The Mahanayake Theras of four chapters said in a joint statement today that people should refrain from conducting mega Vesak celebrations that involved large public gatherings owing to the security situation prevalent in the country. Instead, they requested people to focus more on religious programmes aimed at spiritual development.
The statement had been signed by Mahanayakes Most Ven. Thibbatuwave Sri Siththartha Sumangala Thera of Malwatta Chapter, Most Ven. Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thera of Asgiriya Chapter, Most Ven. Kotigoda Dammawasi Thera of Amarapura Nikaya and Most Ven. Napana Premasiri Thera of Ramanna Nikaya.
They said Vesak was a thrice blessed event that marked the birth, enlightenment and demise of Lord Buddha. They said the event should be marked in a manner that would dispel fear triggered by the senseless terrorist attacks on April 21. They said the government was duty bound to ensure security at Buddhist places of worship.
Buddhists were requested to organise their religious events under the instructions of the security authorities.
Many analyses on the bloody Easter Sunday massacre had dealt with the incredible lapses of the incumbent Government. The attempt had been to pinpoint the party who might be directly responsible for the carnage and the present prevailing situation of fear and uncertainty. However, several entities including V enerable Induragare Thera are questioning the reason for the ISIS to target Sri Lanka.
Affluent terrorists
TNA Spokesman M. A. Sumanthiran had stated that this massacre is a result of Sri Lanka’s failure to address minority grievances. Sumanthiran is merely engaged in the despicable act of trying to get a political mileage from the carnage. His statement cannot be taken seriously for three main reasons. The first reason being that the general excuses of oppression, frustration and marginalisation that revolve around terrorism cannot be applied to the terrorists who were involved in this carnage.
These terrorists were from economically strong backgrounds. To read for their degrees or post-graduate studies they have chosen affluent Western countries as opposed to cheaper options as China, Russia, India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. They had been closely associating powerful politicians. Therefore, this group was an affluent sector of the Sri Lankan society who was also educated and politically influential.
The second reason is that the Muslims in Sri Lanka, irrespective of their economic, educational and political background, have the freedom to follow their faith and adapt the culture of their choosing. This is a freedom that Muslims in countries considered as pinnacles of democracy like Switzerland do not enjoy for the Swiss have banned building minarets (the prayer towers) in mosques.
Instead, in Sri Lanka a Minister is specifically appointed to ensure the conservation of Muslim religious affairs. However, it was revealed by Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekera, on 29 April, that since 2015 the Muslim Religious Affairs Minister Abdul Haleem had permitted 400 mosques belonging to the extremist group National Thowheed Jama’ath – 50 of which are situated in Kandy; home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. It is noteworthy that NTJ happens to be just one of the many Islamic sectors thriving in Sri Lanka.
Large caches of arms, ammunition and other weapons such as swords are now being discovered, during the search operations that have been conducted, since the carnage. In a statement to the press, on 30 April, it was Minister Haleem belief that, Certain mosques would have kept weapons and other sharp objects to clean the yards and surrounding shrubs around certain religious places.” Whether anyone would choose to believe such a ridiculous assertion remains to be seen. However, the point of the matter is that until now, mosques had the freedom to act as they pleased.
Until this carnage took place, Sri Lanka allowed madrasa schools to propagate and function freely – even while countries like Pakistan had started banning these schools. In the aftermath of this massacre, it had come to light that the curriculum taught in these schools is not under the purview of the education ministry. The laxness had allowed even foreign nationals such as Egyptians to be employed as teachers and some do not even have valid visas and other relevant documents.
Furthermore, Shariah Law was gazetted in April 2013. Muslims have their own banking systems, marriage laws and the freedom to certify their foods as halal”. In the Eastern Province a massive university to award Shariah Law degrees is currently under construction under the patronage of the Saudi Government, who had pledged Rs. 1,500 million. Any Muslim, not necessarily of Sri Lankan origin, may study in this University free of charge.
The third reason is, perhaps the most significant and must be taken into serious account. Media units such as AFP are trying to portray the ban on the niqab face veil, hijab scarves and abaya robes as an act of intimidation. On 1 May, Amal Jayasinghe’s bold headline ‘Sri Lanka Muslim Women Uncover Out of Fear’ was published in The Island. However, as noted in the article itself, Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has observed that this ban had been advocated by the Muslim clerics themselves.
Indeed, long before the Easter Sunday massacres prominent President’s Counsel Ali Sabri had been questioning the rationale of this dress code. He had repeatedly challenged to prove the relation between this black dress and Islamism. This importation of alien cultures from countries such as Saudi has been denounced by Sabri. It is his view that Sri Lankan Muslims must live as Sri Lankans and not as Muslims in Sri Lanka. He is not alone in this viewpoint.
Despite this misleading heading, Jayasinghe had also reported the statement of a Muslim septuagenarian who had said, As Sri Lankan Muslims became more educated they shed the purdah.” She had also stated that she had never covered her face and that she had no issues with the ban.
Wahabism that is taking strong roots in Sri Lanka is obviously very worrying for most in the Muslim community. Even the Muslim politicians, who were in open conflict with the then Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, for highlighting the existence of ISIS almost two and a half years ago, are now seen to be distancing themselves from these extremist groups. In fact, Western Province Governor Azath Salley claims that he was one of the first to highlight these elements, but the Government failed to take appropriate action.
It is thus obvious that the Easter Sunday massacres were not due to any communal issue. This is further reinstated by the video featuring the IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s statement. He chooses this carnage to come out of his five-year hibernation to claim the attacks in Sri Lanka as a retaliation for the loss of Baghuz, the last stronghold of IS in Syria. The most chilling message he delivers is that winning is not what God ordered, but waging jihad. This means that their ultimate goal is absolute destruction without achieving anything tangible.
His obvious attempt is to convey the impression of a group of madmen hell bent on a psychopathic mission. The reaction expected of us is to demand the absolute destruction of ISIS. While the need to do so is without question, there are pressing questions that need urgent answers for it is imperative we identify the face of the real enemy, instead of falling for decoys.
The amount of explosives uncovered, to date, since the destruction of the Buddha statues in Mawanella is mind-boggling. Even the security forces are not familiar with this type of explosives. The key question is, how did these explosives come into the country and who provided the logistics to move them to locations across the country. The second question is, why a madman in Syria, specifically decides on a target that is hardly visible on the world map.
US Role
The CIA is openly accused, for the creation of terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS. It is not a secret that, by coincidence or otherwise, America had gained where these terrorists have thrived. US conduct vis-a-vis Sri Lanka is adding to the suspicion that ISIS is just an excuse for American boots to land in our country. Earlier this year, the cargo that was brought into Sri Lanka via the Katunayaka International Airport on a C-2A Greyhound carrier has raised fresh suspicion.
The explosive detector that was found in Jaic Hilton in the possession of US diplomats has further exacerbated these suspicions. As the Security Officers had explained the dogs were trained to detect explosives and not detectors. Therefore, these detectors have clearly been exposed to explosives. Though this happened immediately after the massacres, the US diplomats had refused to cooperate.
US have pledged all the support needed to root out ISIS in Sri Lanka. If they are genuine, then the first step would be for them to abide by Sri Lankan laws.
They must not further erode relations between the two countries by allowing such suspicions to grow. It must also be noted that the terrorists responsible for the carnage were radicalised while living in Western countries. Therefore, these respective governments must first uproot and clean their own backyard.
We would not have been in this mess had it been for their ‘Regime Change’ exercise that led to the 30/1 Geneva Resolution. This in turn led to the dismantling of our National Security. We must learn from our mistakes and the rest of the world must give us space to do so.
A suspected jihadist training camp was uncovered at a location in Mullikulam, on the Kaththankudi border, yesterday during a search and locate operation carried out by the Security Forces, a senior official said.
He said the camp, located on some 15 acres of land, was sandwiched between a town area and a dense forest and appears to have been in operation for a considerable period of time.
An observation post along with tyres stacked information for training purposes and pipes were found in this vast enclosure.
The suspected camp is believed to have been operated by the now outlawed Thowheed Jama’ath Islam movement, the official further added. This is also the first known jihadist training facility to be found in the country.
It was not known if there were any arrests made at the time this edition went to print.
Over 140 million cash owned by the terrorist group responsible for the suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday has been identified during several raids carried out for the past two weeks, says the Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara.
Addressing a press conference held in Colombo today (06), he stated that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had conducted an investigation on the assets belonging to the terrorist group.
Part of the total amount of this cash has been seized by the CID and the rest of the amount is currently in multiple savings accounts owned by the terrorists.
The CID has already suspended these bank accounts, the police spokesperson said.
The CID is taking measures to suspend other assets worth over Rs 7 billion belonging to the terrorists.
SP Gunasekara said 54 suspects including 7 women arrested in connection with the attacks are currently in custody of the CID, while 19 suspects are held by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID).
The University Grants Commission (UGC) issuing a press release states that there is no university named ‘Sharia University’ under the jurisdiction of the UGC.
The UGC says that no such university has requested permission nor given authority by the UGC to conduct educational courses.
The complete media release of the UGC:
Attention of the University Grants Commission is drawn to several news items regarding an organization referred to as ‘Sharia University’ or ‘Batticaloa Campus’ located in Poonani in the Eastern province.
The Commission wishes to state that, as per the University Act 1978 (as amended) University Grants Commission is mandated only to plan and coordinate university education and regulate the administration of 15 state universities that come under the purview of the University Grants Commission.
University Grants Commission categorically states that no organization by the name of ‘Sharia University’ or ‘Batticaloa Campus’ has ever requested permission, nor given authority by the Commission to conduct degree courses.”
Island-wide search operations conducted with the aim to ensure the security within the country was carried out today as well (06).
During a raid at a house in Thalapitiya, Galle police have arrested a person along with over 1000 clothes similar to uniforms of the tri-forces and the Sri Lanka Civil Security Force.
At a special search mission in Nawalapitiya, several suspicious items have been found on the bank of the Mahaweli River.
The mission conducted by the Nawalapitiya Police, Sri Lanka Army and the Special Task Force (STF), has discovered 02 swords, a hand-ax, six knives contained in a polythene bag and a sack, at the Salem bridge area on the Mahaweli Riverbank.
Police suspect that these items may have been abandoned due to the ongoing search operations.
Three persons including a woman have been arrested in search operations conducted in Horowpothana area. A sword and 49 CDs have been found with them at the mission carried out by Horowpothana Police and the Kebithigollewa Police STF.
Interrogations conducted on the Arab school teacher – who had close connections with Zahran Hashim and later remanded after being arrested in Mukkarawewa, Horowpothana recently – had led to these arrests.
Meanwhile, a large noise heard from Baseline Road area in Borella which has created slight alarm among the public has been identified as an accident that had occurred when a person fixing a metal rod connected to aTV antennae on the roof had come in contact with a 33000W high-voltage power cable.
The accident which had occurred in the Halgahawatte area has resulted in the hospitalization of three persons.
Sri Lankan air force soldiers patrol a Muslim neighborhood following overnight clashes in Poruthota, a village in Negombo, about 35 kilometers North of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 6, 2019. AP
A majority-Christian city in Sri Lanka known affectionately as “Little Rome” has been rocked by clashes between Christians and Muslims after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings claimed by ISIS that left 257 people dead.
The Catholic Church has called for calm after Christians attacked Muslim-owned shops, homes and vehicles in Negombo.
“I appeal to all Catholic and Christian brothers and sisters not to hurt even a single Muslim person because they are our brothers, because they are part of our religious culture,” said Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo.
“Therefore please avoid hurting them and try to create a better spirit of understanding and good relations between all the communities of Sri Lanka,” he said in a video message to the country.
The Negombo’s main church, St Sebastian’s, a building modelled on the cathedral in the French town of Reims, was targeted by a suicide bomber. He killed more than 100 people when he detonated during Easter Mass.
The place of worship, located some 40 kilometres north of the capital Colombo, was just one of three churches targeted alongside three luxury hotels on April 21. But it suffered the highest death toll of any site struck on that day by eight ISIS-inspired suicide bombers.
The mob attacks will add to fears that the suicide bombings would widen religious and ethnic divisions in the country that has lived in relative peace since the civil war between the government and the separatist Tamil Tigers ended in 2009.
The cardinal visited Negombo, held talks with clerics at a mosque and appealed to the government to shut bars in the city, his spokesman Father Edmund Tilakaratne said.
“As a temporary measure, the cardinal asked the government to order the ban on liquor sales in Negombo area,” Father Tilakaratne said.
In another televised appeal, Cardinal Ranjith appealed to Christians, Buddhists and Muslims to show restraint.
A top police officer said two arrests were made after the latest clashes and more suspects had been identified through CCTV footage.
The officer said all will be prosecuted under emergency laws approved after the Easter attacks.
“At least three people were injured in the clashes,” the officer said. “Although we have arrested only two suspects at the moment, many more have been identified and we will go after them.”
The officer said an alcohol-fuelled dispute between two groups degenerated into the clashes.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government will compensate those who lost property in the night-time clashes.
Unverified video circulating on social media showed mobs throwing stones at Muslim businesses, destroyed furniture inside homes, shattered windows and overturned vehicles.
A few hundred extra troops and police were deployed late Sunday as authorities imposed a night-time curfew in the town.
The government blocked access to WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms for several hours to prevent what it called the spread of rumours and videos aimed at instigating unrest.
The curfew was lifted on Monday morning and social media was working again by noon Monday.
The recent carnage in Sri Lanka could be indicative of something even more profound and worrisome.
As the threshold for launching terrorist attacks is getting lower and lower, they could become increasingly frequent around the world in the days to come.
In particular, the rapidly growing prevalence of drones has allowed terrorists to mount attacks against targets in a much more cost-effective” yet less risky way.
For example, all it takes for terrorists to launch a deadly attack is to fly a drone loaded with explosives over a specific target and then detonate it.
Suffice it to say that nowadays drones pose a very real and imminent global security threat.
It has become very easy and totally feasible for an average individual to plot a small-scale attack” against, say, one’s ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend by using a drone carrying toxic substances.
It would be equally feasible for a terrorist to escalate the scale and intensity of drone attacks” by using not one, but multiple drones, against any chosen target simultaneously.
Actually, this has been done already by Islamic State (IS) during its later stage: the group has successfully launched multiple air strikes” against enemy positions using a large number of drones.
The IS, of course, was doing this mainly because it didn’t have the necessary resources to build its own conventional air force.
Nevertheless, this unique form of remotely controlled” air strikes could also have been a set of experiments carried out by the IS to test its future mode of terrorist attacks.
Apart from terrorist strikes, drones have also proven an efficient tool for political assassinations.
For example, both Turkish President Recep Erdoğan and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro have almost fallen victim to drone assassinations” when attending public events.
Once people are getting more familiar with operating this new mode of assassination, it is very likely that the drone may be a tool in mounting such a potential attack in the future.
In order to stop that scary scenario from becoming a reality, governments around the world have already been devising measures to prevent drone attacks and developing the related technologies, but only with limited progress.
That’s because guarding against drone attacks has turned out to be a lot more difficult than expected even in the context of existing technologies, let alone the future artificial intelligence (AI) world.
In December last year, for example, Gatwick Airport in southeast England, Britain’s second busiest airport, had to ground all flights and shut down for 36 hours after a number of drones were seen repeatedly flying over its runways.
Luckily, as the British authorities later found out, these drones were actually flown by protesters, not terrorists.
In Japan, the government has conceded that up to 40 percent of the country’s military facilities aren’t drone-proof.
And it would definitely be harder to prevent drone attacks against soft” civilian targets such as hotels and churches in the metropolis.
Even though we might still be going through a transitional period of information gap” between attacks and defenses, it is indeed not difficult to form a picture in the mind that the next wave of Sri Lankan-style terrorist strikes might become completely mechanized and would no longer require any suicide attackers.
Just imagine this: the recent attacks in Sri Lanka could have resulted in a lot more casualties and created much more fear among the local public if they had been carried out using drones that could hit multiple targets at the same time.
This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on April 24
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan security forces should avoid the incidents that caused some people face social stigma during the search operations after the Easter Sunday blasts carried out by a “cult” within the community, as it may lead to radicalisation of moderate Muslims in the country, a Minister has warned.
Minister of City Planning, Water Management and Higher Education Rauff Hakeem said Muslims welcome and support the security forces and police to carry out search operations following the ..
JEDDAH — The Kingdom’s embassy in Colombo dismissed a report published in a Sri Lankan newspaper insinuating Saudi responsibility for last month’s terrorist attacks in the country.
“The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka closely followed the news item published in the local newspaper ‘Weekend Express’ on May 3, 2019, under the heading ‘Leaked document reveals Saudi responsibility for the attacks’, quoting the Lebanese news site Al-Ahed,” the embassy said in a press statement released in Colombo.
“The embassy expresses its displeasure and condemnation of the publication of false allegations against the Kingdom in a state-owned newspaper in Sri Lanka, which led other local media organs to reproduce the news item,” the statement read.
The embassy categorically denied any Saudi involvement in the incident and emphasized that the published news item was a baseless lie.
The embassy urged the Sri Lankan media institutions to ascertain the reliability of their sources before publishing any news about Saudi Arabia.
Sri Lanka‘s Roman Catholic Church appealed for calm and an alcohol ban Monday after clashes between Christians and Muslims in a town scarred by Easter Day’s suicide attacks.
Hundreds of security forces entered Negombo to impose a curfew after dozens of Muslim-owned shops, homes and vehicles were attacked.
St. Sebastian’s church in the town 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of capital Colombo was one of three churches and three hotels hit by Islamic State group-linked suicide bombers on 21 April killing 257 people.
“I appeal to all Catholic and Christian brothers and sisters not to hurt even a single Muslim person because they are our brothers, because they are part of our religious culture,” said Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo.
“Therefore please avoid hurting them and try to create a better spirit of understanding and good relations between all the communities of Sri Lanka,” he said in a video message to the country.
The cardinal visited Negombo, held talks with clerics at a mosque and appealed to the government to shut bars in the Catholic-dominated town known as “Little Rome”, said his spokesman Father Edmund Tilakaratne.
“As a temporary measure, the cardinal asked the government to order the ban on liquor sales in Negombo area,” Tilakaratne told AFP.
In another televised appeal, Ranjith appealed to Christians, Buddhists and Muslims to show restraint.
Negombo suffered the highest death toll in the Easter Sunday attacks that were claimed by the Islamic State group. The bomb at St. Sebastian’s killed more than 100 worshippers.
A top police officer said two arrests were made after the latest clashes and more suspects had been identified through CCTV footage.
The officer said all will be prosecuted under emergency laws approved after the Easter attacks.
“At least three people were injured in the clashes,” the officer told AFP. “Although we have arrested only two suspects at the moment, many more have been identified and we will go after them.”
The officer said an alcohol-fuelled dispute between two groups degenerated into the clashes.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a statement the government will compensate those who lost property in the night-time clashes.
Unverified video circulating on social media showed mobs throwing stones at Muslim businesses, destroyed furniture inside homes, shattered windows and overturned vehicles.
A few hundred extra troops and police were deployed late Sunday as authorities imposed a night-time curfew in the town.
The government blocked access to WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms for several hours to prevent what it called the spread of rumours and videos aimed at instigating unrest.
The curfew was lifted on Monday morning and social media was working again by noon the same day.
Sri Lanka’s main international airport is located in the area, but police said there was no disruption.
Muslims make up around 10 percent of Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka’s 21 million population and Christians about 7.6 percent.
The country has been under a state of emergency since the Easter bombings.
The government has blamed the Easter bombings on a local jihadist organisation which had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
All suspected plotters and those directly linked to Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday bombings have either been arrested or are dead, the country’s acting police chief said on Monday.
In an audio statement circulated by the defence ministry, Chandana Wickramaratne, the acting Inspector General of Police, said security forces had also confiscated bomb-making material intended for future use by the militants involved in the attacks, which killed more than 250 people.
Sri Lankan authorities have said the bombings were believed to have been carried out by two little-known local Islamist groups, the National Tawheed Jamaath (NTJ) and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI).
Islamic State claimed responsibility but produced no evidence to support this.
Despite claiming responsibility for the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, the Islamic State did not directly organize the deadly terror attacks.
It was a locally led attack. It uses the ideology of ISIS to get the credit for ISIS so it has a success story,” Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake, commander of the Sri Lanka army, told the Wall Street Journal.
All nine of those who detonated bombs across the island nation on Easter have been identifiedand belong to two local terrorist groups. Those involved reportedly planned and executed the attacks by studying ISIS designs for explosives on the internet and by testing those designs out before the six suicide bombings that killed more than 250 people.
One of the bombers, the son of a wealthy Sri Lankan spice trader, appears to have used his means to independently finance and coordinate the attacks, which took a year to plan and execute. During the test runs for the explosives, one of the plotters blew off some of his fingers and lost his eye.
The conclusions, which are still tentative, are drawn from investigators poring over evidence gathered from the terrorists’ computers and possessions in addition to interrogations of arrested people associated with the bombers with knowledge of the plot. While some of those who participated in meetings about the bombings remain at large, Senanayake said about three-quarters of those involved are either dead or in federal custody.
Sri Lankan officials said the interrogations appeared to show that the timing of the attacks and the targets were aimed at boosting ISIS’ global image while territorial control of ISIS’ self-described caliphate continued to collapse.
A few of those involved did have some connections to ISIS, though. One of the eight men who bombed the hotels and churches was reportedly radicalized while studying in Australia and made ISIS contacts while there. Another one of the bombers claimed that ISIS had put him in charge of the group in Sri Lanka, but there is uncertainty of the veracity of that assertion, and authorities believe he falsely claimed to the others to be receiving instructions from ISIS in Syria.
As part of the attack, the bombers used washing-machine timers as mechanisms to set off explosives. They reportedly tested out the design on a motorcycle just days before Easter Sunday and planted one of the timed bombs in a car parked outside one of the churches that was attacked in an effort to kill survivors and authorities after the suicide bomb exploded. That timed charge did not detonate, though.
Following the attacks, ISIS leader Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared in the first video footage of him in over five years. In the clip, Baghdadi praised the attacks in Sri Lanka. In an audio portion of the video, Baghdadi said the attacks were revenge for the territorial losses it has suffered.
Sri Lanka is still under a state of emergency, and as public schools begin to reopen Monday, Catholic schools across the country remain closed.
Sri Lanka’s acting police chief Chandana Wickramaratne has said that all of the suspects linked with the Easter Sunday bombings have been arrested or are dead.
The announcement follows a nationwide manhunt for the perpetrators and their associates, 30 of whom were believed to still be at large over the weekend. Nine previously arrested suspects were released on bail earlier on Monday.
The suicide bombing attacks, later claimed by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group, targeted three Christian churches and three luxury hotels, killing more than 250 people.
Sri Lanka’s government has responded forcefully to the attacks, declaring a state of emergency, expelling Islamic preachers, and banning face coverings in public. Authorities remain on high alert, and warned last week of another wave of attacks,” possibly carried out by terrorists disguised as military personnel
The man was cleared by the doctor to spend time in prison.(Keystone/ Valentin Flauraud)
A 42-year-old Sri Lankan man died in a detention centre in Lucerne on Friday evening. He had to spend two days in custody because he was unable to pay a fine.
The police noticed that the man was in physical distress via surveillance cameras. He died on the spot despite an attempt at immediate resuscitation, Lucerne’s public prosecutor’s office revealed on Mondayexternal link. The investigating authorities blame “acute” health problems for his death.
Before being detained, the Sri Lankan was examined by a doctor. He was given the green light to serve his short prison sentence, according to the public prosecutor’s office. An autopsy was ordered to clarify the cause of death.
“In its judgment, the court shall impose an alternative custodial sentence of at least one day and a maximum of three months for the event that the fine is wilfully not paid.” states Article 106 of the Swiss criminal codeexternal link.
Almost three-quarters of all detainees in Swiss prisons are of foreign origin, a study shows. An analysis of the factors behind the numbers.By Patricia Islas
When
LTTE was militarily defeated in May 2009 the mistake the then government made
inspite of requests to do so, was not to denazify the LTTE & everything to
do with Eelam ideology. As a result, LTTE political agents are continuing
politically what LTTE strove with gun and some Ministers have the audacity to
demand the return of the LTTE publicly. The same scenario cannot be repeated
with Islamic terrorism based on a radical Islam that even Muslims do not wish
to adhere to. Banning the burka for security reasons only is not enough.
National interests must come first. People of all communities have to live
together. No person has the right to claim individual rights or grievance if it
undermines or infringes on the rights of another. If anyone’s ideologies don’t harmonize
with that of the majority, then they must go & live in countries where
those ideologies are legal & accepted. No one can kill people simply
because they do not conform to their ideology. This is the simple principle on
which people must learn to live. We must now take action to ensure no more
lives are lost because of radical ideologies.
What are the ‘Denazification
Directives” & Collective Guilt”?
The
term was used by Pentagon in 1943 & applied following defeat of Hitler
& the end of World War 2. The Western Allies comprising present day bullies
as well as preachers of human rights, in 1945 declared not only Hitler &
Nazi’s as guilty but denounced all Germans as guilty for both the war &
Nazi atrocities.
A
kangaroo court better known as the victor’s court or Nuremberg Military
Tribunal was set up in November 1945.
The Denazification Process – Collective
Responsibility: Collective Guilt”
Nazi
party abolished
Collective
Responsibility: Collective Guilt” meant posters put up across Germany You are
Guilty” – Germans were made to feel guilty.
Germans
had to fill questionnaires categorizing themselves (HR people call this racial
profiling today)
Anyone
or any group associated with Nazi’s was declared guilty
All
physical symbols associated with Nazis removed including Swastika
Nazi
links to cultural, social, intellectual, economic & even politics were
banned.
Anyone
who supported Hitler or Nazis were held accountable & charged with war
crimes
German
media, newspapers, radio stations, theatres, magazines, book publishers, book
dealers & printers were all taken over by US
Over
30,000 books including textbooks related in any way to Nazism was banned.
Germans
were not allowed to deny holocaust which EU criminalized in 2001 (if applied to
SL – Tamils would be held responsible for all of LTTE crimes, Muslims would be
held responsible for all Islamic terror crimes)
Eventually
denazification process created Germany’s constitution on 8 May 1949 and
ratified on 23 May 1949.
Germany is
today a powerful nation because the ideology of Hitler & Nazism was
annihilated.
Japan is
where it is today because of the same.
Sri Lanka is where it is today because
Sri Lanka failed to annihilate the Eelam ideology and now we are facing another
ideology – radical Islam both of which has to now be eliminated!
What the US, UK & Allies did
through denazification was to remove the ideology that inspired the terror. This was the reason to request Sri
Lanka’s Government to remove every symbol and slogan associated with LTTE’s
quest for Eelam. The separatist mentality needed to be legislatively &
legally banned as a pre-requisite to reconciliation. The ideology of Eelam was
the obstacle that needed to be removed.
Sri
Lanka’s constitution is clear about anyone advocating separatism. Why have
political parties not used the 6th amendment against individuals/political
parties pushing for this quest by different names? This is the role of a
government & its Attorney General.
Denazification
of LTTE/Eelam should be to ban separatist roots – nullify the Vaddukoddai
Resolution of 1972, any names with ‘Eelam’, Eelam emblems, slogans, monuments,
flags and taking legal action against those that flout the rules.
On 21st April 2019, 9
suicide bombers were radicalized into killing non-Muslims. They attacked 3 churches, 3 hotels
and 2 other sites killing over 250 innocent people. What was shocking was that
2 brothers, husband & wife were also suicide bombers.
Radicalism
amongst Muslims was seen rising undetected initially as the focus was on LTTE
terror.
The clues
were however obvious. Muslims began to change the lifestyle they were leading
previously harmonizing with the Sinhala majority culture. The demand for azan
via loudspeakers even resulted in a court case between two Muslim mosques.
Proliferation of mosques where in some towns every 3 persons are having a
mosque. A new type of dress in the form of burka began to be forced on women
with Saudi influence. Even men started dressing differently. Then there was the
demand for halal food labelling and insisting that a separate certificate of
halal compliance is issued for a fee which was nothing but a business venture
collecting money from non-Muslim businesses. Then came calls for Shariah laws
and demand for Muslim laws over and above that of the country law.
Not
only non-Muslims noticed these changes, even Muslims noticed and some were
brave enough to alarm the authorities but vote bank politics and the concept
false drilled into the minds of politicians that they needed minorities to win
elections made the politicians favor the radicals against the moderates. Of
course the politicians were swayed by money & other inducements which was
play a major role in radical promotion & propagation. The amounts of money
with people following search operations of late reveals the extent to which
money plays a role in fostering radicalism.
What
was visible was that a group of Muslims were getting heavily influenced by
external forces promoting their version of Islam no different to the rising
Christian cults using the power of money and manipulating Islam into a radical
ideology.
What
these groups are doing is indoctrinating youth and the gullible and misleading
them. All of the suicide bombers were rich & educated people. Its baffling
why they would take their lives and cut short the lives of others especially
small children. Some of the bombers had children.
Muslims were indoctrinated to hate
non-Muslims and that hate transcended to death on 21 April 2019 and is likely
to lead to more deaths if left ignored.
Therein
the collective guilt & responsibility is in Parliament for not taking
action.
During
LTTE terror a Peace Secretariat was set up manned by an excellent team that
countered false media allegations with facts & figures. A similar state
entity must be set up to counter falsehoods not only by the Eelam lobbyists but
against the Radical Islam lobby as well.
Sri
Lanka should take a more pragmatic approach & a higher moral ground by
desisting from adopting the Collective Responsibility-Collective Guilt applied
by US, UK & Allies against Tamils or Muslims but ensure that the ideology
that continues Eelam quest is removed & the ideology that inspires Islamic
radicalism is also removed.
In
terms of collective guilt: collective responsibility media (vastly controlled
by the Western Christian), UN/HR and other organizations also heavily
influenced by Christian West, politicians, think tanks that propose divisive
and dangerous proposals to governments, foreign intel that seek to undermine
national security of other countries to benefit theirs and the many other
invisible players are the guilty lot.
As for
Sri Lanka denazification of both Eelam ideology & Radical Islam is necessary
if Sri Lanka wishes to progress. Majority
of people want to live in peace. No one should be indoctrinated by a
religion or ideology to kill others. If their ideology does not harmonize with
the life Sri Lankans lead they can take themselves & their ideology to
countries where that ideology is accepted & live there amongst those
followers.
Eelam Separatists & Islamic radicals
are not welcome in Sri Lanka.
Political parties should not give
nominations or accept them through national list.
Voters of any political party should not
vote for any political party giving extremist & Islamic terrorist-linked
politicians nominations in future. If voters are firm on this pledge political
parties will think twice. Voters must now make their demands clear. We have had
enough bloodshed – we do not want any more innocent people being killed.
Sri
Lanka & Sri Lankans must have only ONE FLAG, ONE National Anthem in ONE
LANGUAGE, ONE LAW Equal to ALL. No one’s rights are above that of the other. No
one can demand any right if it infringes or denies the right of another.
If
we can follow these basic and simple principles – Sri Lanka can prosper.
According to media
reports, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith flayed the government
for its lackadaisical attitude and not doing enough to bring those responsible
for the Easter Sunday bombings to justice. He has expressed his dissatisfaction
with the security measures that have been taken since the attack and doubt
whether anything meaningful will be done by the Committee appointed by the
President.
The Cardinal has said: “I must appreciate the patience that the people
have shown after Easter Sunday’s attacks. Even if parliamentarians and
politicians were behind these attacks – directly or indirectly – people expect
them to be arrested, questioned and punished if they have any connections.
As revealed by Minister Kabir Hashim, few weeks ago, the two key
suspects who were captured
with explosives in Wanathawilluwa,
Puttalam in January this year
had been released due to
the intervention of a powerful politician and one of them had been involved in Sunday’s attacks. It is claimed by various
sources that one of the governors appointed by the President in January this
year, Azath Salley, was the one who intervened in this regard, although Salley denies
his evolvement.
According to some other news item, Eastern Province
Governor, M. L. A. M. Hizbullah’s driver and former cook were arrested, few
days ago, following the detection of 48 rounds of ammunition in a building rented
by the Governor at Kattankudy.
Further a blast reported
to have been taken place, a week before the Easter Sunday massacre, in a vacant
land at Kattankudy. The land owner is
said to be the said Governor. Hizbullah was accused by
a number of persons for having links to the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) who
are behind the Easter Sunday attacks. Mr.
Hisbullah is another Governor appointed by the President.
On the other hand, there are various allegations leveled against government
politicos like, Mujibur Rahman, Rishad
Bathiudeen regarding their involvement with extremist terror outfits.
Minister of Muslim Religious Minister Abdul Haleem was accused of
streamlining Madrassas and permitting the construction of hundreds of
extremist’s Tawheed mosques.
Minister
Haleem’s childish response to journalists’
queries as to why certain mosques had amassed weapons such as swords and other
sharp objects appears as a clear evidence of his desire to appease terrorist
attacks committed by Muslim extremists.
We
have come across videos showing how Mujibur
Rahman denying the establishment of ISIS, when revealed its existence by
Wijedasa Rajapasa in the Parliament few years ago.
All the powerful
politicians and the ministers of the current administration are simply
conducting media shows denying the
accusations level against them and nothing seems to be done to bring parliamentarians
and politicians behind the Easter Sunday bombings, directly or indirectly, to
justice.
Considering the relationships that those
politicians have established with the power hungry politicians ruling the
country, it is very doubtful whether any action will be done against the
alleged extremist elements.
Mahinda Rajapaksa Leader of the Opposition MEDIA RELEASE
One
of the pledges given by the present government to their foreign masters through
UN Human Rights Council Resolution No: 30/1 of October 2015 was to repeal and replace
the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1979. The draft counter terrorism law that
has been presented to Parliament for this purpose has encountered opposition
from political and media activists on the grounds that the way it defines the
term ‘terrorism’ leaves room for legitimate political and trade union action as
well as the dissemination of information and protection of sources by the media
to be labelled as terrorist activity. In the aftermath of the Easter Sunday
bombings, the government has been trying to sell their Counter Terrorism Bill to
the public with the claim that it has provisions to prohibit Sri Lankan
nationals from having links with foreign terrorist organisations.
While
the government’s proposed law is tough on ordinary citizens by having
provisions that can be used to stifle political dissent and the freedom of
expression, it is designed to treat terrorists with the utmost leniency to the
extent where its actual effect will be that of protecting and giving
encouragement to terrorists – not countering terrorism. Our Penal Code
prescribes the death penalty for killing just one person, but under the
proposed counter terrorism law, a terrorist convicted of killing hundreds of or
even thousands of people can only be given a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Furthermore while the Penal Code prescribes the death penalty for aiding and
abetting in murder, the penalty for aiding and abetting in mass murder in the
proposed law is just fifteen years imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs. one
million. How is terrorism to be deterred by giving convicted terrorists lesser
punishments than what the ordinary law of the land prescribes for the same
offences?
The proposed counter terrorism law also
requires the police and the armed forces to treat terrorist suspects with the
utmost solicitude. If a terrorist suspect is arrested by the armed forces, he
has to be handed over to the OIC of the nearest police station within 24 hours.
The latter has to examine him for injuries and present
him before a JMO for treatment or a report. The Human Rights Commission has to
be informed within 24 hours of the arrest so that they can determine whether
the arrest has infringed the fundamental rights of the suspect. When a terrorist suspect is
arrested, the arresting officer has to reveal his
identity to the suspect and the suspect’s next of kin or associates despite a
history in this country of terrorists having massacred entire families of armed
forces personnel. The next of kin of terrorist suspects have to be provided
‘reasonable’ access to the suspect in a situation where today, the next of kin
may well be the next suicide bomber coming to receive instructions. From
the time of the arrest, the welfare of the terrorist suspect takes precedence
over everything else.
All arrested suspects have to be
produced before a Magistrate within 48 hours and the Magistrate is required by
law to personally look into the well-being and welfare of the suspect. A
suspect can be kept in detention only for two weeks and if this period can be
extended only with the approval of a Magistrate. The total period of detention
of a suspect cannot exceed eight weeks. Under the PTA in contrast, a suspect
can be kept in detention for three months and this can be extended up to a
total of eighteen months. A suspect arrested under the proposed counter
terrorism law can be held in remand without instituting criminal proceedings
for six months and this period may be extended for another six months on an
order of the High Court. If criminal proceedings are not instituted within this
extended period, the suspect will have to be granted bail. Under the PTA
however, a suspect can be kept in remand until the conclusion of the trial. The
proposed counter terrorism law requires the Human Rights Commission and the
Magistrates to make unannounced visits to all places of detention and remand to
look into the welfare of terrorist suspects and they have to ensure that the
suspects are provided all the basic facilities. If the trial against a person
remanded under this Act has not been concluded within one year, the High Court is
mandatorily required to release the accused on bail.
Even at the trial stage, terrorist
suspects are afforded special relief. The proposed law states that ‘if death or
grievous bodily injury has not been caused’ or ‘if the security of the State has
not been seriously affected’ by the suspect’s actions, and he displays
contrition by among other things, publicly expressing remorse, providing
reparations to victims and participating in a rehabilitation programme, the
Attorney General may either suspend criminal proceedings or withdraw the
indictment altogether. How can a person who has harmed no one and not
endangered the security of the State end up being arrested and prosecuted under
a counter terrorism law? In practice, it is very difficult to collect
sufficient evidence against a terrorism suspect largely because of the unsettled
conditions that would be prevailing in the country. If a terrorist suspect is
arrested and charged in court but is still incongruously deemed to have ‘not
caused any harm to anyone’ or ‘endangered the security of the country’ that would
only be due to the lack of evidence and not because he has not committed the
crime he is accused of.
The proposed counter terrorism law
acknowledges this reality by requiring an accused person to express remorse for
something he is not supposed to have done and even pay reparations to victims
he is not supposed to have harmed, before the Attorney General suspends or
withdraws the indictment against him. Such bizarre provisions in the draft
counter terrorism law is an acknowledgement of the practical difficulties in
prosecuting terrorism suspects under the ordinary law which requires a high
evidentiary bar. Most often what can be achieved through anti-terrorist
legislation is the suppression of terrorism rather than prosecution and
punishment of terrorists, which is why such laws have to be tough enough to
enable its primary purpose to be achieved. There is no argument about the fact
that the Prevention of Terrorism Act introduced by the UNP government in 1979
is a tough law. But we have had to deal with the most ruthless terrorists the
world has ever seen and that would not have been possible if not for such laws.
Even
in sentencing a terrorist after conviction under the proposed counter terrorism
law, a reduced sentence can be handed down after considering mitigating factors
such as a public denunciation of terrorism, provision of reparations to the
victims and a public denouncement of violence etc. The government’s proposed
counter terrorism law is in fact a comprehensive relief package for terrorists.
If the proposed Counter Terrorism Bill is passed into law, it will seriously hamper
ongoing efforts to suppress terrorism following the Easter Sunday bomb attacks.
Since this country is once again confronted with terrorism, the government
should be prevented from making any changes to the Public Security Ordinance of
1947 or the Prevention of Terrorism Act of 1979. Priority should be given to
the people’s right to life over the rights of terrorists.
Another election and another betrayal.
Presidential and parliamentary elections are just months away. All parties are
gearing up to it. And that means venerating minorities and their leaders. UNP
has a captive minority vote base and it very keen to keep it that way. As a
result UNP will never allow a crackdown of Muslim terrorism. Although only a
small percentage of Muslims are terrorists, there is wide sympathy for them
within the community.
Sirisena was heavily voted by
Muslims. No less than 85% of Muslims voted for Sirisena in 2015. He is trying
to salvage whatever he can from this base. His SLFP managed to win a few local
government bodies with the help of some Muslim politicians. Therefore, he is
also very unlikely to tackle the matter other than a few publicity stunts that
will eventually end up with releasing most suspects. He will make sure no
Muslim MP (current and former) is arrested.
SLPP only managed to win 5% of the
Muslim vote in 2018 island-wide. A totally dismal performance. However, SLPP
leaders are doing everything they can to win more. As a result they too will
not support a crackdown on Muslim terrorism. They will make contradictory
statements to win Muslim votes from one hand while retaining other votes on the
other.
JVP is also after Muslim votes. JVP
once produced the first Muslim female MP. JVP will be following a wait-and-see
approach and an approach of pussyfooting the matter.
Muslim terrorists chose the perfect
time to launch their attack.
Sri Lanka is in trouble again thanks
to politicians fighting over minority votes.
Even before the Easter bomb blast I have been talking about
possibility of connection of drug trade with increased tourism and other
crimes.
When president started to wage the war against drug trade ,
remaining intelligent agents were concentrating on netting up Drug Masters
. I wrote an article about Paolo Escobar who was a drug baron in
Columbia, who managed to destabilize governments by exploding bombs and killing
leaders and law enforcement agents .
Drugs helped him to find people to do such activities .Most
of his ruthless killers were drug peddlers and drug abusers.
They were strong Catholics and yet they did not have mercy.
In Sri Lanka Catholics are more refined and disciplined
under the guide of the cardinal and other church leaders. Therefore such
activities could could only be done by Muslims as Buddhist were somewhat more
pious.
My question is whether Sri Lankan authorities ever checked
blood of the suicide bombers and the suspects they have arrested to check
substance abuse,means drug abuse.
The method of using canine / dogs to check explosives is
fine, but the authorities should check whether drugs were also in use.
It may be that the suicide bombers all over the world need
some brain twisting means to persuade them to such drastic action.
( in order to satisfy 72 virgins they intend to enjoy ,may
also need drugs to make them believe that it is true !)
In Russia when red army went on charging the advancing
German Invaders , Stalin gave gallons of Vodka to the soldiers who were
at the war front.
They forgot value of their life and went on suicidal attacks
to beat the Germans.
It is essential to verify about fact that drugs has
been used by the youths who killed themselves.
If it so President’s theory the war against drugs
waged by him had accelerated the Terrorist Attack can be assumed factual.
Even before the Easter bomb blast I have been talking about
possibility of connection of drug trade with increased tourism and other
crimes.
When president started to wage the war against drug trade ,
remaining intelligent agents were concentrating on netting up Drug Masters
. I wrote an article about Paolo Escobar who was a drug baron in
Columbia, who managed to destabilize governments by exploding bombs and killing
leaders and law enforcement agents .
Drugs helped him to find people to do such activities .Most
of his ruthless killers were drug peddlers and drug abusers.
They were strong Catholics and yet they did not have mercy.
In Sri Lanka Catholics are more refined and disciplined
under the guide of the cardinal and other church leaders. Therefore such
activities could could only be done by Muslims as Buddhist were somewhat more
pious.
My question is whether Sri Lankan authorities ever checked
blood of the suicide bombers and the suspects they have arrested to check
substance abuse,means drug abuse.
The method of using canine / dogs to check explosives is
fine, but the authorities should check whether drugs were also in use.
It may be that the suicide bombers all over the world need
some brain twisting means to persuade them to such drastic action.
( in order to satisfy 72 virgins they intend to enjoy ,may
also need drugs to make them believe that it is true !)
In Russia when red army went on charging the advancing
German Invaders , Stalin gave gallons of Vodka to the soldiers who were
at the war front.
They forgot value of their life and went on suicidal attacks
to beat the Germans.
It is essential to verify about fact that drugs has
been used by the youths who killed themselves.
If it so President’s theory the war against drugs
waged by him had accelerated the Terrorist Attack can be assumed factual.
The Embassy of Turkey in Sri Lanka issuing a statement to clarify certain news items published by the media stated that Turkey has been cooperating with Sri Lanka in her fight against Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO).
The Embassy states that Turkey has provided the Sri Lankan authorities with the details of the FETO affiliated members, schools and businesses in Sri Lanka for the last four years.
The statement says that they have also requested the Sri Lankan Government to ban FETO affiliated schools and businesses and to deport their staff.
The complete statement issued by the Embassy of Turkey in Sri Lanka:
The Embassy would like to clarify some issues regarding the news which has been published in the Sri Lankan media since 30th April 2019.
The terrorist bomb attacks which targeted Sri Lanka on 21st April 2019 showed once again the need for cooperation and collective fight against all elements of international terrorism.
Turkey and Sri Lanka have stood in solidarity and cooperation in the international arena for many decades and supported each other in their fight against separatist terrorism.
In this framework, Turkey has also been cooperating with Sri Lanka in her fight against Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO).
FETO is the terrorist organization that perpetrated the coup attempt on 15th July 2016 in Turkey, which killed 251 civilians and wounded thousands in one day.
FETO disguised itself as a benign education and charity movement and carried out its activities under this guise in Turkey and in other various countries for many years.
Since 2013, the ultimate aim of this terrorist organization has been discovered by Turkey and their activities were completely banned within the country.
After the brutal coup attempt on 15th July 2016, a large number of foreign countries followed Turkey and banned or closed FETO affiliated schools and businesses and deported FETO members front their countries.
The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey provided the Sri Lankan authorities with the details of the FETO affiliated members, schools and businesses in Sri Lanka for the last four years and requested the Sri Lankan Government to ban FETO affiliated schools and businesses and to deport their staff.
As Turkey and Sri Lanka are still the targets of international terrorism today, as in the past, both countries will continue to stand in solidarity and cooperation.”
Underworld figure Makandure Madush has been deported from Dubai this morning (05), stated the Police Media Spokesperson.
He was taken into the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) upon his arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport.
Drug kingpin Makandure Madush was under the custody of the Dubai authorities after being arrested at a drug-fuelled party thrown by him in a Dubai hotel, back in October.
Along with him, 31 Sri Lankans including underworld figures and celebrities such as singer Amal Perera and his son, actor Ryan Van Rooyen were also arrested in Dubai.
The Dubai authorities had deported the arrestees to Sri Lanka at several occasions and Sri Lankan authorities took them into custody for questioning upon their arrival. Some have been remanded as per court orders while others were released after recording statements.
The usual culprits are doing what they do best – stir the pot of trouble. They do not help in the least except point fingers that too at only targeted groups. So the immediate narrative even before investigations commenced was that ‘Sinhala Buddhists’ were responsible. Goebbells theory continues – tell a lie repeatedly & it is believed. Nonetheless, with Easter being a Christian/Catholic event and the bombers being Muslims the mainstream media were quick to denounce the Muslims and then immediately realizing the likely outcome of that the narrative quickly changed to Sri Lanka adopting an ‘anti-Muslim’ campaign because there was opportunity there as it entails media, NGOs, UN, foreign envoys to plug their two cents and make a noise further pressurizing a feeble and clueless Government. Let’s just call a spade a spade & take these issues head on.
All Tamils are not LTTE but all LTTE were Tamils
When LTTE extremisms were
visible, majority of people continued to say All LTTE are Tamils but all Tamils
are not LTTE. That belief continues to this day. Nevertheless, what is also
true is that there were a small number of Tamils who disagreed with what LTTE
was doing and were not only helping the armed forces as informants but
preferred to live with the Sinhalese. These were however small in number. Sadly,
they were hated by Tamils for doing so. No different to how defeated LTTE
combatants are today treated by Tamils you losers” not because they lost the
war but because as a result of the defeat the avenues that some Tamils were
making comfy lives through came to a halt. This is why many LTTE combatants
were seen crying at the departure of an army official because he gave them love
and compassion that their own people did not.
How many Tamils openly opposed
Jaffna University commemorating LTTE & its dead combatants?
How many Tamils took the side of
the Tamils victimized by LTTE or the Tamil families whose children were
kidnapped and turned into child soldiers?
At another level, though all
Tamils were not LTTE some of these Tamils found opportunity in the LTTE. LTTE’s
camouflage was that they were representing Tamils against Sinhala
discrimination. So many Tamils used ‘Sinhala discrimination’ to apply as asylum
seekers and went to live in the West. Many of these applicants were happily
living with the Sinhalese but inspite of that the desire to live in the West
did not stop them from using the tag line.
Sinhalese hold no grudge against
this except feel sad that they have been used and even after 30 years not many
wish to openly say that July 1983 riots was a UNP govt planned riot and that
the Sinhalese gave them refuge and protected them in their homes!
At another level LTTE became what
it was because it had plenty of non-Tamil supporters including Sinhalese,
Muslims, foreigners, NGOs even UN. LTTE ground force was defeated but LTTE
network that supplied the arms, carried out the propaganda and run illegal
& legal businesses remain very much alive even today. The terror arm is
missing but the political and economic arm of the LTTE still thrives and is
connected to a plethora of networks that connect with narcotics, human
smuggling, illegal arms smuggling and contract killing on targeted people.
So while tsome Tamils that
supported LTTE are no longer supporting the fighting unit as it is now
obsolete, they continue to support the other branches as they are indirectly
connected to them – their relatives may be working with them, they may be
holding portfolios in these foreign fronts, they get a lucrative income from
the LTTE businesses etc… so we are talking about a very powerful group of
people who do not wish to completely allow LTTE Inc to be terminated because it
affects their livelihoods. These are the one’s running to Geneva, pumping money
to the political wing and other campaigns to keep alive the original campaign
for it affords many opportunities to them in many ways. And Sinhalese are the
ready-made bait for tarnishing campaigns. Anything happens to a Tamil and the
conclusion is, the perpetrator is Sinhalese.
Never brought to the table are
the faults of the Tamils, their scheming, their unfair demands, the validity of
their claims, the hypocrisies or their lies. A good example is the manner TNA
politicians have gone round the world ridiculing our Armed Forces, funding
bogus stories about them, hiring con artists to write reports, setting up bogus
‘witnesses’ and using a well -funded campaign in Geneva and among the
diplomatic community to demand removal of the military since 2009 and now after
the Easter Attacks the same TNA MPs are now saying to not only keep the
military in the North but to increase their presence. What hypocrisy and these
are what we have to digest every day because the media the key outlet that is
supposed to place the facts before the readers for them to decide play games
too by taking sides and quite openly too and again it is always the Sinhalese
that are projected as the culprits for anything & everything.
All Muslims are not Islamic terrorists but all Islamic terrorists are
Muslims
An oft-spread notion among
minorities is that they must keep together whatever internal differences as
that is the only way to consolidate their power. This is why extremist minority
leaders have a field day during elections chanting all sorts of vituperative
attacks against the majority and securing the minority vote thus becoming
king-makers in parliament. Again, some Muslims have come to realize that these
Muslim politicians are only using Muslims to come to power and enjoy personal
perks for their families and friends. But being a close community, everyone is
related to the other in the major towns and cities especially as Muslims are
key players in the business community.
With the power of petro-dollars a
global program to create an extremist political identity vis a vis cultural
identity, business, social, legal came to be spread among countries that had
their guard down or countries where politicians could easily be compromised. No
doubt Sri Lanka was an easy choice. Hand over money & Sinhalese politicians
would look the other way. Very little attention was paid to policy, laws or
principles. Tragically incrementally incursions were subtly taking place
throughout the island especially in Buddhist sacred site areas where the
overall counter plan was to scream ‘racism’ ‘FR violation’ ‘anti-Muslim’ and
silence those that were highlighting the unfair incursions. The tactic was to
make illegal demands, create a scene of objection, pay both sides to stir
racial trouble, highlight the issue across media, project the Sinhalese as the
guilty party & then pretending to be fair, agree to reach a compromise
whereby they legally achieve something more than what they legally did not have
& should not achieve. This was the modus operandi that has won them much
territory in the past and the framework is likely to continue. The legality of
the issue, the validity of the claim is never put on the table – Muslims are
made to believe that anything the Muslims demand is fair & legal. Only a
handful of Muslims come forward to disagree but they too are ridiculed by their
own people.
While a few Muslims came forward
to inform authorities about Muslim extremisms, many Sinhalese highlighted the
exact nature of these extremisms and warned that if these were not legally
dealt with we would face repercussions in the future – it was suggested that the
State declare that no minority cultural laws can be considered above the
country law, the authorities were asked to ban halal food labeling – a new
business model simply to create two forms of taxes for a food license issued by
a private Muslim organization annually based on a minority religion which was
unfair by all others, Islamic/Shariah banking – why should a minority have a
banking system based on their religion only, how fair was it by the others? Daily
azan played throughout the day which was becoming an increasing nuisance to
residents as influence of municipalities allowed illegal mosques to emerge few
feet apart from each other. The mushrooming madrassas where children were
stopping school to attend these, the increasing number of women wearing burka
which even the ISIS banned in 2016.
All these were highlighted to
show these were anti-social, not contributing to peaceful coexistence,
self-segregating and fostering seeds of animosity given that these were not religious
rights but new political Islam trends purposely introduced to foster animosity &
division by those promoting it because they had bigger plans in mind which even
the Muslims were really not aware of. Easter Day attack was a good example of
the extent of extremist ideology that had brainwashed even rich & educated
Muslims, some family members to become suicide bombers and kill people in the
name of their religion.
Extremism that entered via
petro-dollars backed by powerful preachers, politicians, businessmen was
nothing that ordinary Muslims could go against – the lobby was too powerful and
the mosque every Friday had the last say in how Muslims behaved. Only a handful
of Muslims who preferred to live like the majority community while practicing
their faith for personal development and not political advantage were the real
minority fostering peace. Unfortunately, they too are cornered by their own
just like the handful of Tamils going against the trend.
The manner that the suicide
bombers & their networks had Rs.5000 notes and the money found across the
island showed how money can silence people – rich or poor. Today, principles are
overtaken by the power of money.
Again immediately after the
suicide bombings, the usual culprits that flog the Tamils are discriminated
song began an anti-Muslim drive as the majority of media are Christian-owned and
Christian influenced (the 1964 Press Commission Report amply provides evidence
for this) The same players reversed their story to single out Sinhalese as
being responsible for an anti-Muslim initiative and now that is taking global
stage with the usual statements asking Sri Lanka’s majority to be sensitive to
minority rights.
Completely forgotten is that
Islamic terrorists attacked Catholic churches no doubt but they also attacked
hotels that killed 42 foreigners and non-Catholics including Muslims too. Over
250 are dead. But the paid narrative is always – Sinhalese are responsible.
Sinhala Buddhists will forever be
everyone’s scapegoats – it is fashionable to always point fingers at the
Sinhalese. It is unlikely that this narrative will ever change. As Sinhalese
Buddhist we can only say truth will come out one fine day and justice will
prevail. Lies do not last forever. If lies sustains livelihoods – so be it.
Earn a living telling lies. Your conscience will know the truth!
Vinod Munasinghe has
in his letter of Monday 31 March to ‘The Island’ touched a raw nerve in all of
us when he referred to the eurocentrism
of Cassandra who had shrugged it off saying So what?” according to him. It is
quite understandable when it comes to the likes of Cassandra. It was the other
day that we saw a worse display of Eurocentrism when a
government Minister publicly groveled before the Commissioner of the UNHRC
begging pardon for the conduct of the members of the Sri Lankan delegation.
This shows slavish servility on his part to Eurocentrism. It is said that even
after slavery was abolished in the West some slaves preferred to continue as
slaves probably because they found comfort zones in slavery.
But the real problem
is that most of us are afflicted with this problem in various degrees though
are unaware of it. This is due to the fact that we are the product of Western
education system. This is worsened by the fact that our knowledge base too is
Western oriented, now more so with the internet and the whole system now
becoming web based. We are all trapped in it and therefore see no need to
develop our own ways of independent thinking, with different outlooks. It has
now become fashionable to happily embrace this new knowledge and way of
thinking.
I believe it was
probably Anagarika Dharmapala thuma followed by Piyadasa Sirisena and
prominently Munidasa Cumarnathunga who first realized the need to develop our
own way of thinking. (Very probably Vinod is a distant descendent of the
Anagarika? – may be it is the same DNA that is revolting in him). Late Eng.
Alien de Silva tried independent thinking in his own field in later times. With
the demise of the two great Pirivenas, Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara converted
into Universities, the remnants of the traditional knowledge system too died a
slow death, with the lesser Pirivenas having to adjust themselves to the Public
Examination system for survival. Thus the oriental thinking system died
ironically not at the hands of the colonials but owing to our own confused
thinking after 1956. In the wake of all this, Eurocentrism has come to occupy
the vacant space in our thinking. And all of us are engrossed in Eurocentrism.
As a result, our creative and innovative thinking has become impaired.
Consequently we can only engage in imitative thinking. This is seen in all our
approaches to current problem solving.
When the medium of
education was changed to Swabhasha in the mid Fifties it was anticipated that
it would facilitate thinking in our own language and thereby usher independent
thinking as a newly independent nation. But its effect was the reverse. In
effect it resulted in an inferiority complex in the new generation who felt a
compulsive need to re-orient into Eurocentric thinking.
However, it was some
African intellectuals who came up with the assertion in the late Eighties that
if post colonialized nations wanted to be truly Free, they need to
‘de-colonize’ their own minds, to be able to usher independent thinking.
I do not know whether
it is a coincidence or not that some posters of the 1971 JVP uprising
carried slogans to the effect that we
have nothing to lose but our chains that tied us; also that it is better to die
standing on our feet than to live fallen on our knees. I do not know whether he
was borrowing from Marxian thinking but it must have been very attractive to
the young then. Wijeweera in his Five Classes preached that the tea estates
should be uprooted and of Indiyaanu vyaapthawadaya (Indian expansion).
At that time we scoffed at such ideas as sheer bunkum. But twenty five years
later we had the 13th amendment thrust down our throats by India.
And now we are talking of denudation of the tea lands and also are staring at a
dwindling tea market. In hindsight, I wonder whether Wijeweera was trying to
think independently outside the Eurocentric frame though one cannot approve of
his violent methodology.
Yet may be all is not
lost. When our cricketers, three wheel drivers and housewives started to talk
cricket in Sinhala, we became world beaters! When that wonder bowler Ajantha
Mendis walked up to collect his international trophy, he could not converse in
their lingua franca! The latest is that they have become the first Asian
cricket side to beat the South Africans in a clean sweep in test cricket in
their own country. Similarly, when young village girl Susanthika Jayasinghe
stormed the Olympic scene to win a silver medal for this country, she referred
to that Yak gathiya in me” that propelled her.
Not to be out done,
Sri Lankan Armed Forces vanquished the LTTE, said to be the worst terrorist
organization in the world, to become the only country to have overcome
terrorism when the Western Powers told us that it was an ‘unwinnable war’ and
that the only way out was negotiated settlement with the enemy. That was
probably because our military machine changed to native thinking.
In the literary
field, I think of the innovative thinking of Prof. Sarachchandra who
revolutionized the modern Sinhala drama to give a new identity. Similarly
Lester Peiris broke away from Eurocentrism through his films ‘Rekhava’ and
‘Gamperaliya’, to be recognized as a world class innovative film maker of the
last century. Also the case of Sybil Wetthasinghe whose childrens’ stories with
her unique illustrations have been translated into over 13 languages in the
world. These are significant achievements for a small country with a limited
population.
We have also seen
some flashes of independent thinking in the present time too. I am thinking of
the line of fresh thinking in editorial writing in The Island newspaper which
may be the reason why they have earned much appreciation of the readers. There
is Ayurvedic Dr. Danister Perera who is engaged in finding new depths in native
medicine. We also have archeologists like Prof. Raj Somadeva who is conscious
of the need for new thinking in his field of study. (Listen to his talk given
at the Dambulu Kathikawa.)
These indications
show signs that we are indeed moving towards independent thinking, away from
the shackles of Eurocentrism. But I think what is important at the present
moment is to realize that it is the eurocentrism and the lack of a de-colonized
mindset that inhibits us from thinking freely and that is the cause of our
Eurocentrism itself. I believe it might
take another generation for us to fully assert ourselves. But for the present
we need self-confidence on ourselves.
For the present. we
may be fumbling with that unfamiliar political instrument that is democracy,
wallowing in corruption, indiscipline and unethical behavior. It was Mr. D.C.
Wjwwardane who wrote his monumental work ‘Revolt in the Temple’ in an attempt
to strike out a political philosophy for the newly emergent Sri Lanka. Copies
of it were handed over to each Minister of the SLFP Government in 1956, when
they took oaths at the Kelaniya Temple. But no one took it seriously, in their
euphoria. Later copies of that book was sold in the Pettah pavements for 50
cents!
Yet all indications
are in our favour, after 500 years of foreign domination. One could hear mild
distant thunder. This is now said to be the Asian Age. China which had been put
into sleep by the West with opium, is now awake and is on the move. They have
developed their own brand of Communism which is propelling them forward
inexorably. The West seems to be panicking at the prospect of being overthrown
from their position of prominence. So let us be awake ourselves and we have
only to overcome our inferiority complex that holds us down.
SPUR (Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka Inc) Australia
In the aftermath of the tragic Easter Sunday
bombings, the prime Minister of Sri Lankan Ranil Wickremasinghe on 27/04/2019
announced that the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement was signed and
that this agreement has provided Sri Lanka USD 500 million which could be used
for development work. In two articles
published on the internet in February and March 2019, alleged details of this
agreement were leaked to the public.
The articles allege that the MCC agreement is
nothing but a plan to splinter Sri Lanka and turn it into a US Military Base.
The Key points alleged in these articles are:
The agreement
was drafted after two years of secretive negotiations between Ranil
Wickremasinghe and the Millennium Challenge Corporation and It was to be signed
in November 2018
Under cover of
‘Megapolis’ development, the Americans demanded from Sri Lanka an ‘Economic’
Corridor of 1.2 Million Acres of land from Trincomalee to Colombo for a lease
period of 200 years and they insisted that US law must prevail within this
corridor
The US has
offered USD 400 million for the corridor which works out to Rs.24 per acre per
month.
It appears that
Sri Lanka has been offered 80 million USD more
The area covered
by the corridor contains Eppawela’ phosphates, ilmenite, thorium, monazite, and
rare-earth metals Cerium and Lanthanum
The US insisted that Sri Lanka should abrogate her
land laws which had protected her Sovereignty and National Security and that
Ranil Wickramasinghe has agreed to oblige by drafting to two new Bills – the ‘State Land Bank’ Bill
and the ‘Land (Special Provision)’ Bill
The construction
of an ‘Electrified’ Railway Line from Trincomalee to Colombo protected with
electric fences on either side which will effectively physically split the
country into two.
Anuradhapura and
Kurunegala will be in the north of the corridor
The allegations above if true, show that Ranil
Wickremasinghe has signed an agreement that destroys the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
Given the grave nature of the allegations it is
imperative that the government immediately reveal the contents of the agreement
without any redactions to the general public. We strongly request the
government to do so immediately and all political and national leaders to
recognize the dire implications of the agreement to the national sovereignty
and take all steps to REJECT AND REPEAL ‘the agreement with MCC, USA.
Dasarath Jayasuriya
In my opinion, the events that unfolded were the culmination of what began in Jan 2015 when President Mahinda Rajapaksa was overthrown and Maithripala Sirisena appointed. As we all know this was funded and helped by several countries, in the West and even India. The election was manipulated to appoint Ranil Wickremasinghe as PM even though we had a PM and a Cabinet already. It is high time the PM resigned to make way for a new and capable Govt. I found the this article in the Lankaweb which lists all the crimes committed by him over 40 years. See: https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2017/08/09/ranil-wicremasinghes-crimes-against-sri-lanka-and-its-people-for-forty-years/
We are well aware of the events that unfolded thereafter, but I would like to refresh the memories of our people since our people seem to have short memories.
1. PM brought the Ministry of Finance under him, brought Arjun Mahendran who was an alien as the Governor of the Central Bank and stated in Parliament that he will take responsibility for his appointment. He also brought a person who many are aware of as being of a dubious reputation as head of the Treasury. At this time the UNP was bankrupt and was in debt to the tune of Rs. 3 Billion. 2. The now infamous Bond scam was perpetrated by this group. While there was an uproar in the country about it, nothing was done to investigate what happened and who was responsible. 3. When the General Election came along in August again though Mahinda’s party the UPFA was on the verge of winning the foreign powers manipulated the election by informing the people through the President that even if Mahinda wins he will not appoint Mahinda as PM. This threw the country into confusion and as a result, they voted for the UNP/TNA/JVP/Muslim alliance. The UPFA which had the largest number of seats in the Parliament were ignored by Karu Jayasuriya the Speaker and the TNA with only 16 seats was appointed as the Opposition leader. All parliamentary rules were broken and the UPFA went to the UN to complain about what was going on. No one took any notice as they were so busy making money. 4. The UNP alliance started taking foreign loans and using that money for consumption. People were allowed to import luxury cars and the MPs were allowed to import luxury cars without tax. The MPs without any patriotism imported these luxury cars and sold them for a huge profit. It was a huge business for them. A lot of projects that had been started by Mahinda’s Govt such as the Port City, Power plants, Solar Energy Park, etc. were stopped by this UNP alliance. The bought Parliament went along with it. Even a very defective Constitutional amendment the 19A was passed since it was a bought Parliament.
5. In 2016, a second Bond scam was perpetrated. Suddenly the UNP debt had disappeared. Maithripala realized things were not so rosy and appointed a Presidential Commission to look into the Bond scam. The perpetrators took off back to where they came from. The commission found various people guilty of the Bond scam but not the chief architect the PM. Why? 6. To fulfill the promise made to the TNA for getting the UNP into power the UNP Alliance took great pains to trivialize what Mahinda Rajapaksa had achieved. Mahinda achieved what many superpowers had brain washed our people to believe was not possible. That is to defeat LTTE militarily. They wanted Sri Lanka Govt to just give in to their requests to give a separate state to the Tamils which would have been a precursor to breaking India. They denigrated the armed forces and co-sponsored a resolution which virtually admitted to the world that the Sri Lanka armed forces were guilty of war crimes. Intelligence people in forces were jailed on various excuses and kept in prison for years without trial. Most of the land the army had acquired in the N&E during the 30 years of fighting with the LTTE was given back to the people who claimed them. Mangala Samaraweera and Chandrika Bandaranaike became the champions of the Tamil “Cause”. Tamils who claimed ‘missing people’ were given hearings and it became popular to accept their word against that of the Sri Lanka armed forces. In several cases, so-called disappeared people reappeared in India and elsewhere. No thought was given to the fact that some of the disappearances could be due to the LTTE themselves killing civilians who did not comply, or to those who went missing in the Tsunami of Dec 2004, etc. Steps were taken to set up an Office of Missing Persons. No one bothered about soldiers who were missing and displacement of Sinhalese from the North and East. Highly inflated numbers such as 300,000 – 140,000 were used by the UN and UNHCR to create a case against Sri Lanka. It was only when Lord Naseby brought out the actual figures from the U.K. Gashe files which showed the numbers to be 7000-8000 which was same as what Maxwell Paranagama report gave that the vociferous voices of the diaspora Tamils subsided. 7. The value of the Rupee dropped from 130/$ to almost 200/$ by 2019. The debt went up from 75% to about 92%. No one seemed to care for the country except for the Joint Opposition consisting of Mahinda and Lanka loyalists. In this year’s budget, they set aside money to pay reparations to LTTE terrorists who had committed so many crimes against the country. India should pay us reparations for having trained and let loose the LTTE against us and the Superpowers of the West for prolonging the war for so long because they had a sizeable chunk of Tamils who had gone as refugees after 1983 trumped up riots, to supply money and votes for many of the politicians in those countries. For these people, facts did not seem to matter – only the immediate gain from their voting bloc mattered. The BBC virtually became the voice of the LTTE as they wielded power with the politicians. 8. From the beginning of 2018, Maithripala began to realize that his alliance with Ranil was slowly destroying the country. It culminated with him trying to install Mahinda as PM along with his loyalists to the cabinet. This ‘coup’ was unfortunately squashed by the Supreme Court who interpreted the Presidents action was illegal even though the Attorney General had approved his action. The TNA and the JVP backed Ranil and the UNP when a vote was taken in the Parliament. 9. I believe that if Mahinda was allowed to stay in power the unfortunate events that happened would not have happened. Mahinda always gave the highest priority to the security of the country, unlike the jokers we have now in office. As the information unfolds about the bombing, many facts are coming out which shows the utter lack of control our Govt has on the security of the country. One of the suicide bombers had a factory which was employing Bangladeshis. How did these people come to the country? Did they come as illegal immigrants or on work visas? 10. A large group of Pakistani and Afghan refugees was in a police station for safety due to fears for their life since they were Muslims. They said that they were there as UNHCR refugees. The question I have is: how many such refugees do we have in the country? Are we subsidizing their education, health, and even food? Do the govt authorities monitor these people? A priest speaking on the subject has said that Minister Rishad Bathiudeen has brought in almost 300,000 people who have been settled in Wilpattu. See https://www.facebook.com/hash.mars.9/videos/147728786278268/UzpfSTEwMDAwODU2MTk4MDkzNjoyMDIzODY4MDcxMjQxOTA2/ – අපේ හාමුදුරුවෝ පොල්ලෙන් ගැහුවා වගේ ඇත්ත කථා කලා They are being trained in Sharia law with funding from Saudi Arabia. Do we know how many illegals are there in the country? According to the talk by the priest, most of them throw away their passport and go to a Grama Sevaka and get an i.d card. 11. Surely by now, we should have a better means of issuing i.d cards. In most countries to get a passport they have to undergo rigorous police checking of their backgrounds and also health testing to ensure they do not have HIV or AIDS or worse. India is using Biometric I.D cards. During the war apparently, almost a million Tamils went out of Sri Lanka to other countries. Yet when the census was done in 2012 the population was the same. This means almost a million illegal immigrants have come during this time from Tamil Nadu. Even among the people in the refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, we do not know how many are people who have crept into the camps there.
12. Many UN agencies are using Sri Lanka to dump refugees in Sri Lanka from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and other countries. After getting Sri Lanka to co-sponsor the UNHCR resolution the superpowers have a hold on Sri Lanka. They are using this leverage to get Sri Lanka to accede to any requests they make. Mangala has set himself as the human rights champion and the agent for UNHCR. He is I believe eyeing a plush UN job when he loses his current job due to Govt change.
14. All the terrorist groups in Sri Lanka were using poor kids to feed them some kind of ideology so that they would go and fight on their behalf and get killed while their leaders lived in luxury. The truth or the falsehood of the ideology did not matter only thing that matttered was that their rank and file believed it enough to sacrifice themselves for the “cause”. It was no different in Europe when the Church led crusades to kill many thousands of people, or the Muslims led hordes through Europe in the name of Allah, or the Muslims led the Moghuls through India destroying the Hindus. It is all a great insanity created in the human mind by various leaders for their own gain. Buddhists avoided this blood shed largely because they realized and taught the illusory nature of this existence. Unfortunately this very realization makes them vulnerable to the insane hordes who fanatically want to destroy all those who do not believe in what they believe. 15. May be like the Dinosaurs the humans will also go out of existence. Right now we have the leader of the most powerful country denying climate crisis due to excess CO2 in the atmosphere and the sea even though all the scientists have provided ample proof of it. The UN has already designated Sri Lanka as one of the most vulnerable countries due to climate crisis. We have only 12 years to get it right as per the UN. After that the climate crisis will become irreversible. We need to set aside all these fighting for different ideologies and get our act together if we are to survive the coming years.
Let us hope sanity prevails and our people take control of their country and their lives instead of handing it over to foreign powers to do as they wish as some of our Colombians wish to do.
