The allegedly abducted locally recruited Swiss Embassy staffer Garnia Banister Francis reported to the CID for the second day today
Earlier, she was produced before the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer for a medical test.
The staffer was produced before the Colombo Chief magistrate Lanka Jayarathna today.
Garnia Banister Francis reported to the CID yesterday, 14 days after the alleged incident following a court order issued on her to do so.
It was seen that an individual was covering her face while being escorted to the CID.
Meanwhile, the CID told the court that it recorded a statement from the particular woman yesterday and another statement was to be recorded today as well.
At the same time, the lawyer appearing for the allegedly abducted embassy staffer Upul Kumarapperuma said that local and foreign doctors attached to the Swiss Embassy have inspected his client after the incident.
He said according to the two doctors, his client was assaulted and was subjected to sexual harassment.
Later, the CID told the court that a report from the Colombo Judicial Medical officer was delayed as the staffer rejected to appear before a male doctor.
Responding to the lawyer of the embassy staffer the Magistrate stated that she cannot issue any order to produce his client before a female medical officer as the practice is to test such a victim by a doctor attached to the judicial medical unit.
However, the CID further said that it has made arrangements to produce the staffer before a female doctor for a medical test.
At the same time, the magistrate also ordered to provide another report of the mental condition of the Swiss embassy staffer
In addition, the magistrate extended the overseas travel ban on the embassy staffer
Meanwhile, when the Swiss Embassy staffer visited the CID yesterday, a self introduced agent of the Embassy staffer, Manjula Perera said that the Embassy staffer would issue a statement to the media today.
Manjula Perera invited the media to participate in the event to be held at an address on Barnes Place, Colombo.
Accordingly, media personnel visited the given address but neither the embassy staffer nor her agent were present there.
Later, the media personnel have shown the security guard at the place, the video on which the particular agent announced the scheduled event today
At that point, the security guard had identified the man and told journalists that neither that agent nor the embassy staffer had visited the house for the last few days.
Meanwhile, the self-imposed agent of the Swiss embassy staffer Manjula Perera has driven to the CID in a motor car registered under CAF-0165.
Our news team discovered that the vehicle is registered in an address on No.78/2, Devala Road, Makola North, Makola.
Mario Arulthas writes
to Al Jazeera on 8 Dec 2019 titled Trouble brews in post-election Sri Lanka”.
What are the concerns he raises:
He refers to Gotabaya
Rajapakse as a ‘hardliner’ exactly
what does he imply by this?
He claims ‘prospects for justice & reconciliation
between the different communities on the island lie in tatters” – can he
give examples of justice & reconciliation that were brought to success by
previous government?
He says ‘victory of Gota, sent shockwaves across the
Tamil-dominated northeast’ – can he say how many are in shock and what is
the type of shock they are suffering weeks after the victory? Are any of them
hospitalized by the shock, how many
thousands have ‘gone missing’ ‘how many thousands’ have been abducted since
16 Nov 2019?
What are the ‘war
crimes’ he is allegedly accused of – does Mario have direct proof &
evidence or is it all hearsay from 3rd party and 4th
party sources?
On what grounds did
Sajith Premadasa become the ‘lesser evil’
is it because he promised to deliver the 13 demands made by TNA, didn’t TNA ask
the same Tamil people to vote for the former President Sirisena, didn’t TNA
also ask the Tamil people to vote for Sarath Fonseka the army commander as
President in 2010, months after the same Tamils called him a war criminal! The
trend in voting was nothing that anyone was surprised over. Its just that the
Tamil leadership ensures Sinhalese do not mix with the Tamils for greater
harmony and prefer to feed Tamils with lies. This has to now change.
Oh Mario, you seem to
have got your wires crossed, Sajith was a key government minister in a
government that co-sponsored the UNHRC resolution and he didn’t even object to
LTTE getting compensation – so what crap about vowing to protect the military.
Well, suggest you check whether he is actually a practicing Buddhist or has embraced
another religion too. Lots of politicians pretend to be Buddhists for votes!
If the Western
nations can give Christian prominence and Islamic majority nations can give
premier place to Islam, there is absolutely no harm in acknowledging the
historical role of Buddhism that built this island civilization on the strength
of the dasa raja dhamma practiced by all Sinhale kings even the invader kings
that ruled Sri Lanka. By the way invader Elara was no Tamil king.
Its certainly
interesting to see Mario refer to the Swiss affair. Very soon the Swiss embassy
will be exposed for its part in a Hollywood drama. Much of the gossip
international media outlets are spreading will soon be nullified by factual
details when investigations conclude. What is worrying is an embassy keeping a
Sri Lankan national & her family inside the Swiss embassy since 25th
Nov and only bringing her to give a statement before a court order lapsed
whereby she would have been declared guilty of contempt of court for not
arriving to make a statement.
Any journalist in any
part of the world have self-censorship, while all journalists can write
sparingly against other countries, try writing damaging pieces against the
country they are domiciled/working in and certainly action will be taken by the
authorities. How many US journalists write about the US or NATO crimes or
disclose secrets happening inside the US State Dept? Every government has a
right to protect its national security interests.
As for hate speech – these
new vocabularies and terms are simply meant to silence only one party with
political correctness… how about doing a content analysis and seeing the scores
of lies and fake news based on which many of the LTTE fronts are becoming
ultra-rich, opening charities to enable them to not pay taxes and accrue more
benefits and forcing Tamils overseas to help raise ‘funds’ the Human Rights
Watch report on extortions by LTTE diaspora remain valid still.
Can Mario give any evidence
of Tamils being attacked after the elections without simply brandishing his pen?
Was it like Occupy Wall Street protestors getting attacked?
Have you Mario, tried
to remove Christian domination from Western countries or tried to erase
Islamic/Muslim dominance from OIC member states! Why not you take this same
argument to these countries and change them first. In the meanwhile, produce
evidence what the minorities do not enjoy because they are a minority what only
the majority enjoys because they are the majority without simply parroting what
others say.
‘Tamil self-rule culminated in the defeat of the LTTE’ very interesting – so Mario means to say all Tamils
were with the LTTE, then how about explaining why LTTE killed so many Tamils
and we can give a very long list for Mario to explain. Why did LTTE shoot at
fleeing Tamil civilians and kill them, there are scores of Tamils giving witness
accounts of being shot at. Why did even the UNSG appeal to the LTTE to allow
Tamil civilians to come to government controlled areas. Why not look through
all of the statements made by various international bodies appealing to the
LTTE to release Tamil civilians. So you Mario, are implying that our soldiers didn’t
save 294,000 Tamils and that they voluntarily were with the LTTE!
Mario, you are wrong
again. The UN never said anything about 70,000 deaths. UN report in Colombo gave
just over 7000 deaths which tallies with the Government death statistics. Well
activists can give any number but the least they can do is match the number
with some names or NIC or even birth certificates. Anyone can say x number died
but without even a scrap of evidence that is a very lame argument. Demanding
justice for dead without details is like that Swiss woman the embassy claimed
was abducted in a white vehicle but authorities have proved the details given didn’t
match at all with the evidence and every minute detail was given to the Swiss
leaving them obviously speechless and embarrassed and now desperately trying to
recover from their stunt.
Mario and all those
living overseas need not worry about Tamils in Sri Lanka, the government will
set up not only a structured development for all nationals but will address
their issues and NOT the issues of Tamils living overseas or Tamils holding
foreign passports. Tamil Sri Lankan problems will be addressed together with
the problems of all other communities. The GOSL will NOT solve the problems of
LTTE Diaspora though.
Again, you are wrong,
Tamils did not turn out in droves to commemorate LTTE dead which is what this
Maaveerar Naal is all about – how about commemorating the Tamils killed by LTTE
too, who is going to mourn for people like Alfred Duraiappah, Sam Tambimuttu
& wife, scores of Tamil militant leaders killed by LTTE including Mahaththaya….
Who is going to mourn for them, Mario?
Exactly what did LTTE
give the Tamil people? LTTE made $300m annual profits according to Janes
Intelligence report – did LTTE build a school, train station, roads, a kovil, a
library, a sports complex for Tamils… what did LTTE give the Tamil people? Thousands
of Tamils were given electricity for the first time by GOSL after 2009. They
were living using a kerosene lamp under LTTE rule. Some of these Tamils rescued
by the Sri Lankan troops did not even know how to brush their teeth or use a
toilet when they were put in the refugee camps. They were this backward because
of the LTTE.
The President of Sri
Lanka must address the needs of all the citizens not only one community. As you
can see a new wave of hope is taking place and negative reporting or media
releases is unlikely to change their enthusiasm – streets are getting cleaned,
walls are getting painted with all citizens joining in, trees are being
planted, our sports stars are winning gold, youth are taking to farming, the
inventors are busy thinking of ways to help – the whole country is looking
forward, we don’t need negative vibes or energies trying to disturb or disrupt
the people. Let them be.
As for devolution – 36
of the 37 subjects have been devolved since 1987 and what is the big deal you
see in 13a – we have been functioning
pretty well without provincial councils for 2 ½ years now and it is very clear
to all we don’t need the 13a.
We don’t need political changes – we need changes
beneficial to the people. This is
where media have erred in continuously drumming political solutions – we need only people’s solutions for people’s
problems.
So happy that Al
Jazeera has as disclaimer ‘views expressed in this article are the authors own
and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance’.
Mario is an Advocacy
Director of Washington-based PEARL (People for Equality and Relief in Lanka)
The aim and objective of PEARL will help understand the objective behind his
article
Our mission is to advocate for
justice and
self-determination for the Tamil people
in the North-East of
Sri Lanka.
Our vision is for a
Tamil nation
that is inclusive,
free from oppression and able to determine its own future.
For over a decade, PEARL
has been advocating for
human rights in Sri
Lanka with U.S. policy makers,
the United
Nations, European Union and
other governmental
and non-governmental organizations.
We conduct innovative research and analysis, centred in the experiences of Tamil victim-survivors, to report on key issues affecting the North-East of the island.
Oratory is based upon the noble art of rhetoric, introduced by ancient Greeks. In fact, Aristotle (384-322 B.C) wrote an entire thesis on rhetoric. In the first century A.D., rhetoric was divided in to three categories – high, middle, and low. High rhetoric should convey deep, strong, feelings using sublime language. Low rhetoric should use simple words without unnecessary frills, the middle rhetoric should not use high sounding words, but words pleasant to the ear, and should flow smoothly. None of these categories were considered of a higher order of value than the other. The idea is that the speaker should choose one of the three modes to suit the occasion and the audience.
But Longinus (first century A.D.) considered as the foremost theoretician on rhetoric, wrote his masterpiece, called ‘Peri Huspous’ on rhetoric, explaining its finer details.
He said the aim of rhetoric is to achieve sublimity, which reflects a noble mind. The speaker’s delivery in this instance should be effective. Above all, a speaker should possess, noble concepts, and strong emotions. A noble diction should be adopted, and he also said that these characteristics are in-born qualities of a true speaker. Furthermore, he should select proper, meaningful words and a proper attitude towards the audience.
How does Sajith Premadasa measure up to these qualities. At the hundred odd elections meetings he addressed; the entire content of his speeches can be reduced to two factors. His promises to deliver benefits to all and sundry, and his most evident characteristic; self-adulation.
Even on the first count, he cannot be excused by saying that all other candidates resorted to this ploy, because even on this matter he went to ridiculous extremes, beyond acceptance.
Some of his utterances are worthwhile remembering. He said he will be on the streets, all the time, moving with common people and attending to their grievances. He will visit every village, in the country, during his tenure, to understand the conditions of the people at firsthand and assist them where necessary. (By the way Sri Lanka has 19000 villages). Another one of his promises was to say that he intends to meet every disabled soldier and ameliorate his hapless conditions. One of his famous promises was to keep awake, during the major part of the day, depriving himself sleep; in order to be available for the people to contact him.
The Oxford English dictionary defines oratory as “The skill of making powerful and effective speeches’’. One of the keywords here is being ‘effective’. Were these promises ‘effective’ by any measure. On the contrary, they were unrealistic and beyond rational acceptance. Quite opposed to Longinus’s definition, where effectiveness was a major attribute.
It was his self-adulation, that was mostly evident during his campaign. One can remember very clearly, the things he said about himself. That his dynamos were sound and working in their full gear. He had inherited, he said, powerful genes, which enables him to withstand any obstacles and overcome them with youthful energy. His sagacity is such that he himself drafted the party’s manifesto, without any outside assistance. That he is a happy combination of philosopher-cum-politician. (Plato’s philosopher kings come to mind) There were so many other utterances, all revolving round, Sajith the Man.
It is doubtful whether Sajith adopted, any of the modes described above, which would suit the occasion concerned and the particular audience. In fact, his speeches were active volcanoes’ from start to finish, interspersed, occasionally with howlers like Srimukha.
A noble mind, noble concepts, using proper meaningful words, noble diction, a proper attitude towards the audiences were main attributes of an ideal orator according to Longinus.
Sadly, Sajith Premadasa did not live up to any of these qualities; thereby harming his own campaign, because common people were able to see through what he uttered and coming to their own conclusions.
It is time for Sajith to reflect on the part he played during his campaign, and mend his erratic approach, as he is destined to play an important role in national politics.
Since Mr. Gotabhaya won the
presidential election the anti Sri Lankan media outlets have unleashed a spate
of reports and write-ups against Sri Lanka and President Gotabhaya
Rajapaksa. Lanka-E-News (LEN) the UNP
website published from London, access to which was restricted from Sri Lanka by
the former President following harsh personal attacks on him and his family,
has published several news items especially focussing the readers in foreign
countries with the objective of building antagonism and hostility against Sri
Lanka.
In one of these items it says that Gotabaya Rajapaksas visit to India was to deceive India
and to join hands with China and to put the country in an irreparable nuclear
danger.
It says that Gotabhaya
has entered a confidentiality agreement with China to launch a non-commercial
military nuclear power project on Sri Lanka’s Kachchativu Island, which is
adjacent to India. In addition to that Gotabaya is trying to fill up another
400 hectares from the southern sea, join with the current port city and sell
out to China and his is the reason that the Chinese government lavishly spent
on Gotabaya’s election campaign and China has already started the work
following Gota’s swearing in ceremony held on the 18th but it does
not say what work it has started.
The
news item states that representatives of a Chinese nuclear power company,
Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC), the backbone of the Chinese central
government, President Secretary P.B Jayasundera and a group of Sri Lankan Navy
officers has gone on an observation tour to the Kachchativu Island in a
helicopter on the 21st.
It
explains that there is no people living in Kachchatheevu Island but people from
India and Sri Lanka annually gather to the feast of St. Anthonys church
situated in the island and if a nuclear project constructed in Kachchatheevu
people entering it would be prohibited.
The
news item further states that following their revelation Gotabhaya government
may declare that they are working with China in Kachchativu to generate electricity
using nuclear power, but the real story behind is different and that is the
reason why pt is carried out in secret.
LEN
states that to cover this story from Indian officials, Gotabaya in an interview
with an Indian journalist said that he is going to revive the Hambanthota port
already given to China and pretended that he is a pro Indian.
LEN
adds that the Chinese nuclear project at Kachchativu is certainly a serious
threat to India and giving addition of another 400 hectares of land to port
city in Colombo will strengthen China’s power in the region and at the same
time, the country becomes a ballpark of world powers that cannot be restored.
The
news item concludes that although Gotabaya tries to hide this to all but could
not hide this from European intelligence services. It says reports reaching
Lanka e news confirm that this is one of the reasons that EU countries were not
happy about Gotabayas swearing in.
The
LEN also give much publicity to the Swiss Embassy drama and attempts to project
as a true incident perpetrated by the government. In this respect it make use of a disparaging
article published by the New York Times saying A Swiss Embassy employee is abducted and asked about asylum applications
and investigators are banned from leaving just days after Gotabaya Rajapaksa is
elected.
Twisting the contents of the New York Times article
to get its objects fulfilled LEN says fears of a potential crackdown on critics of the newly
returned Rajapaksa political dynasty in Sri Lanka are rising just days after
the election, as officials and journalists who investigated the Rajapaksas for
human rights abuses and corruption began trying to flee the country.
It
says a Sri Lankan employee of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo was abducted on
Monday by unidentified men and forced to hand over sensitive embassy
information, and the abductors have forced her to unlock her cellphone data,
which contained information about Sri Lankans who have recently sought asylum
in Switzerland, and the names of Sri Lankans who aided them as they fled the
country because they feared for their safety after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the
presidency in elections this month.
It
says on the same day of this abduction, Mr. Rajapaksa imposed a blanket travel
ban on more than 700 members of the Sri Lankan police unit that had been
investigating the family, and other police officers raided a news outlet
critical of the Rajapaksas and forced several journalists to hand their
computers over for analysis, in what the police said was an investigation into
accusations of hate speech.
This
particular website is making these malicious allegations because it is foreign
based and some appropriate diplomatic action should immediately be taken against
it before it causes irreparable damage to the image of Sri Lanka.
Mano Ganesan,
leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) believes that ‘India has
the moral duty and political right towards the Tamils of the North and
East since the 13th Amendment is the child of the Indo-Lanka Accord.’
Prime
Minister Modi, when he met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Delhi,
flagged the 13th Amendment. That ‘flagging’ (of a dead horse, should we
add?) has excited Tamil politicians. M.A. Sumanthiran and S Sritharan of
the Tamil National Alliance have spoken about ‘Indian pressure’ almost
as a given, something wholesome and necessary. They, like others, have
often talked of the 13th Amendment as ‘just a start’. That’s
Chelvanayakam’s ghost talking, ‘a little now, more later’.
Well,
we’ve had the 13th Amendment for 30 years now. It was not an Indian
baby nor an Indo-Lankan baby. In real terms it was Rajiv Gandhi’s first
step in extending India’s hegemony in the region. He famously said ‘This
is the beginning of the Bhutanization of Sri Lanka!’ But then again,
arm-twisting aside, the accord certainly carries the Indian signature. Does that give India a ‘moral authority’ to see it implemented?
If
we talk moral authority, then we need to consider the Indo-Lanka Accord
not as an inflation of favorite parts but its entirety. Part of the
agreement was for India to disarm the LTTE. India didn’t hold up that
end of the bargain. The moral authority argument ends just there.
Now
all provincial councils, set up in accordance with the Indo-Lanka
Accord and the 13th Amendment, are dissolved. Indeed, some were
dissolved a couple of years ago. The administrative arm of the state
continued to function, however. So far, no complaints. No agitation for
elections, not from the democracy-darlings fronting for the United
National Party (UNP) whenever its political fortunes seemed to be going
down the tube and not even from the raucous Tamil communalist
politicians screaming ‘India’s Baby, India’s Baby!’
It
is not, let us repeat, India’s baby. The people of Sri Lanka never
wanted it. Their views weren’t obtained. The 13th Amendment was
illegally enacted and in a scandalous rush to boot. To claim that India
still has some stake on account of an Accord that died the day the
Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) left the island, is silly or else
sycophantic. To plead for Indian ‘pressure’ so that Sri Lanka’s
political landscape can be altered can be read, if one were generous, as
a sign of helplessness. Another reading is possible: par for the course of Tamil communal politicians.
The
Tamil nationalist formula would retire for a considerable period of
time any chance of inter-communal reconciliation. That’s a recipe for
political instability. A weak, unstable state is of course something
that may make certain Indians salivate, but Narendra Modi would know
that desperate leaders could willingly barter sovereignty and much else
besides to the highest bidder. Indians talk about China’s footprint in
Sri Lanka. Indians aren’t exactly cheering on USA’s designs via SOFA and
the MCC Compact either.
All
that is external. There’s an internal element here. Sri Lanka. Sri
Lankans. Defunct provincial councils that’s not inspiring any whines
from any quarter. A Tamil
nationalist project based on a myth model that has served only the petty
projects of two-bit Tamil politicians. A war waged by warriors spawned
less by Sinhala chauvinism than Tamil nationalist who nurtured in THAT
baby unrealistic aspirations. A nation that requires healing.
Interestingly,
the communalism and the anti Sinhala and anti Buddhist rhetoric have
all been couched in the language of oneness, secularism and almost an
erasure of identity. Well, erasure of all identities except those of the
non Sinhala and non Buddhist sections of the population. ‘ONE SRI
LANKA!’ they shout, but not exactly in undertones interject ‘Tamil
National Identity,’ and Religious Identity (yes, all religious
communities except Buddhists). Having the cake and eating it. Trying to
ride two donkeys with one backside.
The
abolition of the 13th is necessary on account of its unholy enactment
and failure to resolve issues that have been mislabeled. Would that sort
matters out? Obviously not. Neither will ‘development.’ There’s an
issue of belonging which the ‘full implementation of the13th’ cannot
resolve (because it was ill-conceived and utterly out of sync with
geographic, economic, demographic and historical realities). It is
nevertheless an issue that requires priority attention.
President
Rajapaksa has referred to ‘inclusive nationalism’. What’s inclusive
here? Is it for the subjugation of all identities, communal and
religious, to some vague notion of ‘Sri Lanka’ and ‘Sri Lankanness’? Is
it some kind of ethnic assimilation, which is another term for gradual
and/or coerced dissolution of minority identity in that of the majority
community? Is it a celebration of all identity communities? He has not
spelled it all out. Not yet.
However,
if there is to be a Sri Lanka which is inclusive, then an important
non-negotiable would be the full restoration of Rule of Law and ensuring
the absolute independence of the judiciary, quite apart from addressing
and resolving representational anomalies (and not just on the subject
of identity).
This
country is made of a lot of things and people are one element. There
are resources that have to be protected and used in ways that are
wholesome. There is talent that goes unnoticed and eventually wasted
because the talented are not ‘properly’ positioned or are made invisible
by certain structures and processes. There are notions of ‘development’
that are inclusive and those that result in costs that are not counted
or are ignored out of boorishness, ignorance or simply because people
don’t want to deal with inconvenient truths.
President
Rajapaksa may or may not have a comprehensive understanding of
‘nation’. One hopes he does, because that would be a good thing. Then he
would not ‘forget’ anyone. He would not forget things like carbon
neutrality. He would not forget history and heritage. He would not make
anyone feel a lesser citizen or one who has to depend on the largesse of
someone else.
He
has told Prime Minister Modi (and also others who take note) that he
will speak his mind. This is a good thing. We’ve had politicians of all
hues promising the undeliverable, to one and all. The UNP in particular
has hoodwinked the Tamils (going by patterns of loyalty in elections)
into believing that their grievances will be redressed and aspirations
realized.
In
any event, obtaining such inclusivity will be difficult because of the
13th Amendment (among other things). Simply because it was a monumental
blunder and an affront to reason. Thirty years is long enough for people
to realize this. Keep it, and Tamil communalists will stand on it and
scream. Take it out and the true dimensions of grievance have a chance
of being articulated, i.e. the frills will be done away with.
It’s
not India’s baby now, anyway. India is out of the equation and can
claim equation-residence only on account of nostalgia or hegemonic
intent. Modi is obviously far too intelligent for such puerile
indulgences. No, it is not India’s baby. It’s Sri Lanka’s irrational
irritation.
If
India insists on the 13th or some version along those lines as price
for ‘help’ then Sri Lanka, which cannot really declare war on India,
should say ‘udau epa….vadath epaa’ (Help? Thank you, but no. Just don’t harass us).
Sumanthiran
has expressed hope that the new President will engage with his party.
Nothing wrong in that. Indeed, it would be good for the President to
meet the TNA and other parties representing districts that rejected him
in favor of Sajith Premadasa. He can listen to them. He can tell him his
story and his plans.
Those
plans, whatever they are, cannot be about the Tamils and Muslims only.
They will have to be about the Sinhalese too. And they will tell us what
he thinks about categories of people outside of ethnic and religious
colors. The ‘ethnic’ and ‘religious’ let us not forget have stolen
center-stage to the point that many subjugated and neglected communities
have been made invisible. A nationalism that includes Tamils, Muslims,
Sinhalese and other identity based groups but excludes the many
underclasses whose woes are forgotten or imagined not to exist, will be
partial inclusivity. That won’t do.
India
has certain moral obligations, I’m sure. Indians would know them.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has moral obligations. That’s obtained from manifesto
and tested in implementation of the same. He’s known to be a
workaholic. Let’s see how he works and whether or not it will work.
malindasenevi@gmail.com. This article was first published in the Sunday Observer [December 8, 2019]
A group of Indian and American researches simulated soil moisture content during major Indian famines to come to the conclusion.
The 1943 Bengali famine was caused by then-British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill’s policies and not drought, a group of Indian and
American researchers have found in a study published in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters.
The researchers came to this conclusion by using weather data to simulate the amount of moisture present in the soil during six major Indian famines, those of 1873-’74, 1876, 1877, 1896-’97, 1899 and 1943. Deficit of soil moisture is a key indicator of poor rainfall and high temperatures.
According to the study, the first five famines were a result of
drought, as concluded by the soil moisture study, but not the one that
happened in 1943.
There have been no major famines since independence,” Vimal Mishra told CNN,
And so we started our research thinking the famines would have been
caused by drought due to factors such as lack of irrigation.”
Mishra,
an associate professor of Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar,
has co-authored the study, along with Amar Deep Tiwari, Saran Aadhar,
Reepal Shah, Mu Xiao, DS Pai and Dennis Lettenmaier.
The 1943
Bengal famine led to the deaths of an estimated three million people,
and is widely believed by several historians to have been caused or made
worse by British policies of the time.
The study showed that though the eastern region of India experienced severe drought in the early-1940s, the amount of rainfall was above average in late-1943, a period considered to be the peak of the famine.
The British policies alleged to be the cause of the famine were the
heavy distribution of food and vital necessities to the military during
the second world war, halting import of rice, and the British government
not declaring famine in India.
A
destitute mother and child on the sidewalk in Calcutta during the
Bengal famine of 1943-44. Courtesy Kalyani Bhattacharyee, and Sj. Manoj
Sarbadhikar/Wikimedia Commons.
According to the
study, another factor that exacerbated the mortality count of the 1943
famine was the Japanese capture of Burma (now Myanmar), which was a
major source of rice imports in India. The study noted that in the past,
famines, despite being deadly, could not cause much damage due to rice
imports from Myanmar and the British government’s relief aid.
Speaking
to CNN, Mishra said that during the 1873-’74 famine, the Bengal
lieutenant governor, Richard Temple, saved many lives by importing and
distributing food. But the British government criticised him and dropped
his policies during the drought of 1943, leading to countless
fatalities.
That the 1943 Bengal famine was a result of wilful
negligence by the British government was accepted and believed strongly
across India for quite a while. In 1981, Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen said that supplies should have been in abundance during 1943 to control the deaths brought about by the famine.
Madhushree Mukherjee’s 2011 book, Churchill’s Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II, notes that the famine was caused by heavy exports of food from India. As the famine got worse, she wrote, 70,000 tons of rice were exported from India between January and July, 1943.
Despite Churchill’s War Cabinet being warned about the famine at the
time, Mukerjee wrote, the British Prime Minister was reluctant to devote
time and resources to fix the Indian problem, and instead, strengthen
his military operations and accumulate stocks at home.
A
concession to one country at once encourages demands from all the
others,” Churchill commented in a memo on March 10, 1943, as quoted in
Mukerjee’s book. They must learn to look after themselves as we have
done. The grave situation of the UK import programme imperils the whole
war effort and we cannot afford to send ships merely as a gesture of
good will.”
Image
of Midnapore famine victim from Chittaprosad’s Hungry Bengal, five
thousand copies of which were burned by Indian police. Courtesy
Wikimedia Commons.
In 2017, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said about Churchill, This is a man the British would have us hail as an apostle of freedom and democracy, when he has as much blood on his hands as some of the worst genocidal dictators of the 20th century.” He chronicled the havoc wreaked by the British empire on India in his book, Inglorious Empire.
The revelations of Mishra and his fellow researchers’ study vindicated
several Indians as well as others, as seen on Twitter. One user
questioned the validity of a study complimenting Churchill as a human
rights crusader.
Since independence, India’s
population has increased manifold, but famine deaths have been brought
under control. Expansion of irrigation, better public distribution
system, rural employment, and transportation reduced the impact of
drought on the lives of people after the independence,” Mishra’s study
said.
Thousands of supporters waved banners and
colorful portraits of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, Saturday, December 7, in an
ostentatious show of their loyalty on the eve of her departure for the U.N.’s
top court to face genocide charges over the Rohingya crisis. The Myanmar leader
is set to testify at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague
starting Tuesday, where lawyers are pressing a case against Myanmar for alleged
genocide against its Muslim Rohingya minority. Gambia, a tiny, mainly Muslim
West African country, filed a lawsuit in November, accusing Myanmar of genocide,
the most serious international crime. During three days of hearings, it will ask
the 16-member panel of U.N. judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
to impose provisional measures” to protect the Rohingya before the case can be
heard in full. More than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar to
neighboring Bangladesh after a 2017 military crackdown, which U.N. investigators
found in August to have been carried out with genocidal intent.” Myanmar
vehemently denies allegations of genocide. The office of Myanmar’s civilian
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has said she will lead
her country’s defense personally. Myanmar’s legal team is expected to argue
genocide did not occur, that the top U.N. court lacks jurisdiction, and the case
fails to meet a requirement that a dispute exists between Myanmar and Gambia.
The annual Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 25) began in Madrid on 2 December, largely unnoticed in Sri Lanka which is just settling down after a bruising presidential election. But given the critical importance of climate change to this beautiful island with its miles of unspoilt beaches, populated low lands, breathtaking tea covered mountains, and weather dependent agriculture, it should have received more attention. Sri Lanka became party to the Paris Accord of 2016, an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance, on 21 September 2016.
COP 25 was moved to Madrid after original host Chile, beset by ongoing and widespread social disorder, requested in late October for it to be moved elsewhere.
Some 50 world leaders were expected to attend COP 25, although a notable absentee was US President Donald Trump, who, in 2017 announced his country’s withdrawal from the 2016 Paris Accord. The leaders of Russia, China, Brazil and India were also missing from Madrid. The Paris Accord which involved a mix of compromises was largely the work of a handful of world leaders, including President Obama and President Xi Jinping. Writing on the subject at the time, I expressed my concern that while a great effort was made by all negotiating parties to accommodate the USA as much as possible, given the US reluctance to become party to the Kyoto Protocol, it would be a forlorn hope to expect the world’s second biggest emitter of green house gasses to remain faithful to its own commitments. Similarly, I doubted whether the goals of the Accord to increase the ability of parties to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, and make “finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development would be realised.
The speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will be present in Madrid, leading a congressional delegation.
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg, the young Swedish climate activist and the initiator of the school strikes for climate in September 2019, which were attended by over four million people, will be there.
Speaking at the opening of COP 25, an emotionless, almost dull, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres somberly noted that “By the end of the coming decade we will be on one of two paths, one of which is sleepwalking past the point of no return,” He also asked “Do we want to be remembered as the generation that buried its head in the sand and fiddled as the planet burned?” The other pathway, Guterres said, was to aim for carbon neutrality by 2050″. “There are calls from young people to do more, much more. They know we need to get on the right path today, not tomorrow, and COP 25 offers us an opportunity.”
Ever since the UN FCCC was adopted in 1992 in Rio and was followed up with the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the world has heard similar dire warnings from a succession of Secretaries-General and the scientific community. While some countries have heeded these forecasts of gloom and doom and begun to take necessary action, the countries mainly responsible historically for the current state of affairs have not chosen to proactively adopt the mitigation measures so desperately required.
Climate change is becoming the most important global environmental challenge, with implications for food production, water supply, health, energy security, coastal settlements, forest ecosystems, coastal economies, etc. Addressing climate change requires a good scientific understanding as well as coordinated action at national and global levels. Unless global action is taken in a coordinated manner, humanity may be doomed to suffer seriously from what we ourselves have caused to the climate in our headlong and uninformed rush towards development. The required global reduction of carbon emissions has more than doubled from 3.3 percent 10 years ago to seven percent now, while the world was “still waiting for transformative movement from most G20 nations” responsible for three-quarters of carbon emissions. Some progress has occurred but not enough to ensure global sustainability.
Hoesung Lee, the chair for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has said “immediate reductions [of carbon emission] have powerful benefits for all sectors of society”.
Sri Lanka needs to take climate change extremely seriously and the policy platform of the newly elected President, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has recognised this factor. His platform, if faithfully implemented, will place Sri Lanka at the forefront of environmentally responsible countries.
There are clear signs that the country is already a victim of something unusual happening to the climate. The regular and familiar weather patterns of the past do not seem to occur any more. Droughts devastate crops more regularly with reservoirs drying up visibly while heavy and unseasonal rainfall has also become a major threat, causing floods, landslides and deaths. Climate related deaths, which were not a common experience for this country, also appear to have increased. Over 21% of the population is still engaged in agriculture, and this is not a happy situation to be in. Although the cricket season starts in October and lasts till March in the Western Province, largely because it used to be the dry season, heavy rains and floods have become a disruptive feature of this period.
Climate change is expected to cause other challenges to the island. It is expected that the warming of the ocean will cause fish stocks to migrate further away from the equator in search of lower temperatures. With over 145,000 thousand people dependent on fisheries, this may result is widespread unemployment. Exacerbating poverty levels
Furthermore, with tourism being identified by the newly elected Government as a 10 billion Dollar industry for the near future, sea level rise will have a devastating impact. The millions of Dollars currently being invested in coastal resorts exploiting the country’s fabled golden beaches may turn out to be a mistake. The tourism industry needs to take account of the possible effects of climate change and focus on the other attractions, of which the country is blessed with abundance.
It is not likely that whatever measures that Sri Lanka will take alone will have a major impact globally on the growing threat of climate change. But if one were to follow the adage that every bit helps, then Sri Lanka has an important role to play. It has bravely taken a lead role in the past in global fora on different issues. Sri Lanka now has the opportunity to contribute to initiatives undertaken by the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to put pressure on the big emitters to mend their ways. Sri Lanka has and could play an important role within its own neighbourhood. Regional neighbours such as the Maldives and Bangladesh are at the forefront of activism designed to put pressure of the big emitters. Both countries are staring at the possibility of going underwater, fully or partially, in the not too distant future due to sea level rise. Both large neighbours, India and Pakistan, are severely water stressed. Bhutan and Nepal are likely to be victims of glacier melt. The SAARC Convention on Cooperation on the Environment was signed during the Sixteenth Summit. The Convention has been ratified by all Member States and entered into force with effect from 23 October 2013 and this could be further enhanced.
Sri Lanka would also be well advised to take note of growing NGO demands, especially in Europe, to restrict imports from countries which do not comply with the Paris Accords. While these demands may be in their infancy now, the barely camouflaged measures could actually become protectionist or political. The possibility remains. Abandoning the commitments made in Paris to curtail fossil fuel use and reverting to coal and oil based power generation might prove to be extremely short sighted.
We know that species extinction is occurring at an unprecedented pace, including in the seas and oceans. Global warming is contributing substantially to this phenomenon. Species adaptation to changing weather and climate factors is threatening the livelihood of millions who depend on the oceans and seas for their living. Fish swim away from familiar habitats to areas where the temperature is more conducive to their existence.
Attempts
to arrest global warming have received storms of verbal support but
not much by way of practical action, particularly from the major
emitters of green housegasses. Some in positions of power have even
challenged the overwhelming scientific view in order to cultivate
uninformed electoral support. In Sri Lanka, the population needs to be
better informed by the authorities and adaptation mechanisms
introduced. At COP 25 in Madrid, we need to encourage thinking that
would balance economic consolidation and advancement and the
conservation of the environment for our children. Our future must not be
left to the whims of those who thrive on selfish ignorance.
Lord Naseby PC, President of the All Party British Sri Lanka Parliamentary Group in the UK Parliament, has stated, in a statement, that if Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party becomes UK Prime Minister it will be disastrous for Sri Lanka as Labour will threaten the country’s sovereignty as an independent nation.
Lord Naseby makes it clear that the Conservatives offer the best opportunity to develop a balanced relationship with the UK and where all communities may unite to live together as one country.
The full text of the media release issued by Lord Naseby titled ‘Conservative Party Manifesto Page 53 reference to Sri Lanka’: “Following interventions from a great many Sri Lankan organisations, including the Conservative Friends of Sri Lanka and myself, the Conservative Party has clarified the confusion of the wording on page 53 by stating and I quote from the Party’s Deputy Chairman:
“To be absolutely clear, the two-state line was intended to refer only to the Israel–Palestine situation in the Middle East. The commitment on Sri Lanka was simply about continuing efforts to support peace and reconciliation.”
This was further clarified by the Foreign Secretary Rt. Hon. Dominic Raab who has confirmed that the Conservative policy towards Sri Lanka has not changed.
I accept the reassurances given. Nevertheless, this issue should never have arisen in the first place. It is particularly poor that whoever wrote and checked the Foreign Policy part of the manifesto failed so badly to see the implications of the Manifesto as published. The leadership of the Conservative Party should understand that it is not the least bit surprising that the Sri Lanka High Commission as well as the Sri Lanka Government and British Sri Lankans were deeply concerned about this manifesto error. This has been compounded by sections of the Tamil Diaspora stating to their followers that the Conservatives were considering a two-state solution.
I am now asking the Party Chairman to issue to the world at large that ‘The Party does NOT have or seek a two-state solution for Sri Lanka’. On top of this I shall, once Parliament is opened by Her Majesty the Queen on December 19th immediately put down a written Question seeking confirmation of the statements made so that The High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, The Government of Sri Lanka and all the people of Sri Lanka will see in writing that there is absolutely no policy for a two state solution. Furthermore, I expect to speak in the Debate of the Queen’s speech which will quickly follow the Opening and will ‘ram home’ to Her Majesty’s Government the need to reassure Sri Lanka that there is no two-state policy for Sri Lanka.
Having said all this, British Sri Lankans of all ethnicities should be under no illusion that a vote for Labour is a vote that does threaten Sri Lanka as a single sovereign independent country.
For a united unitary Sri Lanka where all communities may live together in peace and harmony in one nation – VOTE CONSERVATIVE.”
The travel ban on the Swiss Embassy local staffer – Ganier Banister Francis, who claimed that she was abducted by unidentified men, was extended till December 12 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate today.
When the case was taken before Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayarathne, Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara said that the CID would record and complete her statement by Monday (09) evening.
He said that the CID had recorded her statement for about nine hours, starting from Sunday (08) 5 p.m to Monday (09) 2 a.m.
Earlier, sources said that she was directed to the Chief Judicial Medical Officer for a medical report.
However, the alleged victim has later requested for a female JMO to record her medical report.
Representing the alleged victim’s party, President’s Counsel Upali Kuruppu requested the Magistrate to issue an order on the Chief JMO to appoint a female JMO to examine her.
He also informed the court that the report given by the two doctors attached to the Swiss Embassy had mentioned that his client has also been sexually abused and assaulted during the incident.
Considering all facts, the Magistrate ordered the Chief JMO to provide a report on her physical and mental health condition on the next hearing date.
Last week, the Court issued an order preventing her from leaving the country and also ordered CID to record a statement from her on or before December 9.
Stresses immediate action to provide uni entrance to A/L Qualified students
The Batticaloa University should be absorbed to the national university system and utilized as a national asset without being abandoned, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said.
President Rajapaksa said this at a meeting held with Education and Higher Education Ministers and officials of the education sector at the Presidential Secretariat last morning. According to the President’s Media, the President has said the time has come to allow universities to craft diploma programmes based on latest requirements of the country and that the universities should be encouraged to do this. Measures should be taken to uplift the education sector leaving behind false agendas,” he said.
At the meeting, it was discussed to open up universities covering all districts across the country. The President pointed out the necessity to look into the possibility of renovating abandoned buildings located at larger plots of land in order to convert them into universities.
President Rajapaksa reiterated the need to move away from the examination-centric education system and measures to expedite action laid down in his manifesto to improve the education sector.
He highlighted the importance of leaving the decision making right to the educationists in the education sector instead of to politicians. Meanwhile, he said unemployed undergraduates should be trained to be recruited at institutions where there are vacancies. Commenting on the students who sat for the A/L examination 2018, the President said immediate action should be taken to enrol them to universities. Action should also be taken to release results of the 2019 AL exam and to enrol the students who passed the exam at universities immediately.
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says that the reason for the defeat of his party at the presidential election is losing the vote bases of the Buddhists, the middle class and the youth.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Youth Front, MP Kavinda Jayawardnene, attended the event after a 30 minute delay, even though the former prime minister arrived at the scheduled time.
Mr. Bandula Gunawardane, Minister for
Information Technology, Higher Education, Technology and Innovation and
Co-Cabinet Spokesman has made a public statement on ten principles of
government and the national policy in relation to priorities. This statement further included major
economic targets, which seemed to be not unrealistic as the targets could be
easily achieved by structural changes in economic management and successful
monitoring and remedial management required during the next five years to get
the economy to right track and boost production. The most impressive targets
included 6.5% annual GDP growth, Unemployment below 4%, 5% inflation and
controlling the budget deficit to 4% of Gross Domestic Product. In addition to these targets, it indicated
that current per capita income to reach US $ 6500, however, the level of
foreign reserves and the foreign value of Sri Lanka’s monetary unit have not
mentioned, most probably current international uncertainty would have
contributed to the difficulty in forecasting external performance. There is no doubt that ten principles of
government will motivate policy makers of the government sector as well as
public who are looking at the policy implementation process of the government.
In terms of annual GDP growth, it
appears that it will take ten years to double the economy, however, the
monitoring and remedial management process remain at a higher level of
motivation and administration free from corruption and the principle of people
centric-development would support to maintain a strong public support to the
national policy implementation process.
GDP growth, lower budget deficit, and
lower rate of inflation direct to attract private investment and to maintain a
healthy interest rate for borrowers to maintain profitable outcomes in
investment firms and technology-based society gives incentives for creating
many job opportunities.
If there is a healthy rate of growth
and lower budget deficit, they would be the best incentives for debt problems
in the country and the government could borrow more for new projects to create job
opportunities. The achievement of
Productive citizenry needs technology-based society and wider disciplinary in
management of firms with a higher-level productivity reducing expenses.
I read a report in a newspaper which
stated that the productivity of public sector employees is lower than the
private sector and this should be a serious concern of the relevant authorities
to identity if employees are paid equal salaries, wages and allowances, why
public sector employees’ productivity is lower than private sector. In this
environment, the government should develop criteria for changing salary and
wages based on the productivity of employees and such a procedure should be
used to job evaluation of individual employees in the workplaces. The government
needs to negotiate the concept with trade unions and come to an agreement.
It is also recorded that Colombo Stock
Exchange allowed to list and trade shares in foreign currencies. It is a very
good move but needs to understand the risk of the procedure considering what
happened in Malaysia and Indonesia late 1990s during the Asian crisis. Risk
monitoring should be a priority in this policy changes because there may be
manipulators against the government policy and to gain unfair advantages from
the progressive policy of the government.
The liberal policy of the Colombo Stock Exchange would help to increase
foreign reserves of the country, but expected results could be achieved only if
the firms listing in CSE maintains a higher level of profitability to attract
buyers. Therefore, factors for bull and
bearer markets need closely monitoring and taking appropriate remedial
management on time rectify problems.
Sri Lanka also needs to establish
regional or district level sub-stock exchanges to list regional small companies
and combined firms of regional stock exchanges should be listed in the Colombo
Stock Exchange. The current regulations regarding the listing of firms in the
Colombo Stock Exchange has become a barrier to participate rural companies to
listing and for this purpose Central Bank needs to develop applicable
guidelines and legal changes to current system.
The development of a practical finance course with good English
Communication skills for one-year period and offer to unemployed graduates and
train them for successful workers in finance business will a good solution to
unemployment and make cultural changes giving rural youth to be leaders and contributors
to the economy. This type of policy
action created 100000 new jobs in the country and boost rural economy by
modernization. Sri Lanka can create
restoration like Meiji Restoration took place in Japan.
The regional firms need to attract
foreign investment from India, China, Japan and other Asian country, which
bring technology to rural sector and entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to
rural people. Maintaining successful controls to protect investors will be a
key to success new policies
Sri Lanka needs to achieve a higher
level of foreign value to Rupee and down the prices of imports to radically
control inflation. In this area Central
Bank has an excellent role to play as a regulator but not a market operator.
The other vital problem in Sri Lanka is
mobilization of debt capital for rural firms as trading banks and non-bank
financial institutions have limits to credits as the capital structure and
deposits for loanable funds has become a constraint and promoting share capital
through regional stock exchanges would be profitable for rural firms and the
banking sector release from the pressure to provide working capital for rural
firms.
The government consideration for
modernization with new ideas and maintain proper control and transparency in
such control would support to achieve the reality of economic targets. However,
the government and regulators must not forget dishonest elements which will
create to the government.
It was the yahapalana
government that brought and passed the 19a in April 2015 with key clause that
no MP should be a dual citizen. The onus is definitely on them to prove that
none of them were dual citizens when inserting this clause which was primarily
to prevent Gotabaya Rajapaks from harboring intent to contest elections. The
manner their cohorts went to file cases to prevent nominations being accepted
is a case in point.
We now need to ask who in this
good governance government inserted this 19a clause while hiding the fact that
they were themselves dual citizens?
Article 92(b) and Clause 20(4) of the
19a and Article 91(1)(d)(XIII) of the Constitution says persons who are dual
citizens are DISQUALIFIED from being elected as MPs or the President.
This means even after entering Parliament
they cannot obtain dual citizenship.
So what was the purpose in
inserting a clause when only 1 MP declared she was a dual citizen at nomination
and her honesty led to her being dismissed from Parliament?
We are now asking if there are MPs in
Parliament who are DUAL CITIZENS but have WITHHELD that information when
filling their nomination papers.
This is un-parliamentary and if
it has been done by any party/politicians who were supporters of 19a then it is
daylight hypocrisy.
If a clause was inserted to deny a MP or a President to
be dual citizen it was only right that ALL of them be asked to declare they are
NOT DUAL CITIZENS.
The President of Sri Lanka was
made to face embarrassing and humiliating court cases with ‘dual citizens’
questioning if he was a citizen of Sri Lanka to contest elections.
Therefore, the President must now
demand that the Parliament that passed this 19a have all MPs declare that they
are NOT DUAL citizens by affidavit.
Other than an affidavit what
other ways can we know if a MP is a dual citizen?
The Foreign Ministry can
request selected countries to confirm with their records if any of the 225 MPs
are dual citizens
The Election Commission can
make a demand
MPs personally admit being dual
citizen
Immigration confirms their
travel details for visa
The 19a was passed in April 2015 inserting clause on dual citizenship. Why didn’t the election commissioner ask MPs at time of nominations to produce affidavits that they were not dual citizens instead of relying only on their honesty to admit so. Only Geetha Kumarasinghe when filing nominations admitted to being a dual citizen. She was disqualified because of her honesty. Others who are now MPs while being DUAL CITIZENS cannot be in Parliament because of their dishonesty. If so their PENSIONS should be denied because they acted dishonestly knowing 19a strictly denied anyone contesting elections while being a dual citizen.
MPs in Parliament cannot make a
mockery out of democracy inserting clauses simply to fool the people and not
adhering to them. We all know that 19a was specifically written to target
individuals to prevent them contesting. Shall shallow constitutional amendments
were made for petty political agendas. But natural justice must prevail.
Therefore, the President would have realized from his own personal ordeal and the manner his nominations was on a thin line because of 19a must put the ball into Parliament and demand ALL MPs produce AFFIDAVITS THAT THEY ARE NOT DUAL CITIZENS.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was in the process of recording a statement from local female employee of Swiss embassy at the time this edition went to press yesterday.
The embassy employee reported to the CID yesterday late afternoon, but declined to undergo a medical examination in the absence of a female doctor though two nurses were available. The CID began recording a detailed statement from her, and a medical examination is to be carried out later.
Fort Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne, last Tuesday, Dec 03, ordered that the Sri Lankan employee, in hiding following high profile allegations that she was held at gunpoint for nearly two hours on Nov 25, provide a statement to the police before Dec 09.
Authoritative sources told The Island that though Switzerland had sought to get the police to record her statement at a venue outside the CID headquarters, the government had insisted that she visit the police.
The Colombo Chief Magistrate has barred the alleged victim from leaving the country without giving a statement to the CID.
Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara, appearing on behalf of the CID, told court the CID had initiated an investigation after receiving a complaint from Swiss Ambassador in Colombo, Hanspeter Mock.
The Senior State counsel said the embassy had not cooperated with the CID officers who visited the diplomatic mission to obtain a statement from the employee concerned.
The police quickly established the identity of the missing woman though the Swiss repeatedly declined to identify her. Sources said that the embassy had now acknowledged the identity established by the police.
Considering the statement made by the Senior State Counsel, the Judge said it was imperative that a statement be obtained from the woman concerned.
The judge ordered the CID to convey the court order to the Controller of Immigration and Emigration.
She also ordered the case to be called on December 9 (today) and the CID to submit a report on the progress of the investigation.
Last week, Dr. Deepika Udagama, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, in response to a query regarding the investigation told The Island: “The HRCSL position is that an effective investigation required the cooperation and participation of all relevant parties – the victim, any witnesses etc.”
Foreign Secretary Ravinatha
Aryasinha and Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne, on Dec 01,
told Swiss Ambassador Hanspeter Mock that investigations had proved
serious discrepancies between his complaint and the police findings.
Defense Secretary Major General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne says that the Embassy of Switzerland in Sri Lanka has acted on behalf of the needs of the Tamil Diaspora.
Speaking in the alleged abduction case of the Swiss Embassy local staffer, Gunaratne expressed these views to the media, at Pannipitiya.
Pointing out that the alleged victim is a Sri Lankan, the Defense Secretary stated that it is the responsibility of the security forces that work on the peace and order of the country to protect her.
When a Sri Lankan lodges a complaint that a Sri Lankan was in trouble, it is our duty and responsibility to launch investigations on it.”
Stating that it is regrettable that the Swiss Embassy did not disclose even the alleged victim’s name to the CID, Gunaratne says the investigations have discovered her name and all the details on the matter.
He stated that all sectors, including all embassies in the country, were informed on the investigation’s findings by the Foreign Ministry.
Commenting on the judgment passed on Brigadier Priyanka Fernando by the UK, Gunaratne says that it is his personal opinion that this was a result of politicians in the UK who came into power with the support of pro-LTTE Diaspora in the UK.
He further stated that Brigadier Fernando will not have to pay a fine as the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry and the High Commission will take necessary measures on it.
Stanley Perera Emeritus Medical Researcher 2/32 Chandler Road Noble Park Vic. 3174 Australia.
AN APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT
Dear President Gotabhaya Rajapakse,
Re-EXTORTION BY CABINET MINISTER GAMINI LOKUGE The writer is an expatriate Sri Lankan residing in Melbourne, Australia who earned a name of patriotic writer during the time of war in Sri Lanka and your time as the defence secretary. The writer was a front runner in challenging the International Community who conducted a smear campaign to tarnish the image of Mahinda Rajapakse Government’. It was an uphill battle for the patriotic Sri Lankans to counter propaganda campaign of bogus Tamil Refugees. Their activities were slowed down in the past Ranil Wickremasinghe Government. Since you became the President, it is seen an upsurge of Tamil propaganda activities all over the world. Australia’s ABC and SBS TV news media are presently engaged in a propaganda campaign to tarnish the image of Rajapakses. These news media are heavily infiltrated by bogus Tamil Refugees in Australia and elsewhere. In the year 2002, Gamini Lokuge extorted a sum of Rs.5,000,000 from the writer. At that time Lokuge was in the opposition. When Lokuge failed to return the money extorted from me when called for, I lodged a colmplaint with the Bribery and Corruption Commissioner Ranasinghe. Immediately thereafter, Lokuge crossed over to Mahinda Rajapakse Government. President Mahinda Rajapakse rewarded Gamini Lokuge with a cheque for a sum of rupees five million. Naturally, my complaint with the Bribery and Corruption Commission ended up up in the waste paper basket. Sunday Times published the matter in two full page article headed “FIVE MILLION RUPEE EXTORTION COME TO HAUNT LOKUGE’. The writer also complained to the Leader of the opposition Ranil Wickremasinghe. But it fell in the deaf ears of Wicremasinghe. Lokuge only paid me back Rs.200,000, Rs.25,000 and Rs.10,000 on three seperate occassions. The writer also wrote to the Australian Foreign Affairs minister, Alexander Downer for healp to recover the extorted sum of money. Instead Downer dispatched a team of Fedderal Police to arreast me and frame charges on offering bribes to a foreign Official. My dear President, using your so far unblemished good office, I earnestly urge you to retrieve from Gamini Lokuge’s state the extorted money and have it paid to me ASAP. This, I hope your Excellency consider as a priority. When this issue is resolved forthwith, I belive your constituents will aknowledge the confidence that placed on you in the Presidential election. Furthermore you will be considered as a leader with a BACK BONE. As a quick fiz solution, may I please suggest you pay the said sum of rupees five million out of the Presidential fund for which you have the power as the Executive President of Sri Lanka. The report of Sarath N de Silva commission appointed by former President Chandrika Kumaranatune revealed: it was Gamini Lokuge’s gun that was used to kill Vijaya Kumarfanatunga. Furthermore Gamini Lokuge was known as President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s hit man was also a notorious thug. Since you became the President of Sri Lanka, it is seen that Lokuge is getting too close to yourself. This association with you and including Lokuge in your maiden mini Cabinet does not look as a good omen to you. People are not happy about the formation of the mini cabinet. While I congatulate you for the mandate you received, I make this forgoing submissions to you expecting your prompt action. Long live my President Gotabhaya. Yours Truly, Stanley Perera
I
was deeply perturbed to note the judgment delivered by a UK court in absentia
convicting Brigadier Priyanka Fernando (Case No.1801273043) in which he was
fined £ 2400. Brigadier Fernando at the time of the incident was serving as the
Defence Attaché in the Sri Lanka High Commission in London.
Since
Brigadier Fernando was holding a diplomatic position in the Sri Lankan High
Commission in London when this incident took place no doubt that he was
protected by diplomatic immunity as per Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations of 1961. Accordingly, this judgment is a blatant violation
of the Vienna Convention with serious procedural errors.
In
1967, Burma’s (now Myanmar) Ambassador to, Sao Boonwaat murdered his wife in
Colombo, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). However, the Sri Lankan government couldn’t
take any legal action against him due to diplomatic immunity and he was brought
back to Burma to initiate legal action. This is a classic case in point to
illustrate diplomatic immunity for those who are not conversant with the
procedural fairness in honoring and protecting it.
Brigadier
Fernando was convicted for cut-throat gestures displayed in body language that
was said to have intimidated some demonstrators who had staged a protest
against Sri Lanka in front of the Sri Lanka High Commission, in London. It is
well known in Education Psychology that gestures and body languages always
connote and denote different shades of meanings according to the life
experiences of people which has no rational or objective base. Hence, this is a
very subjective judgment that is not cerebral under any measurement.
In
closing, please let me quote the pathetic fate of the Englishman, Timothy
Evans, falsely convicted by the British court and hanged him in January 1950
saying he murdered his wife and infant child at their residence at 10
Rillington Place in Notting Hill. Three years after Evan’s execution, his
downstairs neighbor, John Christie was found to be a serial killer by the
British court who had also killed Evan’s wife and infant child. Later Evans was
granted a posthumous pardon. What else to say other than saying British
Law system is great”.
Rt.
Honorable Prime Minister please instruct your legal authorities revisit and
rectify the undue judgment in Brigadier Priyanka Fernando’s case only to
maintain the reputation of the law system of your country. Surely the newly
elected President of Sri Lanka will look after Brigadier Fernando in a fitting
manner to do justice.
Events surrounding the tyrant western nations arrogantly
calling themselves as international community despite they being only 20 odd nations
whereas there are nearly 200 nations in the world community behaving in respect
of Sri Lanka following the people’s victory in the presidential election clearly
elaborates their unhappiness over the choice of the 6.9 million voters
amounting to 52% of voters of this country.
They croak from every roof top
available that they are the devout, ardent and dedicated guardians of what they
call the ‘democracy’ in the world, a hollow slogan used by them solely for
their own convenience and to get their vicious ambitionswhich has become a mere
baloney.
These Tyrant Western Nations (EWNs) displeased with the
victory of the new populist government have unleashed a massive anti-Sri Lankan
crusade. The crusade has started from
Switzerland and Britain to be joined by other TWNs very soon. The shameless and unprincipled Swiss Embassy in Colombo in contravention of
all international conventions and norms have facilitated a top official of the
Sri Lankan Intelligence service to flee the country with his family members
immediately after the election and this fugitive bandit is reported to have
taken with him many sensitive documents and finger prints of hundreds of
intelligence officers which could be used to intimidate or to take action
against them, similar to the situation that was created by the Millenium
Compound exposure which helped the LTTE terrorists to kill a number of Deep
Penetration Unit top officials.
Suddenly it was reported a female Tamil national official of
the Swiss Embassy has been abducted by a gang in a white car and that she had
been made to confess some information pertaining to issue of Swiss visas to
some Sri Lankans including Nishantha de Silva who has fled the country with his
family members. . This lady has been surprisingly released unharmed and now
believed to be hiding in the Swiss Embassy Compound or in some other hideout
and the Swiss Embassy has attempted to take her to Switzerland in an ambulance
plane but permission to do that has been
has been denied by the Colombo Magistrate Court on a request made by the
Foreign Ministry and the Policed. The Court has ordered the Embassy to arrange
her to give a statement to CID on her purported abduction
The political chameleon Rajitha Senaratne who was a killing
agent of PRRA during the horrendous Premadasa regime and has now become an
abduction partner has said that the relevant Swiss Embassy lady officer, whose
whereabouts are unknown to anyone other than the Swiss Ambassador in Colombo,
has said that the said officer’s confession has been taken by threatening her
with a pistol and at present she is in an unconscious status. The failed presidential candidate Sajith
Premadasa has also reported to have made a similar statement.
To get this matter cleared without allowing room for it to
cause any embarrassment to Sri Lanka and at the same time prevent the vicious
TWNs to use it as a tool to project that the so-called human rights violations
are taking place in Sri Lanka after the advent of the new government Rajitha
and Sajith should be subjected to thorough investigations and their statements
should be publicised in the international media and both of them should be
charged for involvement in anti-national crimes and treason.
This Swiss episode has become a very sensational subject to
full media coverage locally and in overseas.
The Indian newspaper Hindu” correspondent in Colombo, Meera
Srinivasan has reported that the attack on Swiss Embassy staffer was worrying
Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) chairperson Deepika Udagama who has
said that the persons who attacked the Embassy staffer have demanded
information on persons who have sought diplomatic protection through the Swiss
Embassy.
She says that the Foreign Ministry in Switzerland has
requested the Swiss Ambassador in Colombo Hanspeter Mock to meet Prime Minister
Mr. MahindaRajapaksa and the Foreign
Minister Mr. Dinesh Gunawardene and brief then about the situation.
It make all sensible Sri Lankans to wonder why the Swiss
embassy is keeping the concerned staffer inside the embassy compound but asking
the GOSL to conclude the investigations enabling her to leave for Switzerland
while the Sri Lanka’s ambassador had been summoned to explain the
incident.
The former foreign
minister Prof. G.L. Peiris claims that the Swiss Embassy incident is a
conspiracy aimed at discrediting the new government and it has clearly proven
that the complete story is a lie. He has
stated that based on the CCTV footage and other technological evidence, the
female embassy staffer in question had never been at the location where they
claimed she had been at that time and that it has now been proven that there is
absolutely no truth to the story.
Prof. Peiris alleged that this
was an attempt to discredit the government as soon as it started work. He
explained especially as the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva is scheduled to
meet in March 2020 serious allegations could be levelled against Sri Lanka. He
said the government has the strength to defeat all these obstacles and move
forward.
Prime Minister Mr. Mahinda
Rajapaksa commenting on the Swiss issue said that after truefacts relating the
incident came to light, the unpers connected to the incident have become very
much puzzled and now find difficult to face the situation. He said some members of the UNP are still
conspiring against the government despite their colossal defeat in the
elections. However, he said that there
are some UNPers who are national minded and are ready to cooperate with the
government in its nation building exercise.
The government’s spokesman
Dr.Bandula Gunawardene also accused that this episode is a western plot to
discredit the government and said that all investigations of the government to
conduct thorough investigations about the matter and take appropriate legal
action against those who had been responsible.
As per the Police there is no
truth in the Swiss Embassy claim of the purported abduction of it local
staff. Police said that there is no
evidence of abduction of anyone in the said location on the date and time span
stipulated by the Swiss Ambassador.
Police have arrived at this determination after a thorough check on CCTV
cameras on the whole area.
Reports from Zurich say that the
Swiss Secretary of State has instructed the Embassy in Sri Lanka to send the
concerned staffer and her family to Switzerland a Swissair plane is being kept
in readiness to take them to Switzerland and it would take about 10 hours for
this ambulance plane to arrive to Colombo.
However the concerned staff has not given a statement to the Police and
there is a Court order banning her to leave the country without giving a
statement to the Police and obtaining permission to leave.
The arrogant and pigheaded Swiss
Ambassador Hanspieter Mock seems to have made a mockery on the purported
incident by denying to divulge her identity, by denying access to local doctors
to examine about her alleged illness saying that she had been examined by Swiss
through Skype and by insisting that she should be allowed to go to Switzerland
with her family and it seems that this Mock fellow is deliberately creating a
case to say that Sri Lanka’s new government is trekking on a despotic path by
denying one of their staff to leave for Switzerland to secure medical
treatment.
In less than one month of we Sri
Lankans electing Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as our President, a person who will
not dance to the tunes of the Tyrant western nations (TWNs) these TWNs have
started their cussed game of blackmailing countries to tow to their dictates or
face severe consequences. The dirty
Swiss have taken the lead in an attempt to smear the image of Sri Lanka. In a
prelude to this vicious campaign they acquitted 12 tiger terrorists who had
been imprisoned in that country for various crimes.
The NGO vultures too have joined
this smear campaign with much enthusiasm as they very much desist the advent of
President Gotabhaya as the ruler of this country. Already Pakasotty
Saravanamuttu (this is how he was referred to as by Pa.Cha.Ranawaka
addressing a meeting in Matra when he was in Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s
government) has said that in an article last Sunday that the abduction game has
started and has stated that the Swiss Embassy staffer was abducted and
surprisingly she was released after questioning for about two hours. This is the tip of the iceberg and in the
next few days NGO vultures such as Jehan Perera,, Viyangoda and even Jeppos and
Litro Amila could join the chorus.
People elected M r. Gotabhaya
Rajapaksa as president of this country since they were convinced that he will
not allow the TWNs, NGO vultures and anti-national elements to make this
country a playground for them. He has
appointed the most appropriate person as the Foreign Minister of this country.
Therefore, these foreign initiated canards against this country should be
nipped in the bud and stern action should be taken against all those who had
been involved in this smear campaign and the Swiss Ambassador Mock who seems to
have been personally involved in the affair should be
declared as a persona non grata and should be ordered to leave this country
within 48 hours.
People from the
same camp, in terms of who they voted for, can and do come up with
different reasons for victory, or if that’s the case, defeat.
For
example, some who voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa could put his victory
down to one or more of the following: a) ineptitude of the Yahapalana
regime and failure to deliver on promises, b) the need for a strong and
tested leader in the face of new threats to national security, c)
perceptions that he was a doer as opposed to a talker (that’s Sajith),
d) a strong, determined and well-coordinated campaign as opposed to
Sajith Premadasa’s wayward, disorganized effort further marred by
in-fighting.
Others
could point to the overwhelming surge in the anti-UNP vote from areas
dominated by Sinhala Buddhists and claim that it was a response to
unnecessary and endless needling of the majority community by various
UNP spokespersons. They could add that lack of clarity on the part of
Sajith Premadasa on his arrangement with the Tamil National Alliance
(TNA) given that party’s Eelamist posturing through conditions offered
to and rejected by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) was key.
So
it is about strengths of the winner and weaknesses of the loser and/or
their respective parties. Strengths and weaknesses can be understood in
different ways. How would some one who voted for Sajith explain the
outcome?
Some
might say ‘he didn’t have enough time to campaign since his party was
slow in offering him nomination.’ Others would add, ‘and Ranil
Wickremesinghe didn’t put his heart and soul into the campaign,’ even
though the party leader has refuted this claim by pointing out that he
was asked to campaign in the North and East, which districts he
delivered. Whether he was key in this ‘deliverance,’ of course is
another matter. Anyway, some inclined to be self-critical rather than
looking for scapegoats have argued that there was very little
campaigning at the grassroots, that the UNP’s party machinery was rusty,
that UNPers were demoralized after the debacle at the local government
elections in February 2018, and that Sajith’s ‘I-ME-and-Myself’ did not
excite the floating voter, that Sajith had a tough brief to defend
considering the (non) performance of the government in which he was a
cabinet minister.
Finger-pointers
who are not willing to acknowledge error or blemish, have simply said
‘it’s all because Gota appealed to Sinhala Buddhist chauvinists.’ Some
say ‘It’s the BBS’. That’s the Bodu Bala Sena. The BBS and it’s
political twin, Ravana Balakaya, following the election stated that the
organizations would be dissolved following the parliamentary elections.
‘There
you go!’ did someone exclaim? It’s easy to join dots (any which way you
like) to prove you point. Still, the BBS and Ravana Balakaya
‘decisions’ are worth commenting on. Now these outfits are considered
extremists by some who, interestingly, extrapolate the ‘extremism to the
entire Sinhala Buddhist population. Interestingly too, they don’t apply
the same logic to the National Thawheed Jamath (NTJ) and the Muslim
community. Neither do they pause to compare and contrast the extremisms —
the involvement of the BBS in Aluthgama and Digana versus the Easter
Sunday attacks carried out by the NTJ. Cost of damage to property and lives lost could be but are not compared.
Back
to the BBS and Gotabaya Rajapaksa. So is it that the BBS and the Ravana
Balakaya, having ‘delivered’ the presidency to Gota, have concluded
‘mission accomplished, we got our man in and our work is done?’ Is
Gotabaya a BBS man or Ravana Balakaya man? That would be utterly
simplistic. First of all, the BBS and Ravana Balakaya are essentially
fringe elements of the Sinhala Buddhist nationalist discourse. More
visible, of course, just like the NTJ, but that’s just one part of the
story. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, when he was Secretary, Ministry of Defence,
did accept an invitation extended to him by the BBS to be chief guest at
the opening of an office somewhere in the Southern Province. That was
out of order for a government servant. Does that make Gota a member of
the BBS high command? Did the BBS deliver the presidency to Gota?
The
BBS contested the last parliamentary elections as the ‘Buddhist
People’s Front’. The total votes polls by that party was 20,377 or just
0.19%. Nation-wide. And that’s ‘push’ enough to decide who would be
president? Sobering, ain’t it?
Forget the BBS; was Sinhala Buddhist nationalism the most significant element at the election? Ameer Ali, in an analysis titled ‘Sibling wins, patriarch celebrates and minorities stunned,’ in the Colombo Telegraph, certainly thinks so.
Ali
believes that Ethno-religious nationalism decided the winner. He claims
that ethno-religious Buddhist nationalists created and presented an
image to the Sinhala public that the two minorities are a clear and
imminent danger to national security. He claims, ‘an uncompromising but
ultra-nationalist section of the institutionalised Buddhist clergy
spearheaded a campaign to deprive the minorities of that privilege and
rallied Sinhala Buddhist voters behind Gotabaya, who in their view will
be the man to save Buddhist Sri Lanka.’ And, pointing to the fact that
Sajith won handsomely in the North and East, but was trounced elsewhere,
Ali concludes that it was indeed a battle between the Buddhist majority
and the minorities. He says, in the process, that the minorities ‘hoped
for a 2015 repeat scenario when their votes decided the winner in a
tightly fought presidential contest and threw their support behind
Sajith Premadasa.’
On
the hand, why doesn’t Ali see that the Sinhalese and Buddhists could
perceive an existentialist threat given statements issued by the likes
of Sumanthiran and Hizbullah and of course the fact that terrorists from
both the Tamil and Muslim communities unabashedly vented against
Sinhala Buddhists? He doesn’t play that part of the game, but picks the
reverse. It can’t cut just one way, though.
Anyway,
Ali’s reading reminded me of an elegant meme created by Shanuki De
Alwis just after the January 2015 election. It was a warm interpretation
of the result, depicting the North and East embracing/protecting the
rest of the country. Indeed, it seemed apt at the time. However, if you
looked at the numbers, the story is very different. What the
anti-Rajapaksa candidates gained between 2010 and 2015 from these two
provinces are dwarfed by what Mahinda lost in just the Southern and
Western Provinces. It was not just the minorities that defeated Mahinda
in 2015.
Less
than five years later, Mahinda’s brother swept these very same
provinces by massive margins. Were people in the relevant districts
suddenly converted to the political stance of the BBS (if we believe
that claim)? Obviously there are other explanations. Yes, national
security was an issue. So was incompetence. Incoherence. Utter
confusion. You name it! That’s all Yahapalana attributes.
So
why say ‘Buddhist’ or ‘Sinhala’ just because of the 6.9 million who
voted for Gotabaya happened to be identified in such terms? Sure, they
were Sinhalese and Buddhists, but on what basis can anyone say that it
is only their ethnic identity and religious faith that determined
choice? It’s a bit like saying all those in the North and East who voted
against Gotabaya are Eelamists or Islamic Fundamentalists. They voted
for Sajith, a Sinhalese, who was in rhetoric far more nationalistic than
Gotabaya was, if anyone followed their respective speeches. So Sinhala
Buddhist anxieties may have been part of the story, but it cannot be
concluded that it was THE story of the election result.
It’s
about how you want to skin it, in the end. Minority angst can of course
privilege perceptions and hence persuade people like Ali to say ‘we are
shocked’. Shocked because you didn’t expect it or shocked because you
fear the consequences? Perceptions are real, even if they are not based
on facts. You paint a monster and then ‘the monster’ haunts you. You
believe your own propaganda. You have a set frame and cannot fathom that
that’s not the only one available. You see certain things, choose not
to see others and are absolutely ignorant of still other factors. So you
go with what you know, throw in anxieties and political
preferences/disappointments and get to ‘THIS IS WHAT IT WAS!’
It’s
good to feel good or, as the case may be, to feed one’s anxieties in a
masochistic kind of way. That’s however simplistic political analysis,
nothing more.
malindasenevi@gmail.com
In what must surely be one of the strangest games of diplomatic brinkmanship to be played out in this country, the Swiss embassy in Colombo demands an investigation into an alleged ‘abduction’ of one of its local employees. However, it appears there is not a shred of evidence to support its case – not even a statement from the so called ‘victim.’ The new government of Sri Lanka – barely 10 days into office – having immediately ordered a probe into the incident, is in a quandary. Authorities find themselves at every turn obstructed by the very party that requested the probe.
The Embassy refuses to divulge the identity of the ‘victim.’ It pre-empts the police from getting a statement from her saying that “Due to a deteriorating health condition” she is “currently not in a state to testify.”
Nor will it allow a judicial medical officer to examine her and give a report on this ‘deteriorating health condition.’ An official statement on the Embassy website however claims that the mission is “fully cooperating with the Sri Lanka authorities.”
That statement, dated 29 Nov, says the mission had “immediately” lodged a formal complaint with the Lankan authorities. But the Sri Lanka Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its press release of 28 Nov. said, it was informed of the alleged abduction on the 27th. It is arguable whether two days late can be considered ‘immediate.’ In the interim, several news reports damaging to the image of the country and its new government appeared in the media, citing Swiss officials plus a lot of hearsay.
The embassy statement says: “On 25 November 2019, a serious security incident involving a local employee of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo occurred. The employee was detained against their will in the street, forced to get into a car, seriously threatened at length by unidentified men and forced in order to disclose embassy-related information.”
CID investigation
The CID investigation showed that there was little truth in the Swiss allegation. Briefing the media on 04 Dec. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dinesh Gunewardena said, “All the evidence shows the victim’s position has no standing.” Asked what information the Ambassador had supplied, he said “A small note saying he has received this complaint from the victim. … There was no statement, no complaint.” Foreign Secretary Ravinath Ariyasinghe added, “He stated only that there was an abduction. Subsequently he presented a sequence of events.” Ariyasinghe said the ministry had informed the ambassador that his statement did not correspond with findings based on witness interviews and technical information including Uber records, CCTV footage, telephone records and GPS data.
The embassy has been pressing the government to allow the woman concerned to be flown out of the country in a special ‘ambulance plane’ in order to receive medical treatment. However, the court has issued an order preventing her from leaving the country till 09 Dec. and requiring a statement from her before that date.
If the Swiss genuinely want to cooperate with the investigation but are concerned about protecting their employee’s rights, why don’t they arrange for her to make a statement in the presence of her lawyer, at the embassy, where she would presumably feel safe – instead of trying to whisk her away and thereby preventing the law from taking its course?
The alleged victim’s absence at her residence as reported by the police, along with the embassy’s attitude, has opened up speculation that she is being accommodated in the Swiss mission. On 04 Dec the Embassy issued a notice to its nationals saying, “The Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo herewith informs that due to the current situation in Sri Lanka, and until further notice, the operation of the Embassy has been reduced.” What is this ‘situation’ in Sri Lanka that the embassy refers to? Apart from adverse weather conditions in some parts of the country, there is no emergency ‘situation’ – unless it has become a ‘situation’ for the mission to keep a Sri Lankan citizen (who does not have diplomatic immunity) within its premises indefinitely?
What will be the impression if the request to fly her out is granted without allowing access to law enforcement authorities? It’s not difficult to imagine the kind of sensational headlines that would appear in the international press about an ambulance plane evacuating the victim. Such reports could potentially suggest that the government was in some way associated with the alleged abduction (reported in Swiss media as if it were a fact). The very day after the incident was alleged to have taken place, the Embassy’s version was reported in Western media, embedded in a now-familiar anti-Rajapaksa Western narrative predicting doom and gloom.
White vans and death threats
It is intriguing how new information, the origins of which are not clear, have also got into circulation through media reports. Opposition politicians in Sri Lanka referred to the incident as a ’White Van’ abduction. The ‘White Van’ has by now become a brand name, the mere mention of which conjures up a picture of lawlessness and rampant crime. Another assertion, nowhere made by Swiss authorities upto now, is that the abducted woman was forced to reveal cell phone data on Sri Lankans who had sought asylum in Switzerland – including CID inspector Nishantha Silva who had been investigating cases brought by the previous government against the Rajapaksas. Silva is said to have fled the country on 24 Nov following death threats, to seek asylum in Switzerland – ‘according to reports’ and unnamed ‘sources.’
An attempt to trace the provenance of these stories shows that the ‘White Van’ element was introduced on 26 Nov. by a pro-UNP website, which added that the abductee had been questioned on Nishantha Silva. Also on 26 Nov., the German-language Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung (NZZ) citing ‘Sri Lankan media reports’ said Silva had received death threats after the change of government. But the local reports too cited unnamed ‘sources.’
So who was the original source of this information? What are the ‘reports’ that could have appeared just a day after the incident allegedly occurred, even before the foreign ministry had been informed? NZZ is “the most important and prestigious Swiss daily newspaper published in the German language” said a well informed source, adding that it was “highly influential also in Germany and Austria, indicating big time manipulation.” Information from NZZ and LNW was also picked up and circulated by swissinfo.ch website.
It would appear that CID inspector Nishantha Silva who, police confirmed, left the country, is in fact the main player in this drama, to which the abduction story is but a sequel. Local media reports (citing unnamed sources) say Silva and his family left the country three days after his boss, CID Director Shani Abeysekera, was transferred to a lesser post – suggesting that he lost protection as a result. However, it is unlikely that flights and visas to Switzerland could have been arranged in three days, and would more likely have been organized well ahead. MP and former minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe has pointed out that “high ranking military officers had been denied visas whereas relatively junior policeman and his family had received visas in record time.” He further alleged, in remarks to The Island 27.11.19 that Silva ‘worked closely with the foreign missions.
The Swiss Embassy has not denied that Silva has sought asylum. In its statement of 29 Nov. it only rebuts the allegation that the Swiss government “rejected a request for the extradition of an employee of the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Departmet (CID) and his family,” saying “No such request has been submitted.”
For those who scripted this drama, a CID inspector’s unauthorised departure from Sri Lanka may not have constituted a story big enough to make international headlines. But the story of abduction of a Western embassy employee the following day, being forced to divulge details of his asylum application, has the potential to become a diplomatic scandal with serious repercussions. Readers need to ask themselves how likely it is that a local embassy employee would be entrusted with sensitive information of this nature in the first place, and still less, that she would be carrying it around on her cell phone.
Upcoming UNHRC session
With the UNHRC sessions in Geneva due in March, the possibility that there is mischief afoot cannot be discounted. This episode comes against the backdrop of President Gotabaya having publicly rejected Resolution 30/1. It is likely that the new government will present Sri Lanka’s case against the war crimes allegations targeting its security forces and wartime political leaders, using the considerable body of evidence contradicting these charges, that was ignored by the former regime. The ‘war criminal’ label may then get unstuck, and this will not be to the liking of Western powers that introduced the resolution. It is relevant to note here that the Swiss Federal Court very recently acquitted 12 suspects from charges of fundraising for the LTTE, and went on to declare that the LTTE is ‘not a criminal organization.’
The election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka has caused ripples in the Western world, which appears to be in overdrive in its attempt to manage the new situation. Is there a tacit threat in recent moves, to warn the fledgling government that if it fails to fall in line with Western strategic objectives, it may have to face pressures from a newly unleashed pro-LTTE diaspora?
If a state of
chaos is required by those who seek to impose hegemony, then the
promise of stability held out by the new government will not be to their
liking. The president leading by his own example has set about
changing the political culture, shedding the vulgar trappings of power,
trimming waste and mapping out plans for accelerated development. He
has reached out to the minorities in the North and East (who ‘did not
vote for him’) with the promise of a better life. Once these
communities begin to enjoy the fruits of development they may begin to
cooperate with the government’s efforts– if they are seen to be
genuine. This, in turn, would narrow the space for imperialist forces
to use the age old ploy of ‘divide and rule’ in Sri Lanka, to secure
control in this strategically important region. No wonder the West is
worried.
In
Sri Lanka, the paddy farmer who is central to the ‘nation’ has been
cruelly displaced in national policy for decades. Most Sri Lankan
political leaders remember the farmer in cycles, and it typically
coincides with an election. Every election season the farmer makes a
come-back, front and center, on election agendas. The candidates vie
for the 2 million plus farmers’ votes almost like in an auction, each
outbidding the other, by using bigger and better subsidies and
handouts. The fertiliser subsidy and the buying rate for paddy are the
two most salient grievances that dominate political debates. To set the
record straight, there is a wide gap between the “farm-gate price” (the
price that farmers get for selling paddy), and the price which
consumers pay for rice. However, this is always exaggerated. While the
gap between the consumer price and the farm-gate price ranges between
20-30%, the farmers, politicians, and NGOs imagine this to be as high
as 100%. The exaggeration may not have an empirical basis, but it helps
demonize the exploitative forces such as banks, millers, retailers and
other intermediaries in the paddy-rice value chain. The seasonal
demonization helps with self-preservation, not limited to-, but
particularly of politicians. The symbiotic relations between politicians
(at all levels) and business interests notwithstanding, political
candidates market themselves in theatrical fashion as brave soldiers
fighting to eliminate the exploiters from the paddy-rice value chain
and restore the rightful dignity of the Sri Lankan farmer. After the
elections, the status quo resumes.
Given that the
newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa presented the most
comprehensive set of policies, programmes and initiatives in the area
of agriculture during his campaign, it is important that we hold him,
the Minister of Mahaweli, Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Development
in the interim cabinet – Mr. Chamal Rajapaksa, the State Minister of
Agriculture – Mr. Vidura Wickramanayake, and the government accountable
to deliver on the much-needed reforms in agriculture. The newly
elected President has walked into a putrid political system as well as
an economy at the brink of a collapse. However, some quick measures
need to be taken to address the crisis in agriculture in Sri Lanka.
This article is intended to highlight a couple of “stylized facts”
about income and labour of paddy-farming households in order to push
the agenda beyond the fertiliser subsidy and the farm-gate price. The
declining welfare among farming households and opportunities for farmers
give a clear indication that we have to innovate in order to survive.
Farming Households Always Operate at a Loss
First,
let us look at the basic balance sheet of a farmer. This calculation
carries two disclaimers: 1) the numbers are derived from day-to-day
conversations with farmers over the past couple of decades in a village
in the Hambantota District, but accurately reflect the figures for the
Maha season of 2018; and 2) perhaps contrary to popular understanding,
the vast majority of smallholder paddy farmers employ agricultural
labour for most farming-related tasks. In this village, on average, a
farming family cultivates between 1-1.5 acres of paddy land. From
cultivation to harvesting, a paddy season lasts roughly 5 months. On
average, to cultivate one acre of paddy, a farmer incurs the following
expenses (per acre of paddy):
Second, let us calculate how
much the paddy farmer (who cultivates one acre of paddy), earns at the
end of the 5-month season. Based on national figures, the paddy harvest
per acre during the 2019 Maha season was roughly 1,900 kilos. If the
farmer sells his harvest to the government at the current price of Rs.
38, he/she will earn an income of Rs. 72,200 at the end of the 5-month
season.
It is interesting to note that the farmer’s average
monthly income during the season seem to be barely above Official
Poverty Line (OPL) in 2016 which is Rs. 4,166. In conversations with
farmer households (consisting of two adults and two children), the
monthly expenditure was recorded as follows:
This means,
farming households incur a loss of Rs. 431/day, Rs. 12,930/month, and
roughly about 1.5 lakh per year. This loss is always settled by
incurring debt, borrowed mostly from local loan sharks at exorbitant
interest rates. Year after year, the debt increases, as the earnings
are rather low. While this is a simplified view of the infamous ‘farmer
debt’ issue, it gives a rough idea of the sustained nature of debt in
farmers’ lives. Many of them die indebted to a number of creditors, and
not all of them are banks. A Sri Lankan farmer, at the end of his
life, may owe 2-3 million or sometimes even more. The debt that is owed
to individuals who typically tend to be ‘strongmen’ in the area, is
automatically transferred to the wife and the children of the farmer.
Farmer debt is a never-ending cycle that is of inter-generational
nature.
Alternatives and the Role of the Government
One
cause of this bleak situation of the paddy farmer is the extremely low
productivity. Compared to other South Asian and Southeast Asian
countries, Sri Lanka’s productivity is significantly low. But one should
not be fooled to think that improving ‘productivity’ simply means an
increase in rice production. ‘Improving productivity’ means increasing
yields and cutting the cost of production simultaneously. In fact,
producing more and more rice is counterproductive. An excess supply of
rice to the market causes prices to fail, which in turn does not help
the farmers’ situation. If the price falls below the cost of
production, the farmer incurs losses and struggles to pay the debt he
had accumulate during the season and any arrears from previous seasons.
One important point that current and future policymakers need to
understand is that the demand for rice is flat. In other words, there
is only so much rice that we can eat, and for the past 20 years, the
average annual consumption of rice has been approximately 110 Kilos per
person. This means the domestic consumers are incapable of absorbing a
glut of rice on the market.
While the next option is to
export rice to foreign markets, it is easier said than done. For
decades, the global market preferences have been in favour of
long-grain cultivars such as Thai, Pakistani and some Indian rice
varieties. The demand for the Sri Lankan short-grain varieties is
comparatively very low as they do not appeal to the palette of rice
consumers in most other countries, nor can they be used in recipes in
the gourmet food or fast food products. A new demand, however, can be
created (globally) on the basis of the health benefits of eating Sri
Lankan varieties of rice, but this would require a well thought out and
medium- and long-term branding and marketing programme at the
national- and international levels. As the investment on such a strategy
would be substantial, we must maximize our usage of rice and its
by-products such as paddy husk, rice bran, and broken rice.
Approximately
575,000 metric tonnes of rice husk is produced in Sri Lanka every
year, and utilizing and disposing this low-value by-product as been a
challenge for millers and farmers. However, paddy husk has been
successfully used as a soil conditioner for mulch, and as a biofuel for
furnaces. It is also used for insulation and as packaging material, a
cleaning agent for steel and iron, a raw ingredient in producing
cement, and fillers for the plastic industry. Paddy husk has been used
as fuel in several industries, especially in rice processing mills.
Furthermore, rice bran has been successfully used to produce rice bran
oil which has a number of health benefits as well as a growing demand
in the international market. Similarly, broken rice can be used to make
cereals and health drinks. Rice can also be used to make liquor such
as sake in Japan. Regrettably, most of these ventures are not
undertaken in Sri Lanka. These ventures may be too capital-intensive for
farmers to undertake, but they offer new avenues of income for millers
and other intermediaries. The idea is not to demonize the millers and
the other intermediaries in the rice value-chain in Sri Lanka, but to
create opportunities and markets for all stakeholders. Having said
that, the millers and other intermediaries need to be regulated, taxed,
and their employees must be paid EPF/ETF. An uncontrolled mushrooming
of millers has led to frequent fluctuations of millers’ income, which
in turn has led to a high degree of precarity in the labour they
employ. If they are given opportunities to produce new value-added
items for export, it could create a win-win situation in which the
millers’ incomes are increased and stabilized, and the state coffers
gain foreign exchange. As the millers do not have the technological
wherewithal, the government must take the initiative to introduce small
production plants that are used in other parts of the world to
entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. Last week, the new President, in an
interview on the state’s role in supporting technological innovation
spoke convincingly about the state’s role in putting in place the basic
infrastructure that is necessary for such innovation. This suggestion,
I believe, fall under the umbrella of the ‘basic infrastructure’ that
is necessary for innovation in agriculture. The state, together with the
private sector, would have to assist with marketing new agricultural
products in the global markets until the required marketing skills are
inculcated in the new generation of agricultural entrepreneurs in Sri
Lanka.
If producing more rice does not necessarily improve
the lot of farmers, what can the government do to help their household
economies? The key to cracking this lies in maximizing farmers’ labour.
A farmer works only 20 days in a 5-month period. This goes back to a
point made earlier in this article that the vast majority of
smallholder paddy farmers employ agricultural labour for most
farming-related tasks. One might ask, what he/she does during the
remaining 130 days. The blunt answer is – nothing. This has been the
pattern over the years, and regrettably, it has become a part of the
rural farming culture. The solution to improving farmers’ incomes lies
not in increasing the value of handouts or free inputs of production,
but in allocating their under-utilized time for producing high-value
agricultural products.
Many innovations can be proposed in
this respect. For example, in the dry zone where kohomba (azarirachta
indica) and mee (madhuca longifolia) trees grow in abundance, farmers’
can be allocated state land to grow mee for medicinal purposes and
kohomba for timber. Kohomba and mee seeds can be used to produce
fertilizer, cosmetic products and biofuels. Similarly, farming
cooperatives can be encouraged to produce wood apple and other fruit and
vegetable varieties that are indigenous to the area. Ranawara, Beli
flowers, Murunga and other herbal parts can be processed into fine teas
for which there is increasing global market demand. Cultivating rare
and indigenous plant and flower varieties that have international
market value (such as cactus) is another viable enterprise. A quick
glance at the trees, herbs and flowers that grow in the northern and
southern dry zones in the country suggests that many value-added
agricultural goods can be produced by farmers in both regions. With two
international airports in the southern and northern tips of the
country, these products could be easily transported by air to any
country in the world. State support for farmers to move into
value-added agricultural products should open up opportunities to unite
farming interests of the south and the north of the island. Those who
are inclined to use their time on manufacturing non-agriculture related
products can be encouraged towards brickmaking and producing cement
blocks for construction. To guard against an over-supply of
agricultural produce of the same kind in a given season (eg. an excess
of pumpkin because everyone is growing pumkin), the state can regulate
by maintaining an upper limit of production for each crop. The point is
to make productive use of farmers’ underutilized time and encourage
them to move into value-added agriculture, however, guarding against
them flooding the market with the same kind of produce. All this needs
careful planning, taking into consideration the terrain, climate, soil,
access to water, and the skills of farmers in a given region. Monetary
support for such ventures can be implemented through Anyonyadara
Samithi in rural areas that already operate as community development
mechanisms.
The options are many. It is the government
initiative and the support in terms of creating markets and branding
that is much needed. The job of the President who is committed to
agriculture and competent Minister and State Minister of Agriculture
must be to explore these avenues of innovation and work with farming
communities to diversify agricultural production. It is the
responsibility of the Minister and the State Minister of Agriculture, in
collaboration with the private sector, to find international markets
for these products, work on a long-term branding plan for Sri Lankan
agricultural products, and improve connectivity to transport the
products from the farm to the table. In other words, there is a lot
more we could try as a country before we call agriculture a “failure”.
The
farmers also have to do their part and meet the government halfway.
They have to snap out of the dependency mentality. The dependency of
farmers is not figment of capitalist imagination. It is a reality
created by politicians to exercise control over the farming population
over decades since the country’s independence. The fertiliser subsidy
in Sri Lanka dates back to 1962 is a case in point. Its main objective
was to make access to fertiliser easy and affordable to farmers,
thereby stimulating high-yields in paddy. Since then, however, despite
both the contribution of agriculture to the country’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) being just 7%, and the massive expenditure on providing
the fertiliser subsidy (currently Rs. 15 billion), no government has
moved to suspend the system. This is because as much as one-third of the
labour force is employed in the agricultural sector, and the large
voter base of farmers (around two million) immediately made the subsidy
into a highly ideological political tool crucial to state-building. In
addition to fertilizer, other inputs of production, are also
subsidized, if not provided free of charge. We have now reached a point
at which the farmers’ safety net has turned into a hammock that lulls
able-bodied people into lives of complacency and dependency. Most Sri
Lankans would agree on the basic level of not wanting their tax rupees
used to fund complacency and further indebtedness among farmers. The
farmers have to realise that and take control over their lives that
have been on autopilot for too long.
If the new President
and his government are serious about making any noticeable difference
in the farmers’ lives, the agenda has to go beyond the fertiliser
subsidy and the purchasing rate of paddy. It is time to step out of
this comfort zone, and explore creative ways to secure the vote-base of
farmers. Some proposals above may not be the most comfortable options
in the short-term, but they are necessary if we are to envisage a
future of agriculture in Sri Lanka. The government’s and farmers’
failure to innovate in agriculture will only expedite the process of
transitioning to the hands of global agribusiness. Before we know it,
our land and labour will be controlled by global agribusiness,
especially in the face of agreements such as the MCC. But if we utilize
our land and labour more effectively, this process can be slowed. The
choice is ours. Innovate or perish.
For all intent and purposes, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s (GR) recently concluded state visit to India, his first as Head of State is considered a success. A one on one meeting scheduled for 15 minutes had lasted one hour. During this time, both leaders have supposedly found common ground and established a personal rapport, so essential in relations between countries, especially between countries with a history of thorny periods.
The newly elected Sri Lankan President, in his inaugural speech stated, “we want to be neutral and stay out of conflicts amongst the world powers.”
While in India, he reiterated his intention to renegotiate the 99-year lease with state-controlled China Merchants Port Holdings which would have no doubt pleased his hosts.
The Editor of The Hindu, Ms Suhasini Haider, sought clarification on the issue of Hambantota Port. GR stated “I believe the Sri Lankan government must have control of all strategically important projects like Hambantota. After all, these are not like hotels or a terminal, but to give control of a port or an airport or our harbors is different.”
It is heartening to note, the new President does recognize the need for Sri Lanka to be in control of its Ports, Airports and other strategically important assets. It must apply across the board to all such projects awarded not only to the Chinese but also to Indians, Americans and any others. The Sri Lanka Navy manages the security inside the Hambantota port.
Not too long ago, Petroleum Corporation officials visited the Trincomalee oil storage tank farm to survey the 15 or so tanks leased out to Lanka IOC Plc, Indian Oil Corporation’s subsidiary in Sri Lanka. They were sent away by LIOC officials, the reason being approval was required from their Delhi Head Office. GR must make sure, such mistakes are rectified and never repeated.
The recent public announcement by GR of the 99-year Hambantota Port lease agreement being a mistake on the eve of his departure to India could have been avoided. Firstly, it negates his announcement at Ruwanwelisaya “we want to be neutral.” Secondly, China is the world’s second most powerful nation in the world with a population of over 1.4 billion. A public démarche of the intention to further renegotiate an already renegotiated agreement by a leader of a country of 21 million souls is an affront to China. If necessary, the way around the issue would have been to discreetly take up the issue with the Chinese leaders during a visit to China. Such a visit to the nation’s largest investor, highest creditor and all-weather friend is due sooner than later in the name of being neutral.
The President may not be aware of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s demand during a political rally for the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) forthwith. Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who felt slighted stubbornly refused to comply during his term of office. To comply with Premadasa’s demand would have been political suicide for Gandhi.
Furthermore, the new government is virtually begging for investments. Demanding the revision of already finalized investment projects sends all the wrong signals to prospective investors. Sri Lanka’s reputation as an investment-friendly country was tarnished since the trashing of the agreement with Emirate Airlines in 2008, all the way through Colombo Port City and the initial Hambantota Port agreement.
Prime Minister Modi has offered a credit line of USD 400 million for infrastructure development and a further USD 50 million to deal with terrorism challenges. Monies drawn down from a credit line must be paid back, often with interest. The terms of the credit line are not known. However, what it means is, Sri Lanka can draw down up to the specified amounts for capital goods, Consulting, Advisory Services, Report Preparations etc. It is customary to restrict the facility to Indian firms. They will determine Suppliers, Contractors, Prices etc. Sri Lanka must eventually repay the full amount.
The Indian credit line is no comparison to the USD 480 million American Millennium Challenge Corporation grant requiring no repayment.
The rapport established by the two leaders during their first meeting is a good start. It now needs to be followed up with more positive progress.
GR’s gesture of announcing the release of Tamil Nadu fishing boats apprehended by the Navy as a goodwill gesture received no reciprocity. Modi made a two-sentence reference to the issue during his state banquet speech. He spoke of the issue “affecting the livelihood of fishermen” and the need for a “humanitarian approach.” Meanwhile, the direct and indirect loss incurred by Sri Lanka due to poaching by Indian trawlers was estimated in 2015 at USD 61.5 million, 2% of the GDP of the Northern Province and still climbing.
The Yahapalana government initially attempted to repair relations with India damaged by the previous Rajapaksa administration, with numerous appeasing gestures. Nevertheless, it did not take long to realize India’s limitations, China’s economic strengths and deep pockets. Sri Lanka ended up signing the 99-year Hambantota Port lease agreement to the utter consternation of the Indians.
Despite all the current back-slapping, bonhomie and congratulations all around, Sri Lanka must take a realistic long-term view on how best to manage its foreign relations.
Since Independence, Sri Lanka has not encountered disputes with any country in the region other than with India. It will be no different in the future.
Sri Lanka must consider the day when Narendra Modi is not the Prime Minister. Also, to be considered is a day when a weak government in the center is in a coalition arrangement with a political party from Tamil Nadu. Priorities and many other considerations could change in such an eventuality.
Never again must she find itself with no friends especially in the UN Security Council as it once did in 1987 after the infamous food drop.
During the interview with the Editor of The Hindu, asked if the Troika (three-man coordination team) concept to manage Indo – Sri Lanka relations as done during the 2010-2015 Mahinda Rajapaksa regime would be revived, he responded in the negative. “Well, at that time there was a necessity because of the conflict. But now I don’t think it is necessary as we can work through the Foreign Ministries” was his response.
Compliments are due to President Rajapaksa for his decision. Between 2010 and 2015, the management of foreign relations was two centered. One center was the Foreign Ministry headed by an incompetent Minister and a Monitor alien to the subject. The other was the President himself and his Secretary at the President’s office.
Matters became worse in the next four years with three Ministers holding office in four years.
It was compounded by a Foreign Secretary with questionable loyalties pursuing his private agenda till October 2018. The Prime Minister was also making decisions, and at times, the former Finance Minister. The former President made occasional statements more often than not craftily claiming ignorance. The Speaker, having appointed the former Foreign Secretary as Foreign Relations Advisor too waded into foreign affairs. The appointment was a historical first.
One hopes, GR’s decision will succeed in ensuring Foreign Relations is handled strictly by the subject ministry under his direction. The Foreign Office currently headed by an able Foreign Secretary and with 58% of our foreign missions headed by career officers is well poised to execute the new President’s agenda keeping interlopers at bay.
One of the upcoming foreign affairs challenges is the UNHRC periodic review meeting in March 2020. A decision on requesting a revision of Resolution 30/1 would be required soon. Will the Indian warmth and goodwill shown during GR’s recent visit extend to supporting Sri Lanka in such an initiative?
Back at home, GR has made the following positive remarks, well received by the general public.
“But I am clear that we have to find ways to directly benefit people there through jobs and to promote fisheries and agriculture. We can discuss political issues, but for 70 odd years, successive leaders have promised one single thing: devolution, devolution, devolution. But ultimately nothing happened.”
He said the full devolution of powers as promised by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1987 could not be implemented “against the wishes and feeling of the majority community.”
“Anyone who is promising something against the majority’s will is untrue. No Sinhala will say, don’t develop the area, or don’t give jobs, but political issues are different.”
With these few words, GR has spoken more sense than both Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremasinghe have spoken in the last decade. He is spot on in saying, the Sinhalese community will not object to developing the North and giving Tamil people employment.
GR’s simplicity and lack of ostentatiousness have earned him many plaudits. Simplicity does have a charm of its own. That said, certain occasions such as formal welcome ceremonies with a guard of honor and state banquets do call for a certain degree of formality. Both the Indian bureaucracy and the military lay great emphasis on customs, traditions, etiquette, norms and forms on such occasions. The attire of both Indian President and Prime Minister reflected their conformity.
The public is full of praise for GR’s decision to continue living in his house outside Colombo. He supposedly travels in a convoy of fewer than five vehicles and stops at signal lights. These are populist but dangerous gestures. As he implements unpopular yet badly needed reforms, he will earn the wrath of many. SWRD Bandaranaike was felled by a member of the Saffron brigade, a group that played a decisive role in his revolution. The last thing this country needs is a Presidential assassination. If the convoy stops at signal lights, the President is unnecessarily exposed to danger. If it travels daily at high speed with sirens blaring, he becomes a public nuisance.
The more practical and pragmatic option for our President would be to move into the President’s House after converting a small area as private quarters as done by his Indian counterpart. It will also have necessary security equipment and save the state of unnecessary expenditure.
The Indian President’s official residence Rashtrapati Bhawan is in a 130-hectare premises in Delhi and consists of 340 rooms. President’s residential quarters consist of a small section consisting of a few rooms.
November 26 marks the day when Maha Adikaram Keppetipola and Maha Nilame of the Uva Madugalle were executed on the banks of Bogambara Wewa on the orders of the British Governor.
It was left to Dr Henry Marshall, a friend of Maha Adikaram Keppetipola to take away the head of Keppetipola and send to the Edinburgh Phrenological Society to study the head. Later it was handed over to the museum of the medical faculty and it lay there until a relative of Keppetipola, Upali Keppetipola, petitioned the British Government for its return.
This cranium of Keppetipola is the link of the Kandyan kingdom and present independent Sri Lanka. Credit should go to President Maithripala Sirisena to freeing the Kandyan Freedom Fighters from the stigma of Traitors. It was the brilliant swordsman of the Kandyan kingdom Udagabada Nilame and Dissawa of Wellassa Madugalle who set the ball rolling on December 7, 1816 for the freedom of the country
He was sent twice to prison by the British for these acts and they feared him for his skill in warfare. He was in prison for two years in Jaffna Fort but was released on the birthday of George IV.
No doubt that the cranium of Keppetipola lies at the foot of the stone pillar, but Madugalle also should be commemorated on the same day at this very place, because both were executed on the same day on the banks of Bogambara Wewa.
“Realising that entire
Sinhala people were misled, Keppetipola thought that the time had come
to avenge the plot of Robert Brownrigg”
The head or the decapitated body of the warrior was buried in
cognition by the British army who was in charge of the execution and no
one has found where he was buried. But the fact remains that both were
executed on the same day.
Then why not we commemorate both at this spot – Keppetipola and Madugalle.
The marketing phrase that the Independence for Sri Lanka had been won without a shedding a drop of blood is a fallacy.
Over the years, since the advent of foreigners to Sri Lanka’s shores
from around 1505 MANY HAVE fought to regain the Independence of the
territory they had forsaken.
Among them comes Keppetipola Maha Adikaram born at Matale. But
unfortunately, he was A Traitor” to the country he was born and
sacrificed his life for the country, fighting the ruthless British of
that era.
It is recorded that officers like Lieut. J. Maclaine of the 73rd
Regiment used to hang captured prisoners in front of him while taking
his breakfast. So was another Lt. Col. Hook.
Keppetipola Maha Nilame was a heroic fighter, who fought the British in
the 1818 rebellion. Governments after Independence have come and gone,
which promised that the name of Keppetipola would be De-gazetted from
the Gazette of the British, which had declared that Maha Nilame was a
Traitor, to the Imperial Government of Britain.
The blood and the toil of the people of the country went to force the Colonial powers to restore Independence back to the people
It brings us to mind the way the British treated one of their own
kinsmen William Walsh a Scotsman, who resemble the Kandyan freedom
fighters when he was quartered on the orders of Edward the First and his
flesh thrown around. In the case of Keppetipola, his Cranium was
stuffed with salt for preservation and was taken away to the British
Empire and kept in the Tower of London first and later taken to
Edinburgh.
The Cranium was later returned, to Sri Lanka and kept in the Colombo
Museum for nearly ten years before this valuable property was brought to
Kandy – Thanks to Upali Keppetipola.
Valiant fighter Monaravila Keppetipola was one outstanding man who did
not seek pardon from the British, even though they were very willing if
he did ask for it. Instead, he gave his life for the people of Sri Lanka
on the Banks of Bogambara Wewa, which area is now within the
Keppetipola Memorial Hall.
Keppetipola’s cranium lies buried at the Sacred Mahamaluwa in Kandy over which there is a monument.
The cranium is within a glass case, which was deposited after it was
exhibited to the public at the Kandyan audience hall, behind the Sri
Dalada Maligawa.
Keppetipola’s birthplace is in the district of Matale and this is the
only connection. It is alleged that he had a son who was from a second
bed, but fearing the British would destroy him after Keppetipola, he
entered into Sangha hood and has since then his whereabouts are not
known He is alleged to have died while been a priest and the direct
descendent of Keppetipola expired.
But, there are many who are connected to his ancestry. But, in the
recent past, there is a number of people who are trying to claim
relationship to this nobleman. The only man who could ever be thought of
was Upali Keppetipola who was instrumental in getting down the cranium
which had been removed to the Edinburgh Phenomenological Society. In
fact, there was a time, when Upali Keppetipola alone paid homage at the
monument at Maha Maluwa, Kandy, by placing a wreath of flowers.
The background of Monaravila Keppetipola begins with Governor Robert
Brownrigg who avoided the issue of placing a Kandyan on the Throne of
Kandy or even allowing to administer the Kandyan Provinces.
The fact remains that after the disposal of the King, it was said that
the reins of the administration of the Kandyan Provinces would be handed
over to the Kandyan Chiefs. But they did not realise, the cunning
British Diplomacy and the trained Civil Servants who were sent to Sri
Lanka and also the spies like Sir John D’ Oyly.
An innocent set of Kandyan Chiefs was ‘caught’ in the intricacies of
British administration and lost the country through a set of rules that
the Britishers called Treaty”.
The Kandyan Chiefs only realised that they were taken for a ride by the
British State of Art of conquering the countries through diplomacy.
It was an unwritten promise that British would place one of Kandyan
Chiefs on the Throne. But, Brownrigg, did not honour his word and was at
one time questioned in the British Parliament for his acts.
Realising that entire Sinhala people were misled, Keppetipola thought
that the time had come to avenge the plot of Robert Brownrigg, with his
posting to Uva to quell the riots of Wellassa. Monarawila Keppetipola
tried to redeem the land of his birth. Thus began the Rebellion of
1817-1818 with Monaravila Keppetipola at the helm.
The shameful nature of bringing down the rebellion by the British,
especially on the orders Sir Robert Brownrigg, was such that even law
officers of Britain recorded that it was unimaginable horror and
ruthlessness of the British.
Kandyan Families were completely wiped out and the best of the Kandyan
gentry went into hiding, while some sought toed with the British and
earned their favours and also converted themselves into the faith of
Christ. So much so it is recorded that pandemonium reigned in House of
Commons. It was debated by British Parliamentarians even to the extent
of condemning their own King for having a representative who knew no
decency – that was Robert Brownrigg.
Most of the people, who after the British – Kandyan Treaty thought it
fit to enter into the service of the British, had plum offices, while
others were stripped of their positions.
When the Kandyan Treaty was signed, Keppetipola Maha Dissawa was the
Dissawa of Matale and subsequently the British appointed him to Uva as
well. While he was in Uva, a chance utterance to the Translator David de
Alwis, cost him his future and his life. He had one day told the
translator in conversation that it was time for the British to bid
goodbye to the country and place a Sinhala King on the Throne of Kandy.
There was also a time when Keppetipola, punished officers under him who
were trying to curry-favour with the Government Agent of Badulla. The
Governor became so vexed that he told the Kandy Commissioner and the
resident representative Doy’ly that the people were rising against the
Representative of the British King.
Keppetipola also frowned on the methods employed where his work was
being interfered with the British. The British on the other hand had
their own favourites in Sabaragamuwa, where the people of these areas
helped the British to find their way into Kandyan Territory.
“So, it should be noted that the real force for the freedom of the country were people like Keppetipola and other Chieftains”
He also indicated that as the Dissawa, he had the right to obtain the
dues from Kataragama Devale. These led to the events of the Rebellion.
A relative of Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe was roaming the area named
Doaraiswamy, whom the British suspected as a claimant to the Kandyan
Throne.
In the meantime, the Assistant Government Agent Sylvester Wilson sent
Hadji (Who was appointed Dissawe of Uva) to capture Doraiswamy.
From the very commencement, the people of Wellassa did not take a liking
over the appointment of Hadji. When he went to Wellassa, he had to face
an armed gang, where he was taken into custody and his brother who
accompanied him was hurt.
Wilson who heard about these incidents made an attempt to arrest the
armed gang with a band of Java soldiers. But, he could do nothing and he
succumbed to a fatal shot of the gang by bow and arrow. Not content
with these incidents, Brownrigg offered to pay 2000 pagodas to anyone
leading to the arrest of anyone who killed Wilson.
It is recorded that the British who recruited the scum of their country
for adventure, had people like Lt. O’ Neill and others of their kind
used to hang prisoners of the rebellion before their breakfast table and
eat in front of them. That was the scum that entered the British Army
at that time.
So by first January 1818, the entire Kandyan Province was under war,
with the British. A quick discussion was held at the Audience Hall of
Kandy by Robert Brownrigg and it he was told that under no condition,
would the Kandyan Provinces be handed over to the Sinhala People.
At this meeting, it was also stated that Robert Brownrigg declared that
if anyone brought the Head of Keppetipola, he would be offered 2000
Pagodas (The type of currency at that time )
By February 18, the British moved, declaring that anyone who should
bring the head of Madugalle or Pilamatalawa was offered 1000 Pagodas.
But, with more troops of the British being brought in to quell the
rebellion it became a failure, with the intrigue within the rebels. By
August, the rebellion was an utter and miserable failure.
But on 28 October, Lt. O’Neil captured Keppetipola, due to a sneaking
trader who had gone to barter goods to the village where Keppetipola
stayed. Three days later Madugalle was arrested, and by November 4,
under a heavy guard, both were brought to Kandy. By November 13 both
were brought before a Kangaroo Court.
Both were executed on November 25, 1818 with several other Kandyan chiefs. Ellepola Nilame was executed on October 27.
So, it should be noted that the real force for the freedom of the
country were people like Keppetipola and other Chieftains. The lands and
properties of those who were in the rebellion were confiscated by in
January 1818. as belongings of Rebels, Outlaws, and Enemies of the
British.
The list of eighteen whose lands was confiscated to the Crown was head by Keppetipola, the former Dissawe of Uva.
Colombo, December. 8 (Xinhua): Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said Saturday that his government is looking forward to continuing to develop friendly relations with China.
The two countries enjoy a strong, long-standing friendship, which has laid the foundation for practical cooperation,” Rajapaksa, who assumed office on Nov. 21, told Xinhua in an interview during his visit to the Colombo Port City, a project jointly developed by the Sri Lankan government and China’s CHEC Port City Colombo Ltd.
Rajapaksa visited the project along with Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan and other government officials to officially declare the 269 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea for the project as part of the Colombo district.
The new prime minister said his government will never forget China’s strong and long-term support for Sri Lanka’s development.
He said that he did not believe that Sri Lanka’s engagement with the China-initiated Belt and Road Initiative amounted to a debt-trap” as portrayed by some Western media.
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 said.
The prime minister also described a recent spate of media hyping of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s remarks on Hambantota Port deal as quoting out of context.”
The President didn’t mean there is any problem about sovereignty. What the President meant was that our government, unlike the previous one, has a principle of not privatizing assets,” he said.
If Sri Lanka and China have any problems, we can easily discuss and resolve them as friends,” Rajapaksa said.
According to a statement by the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka on Dec.2, the two countries have agreed to further strengthen political trust between the two countries and upgrade their pragmatic cooperation.
The two countries will speed up the implementation of cooperation on big projects, including the Colombo Port City and the Hambantota Port, under the existing consensus, and on that basis draw up and promote a new blueprint for future cooperation, the statement said.
(The featured image of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa above is by Tang Lu)
Brig. Salley appointed SIS chief Former Military Intelligence chief Brigadier Suresh Salley has been appointed as the head of State Intelligence Service (SIS) by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, informed sources said.
DIG Nilantha Jayaweera, who was the SIS director has been transferred to the Police headquarters.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Chandana Wickremesinghe has been appointed as the Army Spokesman.
