By Neville Ladduwahetty

The response below is limited to issues raised by the TNA that have a bearing on Accountability.

Paragraph ii of the TNA response states: “The Commission falls dramatically short of international standards applicable to accountability processes”.

If, as assumed by the TNA, “international standards applicable to accountability processes” exist, the need for the UN Secretary General (UNSG) to appoint a panel to advise him “on the standards, benchmarks and parameters, based on international experience, that must guide any accountability process”(UN News Center, March 16, 2010) would not have arisen. The very fact that the UNSG resorted to such a measure confirms that “international standards” referred to by the TNA did not exist. Furthermore, the fact that the panel appointed by the UNSG did not fulfill their mandate clearly means that these standards do not exist even today.

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By Janaka Perera

Have all doubts about the case involving Blessed Teresa’s Home, ‘Prem Nivasa’ run by the Missionaries of Charity at Rawatawatte Moratuwa in Sri Lanka been cleared?

According to the Patriotic Bhikku Front, Chinthana Parshadaya and Sinhala Bauddhayo the speed in which the investigations were supposedly completed has given cause to strong suspicions since Cardinal Malcolm Ranjit had threatened to boycott State-sponsored Christmas festivities unless Rev. Sister Mary Eliza – the nun in charge of the home – was released before Christmas last year. In less than two weeks after the threat was issued the case against Sister Eliza was withdrawn on the advice of the Attorney General in time for the Cardinal to attend a Christmas festival held under the President’s patronage at Temple Trees on December 22.

The three organizations demand to know why there is no response yet on the part of the authorities to their appeal for reopening the case involving ‘Prem Nivasa.’

ACTIVISTS uniting around the 40th anniversary of the Aboriginal tent embassy have vowed to wage an international campaign against Australia’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council if the Gillard government does not meet its demands for indigenous sovereignty.

The campaign is being spearheaded by Michael Anderson, 60, the only one of the four men who started the tent embassy who remains alive today.

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By Feizal Mansoor

Background:

A large Indian manufacture of beverages has purchased the 50 acres of land adjoining our property and which used to be a part of our property. They are planning to supply fruit drinks to the whole of South India from here. This has enormous ramifications for the continued viability of our coconuts and my efforts over the last ten years to restore the soil with a view to making the land an analog forest and to making extra extra virgin coconut oil using alternate energy in the manufacturing process. This also has serious implications to the paddy farmers who have been growing paddy for centuries on the land the Dabur property backs on to.

Visits:

Yesterday on January 24, 2012 I visited the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka at 9am and met with Mr. Lalith Perera who I was told was the assistant to the Director Environment Mrs. M. A. S. Perera who was on leave. He consulted with a young man called Taraka who brought him the file, and told me that all the necessary approvals for this project had already been obtained, including clearance from the CEA. They said that when they had inspected the property they had a representative of the CEA with them. I lodged our complaint with him and he said he would forward it to Mrs. Perera for action.

 

By Shripal Nishshanka Fernando

The reminiscent of terrorism shall also be wiped out! These TNA terrorists are threatening the Sri Lankan government by boycotting its agendas and trying to revive their heinous and coward terrorist tasks by hiding to the democratic forms.

As TNA is planning to visit Indiato complain of Sri Lankan government policies regarding the 13th Amendment,  and they are requested honourably hereby to stay for good in TamilNadu or anywhere inIndia without returning back toSri Lanka as their dreams will never ever come true.

President Rajapaksa and the Sri Lankan government shall take care of these terrorist mongers sooner rather than later as it is becoming another headache forSri Lankajust after its victorious lap over armed terrorism. SinceIndiashrewdly initiated the Tamil terrorism inSri Lanka, it is a big blow to them when Sri Lankan forces bravely and stylishly vanquished the terrorists over. NowIndiais trying to play the big brother bullying rule in the region andSri Lankashall say Hands Off!

Newly built five storied building was ceremonially declared open by H.E. the President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Defence Services College premises this (26th January) morning.

Defence Services College was established in year 2007 on the instructions of H.E. the President Mahinda Rajapaksa and under the guidance of Secretary Defence and Urban Development Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa to ease the challengers currently uncounted by the members of the Armed services and Police pertaining to admission of their children to popular schools. The new building opened today, will facilitate the war heroes children to get a sound education. Coinciding to the opening of new building the three days educational exhibition and a new radio channel were also started since today at the college premises.

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SCOTTISH First Minister Alex Salmond has taken a formal step towards an independence referendum that the government hopes will secure a mandate for withdrawal from the United Kingdom within five years.

Mr Salmond’s plan for the independence vote, including a date for the ballot, June 24, 2014, set the stage for what some in Britain describe as a high-stakes constitutional poker game pitting Mr Salmond against British Prime Minister David Cameron.

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Major General Shavendra Silva – Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations has been selected to the Special Advisory Group on Peace Keeping Operations established by the UN Secretary General to advise on rates of reimbursement to troop-contributing countries and related issues.

This is the first time that a Sri Lankan has been appointed to such a prestigious post relating to peace keeping operations, throughout Sri Lanka’s 50-year long partnership with the Department of Peacekeeping.

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By Dhara Wijayatilake,Attorney-at-Law

Secretary, Ministry of Technology and Research and Chairperson of the Committee Appointed by the President to Inquire into the District Ranking Error.

Much is being said about the Report of the five-member Committee appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to report on matters relating to the District ranking error that occurred in the 2011 G.C.E A/L results. Some allege that the report seeks to cover up a serious flaw in the Z score calculation that has been used. Some allege that it has not addressed a vital concern regarding the Z score.

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard has put on a brave face to host ambassadors at the Lodge after a tumultuous afternoon when she was mobbed by protesters.

Ms Gillard said she was fine following the incident in which a large group of Aboriginal protesters converged on an emergency services awards function she was attending with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

“The only thing that angers me is that it distracted from such a wonderful event with great people from emergency services,” she said.

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ඌවතැන්නේ සුමන ස්‌ථවිර

වත්මන් ලෝකයේ පවත්නා පාලන ක්‍රම අතුරින් ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය වඩාත් ප්‍රශස්‌ත පාලන ක්‍රමය ලෙසින් සැලකේ. පශ්චාත් ශිලා යුගයේදී ගී්‍රසියේ පෞර රාජ්‍යයන් තුළින් බිහිවූ සෘජු ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය මෙම වත්මන් ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදයේ පූර්වගාමියාය. ජනගහන වර්ධනයත්, රාජ්‍යයන්හි විශාලත්වයටත් සාපේක්‍ෂව සෘජු ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය ක්‍රියාවට නැගීම දුෂ්කර වීම මත නියෝජන ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය නිර්මාණය කර ගැනීමට පසු කාලීනව මිනිසා ක්‍රියාත්මක විය.

සර්වසම්පූර්ණ හෝ සර්ව සාධාරණ වූ පාලන ක්‍රමවේදයක්‌ නොවන ප්‍රජාතන්ත්‍රවාදය සාපේක්‍ෂව පවත්නා වඩාත් ප්‍රශස්‌ත පාලන ක්‍රමය ලෙසට ලොව පුරා විද්වත්හු පිළිගනිති.

ඉතිරිය

By Dr. ASOKA PERERA,SIVAM VINAYAGAMOORTHY,HASAKA RATNAMALALA – the Conveners of Friends of Sri Lanka, Canada.

We the Friends of Sri Lanka, Canada congratulate and thank Hon. MP Mr. Joe Daniell, Hon MP Mr. Chunsen Leung and Ms. Marlene Gallyot for reflecting the ground reality of Sri Lanka following their recent tour. The press release based on their recent tour in Sri Lanka is an eye opener for many Canadian politicians and political parties.

The parliamentarians witnessed the ground reality essential to be considered when shaping Canada’s foreign policy on Sri Lanka. They have witnessed rapid progress: demining, resettlement of 280,000 IDPs, rehabilitation 11,000 LTTE cadres and the launch of a multifaceted reconciliation program in recorded time. In contrast, the terrorist propaganda through front organizations in Canada propagated disinformation that former LTTE caders were killed. The parliamentarians witnessed the release of the LLRC report that addressed many of the challenges facing a country recovering from a brutal terrorist conflict.They have witnessed the rapid growth of economy and the massive infrastructure boom happening in the country which the terrorist lobby silent of commenting.In shaping Canada’s current foreign on Sri Lanka, it is essential for Ottawa not to be driven by terrorist propaganda but by the ground reality.

GOSL IS NOT DEAF AND DUMB

By Stanley Perera, Melbourne

The TNA are fighting tooth and nail to win the Separatist, Terrorist’s and Racist demands of LAND AND POLICE POWERS WITH DEVOLUTION OF POWER that was fully enjoyed by the North and East during the past 30 years of LTTE TAMIL TIGER TERRORISTS RULE.

TNA representatives are only surviving TERROR GANG who were appointed by TERROR CHIEF Prabakaran who are also responsible for all the terrorist activities conducted by the LTTE including the killing of 600 police men at point blank range. Killing of 70,000 civilians and child conscription.  TNA are fully responsible for all the terrorist activities of the LTTE in aiding and abutting the heineous crimes in that terror ridden period.

Book Reviews

1. The American who Revived Buddhism in Asia.

2. The Intertwined Histories of Buddhism and Sri Lanka.

“The Intertwined Histories of Buddhism and Sri Lanka” by Dr. Sunil Wimalawansa, a Professor of Medicine, U.S.A., is a comprehensive and easy to read book with packed information.

It provides an extensive account of the past 2,000-year history of Sri Lanka, focusing on how the Buddhism shaped the country and the society to its current form, and its revival over the years. This book also contains a large number of color photographs related to the topic, and provides a great insight to the history that can be absorbed in a short period. In addition, it provides vibrant information on the history of Buddhism, and the lessons learned from the 500 years of foreign occupation of Ceylon by the Westerns. [ISBN: 978-955-9098-90-4] (184 pages, in color)

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Extracts from the ‘Report on the situation with human rights in certain states’, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Freedom of expression and press is guaranteed in the United States by the First Amendment to the US Constitution and has traditionally been one of the most protected liberal values; but it has also been seriously restricted in the years following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

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