Lanka Focus

ndo-Lanka joint energy projects dominate bilateral talks between Jaishankar and Wickremesinghe

admin — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 06:13:04 +0000

Indo-Lanka joint energy projects dominate bilateral talks between Jaishankar and Wickremesinghe

Colombo, Jun 20 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe held bilateral discussions on Thursday, where joint energy projects, including a proposed petroleum pipeline linking the two countries, took centre stage.

The two leaders focused on initiatives aimed at enhancing energy connectivity and developing the renewable energy sector.

“Significant attention was given to plans for a Liquified Natural Gas supply, a proposed petroleum pipeline linking the two countries, and advancing oil and gas exploration projects,” an official press release said.

It was announced that construction of the solar power plant in the eastern district of Trincomalee is set to commence next month.

The discussions also covered projects supported by the Indian government to enhance Sri Lanka’s liquid milk industry and fertiliser production.

Jaishankar and Wickremesinghe also discussed India’s support for developing Trincomalee and expanding the Kankesanthurai port in the north.

The ongoing development of Jaffna Airport and Colombo Airport with Indian assistance was also a key topic, alongside the acceleration of Sri Lanka’s unique digital identity card project, marking a significant step towards the country’s digitisation efforts.

A highlight of the engagement was the formal commissioning of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), comprising a main centre in Colombo and a sub-centre in Hambantota, the location of the Chinese-funded port.

Jaishankar arrived here early in the morning. It is his first visit in his second consecutive term in office.

The visit comes at a time when Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Tuesday gave Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the Cabinet and the Adani Group three weeks to file preliminary objections to a petition filed by an environmental group against the wind power project undertaken by the Indian conglomerate at Mannar in the northeast region.

Meanwhile, some opposition members in Parliament raised concerns about the short length of Jaishankar’s visit, claiming it was a means to pressurise Sri Lanka over projects.

The Sri Lankan government has been maintaining that the Adani group investment was vital to achieving its target of 70 per cent of its power needs to renewable energy sources by 2030. In May, the government approved a 20-year power purchase agreement with Adani Green Energy to develop 484-megawatt wind power stations in the northeast region.

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Sri Lanka: Accountability needed for enforced disappearances

admin — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 05:28:58 +0000

Sri Lanka: Accountability needed for enforced disappearances

Sri Lanka must ensure accountability for decades of enforced disappearances – UN report

GENEVA (17 May 2024) – Sri Lanka’s Government must take meaningful action to determine and disclose the fates and whereabouts of tens of thousands of people who have been subjected to enforced disappearance over the decades and hold those responsible to account, a UN Human Rights Office report released today says.

It calls on the Government to acknowledge the involvement of State security forces and affiliated paramilitary groups, and to issue a public apology.

“This report is yet another reminder that all Sri Lankans who have been subjected to enforced disappearance must never be forgotten,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “Their families and those who care about them have been waiting for so long. They are entitled to know the truth.”

“The Government owes it to all those who have been forcibly disappeared. It is critical for these crimes to be investigated fully. These crimes haunt not only their loved ones, but entire communities and Sri Lankan society as a whole.”

Despite some positive formal steps by successive governments, such as the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the establishment of the Office on Missing Persons and the Office for Reparations, tangible progress on the ground towards comprehensively resolving individual cases has remained limited, the report finds.

Between the 1970s and 2009, widespread enforced disappearances were carried out primarily by Sri Lankan security forces and affiliated paramilitary groups. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam also engaged in abductions which the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances described as “tantamount to enforced disappearances”.

Based on individual and group interviews, the report details the enduring psychological, social, and economic impact of enforced disappearances on the families of those forcibly disappeared, especially women. As most disappeared individuals have been male, women have often become the sole income-earner for a family, in a labour environment that poses many obstacles to women’s participation, including risks of sexual harassment and exploitation.

It adds that many women who have been at the forefront of efforts to find the disappeared have themselves been subjected to violations, including harassment, intimidation, surveillance, arbitrary detention, beatings and torture at the hands of army and police. “They told me if I continue, they will cut my husband in pieces or that they will go after my children,” said a woman who is still seeking a loved one.

Under international law, it is a clear obligation for the State to resolve cases of enforced disappearances, which constitute continuing violations, until the fate and whereabouts of those disappeared are clarified, said the High Commissioner.

Yet, most victim families remain without such clarification. “Two weeks passed, then two months, then two years. Now it has been 32 years, and I am still waiting,” said a man who testified before a national commission of inquiry about his disappeared son.

Successive commissions of inquiry have been created by the Government. However, only a few of their reports have been made public and even when published, access has usually been limited. Most recommendations, particularly those relating to criminal accountability, have not been implemented. Alleged perpetrators, including current and former senior officials and diplomats, continue to evade justice.

Despite the passage of nearly 15 years since the end of the armed conflict, and many decades since the earliest waves of enforced disappearances, Sri Lankan authorities are still failing to ensure accountability for these violations. “Accountability must be addressed. We need to see institutional reform for reconciliation to have a chance to succeed,” said Türk.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/05/sri-lanka-accountability-needed-enforced-disappearances

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Petitioners seek SC intervention against Mannar Wind Power Project

admin — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 05:02:55 +0000

Petitioners seek SC intervention against Mannar Wind Power Project citing public interest

The Bishop of the Diocese of Mannar and three prominent environmentalists this week petitioned the Supreme Court in the public interest against the proposed 250 MW Mannar Wind Power Project by Adani Green Energy.

Rev. Dr. Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando along with Rohan Pethiyagoda, Prof. Nimal Gunatilleke and Prof. Sarath Kotagama have challenged the procurement process and proposed construction of the project by Adani Green Energy PTE Ltd and/or Adani Green Energy S L Limited.

The case names 67 respondents including the Cabinet of Ministers, the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA), the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), the Board of Investment, the Ceylon Electricity Board, the Public Utilities Commission Sri Lanka and the Attorney General, among others.

It raises concerns regarding the credibility of the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) and the role played by the SLSEA. It flags certain procedural issues in the awarding of the purported contract and questions the characterisation of the project as a government-to-government deal.

It questions the basis for the negotiated tariff to be fixed at USD 8.26 cents per kilowatt-hour for a period of 20 years when the EIA conducts its assessment based on a cost of USD 4.6 cents, potentially causing considerable financial loss to the country and a burden on consumers.

The petition also states that, notwithstanding the intensely public nature of the project, its vital importance to the general public and public resources, including the natural environment, as well as the paramountcy of transparency and openness in good governance, “there is a paucity of available data and information”.

It requests Court to compel the release of the entire files and records including the call for bids for (if any) and responses to both the Mannar and proposed 234MW Pooneryn plants; records of deliberations and negotiations; Cabinet memoranda and decisions; unit price discussions including formulae related to the computation of the price per kilowatt hour; the criteria and benchmarks or any other basis for assessments of the project; and other relevant information.

The petition holds that the EIA commissioned by the SLSEA “appears to be a formality, conducted with a premeditated intention/decision to award the construction and operation of the project to predetermined contractors”.

Despite the CEA being the designated body, it appears from publicly disseminated information that the Power and Energy Minister was de facto acting in the capacity of the project approving authority, it states.

There is no transparency surrounding the purported leasing of 202 hectares acquired on Mannar Island for the project; and no information on compensation payable to affected landowners, the cost of which should be recovered from the investor.

The EIA has also not adequately evaluated alternative sites—Ambewela, the South East coast, Kalpitiya and Jaffna—or expressed “any acceptable rationale” for why Mannar Island was chosen.

“The promotion of Mannar when compared to other sites is made even more confounding given that it is the focal point of the Central Asian Flyway for over five million [5,000,000] migratory birds travelling to, and through, Mannar island on an annual basis, making it a crucial area for conservation and tourism which aspects are not as markedly evident in the other sites considered,” the petition states.

In seeking their relief, the petitioners pray that the Supreme Court declares a violation of their fundamental rights and that of the citizenry at large and the decisions made to award the project to Adani as wrongful; and calls for any consequential actions undertaken to be declared illegal.

The petition states that the case has been filed to further the national interest, to preserve and protect public property, including the environment, flora and fauna, public finances and to safeguard the rights and freedoms of the general public of Sri Lanka and its future generations.

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/240616/news/petitioners-seek-sc-intervention-against-mannar-wind-power-project-citing-public-interest-560422.html

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Australian company’s multibillion sandmining project in Mannar

admin — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 04:45:12 +0000

Australian company’s multibillion sandmining project mired in Mannar protests

Protests hinder progress towards mining licence
Residents allege large-scale land robberies involving brokers working for company
Environmentalists fear existential threats such as soil losing fertility and contamination of water sources
Company representative downplays impacts of the project on people’s livelihood

By Mimi Alphonsus and S. Rubatheesan

For over a decade, an Australian company has tried to secure mining licences to extract heavy mineral sands from the ecologically rich region of Mannar Island—the fourth largest ilmenite deposit in the world—with little success.

Renewed attempts to push the project further were met with protests by locals over land usage and severe existential concerns about the environmental consequences.

Renewed attempts to push the project further were met with protests by locals. Pic by Joseph Nayan

The Australian company, Titanium Sands Limited (TSL), along with their local subsidiaries, have engaged in exploration activities covering vast swathes of Mannar Island. Its preliminary scientific studies found key minerals such as ilmenite, rutile, zircon and garnet. According to data from the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), Mannar Island has 53 million metric tonnes of mineral soil.

The company has secured land access agreements for mining on 296 acres, according to the company’s responses to the “Basic Information Questionnaire” (BIQ) submitted to the Central Environmental Authority (CEA). The Sunday Times obtained a copy through a Right to Information (RTI) request.

TSL is currently in discussions with GSMB to secure a mining licence with a pending environmental impact assessment (EIA), which is yet to be finalised due to protests by local communities.

Environmental concerns

The CEA’s Environmental Assessment and Management Division Deputy Director General, N.S. Gamage, told the Sunday Times that they were unable to conduct the required preliminary scoping study before beginning the EIA since residents vehemently opposed the project.

“The project proponent then approached the Presidential Secretariat, which requested a meeting to share information with the public at the Mannar District Secretariat,” said Mr. Gamage.

On May 13, a multi-stakeholder meeting was held at the Mannar District Secretariat to “brief” the local communities, fishermen unions, and civil society groups. There were heated exchanges between company representatives and local communities, who argued that if mining at a depth of 2 to 10 metres is allowed on low-lying land like Mannar Island, it would lead to saltwater contamination and flooding and ruin the fertile soil.

One concerned local among the audience was heard saying, “Don’t try to hoodwink our people with your lies. This is our land. We won’t accept any report you bring forward. If you pay enough, they will write any number of lies in it.”

Mannar District Secretary K. Kanakeshwaran also acknowledged receiving multiple complaints and petitions from local communities opposing the multibillion-dollar project.

During the meeting, the mining company representatives downplayed the short- and long-term impacts of the project.

Sivanesan Somanathar, an environmental consultant commissioned by TSL, said that an EIA would be necessary to assess all environmental risks and that many concerns could be mitigated.

In his presentation, he said there would be “no dewatering” and “no saltwater intrusion” and assured replanting of whichever vegetation the landowner preferred after the project’s completion.

The project BIQ submitted by the company to CEA indicated short-term impacts on soils and land use, surface and groundwater quality, and drainage and hydrology, as well as medium-term impacts on the landscape and visual environment.

GSMB’s Senior Director of Geology Starin Fernando dismissed claims that exploration drilling below the water table is harmful. “However, at the mining stage, if it goes below the water table, there will be saltwater intrusion,” he said. However, he said GSMB does not deal with this problem, and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board should provide tentative solutions.

Environmentalists and conservators raised serious concerns about the long-term impact of the project on a rich biodiverse region like Mannar Island, which is home to 874 hectares of mangrove plants and located in the global migratory path of some 400 bird species.

The 31,135-acre Mannar Island where the proposed project will be implemented is a highly populated area with 70,379 people residing there.

For Dr. Soosai Anandan, a retired Professor of Geography at the University of Jaffna, this project sounds the death knell for local habitats and communities who are still struggling to revive the rural economy after the end of the civil war in 2009.

“This project, if implemented, will not only change the landscape and terrain of the island as a whole but further accelerate the existing livelihood issues such as access to safe drinking water, farming and fishing,” Prof. Anandan said.

“The island is already below sea level. When they drill and mine in this sensitive region, the seawater will seep through the land, posing a threat to farming and drinking water,” he said.

Land Issues

Another point of contention has been land access for the project. “My family had 35 acres of palmyrah land for generations,” said a resident of Olaithoduvai who sells palmyrah toddy, fronds and firewood for a living.

“It is our ancestral wealth, but we don’t have title deeds for it. When they brought in these private land ownership laws decades ago, our people did not know how to get this land registered,” he explained. “Suddenly, big landlords from other villages started to fence it up in recent years, and, shortly after, big machinery appeared. I can’t access the palmyrah forest on that land and earn my income.”

Other residents are fearful that their livestock will lose access to grazing lands due to landscape changes. According to the BIQ, 60% of the lands proposed for mining are forested areas, and the project will require the removal of topsoil and vegetation.

The Sunday Times inspected government survey maps and spoke to the Land Title Settlement Department to understand the land problem. In several areas where TSL claims that land access agreements have been procured, ownership is tagged as “claimant not known.”

Mannar has hundreds of acres of land with unclear ownership or disputed cases, partly due to delays in drawing up a “village plan” by the Land Title Settlement Department but also owing to decades of wartime displacement. As a result, communities that have lived and worked there for generations are vulnerable to land grabbing.

Local officials who requested anonymity told the Sunday Times that TSL and other companies have been procuring land on Mannar Island by signing agreements with individuals who have made a “declaration deed,” a legal document claiming ownership.

“The government will only register a property if they are 100% sure of its ownership, but a company need not adhere to the same standard and can make agreements with whoever claims the land and is willing to give it to them,” explained the official. “Once they make a declaration deed, they transfer it a few times so it has a history and becomes normalised.”

Although not illegal, the official believes the process is being abused.

Villagers whose lands were utilised for exploration activities allege that middlemen, who collected land details and approached them individually with false promises to secure land access, later handed these properties over to the mining company.

“This way, they can pay a small sum to the aggrieved family and get them not to claim the land.” Another resident said she and her family agreed to hand over their lands to a big landowner as they had no deeds to challenge his claim. “They promised to pay us money in return, but I haven’t received a cent,” she alleged.

Saliya Galagoda, TSL’s local representative, acknowledged that large landowners were fencing off properties in sand mining areas, but he said they were doing so of their own volition and solely to increase the price when mining companies try to access the land.

Mistrust in the project also stems from years of secretive practices adopted by various companies to secure access to the land. Residents said that for years, local companies and brokers approached them for exploration by saying they were “checking the water,” “researching sand,” and part of a “government project.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a former broker who worked for one such company said that they would use “politically big people” to ensure villagers didn’t question the project too much. “Because people knew who I was in the community, they let me enter and explore their lands,” he said. “I don’t feel good about it.”

TSL’s Galagoda, who took over the project in 2021, said that since he started working, things have been done “correctly.” “We paid Rs. 12,500 for every single hole that was drilled,” he added.

While the application for a mining licence at the moment covers a relatively modest area, TSL currently has over 17,000 acres—more than half of Mannar Island—under retention. According to the GSMB licensing process, TSL has one to two years to apply for and receive a mining licence before retention expires permanently.

TSL complains of delays in obtaining approval

Despite nearly two years passing since Titanium Sands Ltd. (TSL) completed exploration activities, the company is awaiting approvals to begin the environmental studies. It says this is “something that has continually been delayed by the political situation in Sri Lanka.”

In a written response to the questionnaire sent by the Sunday Times, TSL Director Jason Ferris claimed the company has so far invested Rs. 2 billion from foreign sources on the project, and another Rs. 24 billion will be invested once the mining licence is approved.

“Exploration was only completed in 2022, and the final resource report was presented to GSMB in September 2022, which was accepted and signed off by GSMB. Since this time, the company has been waiting on the government process for each of the next stages; so the official mining licence process has been ongoing for approx. 18 months, not 10 years,” Mr. Ferris said.

Responding to the cancellations of exploration licences for TSL-owned companies in 2021 and their subsequent renewal, the company said “under legal opinion, the structure of TSL was proven correct and new licences were issued.”

TSL denied receiving any benefits through tax holidays but indicated that “BOI discussions are ongoing along with the EIA discussions, which are constantly delayed by government departments not doing their jobs.”

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/240616/news/australian-companys-multibillion-sandmining-project-mired-in-mannar-protests-560380.html

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Hypocrites as democrats

admin — Thu, 30 May 2024 04:24:46 +0000

Hypocrites as democrats

Thursday 30th May, 2024

Opposition politicians and some of their government counterparts have taken up the cudgels for the people’s franchise following UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara’s call for postponing the next presidential and parliamentary polls by two years. They say they are ready to do all it takes to prevent the postponement of elections.

Bandara’s proposal could be considered a trial balloon floated at the behest of the UNP leadership. However, it is doubtful whether the UNP will dare make an attempt to postpone the upcoming presidential election. There is no constitutional provision for such a course of action. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly said the presidential election will be held, but why the UNP’s proposal at issue has caused so much concern to the public is understandable.

The UNP has an ugly history of trifling with the people’s franchise; it caused a general election to disappear, so to speak, in 1982, with the help of a heavily-rigged referendum. Old habits are said to die hard. The UNP must be made to regret having entertained the idea of postponing national elections again.

The question however is whether some of the self-proclaimed champions of democracy could be trusted with the task of protecting the people’s franchise, given their sordid past. They are trying to win some brownie points with the public by condemning the UNP, which they once honeymooned with and assisted in suppressing democracy.

Prominent among those who are hauling the UNP over the coals are the JVP/NPP and the SLPP. JVP/NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, MP, has declared that his party will never allow the UNP to postpone elections. Amusingly, the SLPP, too, has jumped on the bandwagon; its National Organiser, Namal Rajapaksa, has said his party is ready to go to any extent to defeat the UNP’s move to postpone elections. He has claimed that under the Rajapaksa governments, elections were never delayed. These politicians seem to think Sri Lankans have drunk from the Lethe (‘River of Forgetfulness’) or are a bunch of fools.

Both Namal and Anura apparently have a very low opinion of public intelligence. The SLPP has postponed the Local Government (LG) elections twice. First, it put off the mini polls on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s watch in early 2022, unable to face the public; the second postponement of the LG polls came under President Wickremesinghe, who audaciously claimed there were no funds for elections. The SLPP endorsed his position. What moral right does the SLPP have to condemn the UNP for stifling democracy while helping President Wickremesinghe make draconian laws? The Rajapaksas are running with the public and hunting with the UNP, in a manner of speaking.

The JVP, which has taken the moral high ground, unflinchingly helped the UNP-led Yahapalana government postpone the Provincial Council (PC) elections. It voted for amending the PC Elections Act for that purpose in 2017. What Parliament passed became a textbook example of the proverbial Christmas tree bill, given the sheer number of riders; the final draft contained more additional sections than the original text due to extensive committee-stage revisions effected by the Yahapalana government to bypass judicial review. The TNA, the UNP, the UPFA including its dissidents, the SLMC, etc., voted for that obnoxious Bill. The SJB politicians and their SLPP counterparts were in the UNP and the UPFA, respectively, at the time.

The SLFP postponed a general election in 1975 by two years, creating an extremely bad precedent, which the UNP followed eight years later. The JVP committed heinous crimes in a bid to sabotage elections in the late 1980s. Its sparrow units murdered people and/or cut off their hands for voting. Those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives to save democracy have been forgotten, but the criminals who were responsible for heinous crimes against them are commemorated every year! The JVP’s spree of violence aimed at scuttling elections in the late 1980s stood the UNP in good stead as it created conditions for widespread rigging, which helped extend the UNP’s undemocratic rule.

There is no gainsaying that the UNP deserves all the bashing it receives, and must be prevented from suppressing democracy, but its critics are no paragons of virtue, as can be seen from their ruthless attacks on democracy or contribution thereto in the past or even at present. No wonder anti-politics is on the rise with public resentment welling up. The least that the self-styled defenders of democracy could do to assuage public anger is to apologise for their sins and seek forgiveness.

Hypocrites as democrats

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Gist of the translation of the declarations made in the 2024 Congress of SocialDemocratic Party of Tamils – SDPT- Pathmanabha EPRLF

admin — Wed, 22 May 2024 15:39:44 +0000

Full and proper implementation of the 13th Amendment of the constitution. Appropriate devolution arrangements for the Muslims and upcountry Tamils.
The postponement of Provincial Council and Local government elections by the government is anti-democratic and denial of fundamental rights of the people. We demand immediate elections for these institutions. We call upon the government to make appropriate constitutional change that ensures to prevent recurrence of this in the future.
Provincial council system, meaningful devolution to provinces, and holding elections regularly according to the constitution are essential to ensure
democratic structures in Sri Lanka. It also accelerates the economic development at the periphery. SDPT will endeavour to work with all democratic
parties, social and political activists in Sri Lanka to campaign for regular elections for all provinces.
SDPT will forge relationships and engage in united actions with all progressive and democratic parties in Srilanka working amongst the Tamil, Sinhala, Muslim, and Upcountry communities with the following objectives. Strengthening the Provincial governance, calling for the social and democratic rights for all communities, and to oppose any efforts that undermines the rights of the minority communities by the government and Sinhala and Tamil chauvinist parties.
Prevention of Terrorism act which is in place for the last 46 years and should be abolished forthwith. We will also oppose similar acts in the future. Calling for the immediate release of all the political prisoners.
The plantation workers who contributed immensely to the economy for the last two centuries still has no right to lands, economic security or even a postal address. Government should grant lands to these people without delay, so that they can build their lives independently.
There should be constitutional guarantees to ensure that Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi -cultural and a multi-religious nation. It should not be a threat to any communities.
The government’s priorities should be to guarantee that the basic need of every citizen is available at affordable prices. Education and health services should remain public service. Privatisation of these essential services will lead to the denial of the fundamental rights of vast majority of the people. There should be adequate welfare provision for the unemployed and the vulnerable sections of the society,
The government should make it a priority to provide satisfactory social security to all working people in the agriculture, industrial and fisheries sectors.
Government institutions and religious entities are engaged in a drive to acquire vast amounts of lands sometimes using security forces which is threatening the very existence and deprive the local people of economic opportunities. This land grab program particularly in the Northern and Eastern provinces should stop forthwith.
Disproportionate presence and appropriation of vast lands by the security forces is a major cause for concern in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. This causes unwarranted suspicions, frustration, and unease amongst the local people. This is also impacting the community relations and a drain in the economy. We urge the government to take necessary measures to reduce the number of personals.
The issue of disappeared persons during the long war continue to cause immense distress to the families of the victims. A closure on this issue is
essential for the reconciliation process. We call for appropriate legislative and institutional mechanisms to prevent such violations in the future.
Drug abuse is increasing in the recent past and destroying our social fabric. Measures need to be taken to increase the awareness in the community and special law and order measures needs to be taken to contain the situation.
Cast discrimination in our society, particularly in the Northern Province is a curse and not less than the apartheid practice in causing misery and denial of rights and dignity. Awareness is needed amongst all communities and work towards building a social movement to combat this vestige of feudal societies of yesteryears. There is also a need for stringent legislations in place to punish those who promote such discrimination.
Women in our society are subjected to various forms of persecution and discrimination. We need a powerful social movement to combat this. There is a need for strengthening the laws relating to equal opportunities and guarantee equal representation in elected assemblies and in state and private sectors.
The increasing number of road accidents and number of deaths are a serious cause for concern. Measures needs to be taken to improve the standards of regulatory arrangements. There is also a need for coordinated actions by the relevant departments, and community organisations.
Sri Lankan people were divided by the racist political forces from all communities. Thirty-year civil war further damaged the ethnic harmony. Since
the end of the war, there has not been any serious effort made to strengthen understanding amongst the communities or establish equality for all
communities. In recent times, there is also an effort by some sections from all communities to instigate religious conflicts. To combat this continuing trend all progressive forces and those who are committed to social equality should work together unitedly.
We acknowledge the aspirations of the people in the “Aragalaya” uprising. It was a movement primarily focussed against the corruption, nepotism in the ruling elite and the economic hardships faced by the people because of these. Despite its limited success the same corrupt ruling political classes retained the reins of the government. If corruption and misuse of powers of the rulers continue, it will be inevitable that there will be uprising again.
In relation to the issue of bottom trawling and other methods of unlawful fishing practices that destroy the fishing stock in that region, should stop forthwith. The disputes between the fishing communities should be addressed through negotiations between all the stake holders. We urge the Tamil Nadu Government to take necessary steps to amicable settlements between fishing communities from both sides of the border. The issues about violating international waters, and the issue of Katchathievu should not be linked to the fishermen’s day to day life issues that will only further complicate the matters.
In the present world order, rich gets richer and vast majority of the population suffer, hunger, poverty, unemployment, trapped in debt, and live in appalling conditions. This world order should be changed, and we aspire to establish a new world order that serves the interests of the suffering majority.
It is a fact that the Palestinians are subjected to aggression and genocide by the Zionist regime. Several thousand Palestinians were killed since 1948. This conflict is affecting the whole of West Asian countries. We believe that the immediate halt of military aggression in Gaza and West bank and the recognition of two state solutions to bring permanent peace to the region.
The earth is fast becoming uninhabitable because of the unresponsible exploitation of the environment by humans. Urgent measures need to be put in
place to protect the environment and there is a need to intensify awareness programs and collective direct actions,
Our party would endeavour to build strong working relationship and work in solidarity with all the people and organisations in the world which strive to
achieve peace, social equality, freedom, liberty, and fraternity, of mankind. We will seek to learn lessons from countries and governments and political parties which have committed to social democratic values and programs.

The-declarations-made-in-the-2024-Congress-of-Social-Democratic-Party-of-Tamils-1 Download

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Will the approaching elections be free and fair?

admin — Sat, 11 May 2024 05:22:50 +0000

Will the approaching elections be free and fair?

What is the significance of the Election Commission’s (EC) announcement on Thursday that the next presidential election would be held between September 17 and October 16? It is a well-known fact to those who know the relevant Article of the Constitution. It would have only been relevant if the EC had announced the exact date for the election.

Goodies and freebies

Although President Ranil Wickremesinghe has not declared his candidature for the forthcoming Presidential election, it is clear he has commenced his election campaign through vote-catching activities in various sectors, providing the voters with various goodies and freebies.
If we are going by a recent communication by the election monitoring body, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) to the Elections Commission (EC), what is shameful in this exercise is the President’s party, the United National Party (UNP) using public funds for these activities, abusing the powers of the President’s office.
Apart from the Aswesuma project which apparently comes under the “social safety net” of the economic recovery programme sponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government has initiated a plan to distribute 20 kg of rice to 2.7 million low-income families since last month. The ‘Urumaya’ programme initiated by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and already underway aims at providing freehold land rights to two million individuals. The President also announced last November that nearly 50,000 families will be granted ownership of their urban houses in 2024 and the programme was launched last month.
The government has allocated 14 billion rupees for people without homes in the plantation areas, out of which 10 billion rupees had been allocated for 89 Divisional Secretariat areas to construct 10,000 houses, according to Minister Jeevan Thondaman. The Cabinet last month also approved a proposal to provide sanitary napkins free annually to 800,000 poverty-stricken female students studying in the most remote and isolated schools. These may be some of the programmes that the PAFFREL had referred to as vote-buying initiatives.

Misusing state property

The poll monitoring body on May 3 had said that the government was misusing state property at a time when a crucial election is only a few months away. PAFFREL Executive Director, Rohana Hettiarachchi said that these initiatives are costing billions of rupees to the tax payer.
“The government has allocated 10 million rupees for each Divisional Secretariat area for development activities. The funds will be used at the discretion of the governor of the province. The governor is the representative of the President and it is obvious that this is an endeavour aimed at the election. The government spends billions of tax rupees as well as enormous physical and human resources of the state for its election propaganda activities,” he had accused.
The PAFFREL has urged the EC to address these government-run political promotion programmes disguised as development projects, occurring while the Local Government (LG) elections have been called and the Presidential Election is expected to be announced soon. In a letter addressed to EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake, the PAFFREL Executive Director pointed out that even though the LG election has been postponed indefinitely, the election has not been cancelled, meaning that the pre-election laws are still in effect.
The EC that met on May 7 had observed the points raised by the PAFFREL and had written to the Secretary to the President, Saman Ekanayake, requesting him not to involve any politician in such development project implementations. However, the President and the leaders of the government are extremely unlikely to take the concerns of the EC into account, since these activities are carried out with the full knowledge of their unfair impact on the results of the forthcoming Presidential election.
However, this is a tricky issue for the Opposition parties. Despite the undue advantage that is to be possibly gained by the two ruling parties, the UNP and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) through these so-called development and relief programmes being very clear, their opposition to the programmes would reflect badly on them. However, the impact of these programmes might not be so favourable to the ruling parties as happened before, given the realization of corrupt politics by the people through the discourse on the current crisis and the resultant public uprising witnessed in 2022.

Brownie points

Meanwhile, the unending oft-repeated chest-thumping by the President and his party that it was only he who had dared to take over the country when it was facing an unprecedented economic crisis in 2022 and that he has been able to salvage the country economically are also aimed at earning brownie points ahead of the
Presidential election.
It was not a matter of courage or international connections as the President boasted in Parliament on Tuesday that prompted him to take over the premiership when Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to resign as the Prime Minister on May 9, 2022. But it was the understanding that had been built then between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe that emboldened the latter to grab the opportunity to gain what he failed to gain at the last General election and what he was not sure of gaining in the rest of his lifetime. On the other hand, Gotabaya Rajapaksa too preferred him over others, due to the dealings between Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksas since the beginning of the Yahapalana Government.
Sri Lanka had obtained IMF assistance 16 times before 2022 and for the 17th time President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had already initiated talks with the international lender when the Aragalaya broke out. With the experience in the previous IMF programmes, Wickremesinghe would have known that the country would be able to manage the crisis with the new IMF deal, until at least the next national elections. Thus, he took over.
It must be recalled that not only Wickremesinghe, but also Sajith Premadasa, though with a brief hesitation, did come forward to accept the premiership when Mahinda Rajapaksa humiliatingly bowed down to the countrywide agitations in May 2022, after the attack by his supporters on peaceful protesters in the GotaGoGama in the Galle Face Green. However, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa informed Premadasa that he was too late.

Open challenge

Similarly, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in June 2022 threw down an open challenge to President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to make way for his party which he said would run the government with the assistance of a 15-member Cabinet which would be appointed from the existing Parliament. It must also be recalled that Dullas Alahapperuma contested the Presidential election held in Parliament on July 20, 2022 amidst the crisis. Only the SLPP among the main political groups did not dare to take over, despite it having the majority power in Parliament.
The current economic respite where there are no queues for fuel and cooking gas is nothing but the direct result of the borrowings of foreign exchange from the IMF, International Financial Corporation (IFC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) after the IMF programme was put in place. Ironically, despite him having ruined the economy, it was Gotabaya Rajapaksa who brought the IMF into the scene this time in March 2022, two months before Wickremesinghe joined the government.
Rajapaksa also appointed overseas firms, Clifford Chance and Lazard as legal and financial advisors for the IMF programme in Sri Lanka. Besides, he appointed the Sri Lankan officials such as Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena who are authorized to deal with IMF officials. In short, it was a machinery that was set up by Rajapaksa that is in
operation now.
However, we are not yet out of the woods. The IMF would only assist the country in managing the current financial crisis temporarily through its reforms and facilitation of obtaining foreign debts. It is up to the Sri Lankan leaders to find ways and means to create an export-oriented economy that would help reduce external borrowings and repay the existing and future loans, averting a future crisis. Nevertheless, only time will tell if the government’s propaganda machine can gradually take over the intelligence of the masses.

https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Will-the-approaching-elections-be-free-and-fair/172-282337

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EC writes to Prez Secy. on LG polls

admin — Thu, 09 May 2024 06:44:32 +0000

EC writes to Prez Secy. on LG polls

Says holding polls the answer, not community advisory comms., to oversee LG dev. projects
SJB backs same & warns of legal action

The Election Commission (EC) has informed President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake and the other relevant authorities that it is better to hold the Local Government (LG) elections than establishing community advisory committees to oversee development projects under LG bodies.

The Government recently announced plans to establish these committees, with the alleged intent of having them oversee development projects within LG bodies. Former LG representatives are also slated to be considered for inclusion as members of these committees.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake mentioned that the EC had examined the issue and sent a letter to the President’s Secretary outlining important considerations for setting up the committees in question.

“We recommended that candidates who have submitted nominations for the LG elections should not be included in these committees, given that the electoral laws are still in effect.” He noted that the need to establish these committees arose because the LG bodies currently lack public representatives due to the delay in holding the LG Elections. As a solution, he said that they (EC) recommended to the relevant authorities, including the President’s Secretary, that holding the LG elections would be a better approach than establishing committees to fill the gap left by the absence of public representatives. When queried as to whom the relevant notification was made, Rathnayake said that it was informed to the President’s Secretary, the Prime Minister’s Secretary, the Provincial Governors and their Secretaries, and the District Secretaries.

The Government’s preparation to establish community advisory committees has raised significant concerns, with the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) alleging that the Government plans to conduct their election campaigns disguised as community advisory committees overseeing development projects in LG constituencies.

“This move is an attempt to gain political advantage. Arbitrarily empowering Governors to form these committees could allow them to steer public resources toward their own political ends,” noted SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday (8). “It’s not the first time that we’ve seen this Government manipulate systems to its advantage,” he added, referencing a previous effort where power was prepared to be given to the former Mayors and Chairpersons of LG bodies — a strategy that he claimed was eventually withdrawn after legal challenges.

Premadasa also questioned the true purpose of these committees, querying as to why their objectives could not be met through existing regional mechanisms like Divisional and District Secretariats, and District Coordination Committees. He also said that the SJB would legally challenge the establishment of these committees, raising concerns that candidates who had submitted nominations for the LG elections could be chosen to fill these committees’ roles.

The LG elections were initially set for March 2023, but were delayed because the Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies Ministry and the General Treasury did not release the necessary funds. The EC rescheduled the elections to April 2023, but the funding issue persisted, resulting in the indefinite postponement of the LG elections.

https://lankafocus.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=2149&action=elementor

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Indo-SL passenger ferry service to resume mid-May

admin — Fri, 03 May 2024 08:52:06 +0000

Indo-SL passenger ferry service to resume mid-May

The passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam, India, and Kankesanthurai (KKS) in Sri Lanka, which resumed in October of last year (2023) after almost 40 years, only to be stopped days later, is set to recommence on 13 May.

Online ticket sales for the service, which will be handled by a new operator, will go live on 6 May.

On 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the service between Nagapattinam and KKS. The high speed craft Cheriyapani operated by the Shipping Corporation of India under KPVS Private Limited however, stopped the service after about a week, allegedly due to the monsoon. After a gap of six months, the service is set to resume. This time though, a Chennai-based travel operator, IndSri Ferry Services Pvt. Ltd., would handle the international service through the ship, ‘Sivagangai’.

“The service will be offered daily. Ticket sales open from 6 May through our website www.sailindsri.com for voyages between 13 May and 15 November,” said IndSri Ferry Services Managing Director S. Niranjan Nanthagopan. A ticket from the Nagapattinam Port to KKS is currently priced at $ 50 plus taxes. The pricing is the same for the return service.

Passengers are allowed to carry 60 kilograms of baggage on board without charges. Further, they are allowed to change their date of travel 72 hours before the scheduled trip. Full refund is also available on cancellation only during the said period.

(The New Indian Express)

https://www.themorning.lk/articles/soo53ZCN1wH8ypxW8WLS

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The ‘due process’ clash of the law

admin — Fri, 03 May 2024 08:21:25 +0000

The ‘due process’ clash of the law

03 May 2024 | BY Buddhika Samaraweera

Private/unofficial bar lawyers & the Public Security Min. exchange salvos over the ‘Yukthiya’s’ ‘wayward’ ‘mission’

In a landscape fraught with tension, a clash has emerged between the Public Security Minister Tiran Alles and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) over the controversial ‘Yukthiya’ (Justice) anti-drug and anti-organised crime operation.

The BASL contends that the said operation has veered off course, with due legal procedures often disregarded, while Minister Alles refutes these claims, accusing the BASL of shielding criminals under the guise of defending justice. This conflict has stirred public opinion, with legal professionals insisting that rather than condemning lawyers for representing suspects, Alles should focus on bolstering Police investigations to ensure that justice is served without infringing on civil liberties.

Following directives from Alles and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, the ‘Yukthiya’ operation was initiated to eradicate drug trafficking and organised crime activities across Sri Lanka. The operation, supported by the Special Task Force (STF) and the Army, has spanned multiple Provinces, with a focus on the Western and Southern Provinces. The result has been the arrest of thousands of suspects for drug related offences and other organised criminal activities during extensive raids. This large-scale crackdown represents one of the most talked-about efforts in recent years to combat organised crime and the drug menace in the country.

The BASL has consistently voiced its critique of the ‘Yukthiya’ operation, stressing the importance of conducting such crackdowns within the boundaries of the due legal process. In contrast, Alles has been defending the operation, asserting that it complies with all the legal requirements.

The conflict had somewhat faded into the background for a few weeks, but a recent remark by Alles ignited the flames once more. His statement that “eliminating criminals is not a sin” and advice to the law enforcement officers “not to be afraid to use their weapons to do the right thing” stirred a strong response from the BASL. Reports have then emerged suggesting that the Public Security Ministry plans to publicly disclose the names of lawyers who represent criminals and drug traffickers in courts. The proposed move has raised significant concerns within the legal community, with many seeing it as an attempt to intimidate or undermine their role. This Ministry has since denied plans for such an exposé.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, attorney Thineth Korasagalla described the nuanced framework of justice, pointing out that there are three distinct types of decisions: those from the society, those from the Judiciary, and those from nature. He highlighted that social judgement, which stands at the centre of much public discourse, is not always accurate. “Society’s decision is not always correct. There are hundreds of events which have been proven to be wrong through judicial proceedings.” To avoid miscarriages of justice, he emphasised that proper investigation is crucial. “Weak investigations could lead to even hardened criminals and drug dealers walking free. The Minister’s (Alles) focus should be to ensure thorough investigations that bring the most guilty to trial.” He also emphasised that a lawyer representing a suspect does not impede justice, adding that it is the quality of the investigation that ultimately determines the outcome. “The establishment of charges against a suspect through proper and evidence based investigations will ensure that the accused are punished, regardless of which lawyer represents them.”

When contacted by The Daily Morning, attorney Swasthika Arulingam who is also an activist vocal on women’s rights, human rights, and politics, said that a Minister making remarks suggesting that lawyers are protecting drug traffickers and criminals, could have grave consequences on judicial proceedings and the professional freedom of attorneys. “What he (Alles) is implying is that the Police can use extreme measures on the ground. If the Police believe that someone is a criminal, they could even shoot them. If someone is suspected to be a drug trafficker or a criminal, they don’t have any rights, and should not even be represented by a lawyer in courts. This is what he implies.”

She said that such statements may foster a social psyche that justifies violence and denies the suspects their rights. “When such a psyche is there, even if an innocent is framed as a drug trafficker or criminal, justice is very hard to come by. When an attorney is defending them, the Minister (Alles) is making them (lawyers) criminals too. It is a worrying situation.” Arulingam underscored that this mindset could have a chilling effect not only within the courts but also in the society at large. “Simply because someone is arrested by the Police, it does not mean that they are criminals as it needs to be proven in court,” she said, emphasising that statements like these could make it harder for suspects to get a fair trial. She warned that statements encouraging the usage of weapons could embolden the Police to engage in torture, knowing that the higher-ups’ rhetoric offer them protection. “If lawyers are viewed as criminals themselves for defending the suspects, the entire legal process is undermined. It creates an environment where justice is difficult to achieve both in and out of courts.”

She added that the Government is attempting to put a certain class of people away from society, without taking action to provide them the opportunity to have a better life. “When it comes to drug trafficking, the people are getting addicted to drugs because economic structures have been dispossessing them over the past. They don’t have work and they are hungry. When someone comes and gives them drugs, they use it. The Government then tries to put them away from society, which is wrong.”

Another lawyer said that the scales of justice would turn unfavourable against those who are accused, leaving them vulnerable to the full weight of the State’s prosecutorial power, if the protection of legal representation is absent or discouraged. “This imbalance could result in suspects being denied a fair hearing, where their rights are not properly defended or their perspective is inadequately represented. As a consequence, there is a heightened risk of wrongful convictions, where innocent people might be punished for crimes that they didn’t commit.” When suspects are not properly represented, he said that it would open the door to coercive practices, such as forced confessions or mistreatment by the law enforcement agencies. “Such outcomes do more than harm the individuals involved as they erode public trust in the entire legal system, in turn creating a perception that justice is arbitrary or biassed.”

Commenting on the matter, attorney Samantha Premachandra said that Sri Lanka’s legal system is fundamentally adversarial, and that at its core lies the presumption of innocence. “Anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent, and that presumption can only be overturned through a court judgement.” He emphasised that every citizen, regardless of the accusation against them, has the right to legal representation in court by a lawyer. “If anyone tries to undermine or discourage that right, it is not just the accused who suffer; it impacts the entire system of justice,” he warned. He said that an attack on this foundational principle could have far-reaching implications. “If that right is taken away or altered, it could affect everyone. Today, it is alleged drug traffickers and criminals, tomorrow, it could be us.”

The lawyers’ remarks come in the wake of the BASL recently calling for the removal of Alles following his controversial remarks at the Katukurunda STF training camp’s passing out parade. Alles reportedly told the media, “Eliminating criminals from the country is not a sin,” and said that they should not be afraid to use weapons to do the right thing. The BASL condemned the statement, arguing that it violates the Constitution and the criminal justice system’s principles, emphasising that justice should be administered by courts through the due process. Voicing concern over recent increases in extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, and Police torture, they suggested that Alles’ comments could further encourage such illegal actions. They also urged President Ranil Wickremesinghe to remove Alles as the Public Security Minister, describing his remarks as “irresponsible, arbitrary, and misleading.”

Alles was not available for comment.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, the Secretary to the Public Security Ministry, Viyani Gunathilaka said that he cannot comment on the matter as it was the Minister (Alles) who had made comments concerning the BASL. He further said that the Ministry had no plan to publicise the names of lawyers who appear for suspects in drug and crime related cases in courts, as suggested by recent media reports.

As the debate continues, the BASL’s call for due process and legal integrity serves as a reminder that the path to justice must be rooted in legal frameworks that protect the rights of all individuals, regardless of the accusations against them. The Ministry’s assurance that it has no plans to publicise the names of lawyers representing suspects offers a degree of relief, but, the broader issue of maintaining a fair and just legal system remains at the forefront of the public discourse.

https://www.themorning.lk/articles/g3TxCOfM4ZgTYTcRQaI7

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