Factual paranoia

Realising that immune systems flourish from exercise, Vitamin D is a primary COVID preventive treatment, the airborne pathogen is dispersed outdoors, and that masking is therefore also irrelevant there, why are we locked ‘in’ to prevent the spread in Sri Lanka? – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara  

Monday, 31 May 2021

There is a bizarre derangement in the land. You cite facts, easily corroborated, not controversial on the face of it, and if somehow ‘inconvenient’ to some outdated playbook we are still fetishising and unwilling to relinquish our death grip on, people’s eyes glaze as if you had somehow questioned an article of religious faith.

Indoors/outdoors

Simple example. One year ago, Knut Wittowski, eminent epidemiologist, pointed out self-evidently that fresh air and sunshine kill viruses, hence seasonal fluctuations, and that it’s insane to lock people ‘in.’ It fell on deaf ears and he was pilloried for stating established fact. 

Weeks ago, I reported that this has been reconfirmed, with even the New York Times confirming there is not ‘one recorded instance of outdoor transmission anywhere.’ Or certainly, even as per the US CDC, less than 1%. Ergo, realising that immune systems flourish from exercise, Vitamin D is a primary COVID preventive treatment, the airborne pathogen is dispersed outdoors, and that masking is therefore also irrelevant there, why are we locked ‘in’ to prevent the spread in Sri Lanka? 

We know 99% transmission happened indoors. So, eyes just glaze, and you are treated to a polite, baffled look when you point out what we are doing is anti-science, anti-medicine, anti-common sense, unless this was the black plague, and mercifully it’s not. 

Next up, we have had it confirmed, even WHO has finally accepted this, it’s an airborne virus. Ergo, we are told outdoors is the best place to be, well-ventilated indoor spaces without undue congestion are also fine. 

Can we pretend this describes the living conditions of most people in the country, or even urban Colombo? People packed in tight, told not to go out, uncertain ventilation…other than trauma and discomfort, what are we achieving? Why are we parading obliviousness to medical findings, broadcast by MIT no less, and reported here locally as well?

It’s spreading?

Well, when testing goes up four-fold, is it a shock that ‘positive tests’ will also multiply? Positivity has gone up, but not drastically (about 2%). As one leading researcher said, we globally have had a ‘test-demic’ as most have no symptoms.

Asking locally how many are asymptomatic (thankfully we’ve now said they can be treated at home), no information. When asked the amplification settings to ensure they are 30 or below for the PCR test in line with finally evident WHO guidelines, confirming norms established everywhere from Harvard to Oxford, no replies or confirmation seems forthcoming. 

The last tabulation of deaths finally clarifies the numbers that actually were reported to have passed away on that actual day. So, for 28 May, though the tally was 38, the number was actually three people sadly passing on that day. The others, many with substantial comorbidities, were aggregated between 27 April to 27 May. ‘3 deaths today’ does not seem a lockdown headline?

And with Colombo being the epicentre of GDP, when we hear that 2,584 ‘positive tests’ on the 27th, had a total of 42, you read that right, 42, from Colombo MC areas, you have to wonder why with inter-district travel restricted, shutting down Colombo to amplify the seismic economic shock on these numbers makes sense?

We are organising a podcast presentation for policymakers, with some of the most eminent doctors from overseas sharing their front-line experience in successfully treating C-19. They asked me re Sri Lanka’s numbers. When I mentioned the mortality rate, stunned silence. Their comment, “The real danger will be when they open up fully, they need to let his move through more of the population not at risk.”

As reported last time, and as these doctors will explain in greater detail, there are many treatments that substantially reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death for those who do get infected. Vaccines or not, with mild lethality and high treatability, economic suicide once more, is not called for, natural immunity is. Even the New York Times, bastion of panic porn, has reported yet another study confirming that natural immunity lasts ‘at least’ a year, likely longer, perhaps forever. 

In an Open Letter to Prime Minister Modhi, 161 Indian doctors have written saying there is ‘no evidence to prove deaths due to the novel coronavirus.’ This sounds absurd, until you read the medical calibre of the signatories. This was issued 24 May by N.I.C.E. (Network of Influenza Care Experts), with medical references galore. Their argument again points out the same PCR test issues highlighted above, but goes further, citing US government references, that seem to be shunned due to their conclusions being inconvenient. Updated 16 April 2021, the CDC document states, ‘This test cannot rule out diseases caused by other bacterial or viral pathogens.’ Everyone’s collective jaw should drop. 

So, on top of amplification issues, the identity of the pathogen, from the test alone cannot be confirmed. This is why WHO also now says it is not ‘diagnostic’ in and of itself – and why are we selectively turning a blind eye to WHO guidance now? 

To partially comfort us that we are not alone with death certificate anomalies, joining the completely distorting practices in both the US and UK, in this same letter, these Indian doctors refer to the Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines established in May 2020, whereby if there is a positive test, even if the patient died of suicide/accident/other ailment, C-19 should be listed as the cause of death! In the US, there were insurance incentives for doing so. 

For more evidence they invite us to visit www.biswaroop.com/covidcourt.

Lockdown is truly a nonsense

In my last article, I provided a link with excerpts from over 30 papers based on global data that demonstrate from lived experience that ‘lockdowns’ had no positive correlation to flattening curves or on mortality overall. Just in case as it was embedded in a paragraph, here it is again. This again is one of those things I share with people, and you get those same glazed eyes, the addled indulgent look that Copernicus probably got from flat earthers when trying to explain that really was the science! 

For our collective edification as it certainly opened my eyes: https://inproportion2.talkigy.com/do_lockdowns_work_2021-01-15.html

To say that you believe lockdowns are necessary, without consulting or being aware of this evidence, is committing intellectual malpractice. 

But there are simpler decisive demonstrations. The graph of Germany’s results vs those of Sweden since November 2020 is abundantly clear. For May 2021, Sweden in terms of deaths per million has come down relative to many other countries that are locked and masked by 30%. Not only has Sweden’s economy contracted less, but the usual rejoinder is to say Norway, Finland and Denmark did so much better. Yes, and Germany, Italy, UK, France did worse. 

And Sweden has greater density than even the UK, Norway and Finland certainly don’t. Denmark is the only one that makes for a viable comparison. 

However, if you take 2019 and 2020 together in terms of mortality, Sweden does as well if not slightly better than even Denmark. Sweden had a very mild influenza/flu season in 2019, the other countries had a far more severe one. Hence it is likely there were considerably more susceptible people going into 2020 for Sweden, and then they fell afoul of the nursing home mistake made in many parts of the world which was not replicated in the other three Nordic countries. And yet over this period, Sweden still matches the results, while having a functioning society.

20+ US States, have been open for months, open schools, no masks, no lockdowns, full sporting events…no spikes, and plummeting COVID numbers. And these improvements were well ahead of the vaccination curve, and Texas even today, has only 35% of the population vaccinated, and far outperforms massively vaccinated New Jersey, New York and so many others. This simply should not be possible if lockdown is inescapable. And when that’s ‘possible’ surely, we should be studying that, rather than being on the edge of our chairs to demand another destructive, ravaging, society, economy and frankly health undermining ‘lockdown.’ 

Bulgaria is another marvellous testament, 13% vaccination, plunging COVID cases and deaths, sustained open society, thousands thronging, maskless football (soccer) finals, associating COVID with Orwell’s masterpiece of thought policing, ‘1984’ on their placards, as a snub to the orthodoxy.

Straightforwardly, here are 15 simple reasons to wean ourselves from this disastrous lockdown playbook:

1. Evidence was poor that C-19 was doomsday in the first place (low IFR as per CEBM.net and Stanford’s John Ioannidis, far safer for the young than the flu, C-19 mortality rate based on antibody prevalence is similar to flu for people under 50, even for ages 45-64 C-19 is 0.14% vs. flu 0.05% – which in turn is the same as C-19 mortality in Asia and Africa!).

2. Such shutdowns were opposed in all public health literature until 2020. No new science emerged to contradict this, only media alarmism, and clearly contrived Chinese videos of people dying in the street, never seen anywhere since. 

3. No awareness of the impact on civil rights, as if emergency declaration, suspension of rights, house arrest, mass unemployment and business shutdowns are just something that democratic governments sometimes do to deal with a virus. 

4. No historical precedent for putting entire, healthy population in ‘quarantine.’ Never before! Now, suddenly new ‘common sense’?

5. Many clearly effective treatments exist that have been stifled or fraudulently attacked; there are also broad classes of physical distancing to protect the vulnerable. None of these ever debated or assessed compared to blowing up society, on a cost benefit basis.

6. Even if lockdowns worked short term, they cannot be a solution, be sustained, or continually applied unless paralysis and poverty are the aims. Imagine if applied for every serious contagion as a new default playbook. 

7. Was the infection originally or subsequently even discovered early enough that any attempt at lockdown would make much of a difference? Dr. Risch of Yale, one of the world’s leading epidemiologists, says it is utter nonsense once it’s already spread. Has been confirmed to be an airborne virus so personal transmission not necessarily even the primary mode. So, we are ‘rain dancing’ here.

8. Lockdowns will likely handicap society on reaching natural immunity which has been our deliverance for millions of years as we co-evolved with viruses over that time. This not only perpetuates the problem but encourages variants. 

9. Lockdowns become incoherent when economic consequences are included. These consequences are devastating, including the practical ability to look after everyone’s health and all aspects of quality of life, or indeed even viability of life. 

10. Lockdown measures keep other crucial vaccinations from happening, have people not seeking other medical attention, raising mortality in other areas both now and in the foreseeable future. Is that even factored in?

11. The resulting economic downturn has led to imposed loneliness globally, to documented depression, opioid use, greater domestic abuse, suicides. How is it obvious that these are all worth it? 

12. Lockdowns lower everyone’s immune system. When we come out, we are likely more prone to this pathogen and likely any other infection now or in the near future. We are undermining our natural first line of defence.

13. Almost all infections have been shown to take place when people are confined together, not from grocery stores, restaurants, parks, etc. As per published data, reproduction number in such confined, poorly ventilated spaces is much higher. 

14. The fear narrative has shut down education, destroying life prospects in ways we cannot fathom. Tomorrow’s functioning adults are being destroyed along with today’s children. 

15. Historically the greatest unexpected dangers for humans have been unexpected consequences from things such as riots, revolutions, wars, human induced famine and so on. Playing with people’s rights in a society en masse while devastating lives and livelihoods…what could possibly go wrong?

Another ‘implosion’ for asymptomatic claims

I have previously reported on the British Medical Journal, JAMA Meta-analysis, 10 million strong study in Wuhan, now even the US CDC insisting only to look for post-vaccination examples of re-infection scrupulously on the basis of ‘symptoms.’ No credible instance of any meaningful asymptomatic spread has been established. It conflicts with all medical nostrums until 2020 where ‘symptoms’ were needed for a ‘case.’

Another nail in the coffin of this ‘non-science’ comes to us courtesy of the UK, where officials staged and monitored nine large-scale events, including an FA Cup final football match, and the Brit Awards – all of which were kept exempt from the normal COVID rules. Except for those invested in this bankrupt narrative, the results are immensely encouraging. It’s a meltdown of the evangel, as little to no ‘cases’ turned up at all.

15 alleged cases were desperately scraped up of ‘infections’ from a single positive test, out of some 60,000 total attendees. This deals a crushing blow to the central myth on which this serious virus spun into a ridiculous global panic porn fiasco has been built. And these were surely ‘superspreader’ environments!

 In Allahabad, India, the Times of India reports the teeming religious festival Magh-Mela still took place, with over 20,000 people, mostly seniors at this major religious festival, meeting and camping in truly bustling intimacy for 4-6 weeks with Ivermectin, one of the treatment wonder drugs I showcased in my last article being used in so many global breakthroughs (including Mexico most recently) as a prophylaxis. Result? Out of 20,000, 32 ‘asymptomatic people’ only, which is a 0.16% infection rate out of 20,000. 

So not only is the asymptomatic demon largely a dud, but we can make sure of that, and far improve our odds, as demonstrated here by early preventive treatment. As a sidebar, despite all the media hullabaloo, and the clearly serious crisis they faced, Indian deaths per million are 229 per million still, less than Oregon with all its wide-open spaces! However much ‘undercounting’ they may purportedly have done cannot bridge that gap. Bangladesh has 75 per million (also used Ivermectin and similar treatment protocols).

We have to jolt ourselves awake

A few points:

*We have to get our communication act together. We are told several times, ‘no island-wide curfew.’ Then we impose ‘travel restrictions’. Then induced by the completely non-evidence-based panic of medical groups, we toss our assurances away, further injure our credibility, and open up only for ‘essentials’ but with no vehicles, with a day’s notice? This is clearly not tenable as the next ‘open’ day is to be six days hence, and people are to walk several kilometres and one household member is to somehow carry a week’s produce and essentials on their head? 

There were jokes of wheelbarrows and an actual wheelbarrow man arrested for not having a mask as he’s heaving his necessities home. This is stopping viral spread? Or catching people via drones playing cricket (one of the healthiest things they probably could be doing) and arresting them? We seem to exult in displaying martial imagery and color-coded charts showing the three days you can buy food, and then broadcasting multiple arrests while people try to survive and eke out a semblance of life. 

And as usual, then even those days are suddenly removed, and the blame goes to the ‘conduct of the public’ on the one day they desperately had, when the playing field was completely changed on them, on the basis of no data, and a clearly plateauing situation, with the facts showing up the moronic ‘modelling’ alleging all kinds of mushrooming mortalities. How can we expect desperate people not to do what they have to? Allowing for daily provisioning with distancing would have resolved it. Now they have to hope essentials somehow reach them as even those ‘colour coded’ days were whisked away. 

Crisis requires credible communication. It requires the courage to balance risks and rewards. There is no risk-free leadership or life, and again this is a middling influenza strain in this region in terms of mortalities. Right now, no one can plan for post the 7th, any announcements re Port City or future economic plans sound surreal. After all, one variant, one spike, and the panic spasms begin anew, with no sense of how to pay for this obscene ‘remedy’ and how to survive as we sink further into economic quicksand.

Again, please explain, why one source of harm, based on unverified tests, trumps every other medical, social, economic and cultural consideration. Why ordered bankruptcy is okay, why destroyed education is okay, why interrupted medical care, cancelled weddings, aborted life milestones, destroying our hospitality industry is okay.

You see there is no endgame if this is the playbook. Next public crisis, with a threshold for risk avoidance this frenzied and fevered, we’re out of the game. We can never open to tourism, unless we go the route of prudent natural immunity, with the wonderful, demonstrated treatments clearly available to us. We just have to take economic suicide off the table.

Unless someone can explain why this one COVID consideration transcends every other aspect of life, we have to do this. 

Announce this or denounce the future. Maybe instead, we can manage to believe in what we’ve always counted on. Our immune systems, real medical care, consulting fresh data and findings, rallying our fighting spirit, getting at the forefront of abundantly available early treatments, and using that to be able to be open for business, for tourism, for life. Sri Lanka still has a chance to lead and not follow…and if we do, we can flourish! 

 A Critique Of The YouTube Broadcast By Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya, Entitled: Western Doctor Gives A Thundering Slap To Western Methodology

By Chandre Dharmawardana –MAY 28, 2021

Dr. Chandre Dharmawardana

We recognize that Dr. Padeniya, being a medical trade union leader, is also a consummate politician. So, it is not surprising that he comes forward to “reveal” various conspiracies and alleged corruption in some government departments. His explosive claim is that such corruption made Sri Lankans to eat poison in their food since 1960, and that they are still continuing to do so. He says that “we must go back to “traditional Knowledge, and traditional ways of producing food”, and that we must NOT EAT POISON. It is part of the Sri Lankan culture to take at face value what a doctor says, and say “Saadhu, Saadhu”, what a good, socially concerned doctor! But some readers may wish to read the following report in the Colombo Telegraph from 6 years ago to orient themselves on the issues involved before going any further.

However, how much of what Dr. Padeniya says is true? How much of it is fiction?  We must determine if Padeniya is capable of critically evaluating information. After all, we know of so-called “specialist Western  doctors” who are turning to “traditional knowledge” to sell doubtful products that are claimed to fight even viral diseases. We know of doctors in Kurunegala who  supported the “Dhammika Paeniya”, a concoction made by a devotee of the Hindu Godless “Kali Amma” following a “vision”. We know of “Western doctors” from Karapitiya who falsely claimed that they were backed by the Karapitiya Hospital, and the Ruhuna University, in marketing an untested  anti-Covid concoction. We also know of “western” doctors who invoke God Natha to market their smoke pot (“dum hattiya”) and other ”traditional” treatments claimed to cure Covid in 3-4 days!

We discuss Dr. Padeniya’s false propaganda, treated in three parts in the foregoing.

Part I: Does Dr. Padeniya have any capacity for critical thinking?

Dr. Padeniya begins his U-tube talk by citing history, a subject where he is a layman. Reviewing what he says here is a strong test of his capacity for critical thinking.

Dr. Padeniya tells us that in ancient times Lankans lived to 140 years of age. This type of claim is used  by Dr. Padeniya to tell us that the diet of the ancients ensured their longevity.

To support his  belief he claims that  Pliny the Elder who wrote an encyclopedia in the 1st century has said so. He also claims that Pliny’s Encyclopedia is the best in the world. Pliny has also said that in theses tropical countries people had  one leg that they could use as an umbrella against the sun’s heat. He also claims that some people had dog heads. So, does Dr. Padeniya believe that ancients Lankans were like that? That Pliny’s encyclopedia is an uncritical collection of  information and mis-information current at the time is well recognized not only today, but even in 1646, by Sir Thomas Browne who made a study of Pliny’s work 

Dr. Padeniya tells us that King Pandukabhaya lived to an age over 100 years, and that King Mutaseeha reigned for 70 years, and that any one who died at 100 was a “young man” dying. That very little is known with any certainty regarding the period of Pandukabhaya and Mutaseeha is the view of respected Historians like Prof. K. M. de Silva. Dr. Padeniya should at least learn something of  Sri Lankan history by reading, say, Prof. K. M. de Silva’s History of Sri Lanka, Penguin Edition.

Is this the kind of “evidence” that the “specialist” doctor Padeniya has to prove that the diet of the ancient Lankans ensured a long life?  He could have considered  archaeological material like bones and teeth, fossilized feces etc., of the ancients to  show what type of diseases they had, and even what they ate.

[Click for picture of tropical man with a foot adapted as a sunshade, according to Pliny]

In contrast, is said perhaps more truthfully that the Buddha died in his eighties. On the other hand, the Bible says that Methuselah lived to 969 years. So Dr. Padeniya should advocate that we return to the diet the ancient Jews; after all, if he can accept Pliny the Elder without question, why not the Bible, accepted by billions of people?

Miraculous increase of life expectancy of people who eat poison!

Dr. Padeniya says that the multinationals and scientists of the agriculture department have conspired to feed poison to the Sri Lankans since 1960. Hence we examine the life expectancy of Lankans from 1950 on wards.

So, Dr. Padeniya, if Lankans have been eating toxins since 1960, by what miracle can their life expectancy increase? If the food has poison, how can the percentage  infant mortality (deaths per 100 births of infants) for pregnant mothers decrease drastically, as seen in the red curve?

Recollect the Jataka story of the hare who, lacking any critical ability, frightened all the animals in the forest by claiming that the sky is falling. As in the Jataka, we extend our compassion to Dr. Padeniya.

Part II: The Green Revolution, and Western Medicine

Dr. Padeniya claims in an “Ayubovan Lanka U-tube that Lankans have been eating poison since 1960. And yet, as the accompanying graph shows, the life expectancy increased, while the infant mortality drop from 1950 on wards, steadily?

There were two main reasons, among others for this miracle!.

(1) The Green revolution in agriculture that Dr. Padeniya condemns, demanding a return to “traditional” Practices and seeds.

(2) “Western” medical treatment and public health. Dr. Padeniya gives them a thundering slap.   

His resort to violence fits with his wish to go back to “traditional methods”!

Agriculture and Fertilizers

In earlier times, farmers used composted farm refuse, bone-meal, sulphur, and added oxides of arsenic and lead as pesticides. A farmer was lucky to get over 1.5 tonnes of harvest per hectare.  When the Harber-Bosch method of converting atmospheric N into Urea became industrial in the 1930s, the compost-bonemeal & sulphur agriculture was discarded. For the first time a majority of people, at least in the industrial world vercame malnutrition. Their life expectancy began to rise steadily..

But there was imminent famine in the poor countries that had just gained independence. The Indian government that faced a desperate death of millions accepted Dr. Norman Borlaug’s proposals and adopted modern N, K, P fertilizers, and modern high-yielding seeds that needed less water. This spectacularly successful agricultural transformation was named the “Green Revolution”. It replaced the dangerous pesticides of traditional farming, (i.e., oxides of arsenic, lead, sulphur) with much safer chemical pesticides.

So, even in Sri Lanks, from 1950 on-wards, methods of the green revolution were steadily applied, and the “Mother of All Illnesses”, namely “Malnutrition” was increasingly avoided, leading to  increased life expectancy etc., as shown in the  graph. Lankan scientists developed new rice hybrids. They are heroes of this Green Revolution though slandered  by the like of Dr. Padeniya.

Dr. Padeniya wants to return to old, low-yielding grain like “Suvanael, Kalu-Heenati” etc., even though they take more water and more time to grow. He thinks they have medical properties! This is an unproven conjecture, with no double-blind experiments to prove it. A slightly lower glycemic index proves nothing as that depends on the level of “polishing” of the grains used.  Interestingly, Dr. Padeniya admits that no one really knows the aetiology of high blood pressure or diabetes, while recommending traditional rice in the same breath!

If organic fertilizers were exclusively used, following Dr. Padeniya, the harvests will fall to 1/5 of conventional farming. If traditional grains are used, it will drop even further, bringing back the famines, malnutrition and short life expectancy, and high  mortality that preceded  the green revolution.

Some politically powerful Sri Lankans support an exclusive organic agriculture, and brashly say that they can provide ALL the food needed organically. Why the current world production of organic food (2% of the total food needed) cannot be jacked up to 100% as need is explained in the following web document. It is a review of the research article by Dr. Adrian Mueller, a leading agricultural authority and supporter of organic agriculture.

The Green Revolution is just the early dramatic effect of the launch of modern agriculture. But it has evolved to generate Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), artificial intelligence-based Smart Farm technology (SFT), grow-tower technology, GM foods  etc. Modern agriculture  has extended and superseded the Green Revolution. Carotene contains Golden Rice, a GM product opposed by Luddites like Vandana Shiva, epitomizes the Hippocratic dictum that food is also medicine. Dr. Padeniya also utters Hippocratic quotes, but to justify the unjustifiable objective of creating a  wasteful food system catering to the frightened rich.

In any case, what fertilizer should be used, and how much N, K, P and humus matter (organic matter) must be used should be determined by a soil analysis, and not by the dicta of Dr. Padeniya or Ven. Ratana. Almost a decade ago the Agriculture Department issue booklets for each district, giving recommendations of how much mineral, or organic fertilizer should be used for the optimal mixture.

But the problem faced  by the Lankan farmer is not whether to choose mineral fertilizer, organic fertilizer, or an optimal mixture. His problem is, once he has farmed using what ever fertilizer that he can find and grow his crop, he has nowhere to sell his product and get a fair prince. After successive build up of debt, ma ny farmers simply committee suicide. Dr. Padeniya has nothing to say about the central problem of the typical Sri Lankan farmer who cultivates a few hectares for his perilous living.

Read More

 

Former AG laments lack of quality investigators

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Shortly before his retirement, Attorney General Dappula de Livera made a statement that he would not be able to file indictments in respect of the Easter Sunday attacks prior to his leaving of office, as the investigation files submitted to him were not complete. The statement took even Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera by surprise. He called for a report from the Police Inspector General on the matter.

The retiring Attorney General was not wrong in saying he could not file indictments based on incomplete investigations, as indictments can only be served on the basis of a complete set of evidence.

He probably made his position clear before his retirement so that he would not be blamed after his retirement. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and the Catholic Church have been calling for justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks, and have been repeatedly highlighting the lethargic pace at which investigations have been going on. Dappula de Livera clearly did not want to be made the scapegoat for the delay in serving justice to the victims after he left office.

In a pre-departure interview, Mr. de Livera said COVID-19 had brought the administration of justice in Sri Lanka to a grinding halt, a time when delays in the system are already a perennial problem. The retiring Attorney General speaking to News First went on to detail the challenges faced by the justice system and he said delays caused by COVID-19 were a curse to the system. He said it will have serious repercussions and consequences in the administration of justice in the country.

The Attorney General, who retired on Monday (24), said Sri Lanka Police, the Attorney General’s Department and the Judiciary are mandated to bring about justice and all three bodies must work together and move together to ensure that justice is served to the country’s people.

Mr. de Livera said one of the main reasons for delays is the delay in detecting and investigating crimes by the Police in addition to the delay in crimes being reported to authorities.

“Victims of crimes are also reluctant to come forward to testify as a certain percentage of them have a lack of confidence in the system. They believe they will be subject to secondary victimisation by the system that should protect them,” said the retiring AG.

He also noted that this attitude was present mainly due to the delays and because the system is not user-friendly.

Explaining the delays in high profile cases, Mr. De Livera said that such cases are often complex in nature and are delayed due to the slow pace of investigations.

He said after he was appointed Attorney General, he took on the challenge of expediting these high profile cases which are of public interest.

Over the past two years he had moved the Chief Justice to appoint 14 Trials-at-Bar to try the high profile cases in Sri Lanka.

These cases are:

01. The Rathupaswala shooting in 2013

02. The Welikada Prison massacre in 2012

03. The abduction and enforced disappear     ance of 11 youth by Navy personnel

04. The abduction and enforced disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda

05. The Elephant trafficking case of known trafficker Ali Roshan

06. The Avant-Garde high seas arms trafficking case

07. Central Bank Treasury Bond Scam of February 27 2015

08. Central Bank Treasury Bond Scam of March 29 2016

09. Central Bank Treasury Bond Scam of March 31 2016

10. Damages to Buddha statues in Mawanella

11. The Wanathawilluwa explosives dump

12. Criminal Negligence case against Former IGP Pujith Jayasundara

12. Criminal Negligence case against Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando

13. Illegal financial activity by ETI

In addition, he had also called for Trials-at-Bar in regard to four cases connected to the April 21 2019 terrorist attacks.

“There are some cases that remain unsolved including the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge, the murder of Wasim Thajudeen and the assault on Keith Noyahr. These must be investigated,” he said.

“In the Wasim Thajudeen case, the two people accused of falsifying evidence are dead. The case on falsification of evidence will conclude, however the main case will and must continue to ensure justice is served.”

“Today’s Police personnel are having serious capacity issues as they do not have quality investigators. The Police have problems with efficient and productive investigations mainly due to the lack of experienced and trained officers,” the retiring AG said.

He also pointed out that at the Magistrate’s Court, often junior Police officers are leading the prosecution in certain cases.

The former AGs lament about the lack of experienced investigators contributing to delays in the administration of justice has increased relevance in terms of the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. While the absence of Shani Abeysekara, who made considerable headway in the investigations soon after the attacks, has slowed down the process, the withdrawal and transfer of several other experienced officers from the Easter Sunday attack investigations has caused even further delay.

Mr. de Livera went on to point out that there is clear evidence of a grand conspiracy linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, and he said information by the State Intelligence Service, “with times, targets, places, method of attack and other information is clear evidence there was a grand conspiracy in place with regard to the April 21 2019 attacks.”

While there is still a great deal of public speculation with regard to the mastermind behind the attacks, the retiring AG said the identities of those involved in the grand conspiracy must come by way of evidence.

Two weeks after the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, the terrorist network was dismantled and over 200 people arrested.  Thereafter the pace of the investigations slowed down and the arrests made have been only of those suspected to have minor involvements.

No progress has been made with regard to apprehending Sara Pulasthi who is suspected to have fled to India. There is no indications as yet to several matters that have come to light in Parliament through Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader Rauff Hakeem as well as Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarians Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara.

It is time the pace of investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks increased, and the masterminds behind these heinous attacks brought before the Law. Only then will the ends of justice be met.

(javidyusuf@gmail.com)

  “A Flame at one end; a Fool at the other” - Covid 19; Smokers vulnerable

31 May 2021

Studies available to date, says, that a connection is emerging in regard to patients who smoke have a higher probability of developing more rigorous symptoms of COVID-19 than non-smokers. Tobacco smoke is a mixture of more than 4000 carcinogens/toxins, and is a source of exposure to chemically-mediated sicknesses. The prospective relationship between smoking and receptiveness to COVID-19, as well as cruelty of COVID-19 symptoms are being further researched. A retrospective group study was carried out on 68 COVID-19 patients at hospitals in China between December 31, 2019 and January 14, 2020. The investigators account says, that a significantly higher percentage of patients with a history of smoking displayed a rapid weakening in health compared to non-smokers, signifying that smoking have a harmful consequence on 
COVID-19 forecast.

Tobacco mafia hired Thatcher for promotions

 Tobacco is a multi-billion dollar mafia in trade who paid Margret Thatcher millions of Dollars to advice on how to promote the habit in the third world.  They target the poor people in developing countries. The print media continues the agitation to check the ill-informed and naive from killing not only themselves others as well through passive smoking! Tobacco mafia has purposely employed strategic and destructive tactics to draw youth to tobacco-nicotine. In-depth research designed to draw a new generation of tobacco users, using product design and marketing strategies.  Multinationals ensure the millions who die from tobacco-attributable diseases are replaced with new consumers –youth.

They use of flavours attractive to youth, like cotton candy,  cherry, and bubble gum  which persuade young people to misjudge the health risks and to start using them.  Sleek designs, which are deceptive and easy to carry, are promoted through pop stars.  Promotion of “cleaner” alternatives products, with “reduced harm” to conventional cigarettes is another gimmick.   Brand sponsored contests and Celebrity/influencer sponsorships promote nicotine products. Point-of-sale marketing at outlets frequented by school children, including positioning near snacks, sweets, or soda and vendors to ensure they are displayed near venues frequented by young people using marketing materials.  

"More than 20 million Americans have died from tobacco over the past 5 decades; 44 million Americans continue to smoke and 470,000 die prematurely each year."

A medical specialist as State Health Minister was a long awaited luxury; out of 17 health ministers we had only a single medically qualified person holding the portfolio in the past;[ Dr. Ranjith Atapattu-1978/83]— Dr. M V P Pieris served just for three months in 1960s. The fearless lady, Dr. Fernandopulle could take over as anti-Tobacco/anti-Alcohol and Minister in charge of implementing long overdue Prof.  Senaka Bibile’s Drugs Policy at the end of Covid menace.  

 Western nations warned their people of the dangers associated with the fatal habit of smoking long before the American and European Tobacco Mafia introduced the toxic fag to us.   The ‘Christian Herald’ of October 1952, carried an article titled ‘Cancer by the Carton’, referring to a 1926 paper  by an eminent pathologist, Dr. James Ewing, a member of American Association for Cancer Research, written 92 years ago demanding for a public awareness campaign.  He wrote, “One may hardly aim to eliminate the tobacco habit…but cancer propaganda should highlight the danger signs that go with it.” 

Mafia’s deadly smoke can be extinguished only by a punitive, cruel, and harsh taxation policy. WHO on many an occasion emphasised on raising tobacco taxes in order to reduce consumption. It is regrettable to learn that the most Budgets in the recent past had ignored this factor. 25 rupees on a fag will compel most of the smokers give up which in turn will largely relieve nation’s Health burdens. 

82% of cigarettes are sold in loose 

Pictorial warnings are effective only with the future or potential smoker or the beginner than with the habitual smoker; but the latter hardly do come across a pack, as one cannot expect them to buy a full packet.  The amateur who lights up his first cigarette, does it just for the ‘thrill’ of it and invariably attracted to by a friend, hence will hardly see the warnings in the pack.  We cannot be happy and contended with 80% Pictorial warnings alone, it has little impact on the smoker, may be that the first appearance would create a shock, but quite naturally, would lose the anxiety after a few exposures. Market research had exposed that 82% of cigarettes are sold in loose form meaning only 18 out of 100 smokers see the warnings even if you cover 100% with such horrible pictures.
It has been known for a long time that passive smoking enhance the likelihood of Coronary Artery disease, infections in the respiratory tract, lung cancer, middle ear diseases, sudden Infant Death Syndrome and the birth of infants with low birth weight. Maneouverings by Cigarette mafia all over the world are difficult to curtail. There has been back tracking by the British government in postponing legislation in recent past to compel sales of cigarettes in plain packaging.

Following the Fourth World Conference on Smoking and Health held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1979, a paper from a tobacco company executive zeroed in on the significance of social acceptability as a key issue in the developing countries. Referring to the director general of WHO, who was famously known as an influential voice against smoking, the executive noted that, “…he pointed out the central role of the social satisfactoriness issue. It was just a confirmation of our own scrutiny that the social accept ability issue will be the vital battle ground on which our case in the long run will be lost or won. “

International journals such as Newsweek and Time carried huge cigarette advertisements which make smoking appear to be an essential part in ascending the social ladder. Propaganda has a great impact in countries that have not yet been inoculated by information overload. Many people still are inclined to believe anything that is in print or broadcast.

If all religious institutions sponsor anti-tobacco campaigns, it would help get the word about tobacco’s harmful effects out. It is estimated that 25 to 50% of the world population is unaware of the hazards inherent in smoking. Ignorance of tobacco’s harmfulness is even more common in many parts of the world. Temples and Churches [not busy with politics] could provide an effective counterbalance to the advertising influence of the tobacco mafia. It is only the Seventh-day Adventist Church that has been sponsoring smoking cessation programmes. Millions have kicked the bad habit in church-sponsored Five-Day Plans, which has been upgraded recently and is now called the Breathe-Free Plan to Stop Smoking. The clergy belonging to all religions should divert their efforts from politics and get involved in similar programmes.  

More than 20 million Americans have died from tobacco over the past five decades; 44 million Americans continue to smoke and 470,000 die prematurely each year. Yet, every day 3,000 youth puff their first fag. Nearly five million children alive today will die in advance during adulthood from smoking. The annual costs of medical attention of adults attributable to smoking are anticipated to be over US$140 billion. 
The subtitle, a contemptuous description of a lighted fag .., “A Flame at one end; a Fool at the other”, is a creation of anti-tobacco campaigners.   

Harmful Effects  of Smoking 

What people did not know couple of decades before is now coming to the surface with the changing times. The harmful effects of tobacco products and its related health problems are being increasingly acknowledged and exposed. The old concept that smoking makes you calm and attractive is not so palpable now. We observe that people live longer and healthier lives without it. Cigarettes are loaded with toxic chemicals and they are hazardous that can cause serious ill effects.   Few decades ago, with westerners becoming extra health conscious, the cigarette giants found it hard to boost sales in the West. South Asia turned out to be good hunting ground for the multinational mafia, who expanded markets. British American Tobacco, the parent company of our CTC merged with another tobacco giant, Rothmans. Since then the twosome have been targeting poor nations throwing billions of dollars into propaganda where advertising is banned, offering good santhosams to authorities both in state, political powers, medical institutions to attract new smokers and prevent competitive action.   

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