Sri Lanka court orders police to arrest the suspects of church attack in Hikkaduwa tourist town

Sri Lanka's Galle Additional Magistrate Gunendra Kumara yesterday ordered Assistant Superintendent Police of Galle Upali Bandaranaike to arrest 26 identified suspects of the attack on two Christian religious places in southern tourist town Hikkaduwa.

Police submitted the report to the courts yesterday. According to the report 10 Buddhist monks are in the list of suspects who ransacked the property of two prayer centers of Assembly of God.

A group of extremist Buddhist monks and laymen attacked two Christian religious centers on January 12 in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka's tourist city in the south.

Buddhist Organizations in Hikkaduwa staged a protest in the area against Christian prayer centers operating in the region.

The monk-led mob resisted the police and destroyed the property hurling stones at the two prayer centers. The mob broke doors, windows and burnt religious signs and books.

Local media videoed the violence and broadcast in the evening news on TV channels.

The residents of these religious places were threatened and the police temporarily closed the main Galle Road as residents entered the Galle Road passing the Hikkaduwa town.

The Buddhist monks that led the protest said that the administrative authorities had ordered the prayer centers withdrawn.

However, the pastors in charge of these centers said they were registered duly and the eviction order is illegal.

The rising religious intolerance from extremist Buddhist monks-led organizations in Sri Lanka has raised alarms among the moderate public and if authorities fail to take adequate measures to curtail the violence the actions of thes extremist groups would have serious consequences, civil society leaders warn.

Giving is fun - An inspirational video

Giving whatever you have is nice way to receive happiness.

“Giving is the highest expression of potency. In the very act of giving, I experience my strength, my wealth, my power. This experience of heightened vitality and potency fills me with joy. I experience myself as overflowing, spending, alive, hence as joyous. Giving is more joyous than receiving, not because it is a deprivation, but because in the act of giving lies the expression of my aliveness.” ~ Erich Fromm 

Video from KarmaTube

The selfie syndrome

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Source: BestComputerScienceSchools.net

Sri Lankan police officer-in-charge nabbed with wife while distributng heroin

Sri Lanka police has arrested a senior police officer and his wife under suspicion of drug dealing.

The arrested police officer is an Inspector of Police. He is M.D. Munasinghe, the Officer-in-Charge of the Wellampitiya police station.

He and his wife are suspected of engaging in distributing drugs. Police recovered 26.5 grammes of heroin from the police officer's official quarters. The value of the cache of heroin is well over Rs. 150,000.

The police officer and his wife were arrested by the Police Organised Crime Investigation Division and detained till January 6 with the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) to be questioned over their involvement in drug trafficking, the CCD reported to Colombo Magistrate today.

Colombo Crime Division arrested the police inspector yesterday evening and arrested his wife also this morning via information obtained from three suspects who obtained about 25 grams of heroin from this police officer.

Sri Lanka to commercially cultivate durian

Sri Lanka Ministry of Agriculture has taken steps to commercially cultivate popular fruit durian. Many people like this exotic fruit but some say they can't bear the smell.

Durian, Durio Zibethius Murray, is a expensive fruit in Sri Lanka which has demand in export market. However, Thailand, West Malaysia and Indonesia are considered the major Durian growing countries.

The fruit is believed to have aphrodisiac properties; contains a high amount of sulpher, hence causing a sharp smell. It is mainly grown in Kandy, Matale , Kalutara and Kegalle districts. Durian is mostly naturally grown and cultivated in home gardens.

The Ministry of Agriculture has taken steps to establish a Durian village in Minuwangoda Divisional Secretariat in Gampaha district. Durian will be grown in 30 acres there. The Ministry has introduced a developed variety of durian which bears fruit in a short span of time.

Nutritive Values of Durian (Source: Ministry of Agriculture)
(per 100g edible portion)

Energy	183.0 k cal
Protein	2.8 g
Fat	3.9 g
Carbohydrates	34.1 g
Calcium	10.0 mg
Phosphorus	50.0 mg
Iron	1.0 mg
Carotene	12.0 ug

Find your car rescue data sheet

This blog helps you to find your car's rescue card or the emergency services cards.

Select and download the relevant card. Then print it, fold it and keep it under the sun visor of the car like this.

I wish you all an accident-free trip and hope that your new rescue card will never be needed.

Active and passive security systems are built into modern vehicles, which makes everything much safer than in the past. Active safety systems include ABS (antilock brake system), TCS (traction control system), and ESC (electronic stability control). Passive safety systems are there to minimize the consequences of an accident. Airbags, seat belt tensioners, and side-impact protection are just a few examples of these. The passenger compartments have also become more stable through the use of very sturdy construction materials and special profile forms.When an accident occurs, it can be a serious problem for the rescue team who need to reach the victims quickly,when the autos can’t be opened as in the past. The rescue tools that the fire department brings are sometimes useless against the new vehicle materials, and rescuers are dependent on accurate information, in order to find a technique for solving the problem. Airbags are often stored in different locations, due to the various companies’ methods of building vehicles. Since only the airbags needed in a crash are activated, the airbags that are not activated can be a potential problem during the rescue, if the fire department rescue tools were to damage the gas cartridges

The brand, the type of document and last update is mentioned in the list.

Abarth  PDF, 752 KB	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Alfa Romeo	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Audi	Application Sheet	6/2013
BMW/Mini	Rescue Map	1/2013
Chevrolet	Vehicle Data Sheet	5/2013
Chrysler	Rescue Data Sheet	3/2010
Citroen	Rescue Data Sheet	4/2012
CS-Reisemobile	Rescue Card	1/2013
Dacia	Rescue Data Sheet	4/2013
Daihatsu	Rescue Data Sheet	5/2011
Dethleffs (Wohnmobil)	Rescue Map	11/2013
Dodge	Rescue Data Sheet	3/2010
e-wolf	Rescue Card	1/2013
Fiat	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Fiat Transporter	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Ford	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Honda	Rescue Data Sheet	7/2013
Hyundai	Rescue Data Sheet	1/2013
Infiniti	Rescue Data Sheet	06/2012
Isuzu	Rescue Data Sheet	9/2012
Jaguar	Rescue Data Sheet	2/2012
Jeep	Rescue Data Sheet	3/2012
Karabag	Rescue Card	6/2012
Kia	Rescue Data Sheet	10/2012
Lada	Rescue Card	12/2010
Lancia	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Land Rover	Rettungsblätter	3/2013
Lexus	Rescue Data Sheet	6/2011
Luis	Rescue Card	1/2013
Mazda	Rescue Card	1/2013
Maybach	Rescue Card PKW	9/2012
Mercedes	Rescue Card PKW	9/2012
Mitsubishi	Rescue Data Sheet	2/2013
Nissan PDF, 10 MB	Rescue Data Sheet	7/2013
Opel	Rescue information	5/2013
Peugeot	Rescue Data Sheet	4/2012
Porsche	Rescue Data Sheet	7/2012
Renault	Rescue Data Sheet	5/2013
Saab	Rescue information	6/2010
Seat	Application Sheet for Accident Rescue Card	8/2013
Skoda	Guide Rescue and Recovery	7/2013
Smart	Rescue Card PKW	9/2012
Ssang Yong	Rescue Data Sheet	4/2013
Subaru	Information for rescue services	2/2013
Suzuki	Rescue Card	2/2012
Tesla	Rescue Card	11/2013
Think PDF, 334 kB	Rescue Card	4/2011
Toyota	Rescue Data Sheet	5/2013
VW	Rescue Data Sheet	6/2013
Volvo	Rescue Data Sheet	12/2012

Clemency pending to the PSD officers that tortured the Rookantha Gunatilake family

-Ajith Perakum Jayasinghe

The appeal filed by former officers of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) who were convicted and sentenced for harassing popular singers Rookantha  Gunatilaka and Chandralekha Gunatilaka couple was withdrawn at the Court of Appeal on November 12.  

The appeal was withdrawn even before a date was fixed by the Court of Appeal for hearing the case. Counsel Janaka Amarasinghe appearing for the motion filed by the suspects said to court that all ten suspects have given their consent in writing to withdraw the case. Although the lawyers did not explain the reason for the withdrawal, it is widely believed that they will be pardoned by the President soon. 

They were charged with unlawful assembly, organizing, intimidating and robbing the property worth of Rs. 3.6 million from the house of musician Rookantha Gunatilaka. Ten out of the 11 suspects of the case were sentenced by Panadura High Court on August 01 this year, following a lengthy trial for harassing the family of the musician and damaging their property, breaking into their residence at Mattegoda on January 26, 2000. The former PSD officers were sentenced for four and half years each rigorous imprisonment and they were also ordered to pay a sum of Rs. 200,000 each as compensation to the victims. One suspect was given simple punishment since he was a disabled person. All the convicts were not police officers. The fourth suspect was a laborer that worked for the PSD.  

Of them, three Police Constables and a Reserve Police Constable were retired by the time the judgment was delivered. The other six PCs were serving in various stations and two of them were in the present Presidential Security Division.

Barely two weeks after the judgment, Rookantha  and Chandralekha handed over a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees giving their consent for the release of the PSD personnel and for taking due measures to pardon them. 

With the withdrawal of the appeal, the sentences against the suspects are to be enacted and they have been now sent from the remand custody to the section of the convicted prisoners.

The Panadura Provincial High Court Judge while sentencing the 10 accused said that 'the accused PSD officers while on duty had taken the law into their hands and had committed a grave offence.' She further said that the court could not reject the evidence given by the complainants and the domestic aide who witnessed the horrific event.  

Rookantha and Chandralekha called a news conference and stated that the real persons who were behind the attack on them were “moving freely” whilst those who carried it out were languishing in jail. Rookantha said the command to attack them had come from a “very powerful and influential person at that time” and added that the “subordinates had to follow it.” Although the name of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has not transpired in any way in the court case or in its aftermath, there are no doubts that Rookantha implied the former President who was also the Defense Minister by the time of the attack. Rookantha appeared on the stages of the opposition United National Party (UNP) singing a theme song which became popular. Then pro-Chandrika media laughed at Ranil Wickramasinghe’s out-of-the-rhythm clapping for Rookantha’s song.

Chandrika had close shave hours before the Presidential held on December 21, 1999, losing her right eye in a failed suicide attack on her life by Tamil Tigers. She was re-elected for a second term, receiving 51% of all votes cast.

After the incident the Gunathilaka family left Sri Lanka and lived in US for many years. They arrived in Sri Lanka after Mahinda Rajapaksa became the President of Sri Lanka and expressed their support to the government. 

The culprits of the intimidation case are likely to be pardoned with the consent of the victims. Clemency is a good value but punishment is considered as correcting mechanism in law. There are many a similar offenders that do not have access to seek Presidential pardon even though the victims or their families want them be pardoned on humanitarian grounds. One may say that these offenders were exposed to a shower of mercy simply they were in the President’s security and also a few are still there. 

“If there is something to pardon in everything, there is also something to condemn,” said Friedrich Nietzsche.