same fate or even worse befalls this ‘Judarse’ sooner than later.

Wimal Dheerasekera 

Translated by Jeff

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by     (2017-11-25 18:41:04)

Fear grips Muslims in Sri Lanka's Ginthota after attack

Rows of burned houses and businesses bear testimony to the violence [M Riza/Al Jazeera]

24 Nov 2017

Ginthota, Sri Lanka - Muhammad Abrar is still in shock, nearly a week after his house in Ampitiya village in the southern Sri Lankan town of Ginthota came under attack from a Sinhalese-Buddhist mob.

On November 17, he had returned from the mosque after evening prayers and was about to retire for the night, when he heard his neighbours' home being attacked.

"The first attack on our home was when our window panes were broken by rocks," said Abrar, who drives a tuk-tuk (three-wheeled taxi) for a living.

"There was a mob of about 150 to 200 people armed with steel crowbars and other makeshift weapons. They smashed our gate and came in and poured petrol on my tuk-tuk and set it on fire."

The burned tuk-tuk is still parked in front of his house, with little hope of being salvaged. What was once the painted pink facade of his house is now black with soot. The tiled roof of Abrar's house collapsed as flames engulfed the wooden rafters.

Fear and shock have gripped the Muslim community in Ginthota - about seven kilometres from the tourist city of Galle - and rows of burned houses and businesses bear testimony to the violence.
Police and Special Task Force (STF) personnel were deployed after the violence, which spread across many administrative divisions in Ginthota. 

Residents say a scuffle over a minor road accident escalated into mob attacks between Buddhist and Muslim youths. It later developed into full-blown, targeted anti-Muslim violence, with dozens of houses and at least two mosques damaged in arson attacks.

Growing Buddhist-Muslim tensions

Tensions have been growing between the two communities this year, with Buddhist nationalists attacking a United Nations safe house for Muslim-majority Rohingya in September, while a number of Muslim homes and businesses were attacked in June.

Mohammed Faizal, the secretary of the Ginthota Young Muslims Association, who was himself a victim, says that fresh tensions started building after an accident involving a Muslim woman and a Buddhist on November 13. Police intervention prevented immediate escalation.

"November 17 was calm and as usual we went for Friday prayers and returned. There was a heavy police and STF presence," Faizal said.

'They smashed our gate and came in and poured petrol on my tuk-tuk and set it on fire,' said Muhammad Abrar, pictured with his son[M Riza/Al Jazeera]

The violence erupted that night, after Faizal says a lack of security measures allowed the situation to spiral out of control.

Manusha Nanayakkara, the member of parliament for the Galle district, agreed that the "withdrawal of the STF was a grave mistake that facilitated all these violent groups".

"This incident did not begin due to a Sinhalese-Muslim issue. Both parties are to blame for letting this matter escalate from a minor road accident," Nanayakkara said. "Peace committees should be activated with representations from the village mosques and temples to prevent any such attacks taking place again."

Fear and trauma

In the wake of the violence, police have arrested 22 people. Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekera confirmed that 127 cases of attacks had been reported to police.

The violence has brought back memories of the 2014 Aluthgama attacks, during which three people were killed.

Muhammad Yasir told Al Jazeera that he was at home with his wife and two daughters when a mob of about 50 youth started attacking homes in the narrow lane where his house is located.

"My motorcycle was dragged to the street and completely torched. Three minutes after the first attack, another group of five youth destroyed our front door and entered our home," Yasir said. "They broke open cupboards and looted the jewellery inside."

I do not choose between Sinhalese and Muslim.

MUHAMMAD FAHIM, LOCAL RESIDENT

Businesspeople in the area explained how their shops and lifelong savings were destroyed.
Muslims in Ginthota and across parts of the island nation, where they form 10 percent of the population, have been living in fear and trauma, with many women and children refusing to return to their homes.

Galogodaththe Gnanasara - the hard-line monk from the Bodu Bala Sena, known for his incendiary remarks, particularly those that fuelled the anti-Muslim attacks in Aluthgama - told a press conference that there were approximately 500 youth who had assembled at the temple, presumably in response to the hysteria spread through social media. Addressing a media conference on November 21, Gnanasara, who has ties to Ashin Wirathu of Myanmar, was reported by one local newspaper as having "boasted that he can orchestrate a bloodbath in under two hours".

Police say social media rumours about Muslims planning to attack a Buddhist temple triggered the violence.

Muslims in Ginthota and across parts of the island nation have been living in fear and trauma [M Riza/Al Jazeera]

Many local residents told Al Jazeera that the mob included people from inside the village. But one Sinhalese resident, a construction professional living in Ampitiya, denied involvement of village insiders. Sunil Gamage, who spoke under a pseudonym, noted that his home also came under attack.
"The residents in this area [Muslim and Sinhalese] live in peace, and there is no problem between us," he told Al Jazeera.

Police and STF personnel have been patrolling the streets, along which most houses have had their gates smashed down and the glass window panes destroyed.

Muhammad Fahim, a young father of four boys, earns his livelihood by manufacturing and selling cement blocks for construction. The pick-up truck he used to transport his blocks was set ablaze.

A tearful Fahim explained how his home manufacturing plant was damaged and 800 of his cement blocks, which were ready for sale, broken to pieces.

Fahim cannot fathom how this could have happened to him: "I do not choose between Sinhalese and Muslim," he said.

Waiting for the Muslim Man to “Soften Up”

Featured image provided by author, of her maternal grandfather and relatives

AMEENA HUSSEIN-11/27/2017

The Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) is in need of amendment and has been under the scrutiny of a most ineffectual committee for the past nine years. For years, individuals and groups of Muslims have expressed concern at this disgraceful situation.

Earlier this year, I was invited to attend a closed door conversation regarding the ongoing discussion on MMDA reform. After listening to many minutes of intellectual sounding dilemmas on how to tackle the situation of Muslim men not wanting Muslim women to access rights that other Sri Lankan women enjoy, I was struck by a comment one of the Muslim participants made to the group, which was made up of both Muslim and non-Muslim people. This woman said that she felt we needed to ‘handle’ the Muslim men carefully and that we needed to ‘soften’ them up. The word ‘soften’ struck me violently at that time and has stayed with me since. I was outraged that I as a Muslim woman would have to wait for a Muslim man to ‘soften’ in order for me to enjoy legal rights to which other women in Sri Lanka are entitled.

There is clearly something wrong with the picture when one half of a community is dependent on the whims of the other half. If this situation was applicable in a different context and in a different country, say with regard to one ethnicity having power over another, everybody would be incensed. So why is it allowed that Muslim men to make important decisions that affect Muslim women negatively?

The biggest stumbling block for any sort of amendment to the status quo is that both Muslim men and women are under the impression that Sharia is God ordained and thus inviolable and fixed. It is in the interests of Muslim men to perpetuate that impression. The many articles written by both Muslim scholars and informed lay members of the community on this mistaken impression, have, as of now, done nothing to change that mindset. It seems almost pointless to discuss it once again here. Instead, I will write about how I feel as a Muslim woman, in such a situation.

Religion is a matter of faith. We are born into the faith of our parents and most often we embrace it and thus are labeled as belonging to a particular religion. Religion becomes then a pure accident of birth or adoption.

But a Muslim woman, abiding by the Muslim faith that she was born into, has to accept a few anomalies. Not only does she have fewer rights than a Muslim man, a Muslim man can dictate how she leads much of her life. I want everybody reading this article to look at that phrase. Isn’t this clearly wrong and unjust?

Before I continue, let me put myself in context here. As an individual, I have been able to live my life to the best of my capabilities, enjoying similar rights to any other woman in Sri Lanka. However, the bottom line is that because I belong to the Muslim faith, legally I have fewer rights than other Sri Lankan women. This means that the law, the most important element that technically is established for my protection, in reality does not protect me or the thousands of other Muslim women in Sri Lanka.

Author’s paternal grandmother and relatives

For a Muslim woman, the right to choose a spouse, to decide the age at which she marries, to have the joy of choosing a beloved aunt or girl friend as witness to her marriage is not guaranteed in the first two instances and not possible in the third. She doesn’t even have control over her sexuality, as she can be married off as a minor (that is at any age really) by her male guardian. She would have to endure sexual intercourse from puberty, whether she was mentally ready for it or not, and whether she wanted to engage in sexual intercourse as a child or not.

The area of divorce is yet another arena where the Muslim woman has less rights than a man. A husband has a unilateral right of divorce without giving any reasons, while a Muslim woman’s right to divorce is conditional. In a Qazi court only a male Muslim can be appointed as a judge. In addition, regardless of her age, most Muslim women go to the divorce courts accompanied by a male guardian. This means it is a male environment that a Muslim woman has to enter, an environment that can be hostile to her needs and requirements.

Let’s talk about the field of inheritance. Here too the law ensures that a  Muslim woman   will inherit less than a man. Technically, if her parents die without making a will, she inherits only half of what her brother is entitled to and progressively less on a diminishing scale in the case of many male siblings. Similarly, if her spouse passes away, she inherits only a small percentage of her husband’s assets. Now, does any of this sound fair and logical? Doesn’t all this sound as if a Muslim woman is forced to be inferior to a Muslim man?

To me, it does.

Having set the stage, there are two salient points I want to make and then offer an obvious solution. One is about reforming the MMDA and the other is about the State of Sri Lanka and its responsibilities to all of its citizens as a whole.

The Saleem Marsoof Committee should apply to the Guinness Book of Records for taking the longest time to produce a report. Nine years and counting. These men and women, obviously not having the best interests of Muslim women at heart, should be sent home, the committee disbanded and the charade put to an end. Which also means, Muslim women and the larger Sri Lankan population should not depend on any Muslim committee to bring about reform regarding the MMDA. Chauvinistic and traditional Muslim men will always hide behind archaic Islamic laws, citing Shariah, hadiths and the Quran to legitimise their power over Muslim women. So let that rest. I would advise everyone to have really low expectations for this committee to produce anything worthwhile.

The second point is that luckily for Muslim women, we don’t live in a separate country. We live in Sri Lanka, an independent nation state, which has a different, more equitable set of laws for the rest of the population when it concerns the same areas governed under Muslim personal law: marriage, divorce, inheritance. Until now, the Sri Lankan State has sided with male Muslim chauvinists and avoided the subject of reforming the MMDA. Bullied by Muslim male ministers and self appointed clergy, they seem to be too scared to touch the issue, citing religious sensitivities and the respecting of cultural differences.

But there is a temporary solution, until sanity prevails and the entire Muslim community requests for Muslim women to be treated fairly. It is a very simple solution. Enact a law that will allow Muslim women the freedom to apply to be governed under civil law in the areas of marriage and divorce. You may ask, why do I not include inheritance. Here is the beauty of the situation. Muslims can make a civil will. So in the case of inheritance, we can already function, if we choose, under civil law. So why not for marriage and divorce, until the MMDA can be reformed suitably?

To read more of our coverage of the ongoing push for the reform of the MMDA (including first person narratives highlighting problems under the Act) click here. 

Sri Lanka: Pampering racism — No lessons learnt

Why President Sirisena is silent on Gintota violence?

by Latheef Farook-Nov 29, 2017

( November 29, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Why President Maithripala Sirisena remains silent and indifferent towards the well-coordinated attacks on Muslims in and around Gintota? The mobs burnt Muslim owned houses, shops and looted valuables besides attacking mosques? Putting things together Muslims in the area now begin to suspect that these attacks by hired hooligans were planned and coordinated with police, Special Task Force, STF and politicians.

According to reports face covered outsiders to hide their identities were brought in from Boosa and Rathgama by buses and Lorries .Some collaborators in the area showed them Muslim houses and shops. Muslims claim that these attacks have nothing to do with Sinhala –Muslims relations. Both communities now begin to realize they were victims of racist politics to rob Muslims of their wealth and weaken their economy.

The people in the area point out that a UNP Muslim PC member Mohamed kiyas confused everyone by attacking Sinhalese households to show that Muslims also attacked Sinhalese houses. This is the reason why they strongly suspect political hands behind these attacks.

Now the question is who were the politicians who were behind these attacks?
Who brought these hired thugs and why did a UNP Muslim PC member attack Sinhalese households?

Following these attacks Muslims express their loss of faith in President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil wickremasinghe to ensure their security and property.

When President Sirisena told in public meetings that he would rein in racists, restore law and order and bring about communal harmony besides eliminating corruption, beleaguered Muslims trusted and voted for him. However it didn’t take long for them to realize that when it comes to pampering racism and racist attacks on them, President Sirisena is not different from Rajapaksa brothers who were responsible for the sufferings of Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town Muslims. However Muslims never thought that there would be another Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town in Gintota under Maithri-Ranila team who took the whole country for a ride with their false promises.

Judging from the performances of the government since elected to office in January 2005, Muslims now begin to think of the need to protect themselves and their properties. Attacking Muslim areas, destroying their residential and commercial, industrial and movable properties have become blood sports for both Rjapaksa and the Maithri-Ranil governments.

The government’s policies remain hostile to Muslims here and abroad. For example it is common knowledge that Sri Lanka is absorbed into Washington, London and Tel Aviv responsible for invading, bombing and destroying Muslim countries ,killing millions ,shattering ,societies and driving millions of innocent people to refugees camps to languish in appalling condition to turn these countries into wasteland.

India under the extremely anti-Muslim BJP, front for RSS fascists, have joined the Washington-London-Tel Aviv axis into which Sri Lanka’s pro-western government has been absorbed into

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe is known for his pro-western and pro-Israeli policy. Muslims still remember how he told Muslim parliamentarians who wanted to condemn the March 2003 US led European invasion of Iraq “if you wanted to condemn you can leave the government and do so”.

Continuing the Rajapaksa government policy of opening the doors for Israel, sworn enemy of Islam and Muslims, this government has rolled red carpet to Israelis, godfathers of terrorism in the Middle East and the architect of the so called war on terrorism associating violence with Islam, demonize Islam and Muslims to justify invading, raping and ravaging Muslim countries to loot their wealth and destroy people Muslim societies.

For example Israel is the only country which supplied and still supplying weapons to Myanmar’s military junta facilitate ifs genocide on Rohingya Muslims.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
, soaked in Guajarati Muslims blood, paid an official visit to Myanmar while genocide of Muslims were underway.

In appears in keeping with Washington-Tel Aviv-New Delhi anti-Muslim nexus the Sri Lanka’s so called government of good governance also failed to condemn the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. This is the island’s foreign policy.
However hearts of President Sirisena and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe melted at the shooting incident at Las Vegas. In his message of condolence to the victims of Las Vegas shooting President Maithripala Sirisena expressed his sympathies stating via Twitter: “Las Vegas shooting is a heinous act. My sympathies are with loved ones of the victims and the people of the US in this hour of grief”.

Similar message was sent by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe.

The question is where were their human kindness to more than 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims, described as the most persecuted people in the world, when they were tortured, killed, children thrown alive into burning fire, raped and gang raped Muslim women by Myanmar’s military junta?

Both President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremasinghe have forgotten that Muslim votes also played a crucial role in electing them to power-especially UNP to power after losing more than two dozen elections.
This is disaster. Israelis are also here and they have their own agenda which most politicians and even most in the mainstream media do not understand. Israel’s only agenda wherever they enter is to screen, pick up and finance mercenaries to demonize Islam and prepare the grounds to unleash violence against Muslims.

This is the reason why knowledgeable people in Sri Lanka fear that they would do the same thing here in the island and pit racist elements against the island’s Muslims.

One should not forget that killing Muslims only because they are Muslims is the new world order since the collapse of former Soviet Union in 1979 and the US emerging as the sole super in the world.

This is the reason why Muslims fear that the Sri Lankan government’s indifferent to anti-Muslim attacks may encourage racist elements here, with close links to Myanmar’s saffron murderous thug Asin Wirathu and his Ma Ba Tha organization, to commit same crime against the island’s Muslims.

Judging from the growing hostility, many fear that Israelis would get Sinhala racist mercenaries to do to Muslims what they did to Muslims worldwide. The racist politics of both the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom virtually destroyed this country which was a role model for developing world for political and economic stability. Communal harmony.

This is the reason why almost seven decades after the independence, Sri Lanka remains one of the most mismanaged countries in the world known for corruption of epidemic proportion .Shameful state of affairs is such that never a day passes without the media highlighting not only the corruption of people in the Rajapaksa government but also of the present government which came to power with the slogan of eliminating corruption.

People who pinned their hope on Srisena-Ranil government are deeply disappointed and are discussing the need for a third force to save the country. The mood of the people in general is the feeling that time has come for responsible elements in the Sinhala civil society to come forward and free the community and the country from the racist politics which have all the potentials to turn this country once again into a killing field.

It is also time that the Muslim community free itself from corrupt politicians and equally corrupt and controversial so called mullahs, come out of their self-imposed isolation and join hands with responsible elements in the majority community to reintegrate with the main stream.

Unless such precautionary measures are taken it is likely that powerful global forces which demonize Islam and slaughter Muslims worldwide will turn their attention to Muslims in South Asia turn this country into another killing field. Ends