Sri Lanka cabinet's Kilinochchi show and the message delivered to Tamils

(July 15, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa held a meeting of his cabinet in Kilinochchi in the heart of the former rebel-held territory sitting comfortably in Kilinochchi headquarters of the security forces in close proximity to Iranawila reservoir on which late Tiger theoretician Anton Balasingham landed the sea plane he was travelling from Maldives. The venue of the meeting was also the headquarters of the Tamil Tigers' proud air wing that one time was a nightmare to Colombo dwellers. .

In the recent past several cabinet meetings were held outside Colombo in most of the occasions when the President was in election propaganda.

The cabinet meeting of Kilinochchi is not one like that. It is a show of power, supremacy and also Sinhala nationalist domination over the subjugation of Tamil nationalist struggle. Therefore. it is worth to the President and to the Sinhala nationalists, despite whatever the cost of this show to the taxpayer.

On the other hand, this show may alienate Tamils further from the Sri Lanka government. No wonder if they despise this act that mock at the resettled people that struggle to build up their lives with several tin roofing sheets and wooden poles. They are in short of very basic amenities. Around 40,000 more IDPs are still to be resettled.

The message delivered by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cabinet is that the central government is in Kilinochchi as well and no power devolution arrangements will come to effect.

Diaspora Tamils may deny to accept what is offered by the Sri Lanka government. But, is there any other alternative for the Tamils living in this land?

What we lack in this kind of politics is what we need most. It is an honest approach for reconciliation.


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BTI made in Sri Lanka and dengue epidemic

(July 13, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka's Sinhala daily The Divaina newspaper reported today that 1073 dengue patients were diagnosed island wide during the week from July 02 to 09 and four of them died. The number of deaths caused by dengue so far this year is 140.

The Ministry of Health seems totally incapable to arrest the outbreak. The only practical programme they appear to have is the door-to-door visits of the public health officials that warn or punish the public for not keeping their environment clean.

But their power ends near the nose tip of the local government bodies and other state institutes that are responsible for many a case of spreading mosquito-borne diseases. The government has entirely failed to provide basic services such as proper garbage disposal and drainage etc. efficiently to the tax payers.

On the other hand, the public health officials are helpless in giving instructions to prevent mosquito breeding in water stagnating places like fallen dried banana leaves and the inner edge of pineapple leaves.

Meanwhile, Industrial Technology Institute says the BTI (bacteria) produced locally by the institute will be released to the market by the end of July. The news came as the dengue outbreak has caused increase of deaths in the mosquito-borne disease.

The Pesticides Registration Bureau granted permission to the bacteria last week.

Bio Power Lanka company that was contracted to produce the bacteria by the Industrial Technology Institute will release 10,000 to 15,000 liters to the market at the initial stage. The company has capacity to produce the same amount annually, the Industrial Technology Institute says.

The bacteria is in 50, 100 and 200 ml bottles at a concessionary price, the Industrial Technology Institute says.

Bio Power Lanka is licensed to produce the bacteria for five years. We found in Likedin that a person called Kumar.V Deivanayagam the owner of Bio Power Lanka.

The website of Biopower Lanka says, 'Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis variety israelensis) is a bacterial toxin that infects and kills mosquito larvae. It is safe and environmentally sound because it is highly selective, killing mosquitoes and black flies. Bti contains no poisonous chemicals and is completely harmless to other living things!

Compared to harmful synthetic insecticides, Bti kills larvae quickly and efficiently. A moderate to heavy dose has been shown to reduce the mosquito population by one half in 15 minutes and the rest within one hour.
The major advantage is that Bt is essentially nontoxic to people, pets and wildlife. This high margin of safety recommends its use in sensitive sites where pesticide use can cause adverse effects.'



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No killings, abductions, arrests and assaults against journalists but threats in June in Sri Lanka

(July 12, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Following is the report regarding press freedom in the month of June in Sri Lanka issued by a media organization and we believe this report is sent to international organizations to base on these facts in lobbying for freedom of expression. Although there are no killings, abductions, arrests and assaults, the report is full of other incidents.

Monthly report No 06; period covered June  2010

Killings:

1.     June 2010                     -  No killings of media personal reported

Abductions:

2.     June 2010                     - No abductions of media personal reported

     

Arrests:

3.     June 2010                     - No arrests of media personal reported

Assaults:

4.     June  2010                    - No assaults of media personal reported

Threats:

5.     28 June 2010      - Political witch hunt launched against CEO of Lankaenews

State media launched a political which hunt against CEO ofwww.lankanewsweb.com  Chandima Withanaarachchi. The web site publishes critical content has been banned by Government of Sri Lanka for past year.

http://sunandadeshapriya.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/political-witch-hunt-launched-against-ceo-of-lankaenews-web/bbb

6.     27 June 2010      - TU leader forced to resign

Trade union leader Sanjeewa Samarasinghe of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited resigned form his job due to threats coming form higher authorities. Sanjeewa Samarasinghe is the secretary of Jathika SevakaSangamaya, a trade union affiliated to main opposing party UNP.

http://www.lankanewsweb.com/Sinhala/news/2010_06_28_005.html

7.     25 June 2010      - Rivira Editor becomes victim and loses job and salary

Rivira Editor, Upali Tennekoon, who fled to the US with his wife following a brutal attack on him it to be sacked from his job by the new administration at the newspaper organization.

 http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_06_26_001.html

8.     24 June 2010      - A mad slinging journalist gang against Sri Lanka – state media

It has been reported that ten media personal, who have left the country on many pretexts and applied for political asylum are engaged in a conspiracy against Sri Lanka.These persons are in close contact with INGOs which are trying to instigate UN against war crimes in Sri Lanka. They have received many privileges because of these contacts.

read the original story here : http://www.silumina.lk/2010/06/20/_art.asp?fn=aa1006204

9.     22 June 2010      - Sinhalese with LTTE leader photo further remanded

Puththa’lam Magistrate Monday ordered further remand till June 30 for a Sinhalese civilian Amarasingha Chandana when he was produced from prison on a charge that he was carrying a photograph of LTTE leader VelupillaiPirapaharan.

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=32034

10. 19 June 2010      - Screen of the film hall torched

On 19th  an unidentified group torched the giant screen at the Shanthicinema, a day before the Tamil version of the movie Raavan (Raavanan) was screened. The movie’s main stars Abishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and its director Mani Ratnam were among those who did not attend the IIFA ceremony in Colombo.

http://sunandadeshapriya.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/iifa-row-hits-batti-in-dramatic-scene/

11. 08 June 2010      - Eknaligoda’s colleague under threat

A group of unidentified men had broken in to the residence of a colleague of missing Lankaenews journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, who was involved in media and propaganda activities with him, Disnendra Perera on the 31st. The group had broken in to the house with the intention of abducting Perera.

http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_06_07_006.html

12. 06 June 2010      - Threats to lankaenews

          The threats on the Lankaenews website have recommenced with the government       now receiving the cooperation of the landlord of the office premises rented out by the      website. http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_06_09_006.html

Censorships:

13. 26.June .2010     - Church demolished

About 100 police officers who had arrived at a Christian church in Rajagiriyaalong with officials from Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s Urban Development Authority (UDA) and had demolished the church yesterday (25).

http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_06_26_008.html

14. 20 June 2010      - Call to ban Tamil Nadu films

An unidentified group has called on theatre owners in Batticaloa to refrain from screening movies produced in Tamil Nadu in a move to hit back at Indian film stars who boycotted the recent IIFA awards ceremony in Colombo.

http://sundaytimes.lk/100620/News/nws_03.html

Exiled:

15. June 2010            - Two more journalist left the country

A Programme producer of state controlled TV station left the country because of  death threats. He has been receiving continuous threats since January.

A Tamil newspaper cartoonist form Jaffna left the country for  safetyreasons.

Both of them reached their destinations safely.

Releases:

16. 21 June 2010      - Safe Passage for Tissainayagam Just One Step Toward Free Media in Sri Lanka - IFJ

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is relieved that J.S.Tissainayagam is safe, following more than two years of an ordeal in which the Sri Lankan Tamil journalist was accused, charged and tried for terrorism for his journalistic reporting on human rights issues.http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/safe-passage-for-tissainayagam-just-one-step-toward-free-media-in-sri-lanka

17. 19 June 2010      - Freed Sri Lankan journalist Tissainayagamarrives in U.S.- CPJ

          The Committee to Protect Journalist welcomes the arrival in the United States of Sri   Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam, who arrived at Washington’s Dulles   International Airport on Saturday morning.

          http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/06/freed_sri_lankan_journalist_ti.html

18. 16 June 2010      - Journalist Escapes Abduction, Unidentified assailants tried to abduct - IFJ

Mawbima reporter Disnendra Perera at his Colombo home in Sri Lanka on May 31, according to local news reports. Perera, a close colleague of missing Lanka-e-News journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, reported receiving death threats from unknown people demanding he give them a file of documents they claimed Eknaligoda had given him. http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/articles/colleague-of-missing-journalist-under-threat-in-sri-lanka

Protests:

19. June 2010           -  No media protest were reported during the month of June.

Notable developments:

20. 30 June 2010      - Visa's of Non Violence Peace Force staff terminated

On 26^th June 2010 Controller of immigration  ordered the country director and coordinator of Non Violence Peace Force (NVPF) Colombo office to leave the country by 30^th June 2010. No reasons were given for the termination of their visas. In recent past  NVPF played a vital role in providing in country safety for human rights defenders including journalists. Both of them were given one week more to hand over their responsibilities and both of them left the country on 7^th July 2010. Newspapers reported that both of them have been declared persona non grata by  government of Sri Lanka.

21. 24  June 2010     - POLICE OFFICER APOLOGISES TO MP ROSY SENANAYAKE IN SC-( Right to protest)

A chief police inspector apologized to the UNP parliamentarian Rosy Senanayake in the Supreme Court today.He was the first respondent named in a petition filed by Ms. Senanayake claiming that her fundamental rights had been violated.The petition stated that when Ms. Senanayake was gtakinpart in a protest campaign ‘Jana Bala Kahala Nadaya’, organized by the United National Party on June 03, 2008 against the escalating prices of goods, the police officer had insulted her in foul language.

http://www.newsfirst.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11566:police-officer-apologises-to-mp-rosy-senanayake-in-sc&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18  

22. 14 June 2010 `- NGO Secretariat under Defence Ministry now

The NGO Secretariat which was previously operated under the Social Services Ministry and thereafter the Internal Affairs Ministry now comes under the purview of the Defence Ministry, following the new Parliament taking office.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/front-page-news/13101-ngo-secretariat-under-defence-ministry-now-.html

23. 13 June 2010      - SUSIL KINDELPITIYA RELEASED ON SURETY BAIL

The Colombo High Court today ordered that journalist Susil Kindelpitiya be released on surety bail in Rs. 50,000.High Court Judge Deepali Wijesunderamade this order after taking into consideration the submissions forwarded by attorney at law Shanaka Ranasinghe, appearing for Mr. Kindelpitiya and the state counsels.( Susil Kindelpitiya is former news director of MTV/Sirasa TV channel)

 http://www.newsfirst.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11240:susil-kindelpitiya-released-on-surety-bail&catid=97:news-items-2&Itemid=294

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Duminda Silva and his 400 pink colour shirts

(July 09, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Duminda Silva is a youth MP of Sri Lanka parliament. He is the younger brother of Raynor Silva, a businessman owns several radio stations. One of these radio channel was shut due to dissemination of a wrong news regarding a terrorist attack in the home district of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Duminda Silva was a Provincial Councilor of the opposition United National Party by the time and he crossed over to the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the radio channel license was reinstated to Raynor Silva after that.

One time Duminda Silva was an accused of intimacyual abuse case. The thrilling final episode of his 'love' affair with one time Miss Sri Lanka and now Southern Provincial Councilor Anarkali Akarsha is recorded here.

Duminda Silva, in an interview with the state-owned The Dinamina Sinhala daily today said that his favourite colour is pink and he owns 400 shirts of that colour now.

We were quite interested and searched for the relationship of colour and psychology in internet. Following is an interesting search result.

Pink has a gentle stimulation of heart and blood circulation. Just as pink is nearly red, pink nearly has the affects of red, just not so radiant. It elicits simple emotions such as unselfish love, kindness and consideration. It is an emotionally soothing and calming, warming, cheerful and nurturing color that lessen the feelings of irritation and aggression by surrounding us with a sense of love. A study has even been conducted to show that pink has a subduing effect on violent prison inmates. People who enjoy wearing pink are typically affectionate, sympathetic and understanding. They often need the support of others and can often times be child-like. Pink takes on traits of red and white, therefore it is still a sensuous color while being quite innocent. This combination makes pink quite a sexual color, therefore it is self-explanatory as to why four out of thirty guys chose pink as their choice in bra color. And since it has traits of red, the most appetite stimulating of colors, five percent of people chose pink as their favorite color Jell-O.
(adopted from www.echeat.com)


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Is Sarath Fonseka having discussions to join the government?

(July 07, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka's Sinhala nationalist daily newspaper the Divaina reported today that an opposition party leader is discussing with a powerful government Minister to join the government.
The news story is written by a well-informed journalist Piyasena Disanayaka who has close links with political elite. He has not pointed out any name but says that a senior UNP MP is brokering the deal and having a dialogue with a senior Minister following informing the matter to the President.

Sri Lanka parliament has only three opposition parties. They are the United Nationalist Party (UNP) led by the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led by R. Sambanthan and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) led by ex-Army Commander and defeated Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka.

Wickramasinghe and Sambanthan have never indicated they are in a need to join the government. The journalist points out that both the UNP MP and the party leader are facing immense difficulties. Fonseka is now in custody and facing a series of judicial procedures in court martial and civil courts regarding corruption and conduct. His son-in-law is evading arrest and last week a court confiscated his bank accounts with Rs. 15 million.

The government has isolated him and targeting him individually with the aim of pushing the war veteran to kneel down before his former bosses. He has had ample pressure to understand that he will not have solace until he surrenders.

Now Fonseka has applied to register his own political party.

The brokering MP can be guessed Puttlam district MP Palitha Range Bandara who is facing threats from a local leader of his own party that severely beat him physically, immediately following the April general election. His house was also burnt down by government politicians and he is in a position that he cannot come out of the mess by being an opposition MP. He recently met the President and held secret talks.


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Sri Lanka finds out an enemy in (Ban Ki-)Moon

(July 07, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity
)Many Russians feel real psychological comfort in feeling surrounded by the enemy. For politicians, it can also be used as a means of evading responsibility. I remember a conversation I had with a journalist some time ago, who reported listening in on a cabinet meeting with Fidel Castro at a time when Cuba had long been the subject of an American naval blockade. According to this story, Fidel is supposed to have pointed out of the window at the silhouettes of American war ships scattered across the horizon, and said: “if they went, we’ll be forced to make them out of cardboard”.
-Alexei Levinson, Sociologist, senior researcher at the Levada Center, Moscow

The position of The Enemy of Sri Lanka government is vacant since Tamil rebel leader Velupillai Prabakaran was assassinated on May 18, 2009 in the battlefront in Vanni. Although the Tamil Ealam struggle tries to appear as it is not over, the government supported by former deputy leader and the international leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) looks confident to tackle the threat of the half-hearted Tamil Diaspora.

The government's attempts to depict Tamil Diaspora as a formidable enemy was not successful not because it was not a  non-enemy but simply because it is not discernible to the majority Sinhala polity to get them mobilized. It seems not tangible to them. The leaders in Tamil Diaspora do not have attractive names. The persons like Rudrakumaran have meek appearance in photos. Other Tamil heroes are so timid that they are afraid even to pose in photo.

The government could have saved their man Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, the self-proclaimed successor of Prabakaran out in the Tamil Diaspora. KP had a substantial personality to create a fear psychosis locally. Unfortunately, he lost it following the Malaysian apprehension saga in which he was brought to Sri Lanka like a chic.

A low intensity guerrilla warfare could have been a better alternate for a mighty enemy like Prabakaran, if there was one. The government could have tried one themselves. A new Prabakaran could be fictionized, may be one like Osama Bin Laden. A fictitious enemy is better since it can take any shape unlike a real one.

After all, here comes Ban Ki-Moon, the General Secretary of the United Nations. This man, or better say, this position is not a new found enemy. Many a rogue state previously have used him (never her so far) as an enemy to manage internal politics.

Sri Lanka government or the ruling Rajapaksa family has meticulously planned the violent protest before the UN office in Colombo on July 06. The President has sent his 'political' son (his words) Wimal Weerawansa to lead the mob. Even the man's attire is significant. A short-sleeved bush coat with close resemblance to military fatigue. with Lenin-style cap.

The hullabaloo the organized mob created before the UN office created powerful images. However, it is yet to be seen if the penetration is enough for an emergence of a wave of protest that can undermine the social repercussions of the issues like the loss of European Union's GSP Plus, the warnings from US regarding its GSP, broken promise of Rs. 2500 pay hike, ballooning cost of living and more taxes etc.

The government cannot continue providing support and infrastructure like people, transport etc. If Wimal is the contractor, he will have to form a sustainable protest movement within a short period of time. Wimal will not like the JVP be contracted again although it is the best option for the government. The JVP has already taken the Ban Ki-Moon's committee for an island wide poster campaign.



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Has Karuna or the government of Sri Lanka right to retain the houses built by displaced Muslims in Puttlam?

(July 05, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity)"If the Muslims displaced from Jaffna needed to resettle in their home town again, they would have to return the permanent buildings they have constructed (in the long term refugee camps they lived)."

Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, ex-Eastern Commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) 'terrorist' movement and now the Deputy Minister of Resettlement said to Sri Lanka’s Sinhala nationalist Divaina newspaper yesterday.

In 1990, the LTTE, in which Karuna Amman was a leader, ethnically cleansed the Muslims out of Jaffna and other areas in Northern Province that was under their rein.

The Deputy Minister said that 36,963 Muslim families were displaced from Northern and Eastern Provinces and 16,196 families of them have been resettled now.

What an irony the same terrorists that ousted these Muslims from their homes and robbed their belongings are now resettling them. But the Tamil racist minds appear to exist unchanged for the worse united with the Sinhala chauvinism.

These Muslims displaced almost two decades ago and lived in these places for a generation. Their lives are now inseparably entangled with the social fabric of the areas they have been living for decades. They built these houses amidst so much hardship. Don't they have a right to those houses? They have inalienable rights for houses they lived in Jaffna. Can the government or the ex-LTTEers lay conditions for them to retain their property?


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