Mihin Lanka accused of discriminating Indians – Indian Envoy in Colombo expresses concerns

( June 29, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In his letter to the CEO of the Mihin Lanka, a notable bankruptcy aviation private limited, founded by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was in power, by the officers of the Indian High Commission in Colombo has expressed grave concern about the situation faced by the Indian passengers.

The letter in which a copy received by the Sri Lanka Guardian along with the series of multiparty email conversations, follow;

Letter to Mihin Lanka Airline by Thavam Ratna

SriLankan Airlines staff up in arms against loss of BIA ground handling

BY Kumarasiri Prasad-Thursday, 30 June 2016

SriLankan Airlines employees yesterday signed a petition against the Government’s plan to handover all ground handling operations of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to the Sri Lanka Airport and Aviation Services.


The petition was prepared by the national carrier’s Independent Workers Union to urge the Government to withdraw the decision. Union President Janaka Wijaya Pathiratne said SriLankan workers would not bear with such unfair suggestions which could drive the airline towards more losses. 

The petition will be handed over to the President and Prime Minister within the next few days.  

The Government sub-committee on economic affairs has recommended giving all ground operations which were considered the highest profitable unit of the airport, to the Sri Lanka Airport and Aviation Services Limited to reduce operational costs. 

The Government argued according to the Civil Aviation Act No.14 of 2010, ground level operations should be carried out by a Government shareholder. (CG)

SRI LANKA: An innocent man tortured by Katugastota police

June 29, 2016

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Niroshan Chamara Rupasinghe of the Kandy District was tortured by two traffic police officers attached to the Katugastota Police Station on 13th November 2015. Later he was treated at the Kandy Teaching Hospital. Police have filed fabricated charges against the victim alleging he had obstructed the police in discharging their duties. He was remanded by the Magistrate of Kandy. The victim has complained to the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission. He is seeking investigation and prosecution of those who are responsible for breaking the law, torturing him and violating his rights. His relatives are demanding immediate justice. This case illustrates the collapse of the rule of law in the country.

CASE NARRATIVE:

According to information received by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Mr. Niroshan Chamara Rupasinghe of Kandy District was tortured by the police officers attached to the Katugastota Police Station on 13th November 2016.

Niroshan was driving his car, No: CP- CAG 0683, along with two friends. He was asked to stop by two traffic policemen at the Nitthawala Junction, who were on duty. He obeyed the orders and stopped his car just a few feet from where the two police officers were. He waited about two minutes, thinking that the officers would come to question him. However, what happened was strange. One of the officers opened the car door, dragged him out and shouted “when you are asked to stop, can’t you come out of your car, come to us and produced your licence.” Before he could answer, the two officers started assaulting him. The injuries he suffered indicate the extent of the severity of the attack. He was hit mainly on the head, sustaining severe head injuries. His two friends were also beaten by other police officers.

However, Niroshan’s friends were able to rush him to the Kandy Teaching Hospital for emergency medical treatment for severe hemorrhaging from the head. Hospital authorities admitted him to ward No: 10, later transferred to ward no 1. While he was receiving treatment the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) examined him and recorded his injuries.

When Niroshan and his friends got out of the car, the police officers forcibly took away his car keys. This made it impossible for them to take him to hospital by car. They had to call a three-wheeler passing by to take them to the hospital.

Meanwhile Niroshan learned that the police officers had damaged the windscreen and the back window of his car plus further damage to the car as it was taken to the Katugastota Police Station.

Then, the police officers filed a case against Niroshan and his two friends, alleging that they had tried to assault the officers. Niroshan and his friends vehemently deny the accusation.

The police have filed a ‘B’ report before the Magistrate of Kandy alleging some offences caused by Niroshan and others. Details of the offences have not yet been made known to Niroshan. On 14th of November the Magistrate visited him in hospital and ordered him to be remanded. Thereafter, both his legs were chained to the bed despite his severe injuries. On 5th of December the Magistrate released Niroshan on bail.

The victim has complained to the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) seeking investigation and prosecution of those who are responsible for breaking the law, torturing him and violating his rights.

Family members of the victim state that his fundamental rights were violated by the Sri Lankan state’s officers. They demand for justice for their relative.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

For several years we have been making representations on behalf of the victims of torture and ill- treatment. We have supplied details on how the police behaved in circumstances like the above. Assaulting people for no reason and fabricating charges against them is quite a common occurrence.
No country should tolerate this cruel practice. It must take extraordinary steps to bring such practices to an end.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, addressed the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council. It was the occasion of the passing of the resolution on Sri Lanka. As a result, the government will issue instructions to the police and the military to stop the practice of torture and sexual abuses. Any person who engages in such practices would be dealt with according to the law. It is hoped that respected law enforcement agencies of Sri Lanka will ensure that such instructions are issued as soon as possible while introducing a procedure for immediate and effective action. Officers, who violate the law by practicing torture, must be prosecuted under Act No: 22 of 1994. It is the duty of the Inspector General of Police to investigate any such alleged incidents. It is the duty of the Attorney General to prosecute the wrongdoers who carry out torture.

Please write to the authorities listed below expressing your concern about this case. Request an immediate investigation into the allegations of torture by the police, and the prosecution of those proven to be responsible under the law. Officers involved must also be subjected to internal investigations for breach of department orders as issued by the police department.

The AHRC will also write a separate letter to the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in this regard.
To support this case, please click here: 

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear ________,

SRI LANKA: An innocent man tortured by Katugastota police

Name of Victim: Mr. Niroshan Chamara Rupasinghe
Alleged perpetrators: Officers attached to the Katugastota Police Station
Date of incident: 13 November 2015
Place of incident: Katugastota Police Division

According to the information I have received Mr. Niroshan Chamara Rupasinghe of Kandy District was tortured by the police officers attached to the Katugastota Police Station on 13th November 2016.

Niroshan was driving his car, No: CP- CAG 0683, along with two friends. He was asked to stop by two traffic policemen at the Nitthawala Junction, who were on duty. He obeyed the orders and stopped his car just a few feet from where the two police officers were. He waited about two minutes, thinking that the officers would come to question him. However, what happened was strange. One of the officers opened the car door, dragged him out and shouted “when you are asked to stop, can’t you come out of your car, come to us and produced your licence.” Before he could answer, the two officers started assaulting him. The injuries he suffered indicate the extent of the severity of the attack. He was hit mainly on the head, sustaining severe head injuries. His two friends were also beaten by other police officers.

However, Niroshan’s friends were able to rush him to the Kandy Teaching Hospital for emergency medical treatment for severe hemorrhaging from the head. Hospital authorities admitted him to ward No: 10, later transferred to ward no 1. While he was receiving treatment the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) examined him and recorded his injuries.

When Niroshan and his friends got out of the car, the police officers forcibly took away his car keys. This made it impossible for them to take him to hospital by car. They had to call a three-wheeler passing by to take them to the hospital.

Meanwhile Niroshan learned that the police officers had damaged the windscreen and the back window of his car plus further damage to the car as it was taken to the Katugastota Police Station.

Then, the police officers filed a case against Niroshan and his two friends, alleging that they had tried to assault the officers. Niroshan and his friends vehemently deny the accusation.

The police have filed a ‘B’ report before the Magistrate of Kandy alleging some offences caused by Niroshan and others. Details of the offences have not yet been made known to Niroshan. On 14th of November the Magistrate visited him in hospital and ordered him to be remanded. Thereafter, both his legs were chained to the bed despite his severe injuries. On 5th of December the Magistrate released Niroshan on bail.

The victim has complained to the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) seeking investigation and prosecution of those who are responsible for breaking the law, torturing him and violating his rights.

Family members of the victim state that his fundamental rights were violated by the Sri Lankan state’s officers. They demand for justice for their relative.

I request your intervention to ensure that the authorities listed below instigate an immediate investigation into the allegations of torture. The officers involved must also be subjected to internal investigations for breach of department orders issued by the police department.

Yours sincerely,

---------------------
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mr. Pujith Jayasundara
Inspector General of Police
New Secretariat
Colombo 1
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 440440 / 327877
E-mail: igp@police.lk

2. Mr. Jayantha Jayasooriya PC
Attorney General
Attorney General's Department
Colombo 12
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 436421
E-mail: ag@attorneygeneral.gov.lk

3. Secretary
National Police Commission
3rd Floor, Rotunda Towers
109 Galle Road
Colombo 03
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 11 2 395310
Fax: +94 11 2 395867
E-mail: npcgen@sltnet.lk or polcom@sltnet.lk

4. Secretary
Human Rights Commission
No. 36, Kynsey Road
Colombo 8
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 11 2 694 925 / 673 806
Fax: +94 11 2 694 924 / 696 470
E-mail: sechrc@sltnet.lk

Thank you.

44 Students, Beat Their 10 Year Old Classmate On The Orders Of Their Teacher

June 30, 2016

A teacher at the Anula Devi Girls’ College in Galle is reported to be involved in a case of child torture, where she had allegedly ordered her students to beat their 10-year old classmate, as punishment for talking to another girl while the teacher was conducting a class.

Send your letters to IGP Pujith Jayasundara

The incident has resulted in the victim receiving physical injuries, while she has also been mentally traumatized, as she was beaten up by 44 students out of the 50 students in the class.

“The girl as a result suffered enormous pain both physically and mentally, and is in a state of shock and trauma. She was not allowed to talk or give any explanations during the punishment, causing her much frustration and stress,” the Asian Human Rights Commission said.

The teacher had ordered her students to beat the girl after she observed that the girl was engaged in conversation with her classmates instead of paying attention to the teacher, which had angered the teacher.

We publish below the Asian Human Rights Commission’s appeal:

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 10-year-old girl has been tortured on the instructions of her teacher at Anula Devi Girls’ College in Galle District, Sri Lanka. The teacher ordered the class to beat the 10-year old girl on the head, considering it a minor crime; 44 students out of 50 followed the order. As a result, their classmate was physically and mentally traumatised.

CASE NARRATIVE:

According to the information received by the Asian Human Rights
Commission (AHRC), a 10-year-old girl child studying in Grade 4 of the
Anula Devi Girls’ College, Magalle in the Galle District, was
tortured by her teacher inside the classroom on 26 February 2016. On
this particular day, while the teacher was conducting a lesson, she
observed that the girl was engaged in conversation with her classmates
instead of paying attention. Angered by this behavior, the teacher
punished the girl by asking all the other students to beat her on the
head during the class. Of the total 50 students, 44 beat the girl as
per the teacher’s instructions.

Read More

Avant Garde, Galle & country’s law! 

Jun 29, 2016

One of the maniac ‘fireworks displays’ made to ‘catch the thieves’ after the ‘Yahapaalana’ government came to power was the Avant Garde maritime company and its floating armoury. There were shiploads of big talk making rounds, but in the end, nothing materialized, as no wrongdoing was proven. Anyway, this matter comes to the fore again after the Galle magistrate gave a funny ruling and remanded the captain of the floating armoury. This is how the country’s law is manipulated and the country has fallen to low a state of anarchy.

Ruling

Some time ago, two government ministers raised a big din, saying a floating armoury being run by Avant Garde was having illegal firearms, whose numbers have been deleted, and that this was a threat to national security.

Later, that arms ship was arrested by the Navy and the Galle courts took up the relevant case on June 23.

Senior assistant secretary of the defence ministry D.M.S. Dissanayake establishes that permission had been given to bring the firearms – 549 T-56 rifles, 264 84S weapons, 173,060 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 30 7.62 mm tracer bullets and 800 5.56 mm bullets – to the country, to maintain the floating arrmoury by Avant Garde at Red Sea, and that the above-mentioned firearms belong to Sri Lanka government-owned Rakna Lanka Security Firm, and that it has bought the weapons with the defence ministry permission from the Army, Air Force and the Navy (related document is affixed 7). That clears the illegal firearms allegation. Also, the government analyst’s report says the numbers of the weapons have not been changed (report affixed 12).

As there was no cause to continue with the case, Galle chief magistrate Nilupuli Lankatilake on June 23 released the ship’s captain, Ukrainian Granaly Gavrilov and the two Rakna Lanka men serving in the ship. However, on the same afternoon, the CID arrested them on the attorney general’s advice and were produced before the magistrate on June 24. In a clear demonstration of the loopholes in the country’s law and the mines dug by treasure-hunters on the law, only the captain was ordered by the magistrate to be remanded on the charge of importation and possession of illegal firearms.

That order is very shocking to say the least.

The general manager of operations of the company has accepted the firearms in the ship belong to Rakna Lanka and that they had been bought with defence ministry approval (letter affixed 6). That has been confirmed by a senior assistant secretary of the ministry. Also, Rakna Lanka chairman Victor Samaraweera has admitted that all activities of Avant Garde were done with the knowledge and supervision of his company (statement affixed 8). It is the defence ministry which permits the transportation of these firearms, at Avant Garde’s request, from Red Sea to Galle port (letter affixed 3). Also, these firearms are in the charge of Rakna Lanka men. As everything stands thus, the ship’s captain is remanded on a charge of importation and possession of illegal firearms.

Where is the law?

No issue should arise about the legality of the firearms as they belong to the state-owned Rakna Lanka. If there is any issue, it is the chairman and the men of Rakna Lanka who should be arrested. The defence ministry’s senior assistant secretary, who gave the approval, should be arrested and questioned over the transportation of the weapons from Red Sea to Galle port. But, what happens in the end is the remanding of the ship’s captain. A court takes decisions based on the submissions made by the attorney general’s department. It should be inquired into as to whose tune the AG’s department officials dance, if they make submissions for such kangaroo court style rulings.

Also, it should be investigated as to how the firearms deemed legal on June 23 became illegal the following day. Furthermore, it is worth finding if the law in Galle is different to the law in the rest of the country. This challenge is posed to a businessman who wields powers, and he should appear on behalf of the ship captain legally. We don’t know how many men are behind bars without any help in similar cases without any legal basis. This shows how the law is maneuvered.

Unacceptable orders

There is another point. In a complaint to police, deputy commanding officer of Dakshina Naval base in Galle Nilantha Heenatigala says he received on 06.10.2015 the defence ministry issued letter asking him to provide facilities to Avant Garde ship to enter the Galle port, but that he cannot accept it (statement affixed 5). That is very amusing. The head of the defence ministry is the country’s president. If a deputy commanding officer of a Navy camp says he cannot accept an order coming from such a place, we will not be surprised if a commander of the armed forces says tomorrow that he cannot take orders from the president. This shows the state of anarchy facing the country. It is evident that the AG’s Department officials and the Navy officer have become some’s cat’s paws. There is another side to the story.

Who is the monkey?

According to international maritime laws, the government is bound to pay compensation to a maritime company if a ship is seized on certain charges, which cannot be proven. Avant Garde intends to seek a Rs. 2.5 billion compensation. It says the money will be used for the benefit of the soldiers who have lost their jobs due to this matter. It may be that the AG’s Department speedy intervention is due to that reason. The payment of compensation could be disrupted, or commission or extortion money could be sought. Whoever the cats are, the amount of the compensation makes it clear the monkey in hiding is not a nobody. Anyway, the delay in the legal proceedings will only result in the addition of demurrage to the Rs. 2.5 compensation.

It did not take a long time for the ‘Yahapaalana’ government that was formed with the January 08 transformation to become a total mess. It is now common to see shrimps with impurity filled in their heads claiming to be blameless, while pigs lying on the mud making wholesale challenges. Anyway, the political authority bent on money making and their puppets of officials will only speed up this government’s journey to the gallows.

Central Bank time bomb to explode

2016-06-29

When Sir John Kotelawala was the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, he arranged a banquet for the British Bank Governor at the Temple Trees for which the Central Bank Governor at that time N.U. Jayawardena was also invited. While the dinner was in progress, Sir John suddenly flew into a rage at N.U. Jayawardena, and said, "I say, I am informed that you are earning a lot from the Central Bank monies". This made NU's face to turn red. "You'd better understand I can probe your foreign assets under the Foreign Exchange Act," NU yelled at Sir John.

It was on that day Sir John decided to appoint a Commission to investigate into NU's corruption and frauds. After the Commission was appointed, and NU was found guilty, J. R. Jayewardene went to meet Sir John and had discussions on behalf of NU. JR advised Sir John, as NU's caste representation was most essential to the government and the party, to re consider the decision. JR and NU were intimate friends. Sir John chased JR away. It was based on the Commission's decision NU was dismissed.
Journalists went to meet NU after his dismissal from the post. While the journalists were expressing their sorrow over the incident, NU made an intriguing statement, "my friends, you must be telling like this about me now, but just wait and see. I shall stage a come-back soon. When that happens you must splash it in the newspapers as headlines".

NU was a friend of United Nations Permanent Representative R.S.S. Gunawardena. The latter was the best man at the wedding of Bandaranaike. NU through him ingratiated himself into the company of Bandaranaike.
After his dismissal from the post of Governor, Central Bank, NU did not idle away his time. He actively campaigned to defeat Sir John at the 1956 elections, while also spending heavily in that direction. He even mustered the support of those representing his caste and campaigned for Bandaranaike.

Sir John Kotelawala
When Bandaranaike won the elections, he freed NU of the charges mounted against him by the Commission appointed by Sir John. That was on his appeal.
That was how the bomb of the first Governor of Sri Lanka's Central Bank ripped apart Sir John's Government. This old incident comes to memory when analyzing the storm of controversy that has been triggered now owing to Arjuna Mahendran the Central Bank Governor. In any event the Central Bank is a place where disputes originate. The dispute between Sir John and NU started from the Central Bank, and JR was also in a corner of it.

Prior to that, during the period of Dudley's Government the Central Bank bomb exploded in JR's hand. That was when JR the then Finance Minister went to prepare the budget on the advice of American national John Exter, the first Central Bank Governor of Sri Lanka. Following the demise of D.S. Senanayake, it was Exter the Central Bank Governor who advised Dudley Senanayake after his appointment as the Prime Minister to go for a snap election. This is how it is mentioned in the Biography of Late J. R Jayewardene.
Dudley, some days after becoming PM dissolved Parliament on 4 April 1952. There were several reasons that prompted Dudley to go for a snap election. Let us state first, this necessity arose because Exter the Central Bank Governor advised to go for elections before the country's economic predicament aggravated.

As John Exter prophesied, Dudley by going for general elections won convincingly. It is thereafter Exter began advising JR cut relief to resuscitate the economy. In accordance with Exter's advice, JR as Finance Minister made cut backs on the rice ration which precipitated the 1953 hartal. Owing to a shooting incident, Dudley had to resign. Dudley resigned in anger against JR. The pro-Dudley groups instilled poison into Dudley's mind that JR conspired with Exter to drive Dudley into a quagmire. In the biography of late JR this is how it is related.

While the country's economy was booming and there was a revival in 1954, Dudley regretted that his decision to resign (1953 July) taken too hastily owing to the hartal and the unsavoury budget was a shortsighted step. He thought JR must have got rattled because of Exter's pressures and debates for and against. Erosion of Dudley's implicit faith in JR's political acumen was a long lasting outcome of the hartal, yet he did not approve of the criticism levelled against JR by Dudley's relative Neela – sister of R.G. Senanayake, that JR's rice ration cut backs was a deception practised on Dudley.

In the end, Exter had to go home. Now Ranil the nephew of JR has to face issues because of the Central Bank Governor he appointed.
The issue of the Central Bank Governor is a time bomb planted within the government. It is the masses who appointed the government into power who are waiting to see how Ranil is going to defuse the bomb.

Chinese couple arrested with three antique statues

2016-06-29
Two 40-year-old Chinese, a husband and wife, were arrested this morning at the Katunayake Airport on charges of being in possession of three antique statues of deities, Customs Media Spokesman Darmasena Kahandawa said. 

They were arrested by Customs officers at the airport departure lounge while attempting to smuggle the three statues to China. 

Customs investigations revealed that the statues had been purchased from the Bentota Archeological Department.

 Mr. Kahandawa said the statues were sent to the Archeological Department for verification and the Chinese couple released.

 The raid was conducted by Customs Superintendent of N.A. Ratnayake, Assistant Superintendents W.P. Cyril, P.N. Fonseka T.K. Gunstilake, H.A.S. Perera and H.M Anthony. (Chaturanga Pradeep and T.K.G. Kapila) 

Ranga to be arrested soon

Jun 29, 2016

The former parliament MP J. Sri Ranga would be arrested soon for an incident happened during the period of the former regime. He is alleged for misleading the courts about a death of a person when he was driving a vehicle in 2011.

Many crimes committed by politicians and their henchmen’s during the former regime are coming to light one by one and we should value that the justice is met even lately.

In 2011 March the vehicle Ranga was travelling met with an accident and his ministerial security bodyguard Jayamini Pushpakumara died. According to sources Ranga has driven the vehicle by himself despite his usual driver has gone on holidays. However following the accident using his parliamentary powers Ranga has able to get out from the allegations and told the police his security guard was driving the vehicle. However according to the investigations conducted by the Settikulam police it was revealed that Jayamini Pushpakumara was seated in the left side of the driving seat while the accident occurred.
 
Two strong stalwarts of the Rajapaksa regime from Anuradapura and Hambantota have come forward for rescue Ranga. They have intimidated the police and damaged the vehicle further to cover the accident and the actual damage.
 
However Sri Ranga has able to get out from the allegations from the intimidations of the stalwarts of the former regime by heaping the accident to the deceased ministerial security member.
 
Meantime last 22nd the wife of the deceased has filed a case in the Vavuniya police about the accident and the case will be heard on the 26th. Although Ranga got free from the allegation due to political influence he cannot get away from it this time due to the report noted by the Settikulam police regarding the accident.
 
Meantime reports reaching us confirm that Ranga has intimidated his driver Mohan who was on holiday at the time of the accident.
 
Ranga has forced this driver to involve in the accident. Following the accident Ranga has called Mohan and forced him to come to Vavuniya and take the responsibility of the accident by inducing him large amount of money.
 
However Mohan said that Ranga tried to influence him by paying money and entangle him to take responsibility of a fault not committed by him and he showed his resentment. Mohan is alleging that Ranga intimidated him.

US-backed rebels in Syria seize huge cache of IS documents

Find comes as separate group of US-trained rebels farther south retakes and loses key border crossing within matter of hours

Rebels also took control of network of underground tunnels built by IS near Manbij (AFP)

Wednesday 29 June 2016

US-backed Syrian fighters battling the Islamic State (IS) group captured thousands of its documents, cellphones and other digital devices, a Pentagon official said on Wednesday.

The seizure came on Wednesday as an anti-IS force of Kurdish and Syrian Arab fighters honed in on the northern city of Manbij, an important waypoint between the Turkish border and Raqqa, the militants' de facto capital.

Colonel Chris Garver, a spokesman for the US-led anti-IS campaign, said Syrian Arab fighters were establishing "footholds" on the southern and western edges of Manbij, and had seized entrances to an intricate tunnel complex built by the militants.

They "also seized more than 10,000 documents from the outlying edges, including textbooks, propaganda posters, cellphones, laptops, maps and digital storage devices," Garver told reporters.

"Exploitation of this information is ongoing to better understand Daesh networks and techniques, including the systems to manage the flow of foreign fighters into Syria and Iraq," he added, using an Arabic abbreviation for the IS group.

Pentagon officials often highlight the value of such information, which can improve their grasp of the IS network and lead to new targets.

Separately, in the southeastern corner of Syria, a group of US-trained rebels called the New Syrian Army on Wednesday battled for control of territory near the Albu Kamal border crossing with Iraq.

Their goal was to cut IS supply lines in the Euphrates Valley between Syria and Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebels had seized the small al-Hamdan airbase nearby, but by Wednesday afternoon IS had recaptured it, forcing the rebels to retreat.

Garver did not provide additional details about the ongoing fight but stressed the value of the border crossing.

"That fight is important because that's going to help slow down the flow of foreign fighters ... from Iraq to Syria and back," he said.

The Pentagon claims the numbers of foreign fighters coming into Iraq and Syria have dropped from about 2,000 a month last year to as few as 200 a month this year.

"You don't see the massive amounts of movement. It's certainly been whittled down in its size," Garver said.

IS seized the Albu Kamal crossing in mid-2014, when it overran swaths of territory on both sides of the border and declared a self-styled "caliphate."

In Iraq, Garver said attention is now shifting from Fallujah, which Iraqi security forces last week recaptured from IS, to the militants' main stronghold in the country, Mosul.

Coalition air strikes have destroyed IS's "self-proclaimed ministry of oil headquarters" in Mosul and continue to hit targets in the city, Garver said.

Why is Carlos Santana refusing to honor Israel boycott call?

Find comes as separate group of US-trained rebels farther south retakes and loses key border crossing within matter of hours

Nora Barrows-Friedman- 29 June 2016

Carlos Santana and his charitable foundation have ignored repeated calls to cancel an upcoming performance in Tel Aviv.

The legendary guitarist canceled a performance in Tel Aviv in 2010, heeding the call from boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) activists around the world.

Supporters of Palestinian human rights are outraged that Santana is now preparing to cross the international picket line.

On Tuesday, a group of Bay Area-based Palestine solidarity organizers, some with children, attempted to deliver a petition, signed by 25,000 people demanding the musician cancel his 30 July gig, to the San Rafael offices of Santana’s management and his Milagro Foundation.

However workers at the foundation, which supports community organizations serving marginalized children and youth, “refused to open the door … and closed the blinds,” according to the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA).

Jewish Voice for Peace live-streamed the attempted petition delivery.

“We’re here as parents, as activists, as individuals who care about Palestinian children and their rights. And we’re calling on Santana to do the same,” says an activist in the video.

“He has a foundation set up to serve children who are marginalized, and Palestinian children need his support too.”

One child, 4-year-old Marcel, “was stooping down, trying to see through the door’s glass. He couldn’t understand why there would be someone waving to him on the other side but not letting him in. It was very confusing for him,” Barbara Lubin, MECA’s director, told The Electronic Intifada.

Young children look into the windows of the Milagro Foundation’s office. (Middle East Children’s Alliance)

The group left the petition outside the offices, “in the hopes that Milagro Foundation staff and Carlos Santana will read it and respond,” MECA stated.

“Problematic”

“The Santana Band is coming to play in Tel Aviv this summer. We are coming to share our hearts music for anyone who wishes to attend. All are welcome,” Santana stated on Facebook on 30 March.

But Santana ought to know that if his Palestinian fans living in the occupied West Bank or Gaza Strip, or in the diaspora, want to attend his concert, Israel would not allow them.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) sent an open letter in April to Santana asking him “to respect our picket line and join hundreds of artists from around the world” who have refused to perform in Israel and honored the BDS call.

PACBI said that the musician’s efforts to offset crossing the international picket line are “problematic.”

On his Facebook page, Santana has promoted a video for the nonprofit educational institution Hand in Hand, which established Arabic-Hebrew bilingual schools in Jerusalem and the Galilee, noting that his foundation has “funded Hand in Hand since 2003.”

Santana has also pledged to donate proceeds from his concert to medical charity Doctors Without Borders.

But such gestures apparently aimed at defusing protest have been sharply criticized by Palestinian campaigners.

“It is equivalent to performing in apartheid South Africa in the 1980s, against the will of the overwhelming majority of the oppressed there, and donating the proceeds to some charity,” PACBI said in response.

“While we support donations to this commendable organization [Doctors Without Borders], it cannot be at the expense of contributing to the cover-up of Israel’s blatant violations of Palestinian rights,” PACBI added.

Earlier this month, “the original Facebook post on [Santana’s] page announcing the concert and donation to Doctors Without Borders was edited to remove their name,” according to MECA.

“It’s not like him”

Activists are sharing a video released by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation in order to amplify the boycott call to Santana. It can be viewed at the top of this article.

MECA’s Barbara Lubin said she was surprised that Santana and his child-centered foundation have ignored the demands from Palestinian civil society and solidarity activists to cancel his performance.

“Carlos has stood up for justice so many times in different parts of the world,” Lubin said. “And like little Marcel, I’m also so confused. Why he would take this stand? It’s not like him.”