People's power defeats state terror at Kelaniya in Sri Lanka

(January 04, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The supporters of opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka faced the thugs believed to be of the Sri Lankan Minister of Labor Mervin Silva at Kiribathgoda town, the center of the Minister's electorate. The hooligans were wielding clubs and bottles filled with sand etc. and police that observed the gang did not disperse them as they should have done. Instead, the police officials approached the group of Sarath Fonseka's supporters that were engaged in propaganda and asked them to stop their campaign. However, the campaigners including both the members of the United National Party (UNP) and the People's Liberation Front (JVP) did not turn away and marched forward to face the consequences.

They endured it with people's power and the thugs had to flee as the police was compelled to fire  tear gas at them. The whole episode was telecast by many private media channels. The state-owned media had a totally different version in which a group of supporters of the government being attacked by a mob that came in white vans. Nobody seems to believe it since the evidence were abundant to understand who attacked whom.

Most of the pro-Fonseka media have also forgotten the importance of this incident. We think it is politically important since the atrocity was faced and defeated with people’s power though it was the UNP and the JVP.

The workers of the state-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation taught a lesson to the same Minister few years back as he manhandled an official right inside the premises of the television channel. However, his bosses continue to ignore the people’s response regarding this Minister’s notorious behavior at whatever the cost. Mervin Silva is a symbolic character that depicts one of the many faces of the monstrous regime of Rajapaksas.

We think the incident that took place at Kiribathgoda is politically important since it a step forward by people in the struggle to free them from state terror. Kelaniya electorate is a good venue to begin the struggle since the state terror is mingled with underworld there.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's maximum to Tamil demands

(January 03, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's maximum reaction to the long-standing Tamil demand for autonomy is to be the 13th amendment to the constitution minus the merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces that came under the Indo-Lanka accord that preceded the constitutional amendment.

The jubilant President who successfully suppressed the three decade old armed struggle of the Tamils last year is struggling to win the support of the Tamils ahead of the early presidential poll in which he is facing a pitch battle with his ex-Army chief retired General Sarath Fonseka.

However, he has laid his hopes basically on the Sinhala chauvinist votes and unwilling and afraid to go beyond  the line of 13th amendment. Even in the latter years of 1980s, the Tamils rejected the 13th amendment and the Provincial Councils that were in fact imposed on them parallel to an Indian military intervention. Then the two provinces were merged and later the Sinhala nationalist Marxist People's Liberation Front (JVP) carried out a successful lawsuit in 2006 to demerge the two provinces in a judgment delivered by the ex-Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva whose role is highly questioned by media and civil society. The problem now remains is if the Tamil nationalists have the moral right to accept a lesser version of the 13th amendment after more than two decades they rejected it and following so much blood was shed.

Rajapaksa regime reportedly intends to hold elections for the Northern Provincial Council in coming June. They held elections for the Eastern Provincial Council in 2008 immediately after the areas under the rebels in the Eastern Province were 'liberated.' However, the Eastern Province Chief Minister, ex-rebel and ex-paramilitary leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan expressed displeasure several times over the way the central government deals with the powers of the Provincial Council. It is an open secret that the President's all powerful brother Basil Rajapaksa and the President-nominated Governor of the Eastern Province Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama have sidelined the Chief Minister that hails from a subaltern background in the development work in the province that are directly handled by the central government.

The Rajapaksa regime is violating the fundamentals of power devolution even in the nominal decentralization they have offered to the Tamils. The fate of the would be-Provincial Council in the Northern Province will be the same if it goes to the hands of the pro-government ex-paramilitary elements groups the likes led by Ministers Douglas Devananda and Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman.

Sri Lanka; a concern for Reporters Without Borders in Press freedom Review 2009

(December 30, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Reporters Without Borders says its concern in 2009 has been the mass exodus of journalists from repressive countries such as Iran and Sri Lanka. The authorities in these countries have understood that by pushing journalists into exile, they can drastically reduce pluralism of ideas and the amount of criticism they attract. “This is a dangerous tendency and it must be very strongly condemned,” Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-François Julliard said as the review of Press freedom in 2009 was released.

The review says that the Journalists are most at risk in the Americas (501 cases), particularly when they expose drug-trafficking or local potentates. Asia comes next with 364 cases of this kind, chiefly in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

"Media access is not always properly observed, as evidenced in provincial polling in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka," says the report. "The courage shown by journalists this year before and after elections earned them periods in custody, mistreatment and prison sentences that were in some cases extremely harsh. These post-election crackdowns should stimulate the international community to seek better ways of protecting the press after rigged election results are announced.


“This wave of violence bodes ill for 2010, when crucial elections are scheduled in Côte d’Ivoire, Sri Lanka, Burma, Iraq and the Palestinian Territories” said Reporters Without Borders, which often carries out media monitoring during election campaigns."

At least 167 journalists are in prison around the world at the end of 2009. One would need to go back to the 1990s to find so many of them in jail. Although the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression keeps reiterating that imprisonment is a disproportionate punishment for press offences, many governments keep laws that allow them to jail journalists, and continue to abuse these laws. The sentences given to journalists in Cuba, China, Sri Lanka and Iran are as harsh as those imposed for terrorism or violent crime.

For the first time, the Reporters Without Borders annual roundup includes figures for journalists who have been forced to leave their countries because of threats to their lives or liberty. A total of 157 journalists went into exile in the past year, often in very harsh conditions. Among the countries where the exodus of journalists and bloggers was particularly dramatic were Iran, with more than 50 fleeing, and Sri Lanka, with 29.

Is Sri Lanka opposition dare to debate?

(December 29, Colombo - Lanka Polity) The leader of Sri Lanka's National Freedom Front (JNP) has challenged opposition president candidate Sarath Fonseka for a debate on the arms deals Fonseka's son-in-law is allegedly involved. Weerawansa has asked to name other suitable persons, maximum two, to represent Fonseka, if he cannot debate, to the debate that Weerawansa proposes to be held before all media.

Weerawansa's suggestion is timely as reports and rumors point to mass scale corruption in the arms deals under Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. A debate will focus public attention to the issue. The politicians can give out the real information and they can clear their names from corruption charges.

Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka and the opposition must grab this opportunity readily if they are genuine with their proposals to alleviate corruption under their future rule.

Although Weerawansa is a junior close to the ruling elite, he is one of the most influential orators of the ruling coalition. Therefore, he has opened up a path for a debate between the two macro-level presidential candidates in future.

Go on men! Take this chance! Pave way for President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka to perform their 'stripping-the-other' politics face-to-face. It will at least be entertaining in this polity where people are natualized with corruption.

Sri Lanka President's son treats his father with Rs. 3.25 billion worth presidential advertising campaign

(December 29, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President's eldest son, Namal Rajapaksa is treating his beloved father with an advertising campaign worth of Rs. 3.25 billion in which famous persons urge the publc to vote to a 'sensitive' leader at the presidential scheduled to be held on January 26.

Namal Rajapaksa, an unemployed young person as far as we have learnt, spends these monies from the fund of an organization called "A Tomorrow for Youth" that he leads.

The famous persons like sportsmen and actors appearing in these advertisements say they have not charged any money for these commercials.

However, they are broadcast at least 72 times a day mostly in prime time in seven television channels. The campaign includes radio, press commercials and billboards etc. as well.

A recent study on the spending of this advertising campaign estimated the cost Rs. 3.25 billion minimum.

Nobody knows where these moneys come from to the funds of the "A Tomorrow for Youth".

In politics too India's winning formula is hosting bad picthes

(December 28, Colombo - Lanka Polity) You host a cricket team and your countrymen are desperate to see your team win. Since you are the host, you are privileged to prepare a picth as you wish. You make it as hard for the opponent as you can and you then select deadly bowlers to break their noses. You think it is the winning formula. But what happens if the players walk out refusing to play?

This is what happened in Sunday's fifth and final limited-overs international between India and Sri Lanka, leading to crowd unrest and immediate recriminations for Indian cricket officials.

Sent in to bat first, Sri Lanka had crumbled to 83-5 on the difficult Kotla pitch before the third delivery of the 24th over, from India's rookie paceman Sudeep Tyagi, rose dangerously and flew past the face of batsman Thilina Kandamby.

It proved the last straw for Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who complained to match referee Alan Hurst and onfield umpires Marais Erasmus and Shavir Tarapore, and players left the field.

As discussions continued between match officials and local organizers outside the boundary, spectators shouted slogans and abuse at the organizers.

Baton-wielding police were called in to clear the stands of spectators, some of whom had vented their anger by smashing chairs. The teams were whisked away from the stadium before the abandonment was announced more than an hour after the suspension.

Later Sunday, confronted with mounting criticism, the Indian cricket board scrapped its pitches panel. (Canadian Press)

This happens not only in cricket but in politics as well. India always hosts the neighboring nations with difficult political terrain since it is desperate in winning the regional dominancy at the cost of the bones of the other nations. The best example is Sri Lanka.

India's approach on the island nation's ethnic problem is always dishonest. One time it sided with the Tamil militancy providing them military bases in South India to train and arm against Sri Lankan state. Through that strategy India caught behind pro-Yankee J.R. Jayawardhana, the first executive President of Sri Lanka. After bundling out the Sinhala players, India wanted to defeat the Tamil nationalism as well that she bred in her bosom. Now India is sided with the Sinhala dominated Sri Lanka government and she has made the Tamil nationalist forces eat shit through its policy of tolerating Sri Lanka’s unorthodox warfare that completely disregarded the lives of the fighters and the civilians.

Even three decades later, the ethnic problem of Sri Lanka remains same. It is still the biggest impediment before Sri Lanka's development. India is silent. India always makes the political pitch for others as hard as rock. Yet, it is not clear India has won the match over Sri Lanka since the match is mingled with walk-outs of the Sinhala and Tamil polities.

Don't be pawns in a deadly game of two war lords - Bahu

(December 28, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Left Front candidate of Sri Lanka's presidential Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne warns the Sri Lankan electorate not to be caught in a deadly game of chess played by the two equally blood- drenched, chauvinist representatives of Global Capitalism.

"Once again, at the cost of some Rs 12 billion of public funds, Dr. Bahu said that we have to face a Presidential election where two equally bloody, corrupt and parasitic Capitalist Alliances have come forward for the contest, represented by Mahinda Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka," says Vickramabahu.


"This Presidential campaign is going to be a bitter and deadly fight between two equally reactionary camps of the ruling class as to who is going to feast on the blood of the Tamil nation, and that of the proletariat and all exploited and all oppressed classes and nationalities and communities, and exercise chauvinist-oppressive dictatorship over the people.

"It is a joke to ask who is the worst of these two. Let us not become mere pawns in a deadly game of chess played by two rival camps of the very same Capitalist ruling class. Let us hold this State and this ruling class accountable for the crimes willfully committed against the people and against humanity.

"Let us do so in order to mobilize mass protest and agitate against the prevailing Capitalist political order which represents the interests of global Capitalism, by building resistance and revolutionary struggle to defeat the militarist-chauvinist- oppressive agenda represented by both ruling class candidates," said Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne.