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Pottuvil – Akkaraipattu highway in deplorable state

Published on 23/04/2008 in From our own Correspondent, Money Matters and press coverage. 0 Comments

V. P. Sivapragasam Akkaraipattu group corr.

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The highway described as “A-4” Road between Pottuvil and Akkaraipattu is in a deplorable condition, making it unfit for motorists who suffer accidents.

The Road Development Authority seems to have abdicated their duty when the said Pottuvil – Akkaraipattu highway remains in a dilapidated condition for a considerable length of time, about which the Sunday Observer too spotlighted last year.

The said roadway that connects several highly populated towns including Thambiluvil, Tirukovil, Vinayagapuram and Komari is in large ponds and pot-holes, deep and dangerous holes on the road surface is seen as a danger to the lives of those who ride bicycles and motorcycles.

The bridge over the Periya Muhathuwaram Causeway damaged several years ago and dangerously damaged by tsunami yet remains to be repaired. The poor state of the road way has crippled the operation of transport.

source:
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/04/22/news31.asp

Eastern province: Impact of altered demographics

Published on 12/04/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, people, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments
by Neville Ladduwahetty

Following every terrorist act in Sri Lanka there arises a refrain that the countryA?a??a??s conflict cannot be resolved militarily, followed by the proposition that since the conflict is essentially political in nature, the focus should be on finding an acceptable political arrangement instead of the military approach currently pursued. However, it must be conceded that there is a nexus between political goals and the choice of means and tactics, which in Sri LankaA?a??a??s case has been determined by the LTTE to be a separate state won through an armed conflict.

The leaders of the civil rights movement in the US realizing this nexus, consciously and deliberately decided on non-violence as the means to achieve their goals. By contrast, the Sri Lankan Tamil community resolved with conscious deliberation to resort to an armed conflict to achieve their political goal of a separate state. Under the circumstances, the choice for the Sri Lankan state has been to either to accept the creation of a separate state or to resist such a creation by neutralizing the means to create it. Since the choice undoubtedly has to be for the latter course, there is no option but meet the military threat militarily. Furthermore, as long as both positions remain unchanged, the armed conflict would continue. For there to be peace, therefore, either the Sri Lankan state has to accept the idea of a separate state, or the LTTE has to abandon its goal and dismantle the means as well.

Since it is the LTTE that has set the goal and adopted the means, the only option available to the Sri Lankan state is to address the military capabilities of the LTTE and weaken it to a point where the LTTE realizes that a separate state through armed conflict is not a realistic proposition. It was the reaching of such a point in the dynamics of the Northern Ireland conflict that forced the IRA leadership to abandon violence and seek a negotiated solution. A similar realization dawned on the Ache rebels when the tsunami of 2004 destroyed their military capabilities.

A similar dynamic has to occur in Sri Lanka for the LTTE to realize that the original goal is an unrealistic proposition. It would be only at such a point that the LTTE would be prepared to consider alternatives to its original proposition. The weaker the LTTE, the more significant would be the shift from their original position. Therefore, the military capabilities of the LTTE have a direct bearing on the nature and scope of the political arrangement that the LTTE would accept and which the rest of the country would tolerate.

This military/political dynamic was reached in the Eastern Province. It was the neutralization of the military capabilities of the LTTE in the Eastern Province that has paved the way for Peoples of the Eastern Province to exercise their civil and political rights. This and other developments taking place in the Eastern Province could very well undermine the whole concept of a separate state; a notion that is clearly NOT viable without the Eastern Province.

GROUND REALITIES

An imperceptible but pertinent fact that is emerging is the demographic changes in the Eastern Province. These changes have gone unnoticed since the Census of 1981. The 2007 enumeration conducted by the Census and Statistics Department reveal that the Muslims are not only a majority in the province but also that they are the majority in the Districts of Trincomalee and Ampara. This trend could lead to the Eastern Province becoming the territorial base of political power for the Muslims.

According to the data in the Preliminary Report of 2007 the distribution within the province is: Muslims 40%, Tamils 38% and the Sinhalese 22%. According to the Report the distribution by district is: Trincomalee District: 45.4% Muslim, 28.6% Sri Lankan Tamils, 25.4% Sinhalese; Batticaloa District: 25% Muslim, 74% Sri Lankan Tamil, 0.5% Sinhalese; and Ampara District: 44% Muslim, 18.3% Sri Lankan Tamil, 37.5% Sinhalese. These ground realities could have a profound effect on the short and long term trajectories of power sharing arrangements in Sri Lanka.

The immediate impact of this statistical data is that the Muslims are emerging as the most populous ethnic group in the Eastern Province, with the Sri Lankan Tamils remaining as the most populous ethnic group in the Northern Province. Even though each province may evolve as a political base of each respective group, the fact remains that the majorities of both communities reside outside these political bases. Under the circumstances, political arrangements based on territorial distribution makes no sense.

Perhaps, it is the awareness of these developments that prompted the Muslim leadership to take the forthcoming Provincial Council elections seriously to the extent that some of them have given up their seats in Parliament in order to contest the election. If not at the forthcoming election, there is a strong possibility that future elections may return Muslim majorities with Muslim Chief Ministers in the Eastern Provincial Council.

There is therefore, a need to rethink the whole premise of regional devolution of political power. The alterations to the demographics in the Eastern Province demonstrate the fluidity of population growths and distributions. Therefore, formulating political arrangements based on present ethnic or other concentrations could with time be not only meaningless but also inappropriate. Changes in power bases could lead to new ethnic tensions; a sure formula for instability.

IMPACT OF ALTERED DEMOGRAPHICS ON THE NATIONAL QUESTION

If and when the Eastern Province becomes a non-Tamil political base, the foundation of a separate state of Tamil Eelam would be undermined because the very heart of this concept was underpinned by the resources and potential of the Eastern Province. Furthermore, the ethnic mix of the Eastern Province together with the concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils in the Northern Province was intended to mirror the scene in the rest of the country with the concentration of Sinhalese in the South, thus creating the “image” that the country was divided between the Sinhalese and Tamils.

With the real possibility of losing the Eastern Province politically to another ethnic group, the political power base of the Tamils would be confined to the Northern Province which by all accounts would be mono-ethnic. A separate state in such a context would have little or no attraction. Therefore, with these facts in view, there is an urgent need to reconsider the relevance of former political arrangements contemplated in the light of existential realities.

Buy avapro blood pressure medicine One political arrangement that would be acceptable to the overwhelming majority in the light of this background would be to abandon the whole concept of ethno-territorially based power sharing and seriously explore central power sharing. This would give all communities the opportunity to be represented in the governing processes instead of regionally based power sharing; a concept that Sri Lanka has been forced to consider based on a demographic premise that has no relevance today. It is vital that the APRC becomes aware of these emerging transformations if its deliberations are to have any meaning.

CONCLUSION

It is the LTTE that has set the goal of a separate state and it is the LTTE that has adopted violent means to realize it militarily. Since the Sri Lankan nation finds both goal and means set by the LTTE unacceptable, Governments representing the Sri Lankan nation have no option but to respond to LTTE efforts militarily. Not to do so would leave the military capabilities developed by the LTTE intact and the issue would remain open ended without finality and closure. For the military operations to cease, either the LTTE has to dismantle its military capabilities voluntarily, or the Government has to neutralize it militarily.

A military approach is being pursued by the LTTE on the premise that the conditions that existed at the commencement of their endeavour to create a separate state, still exist. The notion that the Northern and Eastern Provinces could form a political unit exists among the non-LTTE Sri Lankan Tamils as well. These positions long held have no relevance in the context of two facts relating to the Eastern Province. The first being the reestablishment of the writ of the state and the second, being the transformed demographics. Both facts make it necessary for political goals once conceived to be revisited.

The impact of the transformed demographics in the Eastern Province is that this province could emerge as a political base for the Muslims; a fact that may emerge even as early as the forthcoming Provincial Council election. If the Eastern Province becomes a Muslim political base and the Northern Province becomes a Tamil political base with the rest of the 7 provinces becoming a Sinhala political base, the political boundaries would become coterminous with ethnic concentrations. Devolving power under such conditions is a sure recipe for instability as has happened with the former Yugoslavia, and more recently with Kosovo.

These developments would undermine the very foundation of a once conceived separate state consisting of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Despite the change in the scope of the original project, for the armed conflict to continue in order to create the Northern Province as a political base for Sri Lankan Tamils is senseless because this is already an accepted fact. Despite this reality, if the LTTE continues the conflict, it can only mean that its intention is to create a separate state consisting of the Northern Province all by itself.

Cheap atorlip While the conflict in Northern Ireland was resolved due to the IRAA?a??a??s self realization that violence was not taking them any closer to their political goal, and the conflict in Ache, Indonesia, was resolved because of the effect of the tsunami on the Free Aceh Movement/GAMA?a??a??s military capabilities, the transformation in the military/demographic dynamic in the Eastern Province will force the LTTE/Sri Lankan Tamils to consider alternatives hitherto not considered. Since these changing circumstances are also underscored by the security implications of devolving power to ethnically based territorial units, Sri Lanka can find resolution to its conflict only if its communities together explore arrangements where political power is shared by all at the Center.

source:
http://www.island.lk/2008/04/12/features1.html

Eastern PC election: A race between Muslim parties

Published on 10/04/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, Money Matters, parties, people, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

Cheap artane castle MSM AyubThe former Lanka Guardian Editor and a respected journalist, late Mervin de Silva while testifying before the Mosad Commission appointed by the former President Ranasinghe Premadasa in early nineties said that Sri Lankan leaders had pushed a politically passive community into active politics by inviting Israelis to train the troops.

He was referring to the Muslim politics that by then had started influencing the national politics following the advent of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) into the mainstream politics. Before that there was no Muslim politics as such except for the mostly Colombo based and provincial elite Muslims contesting at elections under the two main parties, namely the United National Party(UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

By now Muslim politics has become so vital a component of national politics that the main Muslim political party, SLMC is usually called the A?a??A?king makerA?a??A? as in the case of Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC). With the announcement of the election for the newly created Eastern Provincial Council which was de-merged from the Northern Provincial Council by a Supreme Court ruling in October 2006 on a petition filed by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the significance of Muslim politics has ascended to a peak

This can be attributed mainly to the composition of the province which consists 33 percent of Muslims and the possibility of Muslims being the decisive factor in electing the rulers of the Province at the May 10 election, in the light of Muslim votes are apparently going to be less divided than the other two communities would be.

There are so many parties with Sinhalese leadership and Sinhalese nationalism in the fray and the two main parties and the JVP contesting on three fronts have the capacity to draw Sinhalese votes in bulk. Tamil votes would be drawn mainly by the Pillaian group and a portion of votes may be bagged by the UNP while a considerable number may be influenced by the LTTE either by way of persuading the people to abstain or winning them through its political party, PeopleA?a??a??s Front of Liberation Tigers (PFLT) which was registered with the Commissioner of Elections in 1989 during peace talks.

Although Muslim votes too would definitely be divided, Ashraff has so peculiarly inspired the majority of Eastern Muslims that they do not turn their backs to the SLMC even the high ranking leaders of the party would do so. This was why Rauff Hakeem could boast at the conclusion of the Batticaloa district Local Government election that SLMC has won 82 percent of the Muslim votes cast.

Another reason for the Muslim factor to be more in the limelight than the Pillaian group in this election, at least for the moment is that the Pillaian- United PeopleA?a??a??s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) marriage was long solemnized and it was a closed issue by the time of the announcement of Eastern Provincial Council election.

The UNP, as the opposition neither had any leverage nor did at least attempt to lure the group, while the SLMC, seemingly undecided kept the whole world in suspense as if open for auction. Knowing very well the advantage of being the talking point SLMC leaders readily and positively responded when Government leaders invited for talks in spite of their talks with the UNP had gone a long way ahead.

When Muslim ministers convened all Muslim political parties for a meeting claiming they want to form a Muslim alliance for the Provincial Council election in order to have a Muslim as the Chief Minister, the SLMC consented without questioning as to why the ministers are going to deprive the Government of Muslim votes in this crucial election and also as to why the Government did not utter a word against the Muslim ministers attempting to divest it of some of the precious votes.

As a seasoned politician Hakeem knew of the advantage of being in the limelight through this move too, although he did not want such an alliance which cannot win given the combined strength of the UPFA and TMVP. However, Hassan Ali, SLMC General Secretary had confided with a Daily Mirror journalist that the Ministers are up to drag the talks until the nomination day, so that the SLMC would not be able to finalize any strategy with the UNP against the Government.

Former Deputy Minister MLAM HisbullahA?a??a??s cross over to the ruling party from the SLMC and the more stunning resignation of SLMC stalwarts including its leader Hakeem to contest at the less important Provincial Council apparently turned the race into one between the Muslim ministers and the SLMC

Communal attacks against the SLMC or any other minority party by leaders of majority community might help them to secure more support from the respective minority community. Already there has been one such attack that the SLMC is going to be a threat to Sinhalese and Tamils in the East, which if it continues will arouse Muslim sentiments in favour of SLMC. These kinds of communal provocations would identify Muslim feelings with the SLMC which in turn will convert them into votes and ultimately Hakeem will be benefited in his effort to ascending to the chief administrator of the province.

History has proven this point very vividly in the central hills long ago. The CWC and its former leader late Saumiyamoorthi Thondaman was repeatedly attacked for winning over A?a??A?everythingA?a??A? for estate Tamils and attempting to carve out a separate state called A?a??A?MalayanaduA?a??A? at the expense of Sinhalese. The grand old man once retorted to this writer that there is no need for anyone to carve out a Malainadu afresh, for it exists from the day God created the world. Malainadu in Tamil means hill country.

Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman was awarded with these kinds of A?a??A?creditsA?a??A? such as winning over A?a??A?everythingA?a??A? for the estate Tamils despite the fact that the estate sector has won the A?a??A?medalsA?a??A? through social indicators for lowest education, highest malnutrition, highest drunkenness, highest child mortality etcetera. However when he was attacked from outside the estate community emotionally set to defend him and he continued to be the king of the hills until his death.

Late Ashraff also had such benefits of vilification by outsiders.

Haste shown by the Government in slashing HakeemA?a??a??s security in a way implies the importance and the seriousness of SLMC for the Government. However, the attempt by the state to prune HakeemA?a??a??s security soon after he along with SLMC General Secretary Hassan Ali and Politburo member Basheer Segudawood resigned from the parliament will sometimes be another benefit for the SLMC, unless it leads to some disaster. This sometimes might help Hakeem to continually to be in the spotlight and thereby draw Muslim sympathy towards him.

Despite the fact that the Muslim factor has become a vital ingredient in the making of national politics and perhaps the most reckoned with element by all major parties at this Provincial Council election, it is seen by many as a fragmented force.

Because within two decades since mid-eighties the 1.5 million strong Muslim community has produced a series of political parties ironically agaist the wishes of the founder of the first Muslim party, the SLMC.

The founder of the SLMC late MHM Ashraff called on the Muslim community at the day of inauguration of the party on November 26, 1986 at the A?a??A?Pasha VillaA?a??A? in Maradana, Colombo not to create a second Muslim party in an event where the SLMC leadership fails to address the problems of the Muslim community, instead he suggested to throw the incumbent leadership away and find dynamic new leaders capable of facing the challenges of the day.

But to the utmost dismay of many in the Muslim community the second Muslim party emerged in three months in the name of Muslim United Liberation Front (MULF) led by MIM Mohideen who later joined the SLMC when Ashraff was in Chandrika KumaratungaA?a??a??s cabinet. With the death of Ashraff in an air crash over Mawanella in 2000 a plethora of Muslim parties have sprung in rival to the SLMC.

The National Unity Alliance (NUA) which Ashraff formed with the intention of gradually switching to national politics from communal politics, departed first from the SLMC with AshraffA?a??a??s widow Ferial heading it, and leaving the SLMC solely to the leadership of Rauff Hakeem, AshraffA?a??a??s confidant.

This occurred when President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked Hakeem from the ministerial portfolio on June 21, 2001 for reasons known only to her, and Hakeem left the Government taking the sacking as a despiser on the party. However some SLMC leaders including Ferial Ashraff remained in the Government as ministers, deputy ministers and officials of various government and semi- government institutions and converged under NUA as a distinct party.

The Ranil Wikremesinghe regime between December 2001 and February 2004 saw another few splits in Muslim parties including in the SLMC. The then Deputy Minister MLM Athaullah broke away and formed the National Congress (NC) while businessman Naseer Ahmed created the Democratic United Alliance (DUA) distancing himself from the SLMC.

Then it was the turn of NM Shaheed PC to come up with his own party, All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC), resigning from the Muslim Congress. Three SLMC parliamentarians, Rishad Badiuddeen, Najeeb A Majeed and Amir Ali who wanted to join the Chandrika Kumaratunga government parted with the Muslim Congress in October, 2004, ensuing which the infamous Kumari Cooray episode was staged. They also joined the ACMC.

Thus controversies over leadership, national list parliamentary seats, cabinet minister posts etcetera led to springing of a bunch of splinters and offshoots from the stem of SLMC.

By now there are around a dozen Muslim political parties in the country each claiming that it is the real heir to A?a??A?ThalaivarA?a??A? Ashraff and was trained in AshraffA?a??a??s school (pasarai). Each profess that it is the genuine guardian of the community A journalist from the East once attributed this mushrooming of Muslim parties to A?a??A?ambitions that infused by the A?a??A?ThalaivarA?a??A? into the ordinary peopleA?a??A? who before the advent of the SLMC could not even imagine to be elected at least to a village council that existed few decades ago.

Today most Muslim leaders who profess to be god fearing are in a position to drag The Almighty Allah, Holy Prophet and Holy QurA?a??a??an or any other sacred concept in Islam into their politics, even reciting qurA?a??a??anic verses on public platforms, purely to exploit the piety of the ordinary voters and grab money making positions.

Almost all of them agree on the problems of Eastern Muslims, especially on the land problem in the Pottuvil electorate and threats by the armed Tamil groups in Batticaloa and Trincomalee, but the question whether they can agree on solutions to those problems, given the divisions among them, in the face of the election is something only time will answer.

source:
House for sale in hazelwood artane http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=11534

Top priority to develop East – Susantha

Published on 08/04/2008 in Money Matters and press coverage. 0 Comments

by Lakshmi de Silva
The development of the Eastern Province under the special effort made by the government to rehabilitate the infrastructure facilities involving irrigation, health and education is receiving top priority with the Ministry of Nation Building playing a vital role, Minister of Nation Building Susantha Punchinilame said yesterday.

The Divisional Secretariat in Thirukkovil in the Eastern Province had started working after a lapse of more than 20 years and 206 million rupees was allocated by the government for the 22 Grama Niladhari Divisions to implement a number of development projects in the area, Punchinilame said. The minister, who was on tour of the area when speaking to The Island, said that it was the first time that a minister was visiting the DS offices in Kandikuduchchiaru, Lahugala Order clozaril dosage , Panama and Aliadivembu after a couple of decades to get first hand knowledge of the development programmes implemented there.

Tenormin 25 mg price in pakistan People of the area were very keen to develop education and health care facilities that were neglected all these years and all projects are to be implemented. 20 percent of manpower was voluntarily contributed.

source:
http://www.island.lk/2008/04/05/news3.html

Odds and Ends

Published on 07/04/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, people and press coverage. 0 Comments

Brought down a peg

Last week’s reference in this column to the man for all seasons, Member of European Parliament and and self appointed A?a??A?Ambassador at large for Sri Lanka,A?a??A? Nirj Deva or Niranjan Deva Adithya has had its sequel.

As we revealed last week, Deva together with Erika Mann, another MP of the European Parliament, are co-sponsors of a conference on A?a??A?Peace and Reconciliation in South Asia – challenges and opportunitiesA?a??A? in the Norwegian capital of Oslo on April 10 and 11. Sri Lanka is to figure at this conference. The conference website (http://www.sap2008.org How much naltrexone for weight loss ) described Deva as A?a??A?Ambassador at Large for Sri Lanka.A?a??A? As a Foreign Ministry spokesman told us, there is no such official designation and we said so last week.

Soon after the report appeared, the reference to Deva as A?a??A?Ambassador at Large for Sri LankaA?a??A? has been erased from the conference web site. After all, that is acknowledgement, that the busybody that is Deva, had given himself the title and chosen to withdraw it himself after an FO spokesman commented on it.

Now there is more on the conference itself. India has refused to send any Minister from the Central Government in New Delhi to take part in this conference.

Nor will its Ambassador in Norway take part. The reason – India does not wish one of her internal problems to be discussed at a non- governmental forum. Nepal and Burma, whose issues are also being discussed, will not be represented by their Governments either.

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However, the Government of Sri Lanka is the only one that IS taking part officially. Youth Empowerment and Socio Economic Development, Minister Arumugam Thondaman, M.F. Farook, his Private Secretary, M.K.D.G. Meegoda, Advisor, Ministry of Youth Empowerment, M.N. Jainudeen, Co-ordinating Secretary have already left for London en route to Oslo. Also due to take part is Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General of the SCOPP.

It is not clear whether tickets for the participation for some from the Sri Lankan side are being bought by the Government or by Deva and his EU Parliament colleague and their organisation.

NewMinister

Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohonna was this week appointed Sri Lanka’s new Foreign Minister. The appointment was made by the prestigious US broadcast station – VoA – the Voice of America. In one of its interviews, the following reference was made:
A?a??A?Palitha Kohona is Sri Lanka’s foreign affairs minister. He says the government is sincere in trying to locate those who have disappeared.A?a??A?

Readers can check it out on the following website of VoA; http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-04-02-voa14.cfm. What made the VoA make this blunder? After all, there does not appear to be any other glaring errors in the published news report.

Interestingly, although the news item is dated 2nd April, the Secretary of the Foreign Ministry reportedly returned to the island only on 3rd April after being away on his second leave of absence taken this year, after the previous instance taken just two months earlier.

For the record, the actual Foreign Minister of the country, Rohitha Bogollagama, is on an official visit overseas in the UK since 31st March and the actual Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein A. Bhaila, has been designated as the Acting Foreign Minister. But what a shame, with the Foreign Ministry Publicity Division working over-time in dishing out daily pictures of Minister Bogollagama with various world figures, the message hasnA?a??a??t reached VoA yet that HE is the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, and not his secretary.

Guess who?

No prizes for guessing which Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister goes to the United States of America around this time each year. All US citizens must file their income tax returns by April 15. No prizes also for guessing whether he went there on his own private funds or on Sri Lanka taxpayersA?a??a?? funds.

source:
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080406/News/news007.html

Over 10,000 families to benefit from re-awakening project

Published on 06/04/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters and presse-deutsch. 0 Comments

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By Anura Maitipe

Rs. 2.5 million has been allocated under the re-awakening project to improve the livelihood of over 10,500 conflict-affected families in the Batticaloa district. This was made known at a ceremony held to launch the project last week at the Hindu College, Batticaloa.

Minister of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure, Susantha Punchinilame said the concept of this project is different and it has given authority to the people in those areas to select suitable projects needed by them. Funds have already been allocated for these projects.

Minister of Disaster Relief Services Amir Ali said let us forget the past and now peace has dawn in the East. Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims should get-together and create harmony by alleviating poverty in the district.

The newly elected Batticaloa Municipal Council Mayor, Padmini Prabhakaran said, people in the East can help in implementing projects designed by them. They have proved it by the ballot and it was a clear signal to the whole world that we need peace and development and not terrorism.

The Project Director, P. H. Sugathadasa said, the aim of the project is to help people in conflict affected areas in the Northern and Eastern provinces to improve their livelihood.

Under this project it was the community who decided, planned and implemented all projects and not the authorities, he said. With the completion of this project rural infrastructure facilities will be improved, more arid lands will be irrigated, the agricultural produce and income of people in these areas will also increase. Those who were newly re-settled with the restoration of peace in the East will benefit from the project.

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Aid groups in Sri Lanka tackle ‘fat cat’ image

Published on 25/03/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, Money Matters, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

Blogged by: Glenda Cooper

Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author’s alone.

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International aid workers disembark at a jetty in Trincomalee in August 2006. File photo by REUTERS/Buddhika Weerasinghe
International aid workers disembark at a jetty in Trincomalee in August 2006. File photo by REUTERS/Buddhika Weerasinghe
There is a joke that goes round about aid agencies in Colombo. Try saying the acronym NGO in a Sri Lankan accent; it sounds very much like the word “enjoy” – and that, say many journalists, is the attitude aid workers have taken to their work in the country. Certainly that’s how many Sri Lankan newspapers have portrayed NGOs: as fat cats enjoying their dollar salaries, riding round in big cars and staying in the best hotels. Of course this is not an unfamiliar criticism: It’s one that agencies come across in many different countries. But the attacks on NGOs have been so sustained in Sri Lanka that agencies in Colombo are now coming together to talk about how to deal with this, thinking up imaginative solutions to build bridges with the press and get their message across to the Sri Lankan people. Simon Harris, who has worked as a senior manager and consultant with international NGOs in Sri Lanka for over 15 years, says the local media took a hostile attitude to aid groups fairly early on. “They began to refer to the NGO congestion of humanitarian space that was occurring as a ‘second tsunami’ – that was a catchphrase that was used quite a lot,” he says. “People started to ask what were all these people doing, what were the benefits of having them here? Added to that, Colombo hotels were at 100 percent capacity, restaurants were full of white faces and people started to ask questions.” Was that criticism justified? Ranga Kalansooriya of the Sri Lankan Press Institute says: “The media is no different from the rest of society; it reflects it… There is still an island mentality attacking international institutions.” And Harris believes that while the rapid proliferation of international post-tsunami NGOs undoubtedly complicated the delivery of humanitarian assistance, it also provided a convenient scapegoat for a politically partisan national media to distract domestic public focus from the shortcomings of the governments’ own relief efforts and the break-down of the peace process. But it didn’t help that the hundreds of new international NGOs on the ground required staff – and often lured them with higher salaries from local NGOs, the military and government. And aid agencies didn’t always prove their own best ambassadors. Journalists in Colombo complain about the fact that agencies have offices on Gregory’s Road (one of the smartest roads in Colombo), and as one journalist who works for an international media organisation puts it: “Why are all the aid workers in the Gallery Cafe (one of the best restaurants) at lunchtime?” The familiar white sports utility vehicles came in for particular criticism as a symbol of NGOs’ high living. But as one aid worker in Batticaloa says in exasperation: “Why do NGOs have to travel in these kind of big vehicles? It’s because of the security issues – and the government also impose rules and regulations. NGOs can’t simply use a commuter van to get around in – otherwise they are not immediately identifiable.” While many of the international NGOs worked hard after the tsunami to ensure their efforts in Sri Lanka were recognised back home, and media departments organised trips, footage and photographs to show donors that money was well spent, they did not always focus on explaining themselves so well to the Sri Lankan media, something that some NGOs now privately admit they need to do. The consequences of bad publicity in the Sri Lankan media are not just irritating – they can be dangerous, provoking riots or causing staff to come under attack. In January, after Dutch agency ZOA was accused of providing support to Tamil Tiger rebels (an allegation it strongly denies), an angry mob stormed its office. Then in February this year, diplomats from a dozen countries as well as UN agencies held a media conference to rebut these kind of allegations and warned that international NGOs were willing to quit the country if these kind of “irresponsible” stories persisted. But agencies have also turned to other ways to connect with the Sri Lankan people. Displeased with what the media is doing, they have turned to creating their own media. Television production company YATV (Young Asian Television) has formed partnerships with different agencies such as Norwegian Church Aid, CARE Sri Lanka and Plan International. Concerned that tsunami stories in the press focused on aid efforts that were behind schedule or where things had gone wrong, the U.S. Agency for International Development helped fund a series of programmes that began this March called “Coastal Rising”. It looked for unashamedly upbeat positive stories – what U.S. Ambassador Robert O’ Blake called at its launch “the other side of the story – stories of hope, courage and success”. The series, filmed in different parts of Sri Lanka, was made in Sinhalese, Tamil and English, and as well as TV programmes there were also radio programmes and articles in local newspapers to try to redress the balance. USAID also helped support a trilingual YATV soap-opera style drama, “The East is Calling”. Set in the aftermath of the tsunami, it shows Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims seeking refuge from the wave in a Buddhist temple. The director, Sri Lanka filmmaker Asoka Handagama, said the idea was to plant, deliberately and subtly, “culturally sensitive ideas” into the drama. Plan International produced a video with YATV called “After the Big Wave”, which was specifically designed to explain the science behind the tsunami to the children who had suffered from it. More conventionally, the Sri Lankan Press Complaints Commission has made it clear to NGOs that if they feel stories in the press are unfair they can complain to the independent body, which will then attempt to resolve the dispute. The Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, an umbrella group for NGOs, has formed a media working group and earlier in the year an evening was organised in which journalists were invited to meet members of NGOs in an attempt to help both sides understand each other better. But there is still a long way to go. Those who attended that evening said there were lots of NGOs talking over the snacks and soft drinks, but – perhaps predictably – very few journalists turned up.Reuters AlertNet is not responsible for the content of external websites.

source:
http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/30708/2007/04/29-115751-1.htm

Comments on Reuter’s pages:

  1. Florian Westphal says:
    31 May 2007 08:10:31 GMT Thanks very much for the interesting Blog. However, I am bemused by your choice of photo which actually shows the ICRC’s evacuation of some 150 stranded people – including a few aid workers – from Jaffna peninsula which was almost entirely cut off at the time the photo was taken. In what way is the photo connected to the subject of the story?Florian Westphal ICRC
  2. AlertNet moderator says:
    31 May 2007 11:43:53 GMT Thanks for your note, Florian. The picture was not meant to imply a connection between the ICRC’s evacuation of stranded people from Jaffna and the subject of the blog. The intention was simply to show international aid workers in action in Sri Lanka, purely for illustrative purposes.
  3. Yafet says:
    Order sinequan side 31 May 2007 14:35:29 GMT The blog has reminded me of something about NGOs in my own country, Ethiopia. Here many Ethiopians, including me, appreciate being employee of NGOs in general and the international ones in particular. It is not that much tough to guess why. The big salary is the major cause.Regarding the activites being accomplished by NGos here, many have different views. Some comments NGOs are working to meet their respective hidden objectives besides the ones they are stating openly. According to these people, no country has so far achieved sustainable development through NGos. They quote the renowned book, ‘Lords of Poverty’ in supporting their arguments. The other argument these groups put forward as weakness is that NGOs use their fund to employ citizens of the country where that NGO is originated. If the NGO is from Britain, it is inevitable that there will be British employees at higher positions. The NGOs do not care whether they can find local professinals that can do with lower salary what the foreigners do. They solely stick to their ‘principle’ of employing foreigners with huge salary. Moreover, according to their ‘principle’, the vehicles, and other materials should be imported from that country where the NGO is originated. For instance, Save the Children UK should have Lndrovers or other vehicles manufactured in Britain.The same is true for other NGOs. Taking this in to consideration many African countries see NGOs in suspicion.
  4. Sunil Mendis says:
    05 Jun 2007 09:36:01 GMT You quote an aid worker in Batticaloa arguing that they need big SUVs because of a security issue. he goes on to say: ” NGOs can’t simply use a commuter van to get around in – otherwise they are not immediately identifiable.” However, the two local volunteers of the Red Cross who was shot dead in Sri Lanka were travelling by train! Perhaps, public transport is OK for them because they are not foreigners. The two men were picked up by gunmen from the Colombo Fort Railway station on June 1 and found shot dead the day after. Each SUV costs in excess of 20 million rupees in Sri Lanka. you can build 20 rural schools with that cash. or two rural hospitals…
  5. Deepa says:
    Gout celebrex treatment 05 Jun 2007 09:38:45 GMT I am glad that you have tackled a subject that has rankled Sri Lankans for quite a while. May I say that you have only scratched the tip of the iceberg. To refer to just one point in your blog, I take umbrage at what the exasperated aid worker in Batticaloa has to say. Have you seen what these SUVs look like? Huge, flashy road-hoggers which look every inch the US $180,000 to US$ 250,000 that they cost. We are not asking Mr. Exasperated and his ilk to use public transport, but why canA?A?A?a??A?a??t they travel in less ostentatious, cheaper vehicles, with, if they want, the logos of their agencies emblazoned all over to make them easily identifiable? And what security issues is he referring to? Only last week, two Sri Lankan employees of the Red Cross who had to hoof it back home to Batticaloa by train were abducted at the railway station and brutally killed. That brings the number of Sri Lankan aid agency employees murdered in the last 10 mon! ths by unknown killers to 19. How many foreign aid workers have met with the same fate here? Most of the A?A?A?a??A?A?security issuesA?A?A?a??A?A? that foreign workers encounter here are the hostility they engender among the poor when they alight from such grand chariots. And, Ms Cooper, you have forgotten to include ODEL and the city nightclubs among the beneficiaries who receive foreign aid in this sad island of ours.
  6. Sunil Mendis says:
    05 Jun 2007 11:28:39 GMT (CORRECTING earlier post, adding paragraph)You quote an aid worker in Batticaloa arguing that they need big SUVs because of a security issue. he goes on to say: ” NGOs can’t simply use a commuter van to get around in – otherwise they are not immediately identifiable.” However, the two local volunteers of the Red Cross who were shot dead in Sri Lanka were travelling by train! Perhaps, public transport is OK for them because they are not foreigners. The two men were picked up by gunmen from the Colombo Fort Railway station on June 1 and found shot dead the day after. Each SUV costs in excess of 20 million rupees in Sri Lanka. you can build 20 rural schools with that cash, or two rural hospitals. We are not even talking about the huge salaries foreign aid workers are paid. Ofcourse they need huge pay to come and work in a difficult place like Sri Lanka where caviar is duty free and Champagne is a tad too warm. It is clear that most of the NGO s are there to support their own staff.
  7. chamath says:
    08 Jun 2007 10:33:29 GMT Glenda, an excellent article tackling a very difficult issue and the first of its kind I have seen.I think the UN and other leading agencies need to set an example and they are the worst offenders driving around in massive land cruisers that the average person living in Sri Lanka simply cannot relate to. Average incomes in Sri Lanka are $60 per month for rural farmers. Income inequality in my opinion is the hidden problem in Sri Lanka that perpetuates the conflict which makes this article doubly relevant. Most analysts mention human rights issues and a minority fighting for rights and a government not willing to concede when talking about Sri Lanka. The other side to the story is about grinding poverty, cultural subjugation, language barriers, class barriers, traditional culture fighting for its place and perceived threats to Buddhism from western practices and Christianity. You may see from this how NGOs get linked to these problems, and therefore how their lifestyle and policies become a part of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
  8. Magnum says:
    08 Jun 2007 11:52:15 GMT “I also have close connections with Sri Lanka and visited the East Coast many times. I am in close contact with a correspondent based in Arugam Bay since 1977. Dr. Miller embraced the IRCS in January 2005 and offered all his facilities and premises to them – for free. What happened to this relationship? Why is the biggest Red Cross supporter now their biggest and most cynical critic? The same seems to have happened with the Swiss Red Cross – an investigation is on the way here in Swiss. I am informed a home grown, locaL report will soon be published on www.arugam.info And by all accounts the Red Cross will come out very badly indeed.
  9. Thomas says:
    08 Jun 2007 11:52:49 GMT I have seen the deplorable and dishonest way the Red Cross behaved at PottuVille and specially at badly affected Arugam Bay. Ask anyone there and you will earn that this formerly great organization has totally lost the initial respect of local residents. I have contributed my own personal observations to a forthcoming article on a local web site. What is written above is a huge understatement. I feel the public has to beef up the PR against the behaviour of the mighty ENJOY’s and counter their own well paid propaganda. Thomas, Colombo
  10. Sarathchandra says:
    24 Jun 2007 10:31:22 GMT I am glad that Glenda Cooper pointed out what most Sri Lankans (except those who directly work as local staff to NGOs) have come to loathe as the International Disaster Industry. On my visits to my hometown in Sri Lanka I have seen many examples of bogus aid programs by these NGOs. I also found that some NGOs transfer large sums of US dollars back to their home countries via black market foreign currency traders. Now, can someone tell me how aid workers can transfer piles of $70,000 back to their accounts, while having a luxurious holiday. There are many locals too who have jumped on this bandwagon and created their own kind of Tsunami Tourism Enterprises. A number of churches in the USA fly their members out periodically on these tsunami tours. The old ladies who dish out their dollars on Sunday have no clue where they go. NGOs should function ONLY with local staff in countries like Sri Lanka. Most of the foreign staff that! come are much less capable/qualifed than local staff but who cares they are only there for the tour!

psychological first aid

Published on 23/03/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, people and press coverage. 0 Comments

SRI LANKA: Boosting capacity in “psychological first aid”

NEGOMBO, 23 March 2008 (IRIN) – When school teacher M. Shihama was put in charge of a class of unruly slow learners earlier this year, her heart sank.

“At first, I was reluctant to take them on,” said the social science teacher at Al-Falah high school in Negombo in the western Gampaha District, fearing they were just troublemakers “But then I found that the children were actually miserable because they had been told they weren’t as good as the others.”

Using skills she learnt at a workshop on post-disaster mental health, Shihama coaxed her students, some of whom are still shaken after the 2004 tsunami, to make the most of their talents. She was pleased when colleagues soon began to see changes in the behaviour of her charges.

Shihama is one of almost 7,000 Sri Lankans, among them about 1,000 teachers, who have been trained in “psychological first aid, community and personal mental health and stress management” under a US$5 million post-tsunami psychosocial programme funded by the American Red Cross (ARC).

“They have been trained to be the first responders who can help survivors by contributing to their long-term resilience and their ability to cope with what’s going on,” said Kelly Bauer, the ARC’s information and reporting delegate for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Training for some 8,000

Working with its national counterpart, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS), the ARC has about nine months to go before the three-year project winds up in five tsunami-affected districts, Matara, Galle, Kalutara, Colombo and Gampaha. Some 8,000 people will have been trained by them and an estimated 250,000 people have benefited, according to Bauer.

“After the tsunami, we had just a handful psychiatrists and psychologists who had to handle the large number of people that needed help in coming to terms with their ordeal,” observed Avindra Jayawardene of the Faculty of Medicine at the Ruhunu University in Galle. “So, any attempt to sensitise individuals in communities to pick up the psychological effects of a disaster can be a good thing.”

Practical benefits

But he pointed out: “They must be linked to a process of actually using what they know – or when the next disaster strikes, they won’t have had the practical experience of dealing with different scenarios and in adapting what they have learnt,” he said.

In the severely tsunami-battered southern districts of Galle and Matara, Nadeeja Abeydheera, the SLRCS’ psychosocial support officer for the south, has seen the training in post-disaster psychological support for community responders pay off during recurrent tsunami alerts in the past two years.

“There is a great sense of participation and involvement in the communities,” she said. “The people we have trained take the lead to evacuate others, take them to safe places, pass on information and keep the community together.”

Neutralizing the victim mentality

Justin Curry, the programme’s regional technical adviser, told IRIN it has great psychological benefits. “It is designed to neutralise the victim mentality.”

The ARC’s psychosocial programme does not deliver traditional psychiatric treatment for mental health problems, Curry told IRIN, but focuses on knitting together communities that have become unravelled after a disaster has struck and equipping them to face future calamities.

“The basic principle underlying the programme is that a disaster not only impacts on individuals, but also pulls communities and support systems apart,” he said.

“We are not so much concerned with the different types of activities that are held, but that people are brought back together by promoting a sense of collective problem solving for a common goal,” said Curry, adding that the ARC first implemented its psychosocial programme after earthquakes hit El Salvador and Gujarat State in western India in 2001.

Promoting feelings of security, unity

Support officers and community facilitators organise a variety of events, cultural shows and festivals to promote feelings of security and unity.

Murals are painted on school walls depicting the five steps of psychological first aid – meet basic needs, listen, accept survivors’ feelings, assist them to move on, and refer for treatment.

At a nursery for pre-schoolers in Negombo, youngsters recently had the unusual opportunity of exchanging their toy guns and swords for more innocuous playthings such as flutes and balls. “We funded this project at the request of the teachers who noticed that the children were unusually aggressive towards each other,” explained Thanaluxmy Robinson, the SLRCS’ psychosocial project coordinator in Gampaha.

“One of our initial challenges was working with a diversity of ethnic and religious groups in all the affected areas,” said Curry. “What affected one group did not necessarily affect another, so the projects had to be tailored for each community.”

cj/bj[END]

A?A? IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org Order parietal scalp Purchase bystolic coupons

More rains

Published on 20/03/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, press coverage and the bay. 0 Comments

More rains forecast

Mohammed Naalir, Akkaraipattu Group, V.P. Sivappragasam and Maskeliya Group Correspondent K.Duraisami

COLOMBO: More rains were forecast by the Meteorology Department in the coastal areas of Kalutara, Galle and Matara while the prevailing weather pattern is to continue in most parts of the country marked by thunder showers in the afternoons and evenings.

Meanwhile, Ampara district Secretary Sunil Kannangara said that rains eased in the Ampara Venlor shipping district, one of worst hit by the recent floods.

He said they are waiting for reports from the relevant flood affected Divisional Secretaries to carry out relief work.

Ampara Kalmunai, Karaithivu, Ninthavur, Thirukkovil, Karawapattru, Saintahamaruthu and Alayyadivembu in the Ampara District and Manmunai North, Manmunai south, Eruwil Pattru, Porathivu Pattru, Manmunai Pattru, Oddamavadi, Eravur Town, Eravur Pattru and Manmunai South were among the areas that were affected by the floods.

There is an urgent need in Thirukkovil, Alayadivembu, Akkaraipattu Addalaichchanai and Karavapattu for pure drinking water, the District Secratary said.

Meanwhile an officer attached to the Batticaloa District Secretariat Disaster Management Unit yesterday said 329 flood displaced families numbering 1161 persons have been housed in four welfare camps in Manmunai North.

Those in welfare centres are being provided cooked meals and dried rations, he added.

It is reported that the Mousakele , Castlereigh , Laxapana, and Canyon reservoirs were overflowing while pilgrims to Adams Peak too have been affected by the heavy rains.

A shortage exists of rice, vegetables, fish and meat in certain flood affected areas in the Batticaloa district.

The Periyamugatthuwaram bridge is damaged and a part of the road too has been washed away due to invasion of sea waters in the Price for cialis 5mg australia Pottuvil area.

Simple Wisdom

Published on 16/03/2008 in Money Matters, people, press coverage, presse-deutsch, services, the bay and wild life. 0 Comments
Liebe Freunde,
Nach langer Zeit mA?A?chte ich wieder mal ein Lebenszeichen und ein Update A?A?ber unsere Projekte in Sri Lanka schicken.
Die letzten 3 Monate habe ich in Sri Lanka und diesmal auch in Indien verbracht und Yoga unterrichtet.
Ich werde mich kA?A?nftig nicht mehr so lange auf der Insel aufhalten und mich mehr auf Yoga-Workshops in A?a??sterreich und Europa konzentrieren. (Workshoptermine siehe www.simple-wisdom.net)
Dank meiner verlA?A?sslichen Mitarbeiter in Sri Lanka und meines neuen A?A?sterreichischen Mitarbeiter Martin Hartl(siehe unten), werden dennoch die Sozial-Projekte bis auf weiteres weiterlaufen.
Die Situation auf Sri Lanka wird zunehmend dramatischer. Der Konflikt wird immer blutiger, die wirtschaftliche Situation bei 25 % Inflation immer schlechter, und die Skepsis gegen auslA?A?ndische Organisationen die auf der Insel sozial aktiv sind immer grA?A?sser.
Folgende Projekte werden derzeit von uns betreut oder sind in Planung:
  • Gerade wird ein Damm fA?A?r die Ureinwohner gebaut (siehe Foto) und ein weiteres Dammprojekt ist im konfliktbelasteten nA?A?rdlichen Zentralland in Planung.
  • An der OstkA?A?ste unterstA?A?tzen wir weiterhin Camps und KriegsflA?A?chtlingsfamilien (siehe den Blogauszug im Pdf-Anhang).
  • Ein WA?A?rterbuch fA?A?r die Veddha-Sprache der Ureinwohner in Sri Lanka ist in der Endphase.
  • Einige small-scale businesses (NA?A?hmaschinen) sind im Entstehen und
  • die Schulbeihilfen von ca. 40 SchA?A?lern/innen und GehA?A?lter fA?A?r Lehrer / KindergA?A?rtnerinnen gehen weiter.
  • Unser Teilzeit-Mitarbeiter Shanil, der gegenwA?A?rtig in Australien studiert, hat in Zusammenarbeit mit einer Sri Lanka UniversitA?A?t ein Konzept fA?A?r erneuerbare Enerigien durch Biogas fA?A?r ein Dorf entwickelt. Auf der seiner Suche nach Patnern werden wir dieses Projekt entsprechend unserer finanziellenA?A?MA?A?glichkeiten unterstA?A?tzen. Mehr Info dazu findet Ihr im Anhang; Shanil kannA?A?auch direkt erreicht werden unter: shanil.samarakoon@gmail.com
Simple Wisdom hat seit letztem Jahr einen neuen Mitarbeiter: Martin Hartl ist fA?A?r ein effektives Handy-Projekt entwickelt bei demA?A?kaputte Handys A?A?ber eine Behinderte-WerkstA?A?tte in A?a??sterreich wieder in Stand gesetzt und A?A?ber e-bay verkauft werden. Der ErlA?A?s daraus wird unseren Projekten zur VerfA?A?gung gestellt.
Martin ist zZ auf einer Projektreise in Sri Lanka und wird nach seiner RA?A?ckkehr einen zusammenfassenden Bericht im Internet verA?A?ffentlichen.
Falls jemand von Euch ausgediehnte oder deffekte Handys zu Hause oder in Eurem Bekanntenkreis A?A?brig hat, kA?A?nnenA?A? wir diese mit wenig Aufwand aber groA?A?en Ertrag in Projektengelder umwandeln.

Bitte an meine Addresse schicken: Florian Palzinsky, Kasten 31, 4893 Zell am Moos.

Wir suchen auch direkte Kontakte zu Schulen die an Handy-Sammelaktionen interessiert sind; und an Kontakten zu Netzbetreibern (wie A1, T-Mobile, One, 3, etc) undA?A?Handy-Shop-Leiter,A?A?A?A?ber die wir eine grA?A?A?A?ere Mengen an Handys beziehen kA?A?nnen.A?A?
mit herzlichen GrA?A?ssen aus Sri Lanka,
Florian
PS zum angehA?A?ngten Foto, das wA?A?hrend der Damm-Vermessung im Februar gemacht wurde:
Rechts: Wanniyala Etho, der HA?A?uptling der Ureinwohner
Links: Thushara, mein Hauptmitarbeiter
Zweiter von Rechts: Suren, der fA?A?r das Dammprojekt verantwortlich ist.

Bitte um Benachrichtigung, falls keine weiteren Simple Wisdom Projek-Infos erwA?A?nscht sind. Buy dulcolax tablets online india

Tim is not in Taunton, but in Arugambay

Published on 15/03/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, people, press coverage, surf and the bay. 0 Comments

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Car Park Charity


devon.editorial@archant.co.uk
12 March 2008 Buy seroflo inhaler

LOCAL charity Paddle 4 Relief is celebrating receipt of a cheque of one day’s takings during Saunton Beach car park’s recent charity week.The A?A?662.50 will help to continue the vital relief work the charity is undertaking for the forgotten victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Sri Lanka.Charity committee member Paul Martin collected the cheque on behalf of founder Tim Tanton, who is currently in Sri Lanka, working in Arugam Bay on building projects and water well installations.He said: “Tim will be delighted to hear of such a donation from Saunton Beach car park.””Paul, Lucy and team at the car park have supported the charity from day one and continue to do so. We are very grateful to have been one of the charities chosen for their charity week.”

Paddle 4 Relief recently received a cargo of surfboards, donated by local surfers, that have been sent out to Sri Lanka for use by the children and young adults of Arugam Bay.

For more information on Paddle4Relief, visit the website at www.paddle4relief.co.uk

source:
http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/northdevongazette/news/story.aspx?
brand=NDGOnline&category=news&tBrand=devon24&tCategory=newsndga&i
temid=DEED12%20Mar%202008%2008%3A22%3A37%3A533

Arugam Bay is Cut Off. Again.

Published on 10/03/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, Money Matters, press coverage, services and the bay. 0 Comments

Since Dec/2004

Road Access:

Bidge OK - Causeway washed away

Bidge OK – Causeway washed away

March, 2008

Electric Power:

Power Cuts are frequent

Power Cuts are frequent

Continue reading ‘Arugam Bay is Cut Off. Again.’

12,000+ Problems solved ….

Published on 10/03/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters and press coverage. 0 Comments

More than 12,000 problems solved at Ampara Janatha Sathkara Seva programme

Shirley Wijesinghe

Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs Karu Jayasuriya appealed to all political parties to refrain from any undemocratic action such as boycotting the Provincial Council Election and give their fullest support to restore the democratic administration of the Province.

Minister Jayasuriya made this appeal addressing a gathering of the 9th Janatha Sathkara Seva programme held at D.S. Senanayake National School, Is altace the generic or trade name Ampara recently. The 9th Janatha Sathkara Seva programme was represented by 156 Government Departments, Corporations and Non-Government all organisations.

More than 12,000 problems Ditropan price related to the public of Ampara were resolved within two days under the direction of respective officers of the organisations. Continue reading ‘12,000+ Problems solved ….’

Arugambay Seaweed

Published on 09/03/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, press coverage and wild life. 0 Comments

Government gets tough on …..
By Nadia Fazlulhaq

In the wake of reports that an academic attached to a research institute had allegedly attempted to smuggle samples of endemic plant genes out of the country, Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka has said steps will be taken to plug the loopholes in the law to curb bio-piracy.

He said that under Sri LankaA?a??a??s wildlife laws, it was an offence to export plant or species substances without the prior approval of the Conservator General of Forest.A?a??A?Bio-piracy has been taking place in the country for many years. Since plants are quarantined, those who are involved in bio-piracy take gene extracts in capsules masqueraded as lipsticks or perfumes, though a small quantity of ten millilitres is allowed,A?a??A? Mr. Ranawaka said.

Plants protected for patents

Forest Conservator General Sarath Fernando said permission should be obtained if a researcher wants to extract a gene sample to take abroad for research purposes.A?a??A?The professor who was nabbed recently had obtained no permission to either conduct a research or make a sample. It is a violation of the law,A?a??A? he said adding that an export sample should be inspected by Forest Department officials who would give a no-objection letter to the Customs.

According to Mr. Fernando, a regulation passed in 2002 under the Forest Ordinance says that the export of gene samples should be done with the prior approval of the relevant authorities. The regulations were passed in order to preserve Sri LankaA?a??a??s exclusive patent rights over endemic flora and fauna.

Mr. Fernando said if these samples were sent abroad for research purposes, there should be a clear-cut agreement over intellectual property rights if some medicinal drug was developed using Sri Lankan plants.A Customs official said that taking abroad a rare endemic plant without a permit is an offence.A?a??A?Professors and academic involved in research should know that there is a set of guidelines and procedures to follow when taking these samples abroad,A?a??A? he said.

When asked to give specific details of the recent case, the official say Seaweed collected from Arugambay Purchase lanoxin medication and Kirinda had been taken to labs in Kandy and cultured before gene samples were extracted into a capsule.A?a??A?Plant chromosomes sent abroad are used in the production of medicinal drugs and later patent rights are claimed on plants which are sometimes rare and endemic to Sri Lanka,A?a??A? the official said.

After the professor was nabbed at the airport, Customs official said they raided the labs of the Institute of Fundamental Studies and found about 40 chromosomes or gene samples. The samples had been sent to the Government Analyst, the Customs official said. The IFS is governed by a board whose Chairman is the President of the country. It was established under Parliament Act No.55 in 1981.

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When contacted, IFS Director Keerthi Tennakoon denied the allegation that an IFS professor had tried to smuggle the plant substance.A?a??A?He was taking a sample to US for research. Customs have the right to seize the product,A?a??A? he said.

source:
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080309/News/news0019.html

Muslims have never clamoured for regional power

Published on 09/03/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

Only a few are chosen as power players to mould and make political parties from behind the screen in politics. They may not be popular in politics but certainly make others popular through their skills and expertise. One such person who has been active in the Sri Lankan politics is A. M. M. Naushad, son of former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ninthavur M. I. M. Majeed and son – in – law of also former MP for Ampara M. A. Abdul Majeed. He is today the UNPA?a??a??s convener for Eastern Province and Chairman of the Eastern province Political Affairs Committee. He is also a member of the UNPA?a??a??s working committee.

Naushad who was one time a High Command member of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) says if the TMVP was not armed today, the UNP would have participated at tomorrowA?a??a??s election in Batticaloa. Accusing the TMVPA?a??a??s alliance with the government, Naushad told The Nation that the non participation of the UNP at tomorrowA?a??a??s election was to protest against the governmentA?a??a??s efforts to legitimise the TMVP through a working arrangement both parties have arrived at. He also declared that the UNP in the future will not align with smaller parties to contest election, but instead, added, if smaller parties desired to contest with the UNP, they should do so under the UNP symbolBy Wilson Gnanadass
Following are excerpts:
Q: How would you describe the support to the UNP by the Muslims in the East at present?
A: The UNPA?a??a??s support per se in the East among the Muslims is not something that can be quantified from what has happened since 2001. Up to the year 2000, the UNP had Muslim elected representation in Trincomalee and Batticaloa while in Ampara there was a National list MP. Thereafter with the electoral arrangements made with the SLMC, there has been no UNP organisation at electoral level, even though Ali Sahir Moulana and thereafter Myown Mustapha, were nominated on the National list. This has been due to the fact that the SLMC has always aligned with the governing party, and this has basically kept the people with them for want of political patronage. The SLMC will admit that their success at the 2001 and 2004 general elections in the East was as a result of them being able to rope in the UNP vote base.

Q: The UNP on your recommendation is not contesting the local polls scheduled for tomorrow. Why?
A: The assumption that the UNP decided not to contest in Batticaloa on my recommendation is incorrect. I as the Provincial Convener, having assessed the ground situation and the happenings in the district, was of the opinion that a free and fair election cannot be held in the Batticaloa district, with one contesting group being armed and working along with government forces. I am of the opinion that the UNP contesting at Batticaloa would only legitimise an illegal exercise. There was a lot of discussion in the party over this, and the final decision was taken by the party that it should stay out as a protest against the actions of the government.

Q: Had the TMVP contested the election unarmed conditionally, would the UNP have contested the election?
A: If the TMVP sheds its arms and enters the democratic stream of politics I would definitely be spearheading a move to work with them for the benefit of the Tamil speaking people of the area, because the TMVP comprises Tamil youth of the Eastern Province who have an important role to play in deciding our future.

Q: But the people who have been used to vote for the elephant symbol are being deprived. They say the UNP should have contested the election.
A: This decision was not taken just by the hierarchy of the party, but also on the feed back given to the party by the organisers of the district, after having consulted their supporters. In fact during the run up to the nominations, there were many reports of former UNP candidates and prominent supporters being coerced by the TMVP cadres to either contest on their list or stay away. It was a decision based on the sentiments of the people and the position of the party with regard to the activity of another wing of the LTTE in the district.

Q: Would this lead to the erosion of the UNP vote base in the East?
A: The UNP vote bank in the East has been of recent past based on the position the party faces vis a vis the national issues. The UNP is the only party that has a clear position with regard to the rights of the minorities in a negotiated settlement to the national issues. Therefore it cannot be said that decisions taken in the interest of democracy and the rights of people would erode the vote base of the UNP.

Q: What is the UNPA?a??a??s position regarding the governmentA?a??a??s plan to hold Provincial Council elections?
A: The party has just initiated discussions on this issue, and there will be a series of meetings during the course of next week with organisers of the area, after which the Political Affairs Committee of the party would take a decision.

How much atarax for anxiety Q: Do you think a Provincial Council election is necessary at present given the escalation of violence in these areas?
A: Any attempt at giving power to the people in the regions is welcome, provided a level playing field can be assured by the government in power, so that the people of the area can freely make their choice of who should govern them.

Q: The UNP is accused of involving in, A?a??E?patch work politicsA?a??a?? in the East by the SLMC. How do you view this accusation?
A: I am really amused at this accusation if there is any. Because today the SLMC is holding seats in the East only because of the UNP not nominating Muslim candidates of their own, at elections at the request of the SLMC. And in fact, the UNP not contesting the local poll in Batticaloa, is also to the advantage of the SLMC, which the SLMC will be reluctant to concede. This has actually damaged the support of the UNP. The UNP has now realised that patch work agreements with smaller parties does not help in the long run. Hence the decision to reorganise and revitalise its vote base among the minorities in the North and East.

Q: Does it mean that the future elections will be contested by the UNP without aligning with smaller parties?
A: The UNP has taken a decision that it is open to alliances with like thinking parties for an election, or for the formation of the government without surrendering its identity in the regions. This would effectively mean that any like thinking party wanting to align with the UNP would have to contest under the UNPA?a??a??s symbol, without restricting the UNPA?a??a??s need to field its own candidates as well.

Q: But is it possible under the existing electoral system to win an election without aligning with smaller parties?
A: If you go back to 1989, with the emergence of the SLMC in the East with its founder leader at the helm and at the height of its popularity, the UNP still won the Ampara and the Trincomalee districts which formed the backbone of the SLMC support at that time. So alliances with parties with a view to come into power compromising the founding principles of national parties has cost them dearly and lessons learnt are what is now the compelling factor.

Q: Has the UNP identified the needs of the people in the East and if so what are they?
A: Basically the primary need of the people in the East is peace. With peace coming in, mobility, access to their livelihood, investments in infrastructure, and maximising the resources of that area which has remained untapped for the last 30 years, would also come in automatically.

Q: What are the measures taken by the UNP to deliver this to the Muslims?
A: The UNP has very clearly in its election manifesto spelled out how it would address these issues. If you look at the manifesto of the 2005 Presidential election, 2001 and 2004 General elections the development of the East and bringing peace to the area has been given the highest priority. And once the UNP assumes power it will definitely be working on swiftly implementing its plans. But for all this to happen, honorable peace within all communities has to come.

Q: You were one time SLMC High Command Member. How do you see the performance of the SLMC now?
A: My joining the SLMC was a result of the persuasion of the Ampara district Mosque Federation that declared all Muslim political forces in the district should contest under one banner. At a meeting held at the Ranmuthu hotel subsequently, I was the first to get up and declare that I would unconditionally agree to work with the SLMC, which I was doing even at that time as a member of their Constitutional Council in an independent capacity. I was even willing to contest the election if the party requested me to do so. This was a need of the day as we had to make an effort to consolidate the Muslim voice to strengthen the communityA?a??a??s demand for independent participation at the peace process.

But this did not work out. Thereafter having joined the SLMC, I worked to ensure that the party realised the mood of the people and in keeping with reality take up positions that could eventually ensure that the community had its fair share in any negotiated settlement to the ethnic issue. Unfortunately the power politics of the current proportional representation system and the fact that the SLMC had been corrupted by power and absolute power during the 1994 to 2000 period, I realised it was difficult for the party to work towards the basic founding principles of the party. This is why the SLMC, even after having received a majority of the Muslim votes at every election, has not been able to hold on to its representatives who were elected on a mandate which is very dear to the Muslims of the North East. So the end result has been that today the party support if analysed statistically will show a very sharp decline in the North and the East. The latest episode of the SLMC deciding to join the government to save the party and thereafter leaving the government, dividing the party, proves that the party is now drifting, and unable to basically work towards maintaining its vote base among the people of the North East, who have continuously hoped that the party would deliver on its promises.

Q: Does the UNP recognise the SLMC demand for a separate administrative council for the Muslims in the East?
A: The cry for a separate council by the SLMC or for that matter Muslims of the East should be seen as a part of the whole problem because it is more a reactionary call than something that has evolved over time. The Muslims have in the history of the country never clamoured for regional power. This has come about by the non-inclusion of their aspirations by both the majority communities; that is the Sinhalese and the Tamils, though the Tamil leadership has been pointing a finger at the Sinhala majority. They have not turned that finger towards themselves and seen that they were repeating that same behaviour towards their minority, that is the Muslims of the North and East. The very same reasons attributed by them for autonomy is what is echoed by the Muslims. So this cry will not be sustained if an inclusive process evolved, which is just and equitable to all communities. The UNPA?a??a??s position is that we have to build a national identity. And it is on record that should the resolution of the North East conflict be conditional to the merger of the North and East, then the just demand of the Muslims and Sinhalese should also be met.

****

source:
http://www.nation.lk/2008/03/09/inter2.htm

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Arugam Bay bridge

Published on 02/03/2008 in Money Matters and press coverage. 0 Comments

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Work on Kallady bridge begins

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by Imantha Caldera

Construction work on the new Kallady Bridge at the Akkaraipattu, Batticaloa-Thricondiyadi Road has commenced. An official of the Ministry of Highways and Road Development said, “the total cost of this project is Rs. 700 million, funded by the Japanese Government.

The project is due to be completed within three years”. The Kallady Bridge has two lanes for vehicles with two additional side lanes for cyclists. The length of the concrete bridge is 290 metres and the width is 14.5 metres. Informed sources said that construction work on bridges at Arugam Bay, Oddamavadi, Erakkakandy, Puduwaikattu, Yanoya and Kinniya has started.

Meanwhile, construction work on bridges in Komari, Kallar and Koddaikallara has been completed.

Sources also said that the bridges will be built shortly in Verugal, Ralkuli, Gangei and Upparu. Currently these areas are linked by ferry services. Difficulties in transportation in those areas are expected to ease with the new bridges.

http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/03/02/new15.asp