The public wanted to
know why the government took so long to defeat the LTTE. Why had they not won the war when the LTTE
was much weaker? If the LTTE had been defeated earlier, then many lives could
have been saved. The armed forces knew the strategies needed to defeat them.
They wanted an eastern strategy. The east was the real centre of Eelam and the
war must be fought there, they said. ‘LTTE would have collapsed long ago if the
north- eastern waters had been patrolled. LTTE ‘successes’ were due to our ‘failures’
and those failures were due to government blunders. The war would not have
lasted three decades if the government had taken the war seriously.
The Tamil separatist war was anticipated by N.Q.
Dias, when he was Permanent Secretary for Defence and External affairs in the
SLFP government of 1960-1965. Neville Jayaweera recalls that ‘NQ’ was the most
powerful public servant of the time. He was feared and respected even by
cabinet ministers. Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike listened to him. In 1963, NQ had told Jayaweera, then GA,
Jaffna that within the next twenty years the Tamil protest would develop into
an armed rebellion and the government must prepare for that now. N.Q. Dias had been in Jaffna as AGA in the
1940s.
NQ wanted to set up a chain of
military camps to encircle the Northern Province. They were to be set up at
Arippu, Maricchikatti, Pallai and Thalvapadu in the Mannar District, Pooneryn,
Karainagar, Palaly, Point Pedro and Elephant Pass in the Jaffna District,
Mullaitivu in the Vavuniya District and Trincomalee in the East. He said that
there were already two military camps of platoon strength in Pallai in Mannar
and in Palaly in Jaffna and a rudimentary naval presence in Karainagar, but
that he wanted to upgrade them.
To avoid an outcry from the Tamils, he intended
to say that these camps were for controlling illicit immigration from India to
Sri Lanka and smuggling from Sri Lanka to India. Work started immediately and within a year,
the infrastructure for setting up the military camps was nearly complete. When
Jayaweera left Jaffna in 1966 all of the camps were up and running. This network of military camps helped to
mount counter strikes against the LTTE later.
NQ also
set up a Task Force for Anti Illicit Immigration (TAFFI) under the command of
Lt. Col. Sepala Attygalle, to encircle
the North militarily and wanted to know whether the Gal Oya Board could turn
out boats to use for ‘anti smuggling’ work. He raised new infantry regiments,
starting with the Sinha Regiment. He wished to get rid of the ‘unpatriotic
persons’ in the military top command and
planned to strengthen Sri Lanka’s relations with Beijing to neutralize India’s
influence in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs.
Jayaweera
notes that N.Q’s vision of Tamil uprising, and gun running from Tamilnadu began
to unravel exactly as he had foreseen. ‘He was a political prophet as well as a
military strategist. His grand design for strangling a future Tamil revolt by
girdling the north with a chain of military encirclement was as audacious as it
was brilliant.’ Jayaweera says NQ Dias was an outstanding strategist. It was NQ’s duty to plan well ahead for the
suppression of any anticipated armed rebellion and he fulfilled that obligation
as no one else had done before him. Sri Lanka is much in his debt, said Jayaweera.
‘NQ’s vision of a future armed Tamil uprising and of India’s intervention on
the side of the rebel cause has not been properly chronicled.’
If these military camps had been nurtured and
developed in the 1970s, the armed forces would have been better prepared for
the Eelam wars. They would have studied the northern landscape from the
military angle, prepared military maps and got ready for a future separatist
war. Instead, when the Eelam wars began, the LTTE had the advantage. They knew
the landscape of the north intimately; the soldiers did not know it at all.
Vadamarachchi was selected in 1987 using data obtained at great risk by the
intelligence units. In 1990, a seaborne
rescue mission was launched to save an army detachment at Mullaitivu. The
forces first had a mock landing north of Mullativu as they had never done this
before.
The war dragged on for so long because our
Presidents did not give a clear order to the armed forces to go ahead and win. President Wijetunge, alone, said LTTE were
merely terrorists and ordered the armed forces to clear the east of the LTTE
within two months. The other three Presidents wanted to avoid war. They wished to negotiate a deal with the LTTE
at any cost.
Because of this, the
authorities neglected the military. Recruitment and training were stopped
whenever there was a lull in the war. The government refused to provide the
multiple rocket launchers and Bushmaster cannon the army and navy
urgently needed. But they bought a hovercraft at a staggering cost of Rs 250
million. It was never used for war. The government wanted to know why the army needed need a
large stock of ammunition when there were only 2000 LTTE fighters. Troops died because substandard arms and equipment were
purchased.
Officers were
promoted, on seniority not competence. They were not vetted, there was no
security classification and sensitive
information was easily obtained. ‘Our
battle plans were known to the media before operations began’. The Eelam war was not over, but in 2004, Sri
Lanka sent troops to the UN peace keeping forces in Haiti. The service
commanders had no say in the matter. Earlier, the government set up a Defence
Review Committee (2002) which was asked
to examine the size of the security forces and see whether such a large
army was necessary. Observers are now asking did the authorities want the LTTE
to win?
Politics took
precedence over war. The heads of the three forces were selected on loyalty to
the government. Commanders who stood up to the government were dismissed and
replaced by persons with less experience. In-fighting
between senior officers of the army was encouraged. The media said that
superior officers opposed strategies planned by subordinates and that
subordinate officers wanted to kill their superiors. There was political
interference in the military campaigns.
But when things went wrong the army was blamed. The government said that the army had allowed
LTTE to win the Oya Alaigal” operation.
The army furiously denied the allegation.
Officers capable of
defeating the LTTE such as Janaka Perera and Sarath Fonseka were brought in,
moved out and brought in again. Janaka Perera angrily complained that he had
never been allowed to command the army though he had the knowledge and
expertise needed to defeat the LTTE. Officers who opposed the LTTE were
removed. Vajira Wijegoonawardene, then Overall Operation commander called for
firm military action against the LTTE. He was transferred. Eastern Naval
Commander, Rear admiral Sarath Weerasekera was moved out of Trincomalee when he
objected to the LTTE flexing its muscles.
Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda reported that LTTE had positioned guns pointing
towards the Trincomalee navy base. Instead of taking action the government
attacked me. State television ran a programme defamatory of me and I decided to
take legal action.”
President Chandrika
Kumaratunga’s period of office (1994-2005) is notable for a series of
battlefield defeats. LTTE took Mullativu (1996) Kilinochchi (1998), Elephant
Pass (2000) and nearly took Jaffna peninsula. At Elephant Pass, the most
important military base in the north, with access to the Jaffna peninsula, the army withdrew leaving behind massive stock of arms,
ammunition and equipment including artillery pieces. In Kilinochchi, 500 soldiers were killed, 3,000 wounded and 500 missing. LTTE burnt alive the 1300 Sri Lankan soldiers at Mullaitivu and removed
the entire arsenal including artillery pieces, mortars, and machine guns. Those
who survived the Mullaitivu attack had
revealed the pathetic state of Mullaitivu defenses at the time. Experts
say the Mullaitivu debacle could
have been avoided. The government wanted to regain
Mullaitivu, but the military opposed
this and refused to deploy any more men.
They were against maintaining isolated bases.
The government engaged
in a
series of highly
publicized, knee jerk military operations
which kept
the focus on Jaffna, and off the Eastern province. These seriously weakened the
army and helped LTTE further entrench itself. These operations were given names that
screamed success even before the operations had started, ‘Thrivida pahara’, ‘Sath jaya, ‘Jayasikurui, ‘Edibala, ‘Rivi bala’ and ‘Ranagosa’. They suffered from a shortage of weapons and the
lack of holding strength at crucial moments. They all failed. ‘Thrivida
pahara,’ was called off within hours,
leaving a group of soldiers stranded on the beach. They were eventually killed
by the Tigers. ‘Ranagosa’ spread three
divisions thinly on the ground. LTTE crushed them. Jayasikurui seemed a lunatic
venture even to the public. It was trying to regain the highly exposed
Jaffna-Kandy road, with the LTTE lined up on both sides of the route, using just two fighting divisions. These two
divisions were soundly defeated by the LTTE.
These ill planned
military operations resulted in a huge number of deaths. Operation Riviresa
(1995) took Jaffna, but with a loss of 600 men. The government did not care. The lives of the
armed forces and police didn’t matter.
Security issues and long term implications were not important. Governments simply wanted to show territorial
gains. When the campaigns failed, the government imposed censorship .The press
could not report on the bloody fighting and the number of lives lost. The statement issue by LTTE when they took
Elephant Pass was completely censored. ( CONTINUED)
A senior Swiss
diplomat and former Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jörg Frieden is on his way
to help clarify to Swiss authorities what Switzerland describes as a
‘current crisis’.
The Swiss are
perturbed, we are told. ‘Confused’ would be a better descriptive though.
They call it a ‘security incident’. The knowledge of the Swiss on
‘security’ is amply demonstrated by the fact that they see nothing wrong
in their citizens collecting money to fund terrorism.
The Swiss has issued a
statement. Apparently Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, who is the
Swiss equivalent of ‘Foreign Minister’ believes that Frieden will look
for ways of ‘clarifying the security incident”.’ That sounds like Diplospeak for ‘damage control’.
What’s interesting is that in this long missive, the
Swiss have not talked about the incident itself. That ‘incident’ was
about an abduction claim by a woman employed by the Swiss Embassy. A
former Sri Lankan minister is on record saying that a gun had been
shoved into the lady’s mouth. ‘White van abduction’ was what it was
called by dubious websites which were operating as though they were
outfits to which the United National Party and the now defeated
Yahapalana Government had outsourced propaganda operations.
Originally, the Swiss
Embassy spoke about people having seen this ‘abduction’. Well, it look
like the Swiss are now on the back foot. No talk of abduction. No
witnesses. No white vans. Instead it’s a ‘security incident’. Whose
security, though? The Swiss Embassy is not under a security threat. The
Swiss Ambassador is not at risk. The woman concerned, then?
Well, the Swiss are
now talking about the health and safety of the Embassy staff;
essentially the woman’s one assumes. They’ve expressed disappointment
over ‘the high level of media coverage, lack of privacy safeguards and
public condemnation in this case’ and believe that this has ‘not only
endangered Swiss embassy staff but also eroded the trust and confidence
required to jointly clarify the incident.’
Yes, there’s a high level of media coverage. Who is to
blame for this? Who made it a ‘high profile case’? Who sold a dubious
story to shady websites? Whose interests have these websites defended
and promoted? A political party! Who picked up these bits and pieces and
made a fun story out of it? Well, the New York Times!
Has Switzerland taken
issue with the New York Times or that outfit’s local correspondents? We
don’t know. Anyway, when a mission of a foreign government plays judge,
jury and complainant, it is certainly newsworthy. When that mission’s
missives verge on fantasy and when the fantasy can have a direct impact
on the image of a government and a nation, that too is newsworthy.
As for the Swiss
Embassy staff being at risk, the best antidote would be to come clean.
Just say it as it is and not regurgitate a shoddy story and make tall
claims and paint darker extrapolations. The worst enemy of the Swiss
Embassy at this point, in fact, is the Swiss Embassy itself. And now,
having spilled things all over the place carelessly, the Swiss are upset
about a ‘high level of media coverage’.
Privacy safeguards.
Yes, that’s an issue. It’s not easily obtained when people go out of
their way to make things ‘high profile’. The Swiss Embassy made some
grand proclamations but refused to cooperate with the investigators. So
much for a need to get to the bottom of things! The lady’s identity was
not revealed. No information whatsoever about the person was revealed.
And they now worry about due process, they worry about risks, they worry
about security and privacy!
The police had to
sweat to obtain information that the Swiss Embassy could have furnished
within a few seconds. Is it that the Swiss are not interested in the
truth but are looking for part-truth where uncomfortable elements are
footnoted or left out altogether? Is that what ‘justice’ is as far as
the Swiss are concerned?
The statement from
Switzerland mentions the principle of the presumption of innocence.
Well, they went to town pointing fingers before things went South,
didn’t they? So did the New York Times. So did people like Rajitha
Senaratne, that great fantasist whose prowess at fiction was abundantly
evident when he conjured a ‘White Van Driver,’ beard and all.
We don’t know what
kind of relationship the Swiss Embassy folk have with the likes of
Rajitha Senaratne or certain ‘journalists’ feeding misinformation to
media outfits which seem inept at separating fact from fiction [Yes,
that’s the New York Times we are talking about]. Officially,
of course, the Swiss Embassy has to deal with the Government and is not
answerable to would-be do-gooders operating as lackeys. And they’ve
been way too shy for their own good.
So there’s public
condemnation. Of course there is public condemnation. There’s no point
whining about it, especially when you’ve tried to slip in a deuce and
wanted people to think it was an ace. Surely the Swiss can’t expect the
public to cheer them? What did they expect, wild applause for their
highly unprofessional behavior?
Ah yes, the health of
the lady. The Swiss Embassy didn’t want any doctor to check her out.
Initially. It took a court order to get her to give a statement. It took
a court order to have her examined by medical professionals. If her
health is important, well then, she is now in the right hands — doctors,
not diplomats.
So this decision to send Frieden to Sri Lanka is good.
Maybe he will teach his less experienced colleagues what diplomacy is
about, what to say and what not to say, what to do and what not to do.
Maybe, in that manner, he can do justice to the stated intention of
‘strengthening the basis of trust between Switzerland and Sri Lanka.’
There’s a kata boru kiwwath diwa boru kiyanne nae
(the tongue doesn’t lie, even if the mouth is untruthful) part at the
end of the Swiss statement: ‘Switzerland wishes to maintain close
relations with Sri Lanka and support the country as it moves forward.’
The Swiss see Sri Lanka as ‘moving forward’. Forward from what, though?
From the mess left behind by the previous regime’s masochistic urges,
yes indeed.
I would think the Swiss owe all Sri Lankans an apology
for the way its representatives in Sri Lanka have behaved over this
incident, but if hush-hush is the way to ‘move forward’ by way of
allowing for saving-of-face, so be it. Just retire the condescension. It’s patently insufferable.
On that note, let me
extend Mr Jörg Frieden a warm welcome back to Sri Lanka. There’s a bit
of rain, but let that not dampen a visit that’s being made in a season
whose festive spirit has been quashed somewhat by incompetence and
arrogance. You’ll find that if people come clean, they are applauded. We
are a forgive-and-forget kind of nation, as you probably know by now.
This article was first published in the SUNDAY OBSERVER [December 22, 2019]malindasenevi@gmail.com. www.malindawords.blogspot.com.
It has become very
clear now that the Swiss drama was a deliberate hoax enacted by neo-liberal
western powers, the UNP and the LTTE terrorists to discredit and malign the new
Sri Lanka government headed by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. just one week after
it came to power to Political columns
of both the Island” abd Sunhday Times” have posted details relating to Swiss
threats made to the new government to force to acquiesce to its dictates and
make it collapse before it started its programmes.
The Island columnist
C.A.Chandraprema (CAC) states that Sri Lanka can never expect fair play from
Switzerland as it is more pro-LTTE than most other Western countries and points
out recent actions by Swiss authorities which include court ruling saying that
the Tamil Tigers are not a criminal organization, acquitting 12 LTTE activists
who had been charged with sending 15 million Swiss Francs collected from the
Sri Lankan community in Switzerland during the war and about the sophisticated
system being maintained by Swiss LTTE to raise funds from the Tamil community
in Switzerland.
CAC further points
out that when Malaysia is rounding up LTTE activists, India and Sri Lanka are
on the alert for attempts to revive the LTTE and the whole world is on alert
with regard to any kind of terrorist activity because terrorism is the scourge
of the modern world, Switzerland has justified terrorist attacks if it is to
seek separate independent state. They have decriminalized the collecting of
funds in Switzerland for terrorist attacks on Sri Lanka and refuses even to
consider the LTTE to be a criminal group even though the FBI categorized the
LTTE as the deadliest terrorist organization in the world in 2008.
Although the LTTE
military machine was smashed by Sri Lanka in 2009,its international networks
still remains intact and still poses a direct threat to countries like Sri
Lanka, India and Malaysia. The Swiss government however actively promotes LTTE
terrorism and provides a safe haven for LTTE terrorists on Swiss soil. This is
the background in which this entire abduction drama had taken place.
Gania
Barrister Frncis alias Sriyalatha Perera
A statement issued by the the Swiss
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs on this hoax drama has stressed: –
* An employee of the
Swiss Embassy in Colombo has today been detained on the grounds that she
allegedly made false statement sand they calls on the Sri Lankan judicial
authorities to ensure better protection of its employee’s personal rights in
any further proceedings and compliance with national law and international
standards.
* The local employee
has reported that she had been abducted in Colombo to force her to disclose
embassy-related information.
* The staffer was
subjected to a 30-hour interrogation and was subjected over three days despite
being in poor health.
* They expect the Sri
Lankan law enforcement authorities to comply with national law and
international judicial standards and to ensure that the employee’s rights are
now better protected and it calls on the Sri Lankan authorities to meet their
obligations under applicable law and give due consideration to the employee’s
poor state of health.
* That in this high-profile case Sri Lanka’s reputation as a country that
upholds the rule of law is at stake.
The Swiss government
prior to its dealings with Sri Lanka on this case has given all related
information to the New York Times facilitating them to publish an article
highly critical of Sri Lanka under the title “Sri Lankan Critics Fear a
Crackdown Is Underway, and Some Flee” on November 27 before we Sri Lankans
knew anything about this alleged incident. The said article has quoted the
Swiss foreign ministry as its source.
Extracted details and comments on the article will follow.
CAC explains that the
Swiss embassy took nearly two weeks after the incident to present the alleged
victim for a medical examination to be carried out and for a statement to be
recorded. During that entire period she was held incommunicado in the Swiss
embassy in Colombo and there is no word about that in the Swiss government’s
statement. Even though the Swiss authorities have condemned the 30-hours of
interrogation to which the employee was subjected over three days despite allegedly
being in poor health, the Swiss have not explained why this person who was
supposedly in poor health was kept inside the Swiss embassy instead of being
given medical help for nearly two weeks.
He further states
that even after presenting the alleged victim for a statement to be recorded,
the Swiss embassy retained possession of the alleged victim’s and her husband’s
phone and a court order had to be obtained asking the embassy to give that
phone and the sim cards to the CID and there are no reports to say that the
Swiss embassy has complied with this order. CAC states that wee have to hope
that the Swiss Embassy will not do to those phones and SIM cards what Hillary
Clinton had done to her phones and SIM cards – the FBI found that they had been
smashed to bits with hammers!
In conclusion of his
column CAC says that another possibility is that this woman may have been
motivated to do this by some outside party without the knowledge of the Swiss
embassy. He claims that there seems to be a close connection between the LTTE
groups in Switzerland, the UNP, the TNA and the Swiss government and hence the
new Sri Lankan government will have to figure out a way to deal with this. From
the very beginning, the enemies of the Rajapaksas were the UNP and associated
political parties and the Western embassies backing them. Now that the
Rajapaksas are back with a huge mandate, naturally, these local representatives
of the global liberal mafia are doing their damnedest to undermine the new
government. We have seen this happening in other countries too where the global
liberal mafia has been conclusively defeated.
CAC in a note of
caution states that the Swiss drama which began within days of the new
President assumed office clearly shows that the Western embassies will not
allow the new government to rule the country in peace but will do their
damnedest to undermine it. In last Monday’s statement, the Swiss authorities
had indicated to the Sri Lankan authorities that it is seeking ‘a common and
constructive way forward’ to resolve the security incident. This position has
been reiterated in the statement issued by the Swiss authorities on Thursday as
well. What is the resolution that the Swiss are seeking? If they want to have
legal action against their local staffer stopped and permission to take her out
of the country as they have been demanding all along, that is a not a feasible
option for Sri Lanka because we would then be portrayed as the guilty party.
We have not yet
got to the bottom of who is behind all this. If the government caves into the
Swiss demands and stops legal action against this local staffer, will Sri Lanka
be left alone? Hardly likely. It will only intensify the campaign against Sri
Lanka. Thus, the only feasible option that Sri Lanka has in the present case is
to come down hard on all those involved. That will at least deter any future
gimmicks of this sort.
CAC also advises that
Sri Lanka’s economy too should turn east and the economy will have to be
oriented away from the West to the east consciously over the next few years so
that our dependency on the West is reduced and their ability to dictate terms
goes down proportionately. It is certainly true that it is only the Swiss
embassy that is involved in this spat with Sri Lanka and the other Western
embassies have not got involved. But the fact that the Swiss can get away with
what they have done up to now without international condemnation, indicates
that Sri Lanka has no future with the West and that the wisest course of action
is to look Eastwards.
The Sunday Tines
Political Editor (STPE) states that the Swiss government has issued a virtual ultimatum urging Colombo to ensure all matters
in the case of Garnier Banister Francis, their Assistant Migration Officer, be
completed on December 16. This was with the case being taken up in the Colombo
Chief Magistrate’s Court that day. In other words, the Swiss government
expected the matter to end there and the ding-dong controversy brought to a
halt and it did not work that way.
As the officially designated Assistant
Migration Officer Garnia Barrister Francis was dealing with visa and asylum
applications together with her Migration Officer, a Swiss lady. In her official
capacity, she was privy to sensitive information on those who have obtained
asylum as well as those who sought visas among related matters. This included
the case of Chief Inspector Nishantha de Silva, head of the organised crimes
division of the CID. He has now obtained asylum in Switzerland.
She had alleged that she was sexually abused
and assaulted at the teacher’s apartment by unknown men according to what she
told the CID. She had not complained to the Police because the unidentified
persons had warned that her family members would be killed. One of these men
had also pointed a pistol at her, she has alleged. This is in marked contrast.
Either in her first statement to her bosses or the later one to the CID there
was no reference to the purported abductors thrusting a pistol in her mouth.
The charge was made by former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne as if he was A
witness to this hoax drama or who was a party to the abductor gang.
The first account she gave her Ambassador and
later confirmed by his deputy, Imbach, runs completely against her version to
the CID. She has told CID that she went to the apartment of a teacher at St
Bridget’s Convent at 3 p.m. on November 25. However, she has claimed that the
incident occurred just after 5 p.m. Surveillance camera footage in the vicinity
had revealed that she had left the apartment by that time. An Uber taxi in
which she claimed she travelled had no records of that journey. The CID had
also found evidence to confirm she has told neighbours around the apartment she
lived in Maligakanda that she and her family were leaving home since they were
going abroad. Similarly, there have been many other statements that were
contradictory leaving the CID and the Attorney General’s Department to conclude
that she had fabricated the incident. Exacerbating the situation, they
confirmed, was the fact that she was in a physically and mentally fit and
proper condition. She was, however, in a confused state at times, said one
source.
From Monday, she remains in the Y” Ward of
the Remand Prison at Welikade. This ward also houses a number of female drugs
suspects whose cases are pending in courts. This came amidst reports that
alleged she was found in possession of a sim card and a mobile phone. Prison
sources said that the matter was now being investigated. Meals for Banister
Francis were being delivered from outside. It has remained a common practice
for prisoners and remand prisoners to smuggle in telephones into prisons by
bribing their way through. A group of European envoys, a diplomatic source in
Colombo said, urged Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to provide
her with reasonably better” facilities in the remand cell. He has replied that
it was possible to do so if her counsel made a formal request – a procedure
that is usually followed.
The EU envoys meeting with Minister
Gunawardena had been fixed before the Swiss saga began. The envoys took up the same
position as the Swiss government that due process” should be followed. They
asked that Banister Francis be properly protected.” The EU envoys also
complained that the local media were biased” and one sided.” Minister Gunawardena
had replied that the media in Sri Lanka were free” and the government had no
role to play in what they do, the same source said.
STPE said that according to Colombo based
western diplomats the alleged abduction centres on Chief Inspector Nishantha de
Silva of the CID. The CID denied such accusations. Another suspicion is
whether an outside party staged it with the intention of placing both President
Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the government in an awkward position. In Colombo, the
latter position has gained more substance as the investigations continue. It
has come to light that an outside party who had allegedly colluded with the
CID, has fled the country with his family. That a second person connected to
the investigations, after CI de Silva, has flown away has angered the
government leaders. ght by western countries in particular. The tragic irony is
that the new government is in accord, but for very different reasons. In the
recent years, this elite organisation of the Police department has been
politicised to such a degree it has lost its credibility and reputation. In the
past four and half years, the CID was handling a part of the so-called
high-profile cases. In reality it was against the ruling party’s opponents.
Either agreed before or otherwise, STPE points
out that the statements made by Banister Francis relate entirely to her two
claims, one to her Ambassador and the other to the CID, only over the alleged
incident. It is facts arising from this purported incident that the CID has
been reporting to the Chief Magistrate’s Court. Being a Sri Lankan citizen, she
does not enjoy any diplomatic immunity. Like all other citizens, during a
Police inquiry where they are required to make a statement, they would have to
sign it to affirm its authenticity. There is a paradoxical situation here.
Mindful of any undertaking given, or on their
own volition to avoid accusations, CID detectives appear not to have dealt with
the CI de Silva affaire during the interrogation – the sole cause why Bannister
Francis claims she was purportedly molested sexually and assaulted. If the CID
did so, answers to some questions would have surfaced. However, the CID
complained she was not co-operating.” That would have included details like
for how long CI de Silva has the asylum application remained under
consideration, who were the parties helping him and the telephone details that
are linked. She has told investigators that her mobile phone was with the
embassy. Of course, this is not to suggest that she has to violate
confidentiality to which she is sworn into by her employers. This is only to
make clear how knotty the issue has become for the investigators.
The role of the CID has also been one of the
bones of contention between Bern and Colombo when efforts were being made to
urge the local staffer to make a statement. After protracted discussion, it was
agreed that the local lawyer representing the embassy staffer would be near
when her statement was being recorded. In addition, two embassy staffers were
also allowed to sit at a distance. They were able to see the statement being
recorded but were not within hearing distance. The government agreed to these
moves to obviate any complaints of the absence of transparency or complaints of
impropriety.
STPEAlso
reported that Ambassador Mock, once his Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, played
the role of an interlocutor shuttling among backers of Ranil Wickremesinghe,
Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena during last October’s political
crisis. He said that The Sunday Times can now reveal that
the role of a ‘peace maker’ came at the request of then President Sirisena. By
then, he had realised he had erred over the foisting of Mahinda Rajapaksa as
Prime Minister after ousting incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Supreme Court
was to later pronounce the move as unconstitutional. Envoy Mock was the second
diplomat from whom Sirisena sought help after the first person he consulted
declined To intervene.
Notwithstanding the current deadlock, it is
imperative that the government resolves the Swiss saga by ensuring that
relations reach normalcy. The pronouncements of Bern and Colombo make clear
their positions are well known. The issue over a local employee should not be
allowed to irreparably sour relations between two nations.
The recently held
presidential election, like all major elections, was a hard fought
affair. In terms of who supported whom, historical antipathy, who wanted
to remain in power and who wanted to assume power, there were
differences. Well, the candidates themselves, outside of their political
homes, were also different in the way they conducted themselves and of
course their track records. Apart from all these rather trivial
differences actually, Sajith Premadasa and Gotabaya Rajapaka had more
things in common than has been acknowledged by either or their
supporters, especially when it comes to policy issues.
Both
promised goodies. Sure, Sajith went a bit overboard with such things,
as he did with almost everything, but still, ‘welfarism’ was a key part
of both manifestos. Both
candidates said that if elected they would review all bilateral
agreements. The point of reference was the Millennium Challenge
Corporation Compact (MCC Compact). They both believe, sadly, in
growth-led development. Both, happily (the way I see things), spoke in
one voice about the legal system in the country. Apart from promising
the independence of the judiciary, due process, rule of law etc., they
both assured the electorate that the future, in terms of legal matters,
would be framed by the following: ONE COUNTRY, ONE LAW!
A
total of 6.9 million voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa while Sajith
Premadasa obtained 5.7 million votes. That’s 12.6 million. There were
altogether 35 candidates. They either echoed this vision in their
manifestos and rhetoric or were silent. In other words, at least 12.6
million people or 94.24% of the total number who cast valid votes
(52.25% for Gotabaya and 41.99% for Sajith), voted for candidates who
believed that Sri Lanka is a SINGLE COUNTRY and therefore should have
ONE LAW for all.
What does it mean, though?
Before
answering that question, let’s flag some slogans frequently tossed
around by the class-less, identity-less, religion-less saints who are
fond of blaming all ills on the majority community: ‘There should not be
a special place for Buddhism,’ ‘This is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious
country,’ ‘Article 9 should be repealed,’ ‘religion should be separated
from the state,’ ‘Sri Lanka should be a secular state.’
Fine.
First
of all, is there any county with a population at least as large as Sri
Lanka’s that is mono-ethnic, mono-religious and monolithic in terms of
political beliefs? No. We are multi-ethnic and multi-religious. Should
the fact be enshrined in a constitution? Should we also say ‘Sri Lanka
is an island?’ No. Should we say ‘In Sri Lanka there are men and women?’
No. More importantly, if you are really fixated with this
multi-religious, multi-ethnic wording, the you have to insert the
numbers as well, for clarity if not for anything else. Otherwise,
the impression given is that the population is equally divided into
ethnic groups and religious communities, much like how the use of the
words ‘North’ and ‘South’ during Sri Lanka’s long struggle against
terrorism gave the mischievous impression that Sinhalese and Tamils were
equal in numerical strength and that the relevant ‘homelands’ could be
demarcated by drawing a horizontal line perpendicular to the half way
point in a line connecting Devundara and Point Pedro.
What
Gotabaya and Sajith (and other candidates) promised is that there would
be a single corpus of laws. In other words, what applies to a Sinhalese
would apply to a Tamil, what applies to a Hindu would apply to a
Muslim, etc. In other words, the fundamental concept of ‘Equality’
should be applied across the board.
The
next question is ‘what IS this One Law”?’ C.V. Wigneswaran delivering
the Kanthaiah Sivanantham Memorial lecture about a decade ago
vociferously defended the Thesawalamai Law. He maintained that it would
protect even non-Tamils who purchase property in areas that come under
this law. Well, it is arguable that there could be laws that help
strengthen community integrity. If that’s the case, such laws could
cover the entire country. The same would go for, say, Sharia Law or the
Kandyan Marriage Law. We don’t have to throw away the Muslim Marriage
and Divorce Ordinance. We could expand its ambit to cover all religious
communities and atheists too!
Alternatively,
and this seems to be the most logical course of action, all such
regional, ethnicity or religion based laws should be repealed. What
applies in the general should not be trumped by the specific.
But
then again, horror of horrors (some might whine), wouldn’t that hurt
customs, religious practices and culture of some communities? Well,
there’s give and take. There’s having the cake and trying to eat it too.
You want ‘secular’? Fine. You want ‘secular’ for some but not for
others? No. The truth is that there is celebration of specificity and
there’s also abuse of specificity.
What
is held sacrosanct by each religious community should not be brushed
aside. Agreed. However, it is humbuggery of the highest order to demand
sensitivity (and secularism) in the name of
reconciliation and co-existence and then use sensitivity as a cover to
chop off other people’s noses so you can have more room to flex your
muscles ‘freely’.
There’s
something wrong, for example, in saying ‘equal rights for all
communities, but not when it comes to gender,’ using these ‘sensitive’
religious ‘edicts’.
These
are not easily resolved, of course. All the more reason for these
issues to be widely debated and taken seriously, instead of taking the
easy path of, say, repealing Article 9 (but leaving Thesavalamai, MMDC
and the Kandyan Marriage Laws untouched, [Aha!].’
Religious
freedom is non-negotiable. The parameters of ‘religion’ need to be
fixed, though. You cannot have a set of laws that has any reasonable
degree of integrity if there are ‘religious’ caveats through which
certain people can creep through but others cannot. Religious
communities in a ‘multi-religious’ (that term!) nation cannot have it
all for this would mean, theoretically, that in the name of religion
certain groups can enjoy privileges that are denied other religious
groups, or that women of a particular faith are subjugated in specific
ways in which others are not.
Religious
holidays tell the story best. There are 13 Buddhist holidays, three for
Hindus, 54 for Christians and three for Muslims. Hold on, there’s more. Muslims
are given two hours of leave from 1 pm every Friday. That’s the
equivalent of 13 work days if you want to be mathematically clinical
about such things. During the Ramadan period, Muslims have the privilege
of obtaining ‘special leave’ to take part in prayers. A Muslim woman is
given leave of four months and ten days in the event her husband dies
and three months following divorce.
If
you want ‘One country, one law,’ and if you want Sri Lanka to be
‘secular,’ then this religion-fixation should be dissolved. If you are a
devout adherent to a religious faith, it’s fine. Just do it on your
time. Take leave to observe sil.
Take leave on Good Friday and Christmas. Take short-leave to go to the
mosque. Take leave for Ramadan. Take leave and grieve if your husband
passes away. Take leave if you find it hard to deal with divorce.
The
best would be to apportion a certain number of days under ‘Religious
Leave’ (which could be broken down to hours if needed) for everyone,
just like Annual Leave, Sick Leave and Short-Leave.
If
you want to leave such things as they are and at the same time beat
your chest and stamp your foot for secularism, you are indulging in the
worst kind of buffoonery. As things stand, it’s all about having the
cake and eating it. It boils down to removing Article 9 (which, in any
case, is negated by Articles 10 and 14), whacking Buddhists and allowing
other religious communities to entrench the privileged positions
already enshrined in the Constitution.
Well,
the people have spoken, haven’t they? We are talking of 12.6 million
(or 94.24% of those who voted). They subscribe to the ONE COUNTRY, ONE
VOTE notion. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has the mandate. And the
United National Party (UNP) is honor-bound to support implementation.
This article was first published in the ‘SUNDAY MORNING’ [December 22, 2019]malindasenevi@gmail.com. www.malindawords.blogspot.com
A warrant has been issued by the Colombo Additional Magistrate to arrest former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne.
The Attorney General Dappula De Livera has instructed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to obtain an arrest warrant from court and arrest former minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne following investigations regarding the ‘white van’ press conference.
The UNP MP had filed a fresh affidavit yesterday with regard to his second anticipatory bail application seeking to prevent his arrest by the CID.
On November 10 this year, Senaratne had called the said press conference, which was attended by two persons named Anthony Douglas Fernando and Athula Sanjeewa Madanayake.
During the briefing, the duo had made controversial statements and allegations regarding white vans” and purported incidents of certain abductions, assassinations, robberies and forced disappearances during the administration of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
One of them had claimed that he was a white van” driver involved in abducting people while the other claimed he once served as a driver to transport a stock of gold in previously LTTE-held areas.
On December 02, the CID presented a submission to the Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne regarding the said media briefing.
Considering a request made by the CID, the chief magistrate had ordered several media institutions to submit the unedited video footage from this press conference to the investigators for onward probes.
The investigations in this regard were launched after a complaint was lodged by an individual named Kumudu Pradeep Sanjeewa Perera.
The CID later arrested the two individuals in question and detained them for 72 hours for onward interrogations.
The duo was subsequently produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate, who delivered an order to remand them until December 27.
MP Patalie Champika Ranawaka who was in remand in connection with a motor accident that injured a youth at Rajagiriya in 2016 has been released on bail this morning.
When MP Ranawaka was produced before the court, Colombo Additional Magistrate Kanchana Neranjani Silva ordered to release the MP on a 25 thousand cash bail and two surety bails of 500 thousand rupees each.
The Magistrate also ordered the MP not to influence the witnesses.
Colombo, December 24 (News 1st): General Daya Ratnayake has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA). The Ministry of Ports and Shipping stated that the appointment letter has already been given to Gen.
General Daya Ratnayake was the 20th Sri Lanka Army Commander. The appointment of a former army man as the SLPA chairman indicates President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s concern for national security.
He won the November 16, Lankan Presidential election ensuring scurity in the aftermath of the April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday blasts set off by a Jehadi suicide squad to kill nearly 300 civilians in hotels and churches in various parts of the island including Colombo..
Recently, the President had expressed concern over some security issues in the Hambantota port which is a joint venture with a Chinese state owned company.
By Tang Lu, Shiran Illanperuma and Chen Jian Courtesy NewsIn.Asia
Colombo, December 24 (Xinhua): It was early in the morning as 25-year-old Harshana Tennekoon zipped across southern Sri Lanka’s Hambantota International Port (HIP) in his hatchback to welcome the first roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ship of the day.
The massive vessel, carrying automobiles manufactured in India and destined for markets as far off as South Africa and Cuba, dwarfed Tennekoon.
Armed with a walkie talkie, hardhat and reflective vest, the young duty manager-in-training must oversee a team of around 90, who would spend the next few hours discharging the ship’s load and preparing it for the next leg of the journey.
It was a painstaking process, requiring precision, coordination and collective effort. But under Tennekoon’s supervision, the team worked like a well-oiled machine, able to discharge over 120 vehicles in an hour.
This is Tennekoon’s first job, of which his parents are quite proud. He joined the HIP in December 2017, shortly after the management of the port was transferred to the Hambantota International Ports Group (HIPG), a joint-venture between the China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPH) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).
For Tennekoon, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I love this job,” he told Xinhua in mid-December when the Hambantota Port was celebrating the second anniversary since its operations were given on a 99-year lease to the HIPG.
My aim is to go as far as I can in this industry,” he said.
A female employee from the Hambantota International Ports Group (HIPG) provides meals to students at Samudraramaya Buddhist temple located just a few meters away from the entrance of Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, May 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Tang Lu)
Catalyst For Local Development
A master plan for developing industries around the Hambantota Port, undertaken by an international group of companies, has almost been finalized, said Ravindra Jayawickrema, CEO of HIPG subsidiary Hambantota International Port Services.
Once the plan is finalized, the port operator HIPG will go to the market to attract investors to set up export-oriented manufacturing to take advantage of the Hambantota Port’s free port policy and strategic access to an international shipping lane in the Indian Ocean located just 10 nautical miles (18.5 km) south of the port.
Along with industrial development, the port operator hoped to catch the container overflow from the congested Port of Colombo and develop Hambantota’s bunkering and fuel supply operations once the tank farm comes into operation early next year, Jayawickrema said.
Sri Lanka lies between Singapore and Fujairah, two of the largest fuel depots in the world that supply over 60 million tonnes of fuel per year. We are trying to tap into that market to a certain extent,” he said. He came to work in a relatively underdeveloped Hambantota just four months ago after quitting a job in the capital Colombo. Thanks to the port I now have a good income in my hometown and I can stay with my family,” said Kumara.
Kumara’s story is not unusual at the Hambantota Port. According to HIPG General Manager Human Resources Jeevan Premasara, 97 percent of the staff at the port are Sri Lankans, and 67 percent are recruited from Hambantota and surrounding districts.
The HIPG has been working closely with Sri Lanka’s National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) to upgrade facilities and provide training in port operations.
HIPG CEO Ray Ren, who worked at CMPH flagship port in south China’s Shenzhen for 10 years before coming to Sri Lanka, said the company is committed to providing training and skill transfer to local young workers.
There are a lot of talents and potential in Sri Lanka,” he said.
Giving Back To Local Communities
Thero Karunasena, a monk from the Samudraramaya Buddhist temple located just a few meters away from the entrance of Hambantota Port, rested under a sacred bodhi tree after conducting weekly religious classes for some 100 local children.
Two years ago, I received less than half that number of students, but things changed when the HIPG began providing us with free breakfasts for children,” Karunasena said.
Hambantota used to be one of the poorest regions in Sri Lanka, with economic activity restricted to artisanal fishing and seasonal agriculture. But the emergence of Hambantota Port has provided many opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
In the past there were no jobs and no infrastructure, but today locals employed at the port benefit from a steady monthly income and their hard earned money circulates in the village,” said Karunasena.
Thanks to automobile imports from the port, vehicle repair shops have mushroomed in the area. In Ambalantota, the closest town to the port, locals supplement their income by renting rooms to workers and starting restaurants to feed new visitors.
Students welcome guests attending the inauguration of a new school building at the Tissapura Junior School in Weerawila, Sri Lanka, Oct. 18, 2019. (Xinhua/Tang Lu)
In October, the China Merchants Charity Foundation donated a two-story building equipped with a computer room, music room and library to the Tissapura Junior School in Weerawila.
The project was the result of consultations between school principal A. H. Weerakeerthi and HIPG CEO Ren.
A young girl named Nethma declared the inauguration of the building as her happiest day”, saying that the new environment would make her studies more productive.
The company has donated supplies to locals displaced by heavy floods and supported local healthcare initiatives, including paying for free cataract surgeries. It also offered financial assistance to beach clean-ups and elephant and turtle conservation.
At first people were misled by rumors about losing their land, but now their attitude is more positive. They see how this port benefits them and their children,” Karunasena said, reflecting on HIPG’s contribution to local communities since 2017.
Debt Trap” Hype Dismissed
The Hambantota Port has witnessed remarkable growth since operations were leased to the HIPG and received steady support and praise from Sri Lankan leaders.
In December 2017 when the management was transferred to the HIPG, then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the port fits in with Sri Lanka’s own vision of transforming into a hub in the Indian Ocean.”
More recently, new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa dismissed a debt trap” hyped up by some Western media, saying that Sri Lanka is committed to strengthening ties with China for mutual benefit.
We are very confident that Sri Lanka can very clearly repay the loans for the Hambantota Port and other development projects. Today, the economy has collapsed but when we rebuild it, paying back loans won’t be a question,” Rajapaksa told Xinhua in an interview earlier this month.
Sri Lanka’s debt problem was not created by China, said Local scholar Dushni Weerakoon and Sisira Jayasuriya, professor of economics at Australia’s Monash University. Chinese loans comprise merely about 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s total foreign debt, they said in a co-authored article.
As for the 99-year lease of the Hambantota Port, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa clarified on Thursday that he would not renegotiate the commercial agreement of the project that had already been signed.
According to data gathered by the HIPG, the port has seen a 60-percent growth in volumes from 2018 and a threefold increase from 2017.
For CEO of HIPG subsidiary Hambantota International Port Services Jayawickrema, the outlook is positive. We see the future to be very promising,” he said.
(Video reporter: Tang Lu; Video editor: Liu Xiaorui)
Vega is powered by a 300 kw battery pack which gives it a range of 240 kilometers
Colombo, December 23 (HTAuto) – Beautiful beaches, mild weather and rich cultural legacy are what are synonymous with Sri Lanka. Having its very own supercar then, is quite the contrasting picture that a company called CodeGen is trying to paint.
CodeGen is a Sri Lankan company that is in the final stages of preparing its very own electric luxury supercar called Vega that promises to put not just the island nation but south Asia firmly on the global automotive map. And on paper at least, the car has a lot working for it to make it a serious rival to anything that the competition has in its arsenal.
According to the company’s website, Vega is world-class high-performance electric vehicle that is a ‘pioneering venture’ that would be the first-ever such vehicle to be developed and manufactured in Sri Lanka. Harsha Subasinghe, chief executive of CodeGen, was recently quoted in a report by Xinhua as saying that the project was taken up as a way of giving an opportunity to young Sri Lankans who are keen to have ingeniously made supercars in the country. We are ready to do something new for our country. I am sure it will be a product that will make all Sri Lankans really proud,” he said.
Harsha further claimed that the Vega is powered by a 300 kw battery pack which gives it a range of 240 kilometers. It reportedly does zero to 100 kmph in just 3.1 seconds and produces 900 bhp of peak power figures. The car is being developed in Sri Lanka with the help of numerous partners.
Vega photo courtesy: CodeGen
CodeGen says the car is currently in the final stages of testing and could be showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in April of 2020.
While Vega could be a strong statement from CodeGen and Sri Lanka about the prowess of south Asian companies and entrepreneurs, the challenge of providing supporting infrastructure to electric cars remains clear and present in many countries in the region.
A number of established car companies, with all their expertise and resources, are only now taking up the task of adding electric cars to their product portfolios. While China remains the largest market, Europe and the United States too is slowly catching up. India has also given impetus to electric mobility with a number of manufacturers now gearing up to drive in their electric offerings.
Leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) and UPFA parliamentarian Dinesh Gunawardena receiving his letter of appointment as the minister of foreign relations from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (Pic courtesy President’s media)
One-time Sri Lankan Ambassador in Qatar, A.S.P. Liyanage, was among those who contested the 2019 presidential election. Of the 35 contestants, Liyanage polled 6,447 votes (0.05 per cent). The Sri Lanka Labour Party leader secured the 20th position and was among 33 out of 35 contestants who failed to save their deposits. A section of the media ridiculed Liyanage after he was pictured, in Oct 2018, welcoming Yoshitha Rajapaksa and Rohitha Rajapaksa at the Hamad International Airport, Qatar, and carrying their bags. The former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s sons were there with the CH and FC rugby team for a match. Another political appointee, Ruwan Danansooriya, on the Qatar Embassy staff was pictured pushing a trolley, loaded with visitors’ bags.
The entrepreneur received important diplomatic posting, in early March 2017, courtesy of the then President Maithripala Sirisena. During the Rajapaksa administration, Liyanage served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Nigeria.
Previously Chairman/MD of the ASP Group, Liyanage contested the presidential polls, in 2010 and 2015. The chubby businessman received 0.14 and 0.12 per cent, of the votes, respectively.
Liyanage was just one political appointee cleared by the so called High Posts Committee of Parliament. Successive governments packed Lankan overseas missions with political appointees. It would be pertinent to mention that President Sirisena gave Liyanage a top diplomatic posting, though the man actually pleaded for a Governorship.
Diplomatic appointments, received by Liyanage, reflected the crisis in the Foreign Service, struggling to cope up with growing challenges. Obviously, in this land like no other, anyone can not only secure a top diplomatic posting, but also seek the highest office in the country.
Passenger Transport and Power and Energy Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, on Dec 19, declared that they couldn’t be satisfied with services rendered by those serving our diplomatic service overseas. Amaraweera found fault with successive governments for accommodating defeated candidates and retired public servants in the Foreign Service. Alleging that the Foreign Service had pathetically failed to serve Sri Lanka’s interests abroad, the SLFPer expressed confidence that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would uplift the Foreign Service.
Hambantota District lawmaker Amaraweera owed an explanation as to why he waited so long to take up the contentious issue. Amaraweera cannot be unaware that all heads of missions are cleared by the Parliamentary High Posts Committee. Did Amaraweera ever oppose a political appointment made at the expense of career diplomats? In fact, the then President Sirisena cleared the way for A.S.P. Liyanage to take over the Qatar mission when Amaraweera was serving the UNP-UPFA yahapalana coalition, which betrayed the Sri Lankan military at the Geneva-based Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Oct 2015.
Post-Swiss Embassy incident study
on challenges
The writer recently had an opportunity to examine failures on the part of successive governments, regarding high profile accusations, with the focus on the Foreign Ministry. Touchy issues were discussed against the backdrop of two recent incidents, involving the Swiss Embassy, in Colombo. The Swiss accommodating Inspector Nishantha Silva on its political asylum programme and Swiss Ambassador Hanspeter Mock alleging on behalf of Embassy worker Garnia Banister Francis, that she was abducted on Nov 25, the day after Inspector Silva left the country.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government acted swiftly, and decisively, to counter the high profile Western project. Veteran politician Dinesh Gunawardena, who had never held the foreign affairs portfolio, handled the situation well, with Foreign Secretary Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha playing a significant role. There had never been a previous instance of Sri Lanka successfully countering such a high profile propaganda project meant to undermine the government.
The Swiss operation took President Gotabaya Rajapaksa government by surprise though the new administration responded admirably. Had the government succumbed to Western pressure, the country would have been in serious trouble. Instead, Ambassador Aryasinha, accompanied by Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne, on Dec 01, 2019, set the record straight at a meeting with Ambassador Mock. Whatever the Swiss say, their project has been exposed.
Foreign Relations Minister Gunawardena can be quite rightly satisfied with the ministry’s performance. President Rajapaksa appointed attorney-at-law Susil Premajayantha as State Minister for International Cooperation. In the absence of a deputy minister, Premajayantha functions as the deputy minister while being called State Minister for International Cooperation. Interestingly, there are no deputy ministers in Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government. In addition to 16 cabinet ministers, including Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa, there are 39 State Ministers. The government owed public/media an explanation as to why there are two ministers to handle the vital subject split into Foreign Relations and International Cooperation. Let there be no confusion.
At the onset of Eelam War IV, in August 2006, top SLFPer Mangala Samaraweera handled the subject. In early 2007, Rohitha Bogollagama replaced Samaraweera. After the conclusion of the war, in May 2009, and following the April 2010 general election, Prof. G.L. Peiris took over the ministry. One-time UNPer Bogollagama, couldn’t secure a place in parliament, at the first general election, after the end of the war. Prof. Peiris, who functioned as the leader of the then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe’s delegation for talks with the LTTE in terms of the CFA, finalized in Feb 2002, served as the external affairs minister till the change of government, in January 2015.
The 2015 change of government brought Mangala Samaraweera back to the Foreign Ministry. Having received the backing of the four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to install Maithripala Sirisena as the President, the UNP-SLFP combine, aka yahapalana government, co-sponsored the accountability resolution at the UNHRC, on Oct 01, 2015. In spite of President Sirisena repeatedly claiming that his approval hadn’t been obtained for the controversial move, he did nothing during his five-year term to reverse the process.
The Foreign Relations Ministry should at least now undertake a thorough examination of past events/disputed policy decisions. Although President Sirisena and many others blamed Samaraweera for the Geneva betrayal, the then minister couldn’t be faulted for implementing yahapalana policies. Had Samaraweera acted unilaterally, President Sirisena and Premier Wickremesinghe should have had the guts to thwart his plans. Sri Lanka suffered for the failure on the part of the top political leadership. Sri Lanka endorsed the Geneva resolution in spite of the then Sri Lanka Permanent Representative in Geneva Ambassador Aryasinha strongly objecting to it at an informal session attended by Western governments. Samaraweera dismissed Aryasinha’s concerns and was instructed to finalize the resolution. Samaraweera couldn’t be faulted for the Geneva co-sponsorship. Instead, the yahapalana administration, led by President Sirisena and Premier Wickremesinghe, should accept responsibility for the Geneva betrayal.
During Sirisena’s presidency, four held the foreign ministry portfolio: Ravi Karunanayake succeeded Samaraweera, in May 2017, before him being removed in early August 2017 amidst the media furor over Treasury bond scams perpetrated in Feb 2015 and March 2016. One time Attorney General Tilak Marapana succeeded Karunanayake, in early August 2017. Having sacked the cabinet in late Oct 2018, President Sirisena placed the foreign ministry under Dr. Sarath Amunugama during what is dubbed as a 51-day government. Thanks to the judicial intervention, Marapana regained the foreign ministry in Dec 2018. The top lawyer held the ministry until one-time Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa convincingly defeated UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa who contested the 2019 presidential poll on the New Democratic Front (NDF), under the ‘swan’ symbol.
Had Premadasa won the presidency, Nishantha Silva, along with his wife and children, wouldn’t have sought political asylum in Switzerland and there was no requirement for the Swiss Embassy drama, orchestrated by interested parties. The UNP, too, had a role to play. No less a person than President Gotabaya Rajapaksa referred to a statement issued by defeated presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa as well as Dr. Rajitha Senaratne. Dr. Senaratne caused media furor by declaring that the abducted Swiss Embassy worker had a pistol trusted in her mouth.
President Rajapaksa assured Ambassador Mock, on Dec 16, that the alleged incident never took place. The President repeated what Ambassador Aryasinha told Mock on Dec 01 when he presented the findings of high profile investigation to the Swiss envoy.
The government earned the wrath of Western powers for its handling of the Swiss issue. Having conveniently forgotten the Swiss, accommodating Inspector Nishantha, they blamed President Rajapaksa’s administration going public with the Francis issue. President Rajapaksa didn’t mince his words when he pointed out to those who expressed concern over the media coverage as to how Garnia’s unsubstantiated allegations ended up in the New York Times as if it was the factual truth, even before Ambassador Mock complained, in writing, having met Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. US President Trump appears to be quite justified in accusing the NYT of repeatedly publishing fake news.
In fact, high profile international media coverage exposed the Swiss project. The Foreign Relations Ministry addressed the Swiss issue commendably, amidst another serious matter caused by the Conservative Party ahead of the UK general election, on Dec 12, 2019. On the instructions from Colombo, High Commissioner Manisha Gunasekera strongly reacted to the Conservative proposal for a two-state solution in Sri Lanka. The HC objected to the Conservative declaration: “We will continue to support international initiatives to achieve reconciliation, stability and justice across the world, and in the former conflict zones such Cyprus, Sri Lanka and the Middle East, where we maintain our support for the two-state solution. The Conservatives made their move at the same time Westminster Magistrate’s court delivered a ruling against Brigadier Priyanka Fernando in respect of him allegedly making a threatening gesture at LTTE supporters, who were shouting abuse against the country in front of our London High Commission, while openly waving Tiger flags. The Foreign Relations Ministry, in a statement issued on Dec 07, 2019, titled ‘Foreign Ministry comments on the judgment in the case of Brigadier Priyanka Fernando,’ without hesitation pointed out the ruling was given on the eve of the UK election general election.
It would have been better if the statement was aptly titled ‘Foreign Relations Ministry comments on the judgment in the case of Brigadier Priyanka Fernando.’ There shouldn’t be confusion over how the ministry is named and a State Minister under a different title.
Negligence on the part of past governments
The failed Swiss move, and Sri Lanka’s spirited response, should be examined against the backdrop of past Foreign/External Affairs Ministry failures. The sharp change in Sri Lanka’s response can be safely attributed to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s policy.
The writer, attending the workshop at the Sri Lanka College of Journalism, on Dec 21, 2019, briefly discussed as to how Sri Lanka pathetically failed to exploit Lord Naseby’s contradiction of the UN war crimes charges in Oct 2017, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) bid to deceive the public, in 2007, with regard to war casualties (2002-2007), exposure of those propagating lies over Mannar mass graves early this year, soon after Geneva alleged there could be more secret graves, appearance of a man in Tamil Nadu alleged to have been killed by the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), in late 2009, Australia providing a new identity to one-time leading JVP activist, Kumar Gunaratnam and a missing LTTE child soldier appearing in an award-winning French movie, the then Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran accusing the army of poisoning 104 ex-LTTE cadres in government custody and wartime accusations directed at the Navy over what was dubbed as Kanyakumari killings (in Indian waters).
The writer also compared the handling of the situation caused by the Swiss and Sri Lanka’s failure to exploit disclosure of secret talks the UN mission in Colombo had with the LTTE in 2007. Had the Rajapaksa government bothered to examine what was happening on the ground, the country would be in a much better position to counter propaganda offensives directed against our political and military leadership. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been any effort on Sri Lanka’s part to inquire into /oppose Labour Party MP, Siobhain McDonagh’s declaration, in the UK parliament in Sept. 2011, that the Sri Lankan military killed 100,000 Tamils, including 60,000 civilians, in the final phase of the war.
Another Labour Party MP Joan Ryan once functioned as former Chief Executive and Policy Advisor of UK headquartered Global Tamil Forum (GTF). The LTTE enjoyed an extremely close relationship with the GTF. Tiger ideologue/advisor Anton Balasingham lived in the UK. Having bestowed UK citizenship on Balasingham, one-time Veerakesari staffer and British High Commission employee, the British provided the terrorist leader protection, until his death in Dec 2006. Balasingham’s murderous outfit had its International Secretariat in London without impediment. Even after the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, in early August 2005, the UK allowed Balasingham and his Australian-born wife, Adele, to conduct talks on behalf of the LTTE. Thanks to Wiki Leaks, the secret talks a high level Norwegian delegation had with Balasingham in the immediate aftermath of the Kadirgamar assassination is in the public domain.
Mrs. Balasingham, who participated in the LTTE passing out parades and even presented cyanide capsules to terrorists, lives in the UK. Those who moved court against Brigadier Fernando for allegedly making a threatening gesture never challenged the British over Adele, who nurtured the female Tiger cadres with cyanide capsules, living there.
Sri Lanka paid a very high price for ignoring Lord Naseby’s Oct 2017 disclosure made possible by the UK Freedom of Information Act 2000. The revelation could have been effectively used to counter the primary UN allegation that over 40,000 civilians perished as a result of the Vanni offensive. In an exclusive interview with the writer, in September 2019, in Colombo, Lord Naseby said that he was deeply disappointed by Sri Lanka’s failure to use his disclosure, based on wartime dispatches sent from British High Commission in Colombo to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to defend her armed forces.
The writer also asserted that the war-winning Rajapaksa administration owed the public an explanation as to why US defence attaché Lt. Colonel Lawrence Smith’s far reaching comments, at the inaugural Colombo Defence Seminar, in respect of what was dubbed as white flag killings and other accusations, were never properly used. Instead the Rajapaksa administration squandered millions of USD on PR firms under questionable circumstances. Such hare brained projects never brought any benefit to Sri Lanka. The political leadership bypassed the Foreign Ministry. Actually an inquiry is required to establish the amount of funds spent on costly foreign PR firms and to find out the truth.
The US sustained the project against Sri Lanka until the yahapalana lot betrayed the military, in Geneva, in Oct 2015. In spite of the US quitting the UNHRC, in June 2018, calling the Geneva body ‘a cesspool of political bias’ Sri Lanka remained committed to the process initiated by the US on behalf of the British, Norway et al.
The circumstances under which the US got involved in the Geneva process, having backed the then General Sarath Fonseka at the 2010 presidential election, should be examined against the backdrop of Western and Indian concerns over the Rajapaksas’ relationship with China.
With the US-Japan-India coalition taking on China, Sri Lanka should be mindful of the previous Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government entering into a Comprehensive Partnership with Japan, in Oct 2015. Stepped up Japanese diplomatic initiatives should be viewed in the right context. It would be relevant to mention President Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently received an invitation from Tokyo for an official visit.
A thorough examination of all bilateral agreements, entered into and to be signed, is necessary without further delay. There is no point in denying that Sri Lanka had entered into ACSA (Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement) during Sirisena’s presidency and the change of government took place in Nov 2019 when the previous government was having talks with the US on MCC (Millennium Challenge Corporation) and SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement).
Having played politics with the US issue, the new government finds itself in an unenviable situation. Defeated presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa recently called for the abrogation of ACSA and doing away with talks on MCC and SOFA. It would be the responsibility of the government of the day to take decisions in consultations with political parties represented in the parliament.
Foreign relations should not be undermined by party politics. During the workshop, the writer also recalled the presence of the then Sri Lankan Ambassador in Washington, top career diplomat Prasad Kariyawasam, at an event in June 2016 when TNA lawmaker Sumanthiran disclosed the reaching of an agreement on foreign judges in terms of the Geneva resolution. The head of mission cannot be faulted for following the government policy. Jaffna District MP Sumanthiran wouldn’t have made such a declaration without having specific guarantee from the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration with regard to foreign judges. Although we are being repeatedly told foreign judges, as well as security sector reforms, insisted by the so-called international community, wouldn’t be implemented, the Geneva resolution remains unchanged.
It would be the responsibility of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration with Minister Gunawardena’s ministry to set the record straight. The writer believes Sri Lanka should seek a comprehensive review of the Geneva resolution on the basis of Lord Naseby’s disclosure, Wiki Leaks revelations, pertaining to the war, June 2011, the US statement, as well as a still confidential UN report, prepared by the UN during the Vanni offensive. It placed the number of deaths (both LTTE and civilians) at 7,721 and the wounded at 18,479 during the period Aug 2008 to May 13, 2009. Sri Lanka never pushed the UN to examine its own report, based on information provided by those who lived in the North. Instead, the June 2011 report, released by a three-member Panel of Experts (PoE), which prohibited examination of accusations made by unknown persons was accepted. Based on that report, not open to any form of scrutiny, till 2031, Sri Lanka was blamed for deliberately killing 40,000. Lord Naseby convincingly countered these accusations. Let us hope the new government makes a comprehensive presentation in Geneva, next March 2020, to clear its name.
Let me end this piece by inviting those concerned to peruse career diplomat Chanaka Talpahewa’s ‘Peaceful Intervention in intra-State conflicts: Norwegian involvement in the Sri Lanka peace process’ to understand as to how foreign ‘interventions’ could jeopardize a country. Sri Lanka is a case in point.
Having terminated Enterprise Sri Lanka loan scheme and Gamperaliya launched by the previous UNP-led coalition to spur economic growth at electorate level, the new government announced a new initiative to develop villages.
In accordance with the latest development initiate, the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government will allocate Rs. 2 mn each to 14,021 villages next year, whereas in terms of the Gamperaliya project, the previous government provided Rs 300 mn apiece to electorates.
The UNP launched Enterprise Sri Lanka and Gamparaliya in August and September 2018, respectively, in the wake of the debilitating setback it suffered at the Feb 2018 Local Government polls.
Responding to a query, sources said that a thorough assessment of Gamperaliya and Enterprise Sri Lanka was yet to be made.
Both projects were suspended immediately after the then President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The UNP resumed both projects after Wickremesinghe regained the premiership in Dec, 2018.
According to the Finance Ministry, the cabinet recently approved funds amounting Rs 28,042 mn for the project. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the minister of finance, economy and policy development has proposed the project.
The Finance ministry said that the project would be subjected to government procurement procedures and financial regulations.
The government intends to launch village-level projects in January 2020 and complete them before end of Nov, same year.
The government has directed the formation of civil committees at village level with the relevant development officer as the convener to spearhead the projects.
The Finance Ministry has set Dec 27 deadline for formation of committees and handing over of project proposals were to be completed by Dec 31, 2019, the ministry said.
Economic and Policy Development State Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne briefed local government representatives of the new development initiative. Minister Seneviratne advised those responsible not to undertake projects which required approval from various state institutions such as the Wildlife Department. The minister said that four villages could get together to implement a project if all committees could agree on a desired project.
Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila said today former minister Patali Champika Ranawaka was not arrested in connection with a mere traffic offence as claimed by UNP MPs but over several allegations.
He told a news briefing that UNP MPs Ajith P Perera and Nalin Bandara had said Mr. Ranawaka was remanded over a minor traffic offence which could have ended up in a fine.
“According to what transpired in Court, Mr. Ranawaka was arrested for reckless driving and other serious allegations levelled against him. Fleeing the scene of the accident, misguiding the Court by producing someone else as the one who drove the car at the time of the accident, threatening the witnesses, destroying evidence and obstructing the duties of the police personnel are other allegations against him. That’s why he was remanded,” Mr. Gammanpila said.
He said attempts were being made to intimidate the friends of the victim of the Rajagiriya accident to prevent them from giving evidence in Court.
That is why a complaint was lodged at the police station that the youth, including the victim, involved in the Rajagiriya accident was riding motorcycles with engine capacity exceeding 1000 CC. If there is no ulterior motive, why make a complaint after four years of silence. Police should take action against the bogus complainants for intimidating the witnesses,” the MP said.
He said the conduct of the Speaker in the aftermath of Mr. Ranawaka’s arrest was biased and that no law, circular or tradition had been violated when carrying out the arrest.
The Speaker has visited the MP in prison. Eleven of our MPs were remanded but he never visited any of them or issued a statement. The Speaker says that Mr. Ranawaka’s arrest was erroneous. However, according to the circular issued by IGP on April 10, 2015, the Speaker should be informed immediately after or before the arrest of an MP. I repeat it says ‘immediately after or before the arrest.’ This means the Speaker can be informed after an arrest is made. The police have however informed the Deputy Speaker about an hour prior to the arrest,” the MP said.
TNA media spokesman parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran said that the reports stating that the TNA will be supporting the UNP to form a UNP government at the next general election are completely false
He stated that his party has not taken such a decision so far.
The media had reported stating that the MP made a statement in this regard after a meeting held at the TNA office in Kayts last Sunday.
However, he said that he was not in the Northern Province on that day.
The Pivithuru Hela Urumaya states that MP Patali Champika Ranawaka’s supporters should be arrested for making false complaints to intimidate the youth that was seriously injured in the Rajagiriya accident that took place in 2016, and his friends
The Leader of the party MP Udaya Gammanpila made this statement participating at a media briefing held in Colombo today.
Colombo Additional Magistrate Bandara Nelumdeniya issued an arrest warrant for the arrest of MP Rajitha Senaratne, today.
The Attorney General’s Coordinator, State Counsel Nisara Jayaratne stated that the order was issued by court after considering the submissions made by the Criminal Investigation Department and the Attorney General’s Department.
The Attorney General had instructed the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department to obtain a warrant pertaining to the White Van media conference investigations and to arrest the Member of Parliament
Attorney General instructs CID to arrest MP Rajitha Senaratne
Attorney General’s Coordinating Officer, State Counsel Nisara Jayaratne stated that Attorney General Dappula de Livera has instructed the Director of the CID to obtain a warrant and arrest Parliamentarian Rajitha Senaratne.
This is in relation to the investigation of the White Van press conference
The Swiss have contributed only 2 things to
human civilisation – cuckoo clocks
and secret bank accounts.
The abduction of Garnia Bannister Francis is a
total fabrication similar to the story of William Tell. Tell was a farmer who
lived about 700 years ago and was supposed to be good at shooting his cross
-bow. He shot an apple off his young son`s head and became a national hero. The
fake legend of Tell extols his marksmanship and fight against Albrecht Gessler a
dictator, but hardly any mention is made of his son’s bravery to keep the apple
on the head. Even Rossini composed an overture for William Tell. Tell’s son kept
an apple on his head on November 19, 1307. Apparently Tell killed Gessler on 25
November 1307 and so, Tell, the national hero, is sculpted in stone, in bronze,
in wax, in wood and in chocolate. In 2019 Garnia made up her story on 25
November. What a coincidence! Garnia’s story is like Swiss cheese – full of
holes.
Now, the Swiss Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr.
Mock (what an unfortunate name!) was gullible enough to believe Garnier and
thought this was a fantastic story to censure our newly elected President, his
government and Sri Lanka in general. So, what did Mock do? He started to lie
about Garnier’s health and asked Sri Lanka to follow due process. He fired
several shots at our government, but all of them missed the target – the bullets
ricochet off one of the mara trees that line Gregory’s Road (R G Senanayake
Mawatha) and hit the organ that defines Mock’s manhood. Now Mock thought he was
fully conversant with all the finer points of diplomatic protocol. However,
President Rajapaksa gave Mock a dressing down. We now have a special emissary to
patch up the Swiss f… up in Colombo. Mock is a charlatan. Actually, I do not
blame him all together but I do blame his mother for conceiving such an
imposter.
Our President did the right thing and handled
the fracas skilfully. I recommend that we make sculptures of our President in
marble and in Swiss chocolate and place them opposite the Swiss Embassy on R G
Senanayake Mawatha. President
Rajapaksa protected our international dignity and integrity. As for me, I will
shun all Swiss products till such time as the lying Swiss ambassador formally
apologises to our President and the people of Sri Lanka for the sham
orchestrated by him. When he does apologise make him persona non grata
and send him home. I urge all national minded persons to boycott all
imported Swiss products till this formal apology is given by Mock or his
surrogate. As a first step I applied some disinfectant to my Swiss watch and
threw in to the rubbish bin. Mr. Mock, I have no Swiss bank account (covert or
overt) but listen carefully – the cuckoo clock is ticking. — Rudra de
Zoysa
There are now good evidence about the complicity of the swiss embassy in the alleged abduction of its employee. While they are being investigated one other factor that has been reported is the political advisor to the swiss embassy is a son of the infamous Nimalka Fernando, the so called right woman activitist & the NGO supporter.
Nimalka is the one who took a campaign against Sri Lanka supporting Geneva resolutions.
In an interview given to CH4 she describes about death threats by the previous Rajapaksha government and Jesus Christ being her only strength.
Therefore are we naïve not to believe how a set up can be staged by these NGO groups who were severely hurt following the victory by the large Sinhala Buddhist majority and why swiss insist on objecting to the government investigations?
It is reported she is the partner of Vasudeva Nananayakkara over thirty years in an interview given in 2005. It is also well known a daughter or daughters of Vasudeva is or are married to the ex Jaffana governor who has recently reinvigorated a campaign to denounce Sinhala Buddhists.
With these facts coming to light now how with these NGOs supported groups at the right places in action, is such a Swiss saga being staged a surprise at all?
The government should openly declare these facts for the public to understand the inimical forces behind the coup.
