Sri Lanka: Magazines "Himal" and "The Economist" detained by customs

Click here to read the Himal article
Click here to read The Economist article

The March issue of the Himal magazine and April 3 issue of The Economist have been detained by the Customs Department due to two articles published in the two publications.

The controversial article in Himal is a comparison of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the late President J.R. Jayewardene while The Economist article deals with funds allocated through NGOs for projects in Sri Lanka. The Himal March issue, which had arrived in the country in early March nor The Economist magazine, which was to go on the stands yesterday (3) have been released by the Customs.

Owner of Vijitha Yapa Bookshops, Vijitha Yapa said that whenever a magazine is imported into the country the Customs Department studies the contents before releasing the consignment. If there are any articles considered controversial, the magazine is referred to the Information Department and the Director General of the Media Center for National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle.

According to Yapa, it is not clear if the Himal March issue and The Economist April 3 issue would be released by the Customs Department.

© The Sunday Leader

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Tamils want an end to Sri Lanka discrimination after election

Jason Burke in Jaffna - Vanaja Uma Khanta is waiting for the 794 bus to Kodikamam. It has been a long time coming. The queue for the bus stretches all the way down the yellow concrete shelter and mixes with that for the 794 for Kanakamuydady. Despite the crushing heat and the delay – in part caused by the arrangements for a political rally attended by newly re-elected president Mahinda Rajapaksa – the crowd waits quietly.

Khanta, a 45-year-old seamstress, has not attended the rally, which comes ahead of parliamentary elections on Thursday. "I am not interested in politics," she says, before contradicting herself with long and impassioned sentences. "We must have our rights. In whatever system, our rights must be safeguarded."

"We" are Sri Lanka's Tamil minority, between 10 and 15% of the country's 22 million inhabitants. The "rights" are an end to decades of what Tamils say is discrimination in employment, culture and language, as well as freedom of speech and association. Almost a year after the final defeat of militant separatists the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the question for Sri Lankan Tamils now is how these aims should be achieved.

The Tigers' answer had been a separate state – Tamil Eelam – in northern and eastern areas of the island where the Tamils, who are predominantly Hindu, largely live. The Tigers emerged in the 1980s as deep-seated Tamil grievances against the largely Buddhist Sinhalese majority boiled over into violence. They systematically eliminated all potential opposition in the areas they controlled. This, along with the Sri Lankan government also targeting Tamil politicians, means, independent analysts in Colombo say, that there is no one to fill the gap the disappearance of the separatists has left.

Dozens of interviews in Jaffna reveal that few continue to endorse the demand for a separate Tamil homeland, the key aim of the LTTE and one recently endorsed by a "referendum" of the Tamil-origin population overseas organised by activists.

"There is peace now. Before there was war and times were very difficult," said Bimal, a 26-year-old clothes seller in Jaffna's busy bazaar. "We don't want to go back to all that."

Almost all interviewed, some by a local reporter, said a Tamil homeland was now "impossible". Talking about it was "a waste of time", said P Theepan, a 40-year-old administrator.

Many still have deep concerns, however. Some fear a loss of identity. Already, there is resentment at tourists coming from the south."Jaffna is being invaded by Sinhalese. We are losing our culture," said S Kandasamy a 65-year-old farmer.

Others worry what development might mean, saying that "the arrival of mobile phones and CDs" had led to a rise in "unmarried pregnancies and abortions". Almost every interviewee felt that Tamils needed to be represented by Tamil parties and politicians, that their rights needed to be protected and that a federal system was the only solution.

Explicitly calling for separatism is a serious offence in Sri Lanka, but key political leaders have also now distanced themselves from any demands for an independent Tamil homeland. The veteran leader of the moderate Tamil United Liberation Front, 77-year-old Veerasingham Annandasangaree, told the Observer: "If that nonsense starts up again it will be the end of the Tamils."

The main Tamil opposition group, the Tamil National Alliance, long considered close to the LTTE, has said it would accept a "federal structure" in the north and east provinces of Sri Lanka. Only the splinter Tamil People's National Front, launched a month ago, reportedly remains committed to "the Tamil nationhood, homeland, sovereignty and right to self-determination".

However, though some minor reforms are possible, President Rajapaksa has made it clear he prefers economic development to heal the nation's ethnic divides. He told the rally in Jaffna that he had ordered the reconstruction of rail and road links, as well as water projects. It is a recipe that has brought the populist president much support in Sinhalese areas, and Jaffna – depopulated by decades of war and emigration – is well behind the rest of the country in economic terms.

"There are no religious or racial problems. There are no racial politics. You all have a bright future," Rajapaksa assured the crowd.

In the provinces that have suffered decades of conflict – and a terrible climax to the war, with fighting that allegedly saw indiscriminate artillery bombardments of civilians held by the LTTE as human shields – redressing grievances may take more than economic investment. The coming poll will be a test of Tamil sentiment. No one doubts Rajapaksa's ruling coalition will win. However, analysts will be watching to see which parties emerge in Tamil areas as potential voices for their disoriented community.

Whatever the result, the wait in Jaffna – for the 794 bus and for much else – is likely to be long.

© Guardian

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Sudden reminder to declare assets has journalists wondering

By Nadia Fazlulhaq - Journalists were taken by surprise when they received an official letter from the Ministry of Mass Media and Information reminding them to declare their assets and liabilities on or before April 30.

The letter, dated March 23 and signed by W. B. Ganegala, Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and Information, said the information was required under the provisions of the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities (Amendment) Act No. 74 of 1988. The deadline given was April 30.

When asked by the Sunday Times why a dormant law was being suddenly implemented, Mr. Ganegala refused to comment, but admitted that neither media institutions nor media personnel have declared their assets and liabilities since the law was enacted in 1988.

In the letter, Secretary Mr. Ganegala said newspaper proprietors, editors and editorial staff were required to declare their assets and liabilities to the Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary.

According to Chulawansa Sri Lal, convenor of the Free Media Movement, the surprise letter has caused a stir among journalists and media organisations. “This sudden decision on the part of the Ministry Secretary has sparked a lot of speculation,” he said. “Media people are asking whether this could be an attempt to suppress the media. The Secretary owes us an explanation.”

Mr. Sri Lal asked why Mr. W. B. Ganegala had not enforced the declaration of assets and liabilities when he was Secretary to the Media Ministry under a previous administration.

Those covered by the Act include Members of Parliament; candidates nominated for Presidential, Parliamentary and local government elections; officer bearers of recognised political parties; editors and editorial staff of newspapers; and the chairman, directors and staff officers of companies registered under the Companies Act No. 17 of 1982 where the majority of shares are held by the state or by a public corporation.

Other public servants obliged to declare their assets and liabilities are judges and public officers appointed by the President; judicial officers and scheduled public officers appointed by the Judicial Service Commission; public officers appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers; staff officers of ministries and government departments, the chairman, directors, members of boards and staff officers of public corporations; elected members and staff officers of local authorities, and the executives of trade unions registered under the Trade Unions Ordinance.

According to People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) director Rohana Hettiarachchi, only a handful of persons out of the 7,600 candidates at this week’s General Election have submitted their declaration of assets and liabilities.

“Election candidates were given three months from the date of their nomination to declare their assets, and only about five have done so, but no action has been taken against those who haven’t, nor have they been sent any reminders.

“A large number of Members of Parliament have become public representatives without declaring their assets.” Meanwhile, no declaration of assets reminders have gone out to trade unions.

“At the end of each financial year, a total accounts report is submitted to the Labour Registrar, who is the Commissioner General of Labour. But there is no request for the assets of the trade union leaders,” said U. Palihawadane, president of the Joint Public Servants’ Union.

Nihal Jayawardena, a Western Provincial Councillor for the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), said Provincial Council members were expected to declare their assets and liabilities on being elected to the Provincial Council.

Ceylon Teachers Union president Joseph Stalin said final income expenditure reports were usually sent to the Labour Registrar.

© The Sunday Times

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Detained Sri Lankan writer probed for radical links

A Sri Lankan woman taken into custody last month for writing books about her conversion to Islam for Buddhism is being investigated for possible links to Islamic extremists, police said Saturday.

Last weekend, police said the woman, identified as Malini Perera, was taken into custody under tough emergency laws over allegations of "anti-state" activities but they did not elaborate.

But on Saturday, police spokesman Prashantha Jayakody said Perera was being held while police investigate "possible links to Islamic militants."

"She has not been formally charged yet because police are still investigating the case," Jayakody told AFP.

He accused the writer of "insensitive religious writings."

The author, a native Sri Lankan who is resident in Bahrain, was detained while holidaying on the island after trying to mail copies of her books to undisclosed recipients abroad.

The books are titled "From Darkness to Light" and "Questions and Answers."

Perera's lawyer, Lakshan Dias, said the writer was a victim of religious intolerance.

"Her writings don't insult any religion. They're a collection of opinion pieces on the way Buddhism is being practised," Dias told AFP.

He rejected allegations that his client had any links to religious extremists.

Majority-Buddhist Sri Lanka projects itself as a secular country but is highly sensitive to any debate on Buddhism.

Last month, Sri Lanka refused a visa to US singer Akon after Buddhist monks and almost 12,000 people on social networking site Facebook complained about one of his videos featuring women in bikinis dancing near a Buddha statue.

Home to 20 million people, 70 percent of Sri Lankans practise Buddhism and live peacefully alongside others who follow Islam, Hinduism and Christianity.

© AFP

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• Jailed Sri Lankan author not linked to extremists: lawyer (Taipei Times)

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Sri Lanka: Why are mothers killing their babies?

By Kumudini Hettiarachchi and Dhananjani Silva - The country is in shock over mothers killing their own children. These are not firsts and seemingly not the last as well.

The most recent tragic story to hit the headlines and grip the people was that of two-year-old Amila Sandaruwan Fernando who was thrown into the Kalu Ganga at Kalutara by his mother. Although he was rescued by a truck driver, little Amila died nine days later at the Lady Ridegway Hospital even after a major effort to save his life.

Why are mothers, who have carried these children nine months in their wombs, suckled them at their breast and hugged them close, resorting to such drastic action as throwing them into a river or stuffing them into bags and dumping them on rubbish heaps?

This seems to be happening among a particular segment of society, was the view expressed by both National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Chairman Jagath Wellawatte and National Commissioner of Probation and Child Care Services Sarath Abayagunawardana.

Not only is this segment impoverished, the poorest of the poor and uneducated but they are also marginalized, both economically as well as socially, the Sunday Times understands.

They are alone, battling through life without anyone or any structure to turn to, feeling abandoned when faced with the multitude of vicissitudes life throws at them, it is learnt.

There are no special programmes or packages targeting this social group, particularly the urban poor, points out Mr. Wellawatte, while Mr. Abayagunawardana stresses the need for a good social security programme for them.

Hot on the heels of Amila’s case, came reports of a mother from Homagama who went before courts to plead her inability to look after her four children – ranging in age from six to two years -- after having been deserted by her husband and also becoming homeless due to her inability to pay the rent.

The abandonment or murder of children, according to Mr. Abayagunawardana, is due to the family institution undergoing vast changes with increased poverty and introduction of modern technology. Lack of education and lack of awareness on family planning have aggravated the situation. “Most such parents are school dropouts who have gone for early marriage.”

Explaining that a village-level network to support this special group is essential, he says that the education system should also be developed to include reproductive health for the children in the higher age group.

The most crucial factor that needs to be addressed, Mr. Abayagunawardana says is the lack of a development/economic plan for this group. Agreeing, NCPA Chairman Wellawatte who is also a sociologist explains that this segment has minimal interaction with public officials such as Samurdhi Officers, Grama Niladharis and health workers.

“Sometimes due to social attitudes public officials are reluctant to work closely with this group of people. They are also abandoned by the rest of society; so they would do anything for their survival. When they are marginalized they become frustrated,” he said. Sometimes they isolate themselves intentionally as they often engage in socially unacceptable activities such as drug dealing and commercial sex work, he said.

Citing Amila’s case, he said that when you walk into the house of that family you realize how poor they are. “There isn’t any furniture except for a couple of cardboard boxes to keep their clothes, a mattress and a few other things.

Their living conditions have gone unnoticed by public officials such as the midwife and Samurdhi Officers. Whether these officers have ever visited this house or not is questionable. There are two children who are under five and the midwife should have visited them. These officers should advise such families on family planning and other health issues.” A sense of social responsibility among public officials and institutions is vital in preventing tragic incidents among these people, he stressed.

He points a finger at the social pressure on the poor due to economic hardship as a contributory factor for an increase in children being abandoned or killed by their own parents, appealing to the media not to report the details of such cases graphically as the copy-cat syndrome as in suicides could also occur.

Voicing the same concerns with regard to copy-cat cases, the National Commissioner of Probation and Child Care Services explains that though institutionalisation is discouraged under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Sri Lanka is a signatory to, there are children’s homes to which those who are vulnerable can be admitted.

These are children whose parents are utterly impoverished and have also other issues, he said. Earlier, the person in charge of a home could make a decision to admit a child, then inform the probation officer and follow the legal procedure, but with institutionalising being the final option and keeping the child within the family considered the best choice, such private admissions have been limited.

Now, such admissions to both state and private homes are done after an inquiry following information either received by the Department of Probation and Child Care or a request sent through the Grama Sevaka or Child Rights Promotion Officer at the Divisional Secretariat.

A ‘village’ for troubled mothers

Urgent discussions are underway to set up a Child Protection Transit Village where troubled mothers could find a haven along with their children.

The proposal envisages a transit village with small housing units where such families will be assured not only of protection but also meals and other basic necessities, said NCPA Chairman Jagath Wellawatte. This would ensure a drop in the number of children being abandoned and killed.

While they live in the village until their future takes shape, vocational training such as beeralu will also be provided to the mothers if they are unemployed, so that they can become sustainable once they leave. Markets for their products will also be found, it is learnt. During their time at the village, each and every family will be monitored and a case study carried out to identify their problems and find solutions.

This will also be a cultural transit as the families will be helped to attain a higher social class, he explained, inviting the private sector and non-governmental organizations to extend their support for this worthy cause.

Mr. Wellawatte added that awareness campaigns are more effective if they are carried out door-to-door, rather than at a community hall or temple as the numbers at such gatherings are poor. Since 2008, the NCPA has set up alert groups who with the help of Grama Sevakas and Samurdhi Officers are identifying “risk families”.

These groups have been working in 25 GS Divisions in each district covering 23 districts in the 1st phase and 22 districts in the second stage.

“Now we are looking at the options of expanding this programme by entrusting these duties to the members of the Civil Defence Force. We have had initial discussions with the Inspector General of Police and carried out a pilot project in Ampara,” he said.

School Child Protection Committees (SCPCs) consisting of students, teachers, parents and officials have also been set up to identify problems.

© The Sunday Times

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CRNI calls on the Sri Lankan govt. to account for missing journalist's whereabouts

Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI) has called on the Sri Lankan Government to reveal the condition of missing Sri Lankan web journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda, who disappeared on January 24, 2010.

In a statement issued on Monday (29), CRNI condemned the inability of the relevant authorities to investigate the disappearance of the cartoonist and called on the "Sri Lankan government to account for his whereabouts and physical condition."

The full text of the statement follows:

"CRNI calls on the Government of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksha to stop avoiding responsibility for the whereabouts and condition of Prageeth Eknaligoda, a cartoonist and web journalist who has been missing since January 24, 2010 in Colombo. CRNI supports the peaceful demonstrations scheduled this week in Colombo calling for political accountability and relief from the growing harassment that journalists feel from government during the run-up to Parliamentary elections to be held on April 8th 2010.

CRNI calls on all political cartoonists to bring the case of this "disappeared" cartoonist to the attention of their readers.

After first reporting his disappearance, Eknaligoda's wife had been harassed by police and other services of the Sri Lankan government for making equerries about her husband's disappearance.

Police delayed the investigation, saying that they had "lost the file" a not very cleaver admission of either purposeful obfuscation or an admission of incompetence.

The stories coming out of both government officials and the police are contradictory and seem only to be intended to stop her from seeking accountability. Since the intervention of key international human rights organizations about a week ago the police harassment has stopped but the Eknaligoda home is still under daily surveillance.

Eknaligoda was associated with opposition leader General Sarath Fonseka who had been arrested by the Rajapaksha government after recent elections.

CRNI also calls on the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksha to account for his whereabouts and physical condition."

© CRNI

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Sri Lanka: Government minister intimidates newspaper editor, manager in Jaffna

Douglas Devananda, a minister in Mahinda Rajapaksa's cabinet and the leader of the paramilitary-cum-political party Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), has publicly warned the editor of Yarl Thinakural K. Vamathevan and its administrative manager A. Nadarajah for having published front page news on the attack on Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) candidate Ankajan, stating that the reporting has negatively affected election propaganda for his party besides damaging his reputation. Douglas Devananda openly threatened that Vamathevan and Nadarajah will not be able to go for work Friday if they fail to apologize to him at a press meet he held for the local media in Jaffna Srithar Theatre Thursday morning. The open threat by Devananda to the lives of reputed editors of the daily has created fear and panic among the media persons in Jaffna peninsula.

The threat to media persons Thursday comes on the day President Mahinda Rajapaksa visits Jaffna to engage in election propaganda.

Minister Douglas Devananda further accused Yarl Thinakural editor and administrative manager for "purposely misreporting" the Thursday early morning attack and claimed that it was SLFP candidate Ankajan’s group that had opened fire on and burnt the vehicle of Jaffna Mayor Ms. Patkunam Yogeswary.

The EPDP leader further instructed Yarl Thinakural editor to publish his version of the attack in Friday Yarl Thinakural.

Besides, during the press meet Minister Douglas Devanada phoned the owner of Colombo Thinakural daily Samy and its chief editor Thanabalasingham and spoke to them with the phone speaker on so that the attendees of the press meet could hear the conversation.

Editor Thanabalasingham and owner Samy said that they knew nothing about the said news coverage and added that Yarl Thinakural has been "infiltrated by persons who act on their own".

They further requested Douglas Devananda to summon the persons involved to Srithar Theatre and warn them, the sources said.

This has caused shock and fear among the local media persons.

Conflict and clashes between the SFLP candidates and EPDP candidates contesting Jaffna electorate have begun to surface frequently in Jaffna peninsula.

© Tamil Net

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Suspension of GSP+ facility is not punishment - EU

Speaking at the 17th AGM of the Sri Lanka Garment Buying Offices Association, Mr Bernard Savage and Head of the European Union (EU) delegation said that EU has stood by Sri Lanka in difficult times and that the temporary suspension of the GSP+ facility is not a punishment.

He said, “The Government needs to carry out an action plan as per the dialogue it had with the European Union and since EU is a friend of Sri Lanka, we remain friends and hope the friendship will grow in future and there will be no break in the market access under the GSP+ facility”.

The Sri Lankan apparel export sector has charted a blazing trail in the last few years, partly helped by the concessions provided by the EU. Export revenues grew from US $2.68 billion before the expiry of the Multi- Fibre Agreement in 2005 to $3.3 billion in 2008.

However due to the impact of the economic turmoil, it dipped to $3.15 billion in 2009. Garment exports to the European too have grown by around 66 percent. From $996 million in 2005, it has now touched $1.64 billion in 2009, mainly due to the duty-tree access provided by the EU.

© Fibre2fashion

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UN interferes with internal affairs of Lanka: PM

By Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk - The Prime Minister said foreign elements were attempting to sabotage the country’s development effort and even the UN is interfering with the internal affairs of the country.

Addressing an election propaganda rally in Akuressa town on Monday (29) to support the UPFA candidates Manoj Sirisena and Vijeya Dahanayake, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake stressed any organization or a country did not have a right to interfere with the affairs of Sri Lanka which is an independent and sovereign state.

The Prime Minister further said: “The present Proportional Representation System should be changed and the people provided with the opportunity to elect their representatives on electoral basis.

“President J.R. Jayewardene who abolished the electoral basis, introduced the proportional representation and the preferential voting system to create conflicts among the candidates contesting one banner.

This prevented the people from electing their representatives for the electorate.

The present government was seeking a mandate with two thirds majority to amend the constitution and to re-introduce the electoral basis system, before 1977/78.

“The country should have a stable government to implement the development projects and to boost foreign investments. The enemies of the country could be defeated only by forming a strong government,” he said.

Former Chief Minister, Southern Province H.G. Sirisena, and Chairman of Akuressa Pradeshiya Sabha Munidasa Gamage attended the rally.

© Daily Mirror

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Sri Lanka: Laughing politicians - non stop

Photo courtesy of Rajitha Keerthi Thennakoon (flickr.com)

Upali Gajanayake - Early morning on Sunday (27 March) when I was coming through the exit doors of Katunayake International Airport the first scene that caught my eye was a huge vehicle decorated with election posters of a leading candidate of the ruling alliance contesting from the Colombo district.

The handsome candidate's laughing face covered almost every single inch of the vehicle. Not only Sri Lankans who were coming to their country to celebrate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year that falls in the middle of next month, but also many foreign tourists stopped near the decorated vehicle and tried to laugh at that poster politician.

Laughing all the way

There was another a huge cut-out only a few meters away from the main building of the airport where the laughing head of state was garlanded with a maroon shawl "Kurahan Satakaya".

The thriving election propaganda campaign is not limited to currently very eye-catching airport area. From Katunayake to the capital city one can see millions of laughing faces of our prospective guardians. I was able to recognise some former friends’ who are begging the people for preference.

There were laughing ministers, laughing war heroes, and A Buddhist monk as well. They were sticking on walls, standing on roofs, hanging on banners between trees and on cars buses, three wheelers and every where they like. They stood with their non-stop laughing.

Against the law

The election commissioner’s advice almost every day to the police force is to stop these laughing politicians from violating the law of the land. But the majority of the candidates who belong to the ruling alliance as well as the opposition keep on laughing on walls.

I talked to a leading lawyer who is well versed on election laws and active politics in the country for more than sixty years

"After the introduction of universal franchise by British colonialists there was a massive interest among the people to vote,” the lawyer said.

Weapons of propaganda

"But at that time the major weapons of political warfare were leaflets, mini advertisements about election meetings, pocket meetings and the main rallies."

Furthermore he said, "there weren’t any multi colour posters, cut-outs, illegal decorations or propaganda that destroyed the environment".

In today’s political gamble, elections can be won by laughing politicians only. For those who enter the fray from small political parties and are unable to spend millions of rupees to post their laughing faces on bright posters or in the middle of huge cut-outs the outcome could be miserable.

© BBC Sinhala

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