Daily Mirror Editorial

International Day against nuclear tests

While the national government is taking practical and concrete measures for reconciliation and the rebuilding of a sustainable peace, a significant move in this direction was also taken by the Opposition and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan. 

Mr. Sampanthan, emerging as a moderate and middle path leader sincerely committed to a united Sri Lanka, last Saturday made his first official visit to the South as Leader of the Opposition. He attended a Pirith ceremony at a Matara temple, was blessed by the Buddhist monks and, speaking in fluent Sinhala, Mr. Sampanthan pledged his full support for reconciliation and sustainable development to rebuild a just society in Sri Lanka. Later, accompanied by the United National Party Matara District Parliamentarian Buddhika Pathirana, Mr. Sampanthan also visited a Devinuwara Kovil where he again called on people of all races and religions to work together for deep unity in diversity.

The opposition leader’s move came about three weeks after the national government acted with determination to pass the bill for the setting up of a wide powered Office of Missing Persons (OMP). The TNA and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) supported the bill, but parliament was thrown into turmoil when the so called “joint opposition” senior members stormed into the area near the Speaker’s podium screaming that they wanted the bill put off for two weeks. When the Speaker disallowed this, the Mahinda Rajapaksa loyalists stormed out of Parliament alleging that the government was rushing through with a bill that could be dangerous to the armed forces and Sri Lanka’s security. President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other government leaders have refuted this charge accusing Rajapaksa loyalists of trying to create “Goni Billas” in a bid to cause turmoil in the country. The JVP protested that in the melee, some of its important amendments were not included and the government has indicated it was ready to accommodate the JVP’s wish and present an amending bill.

According to our sister paper the Sunday Times, the Prime Minister last week also received Cabinet approval for an allocation of about Rs. 166 million for the Secretariat Co-ordinating the Reconciliation Mechanism (SCRM), which will function under him. Senior civil servant Mano Tittawella will be the Secretary General and A. A. Dayananda the administrative head of the SCRM which will operate for two years. It will function as the co-ordinating body of all reconciliation mechanisms and facilitate the exchange of information among policy makers and officials. 

But amid the positive moves for reconciliation, deeper interracial and interreligious unity in diversity, we also saw a serious negative feature over the weekend. SLFP dissidents including nearly 50 MPs loyal to former President Rajapaksa are to form their own party with Mr. Rajapaksa as the leader. The party will have a new name though similar to the SLFP and a new symbol while reports say its members are likely to sit separately in parliament and claimed the post of the Leader of the Opposition. Most analysts believe the Speaker is unlikely to allow this as these MPs were elected from the SLFP-led United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Mr. Rajapaksa addressing a meeting of dissidents in Kalutara on Sunday claimed that the group of his loyalists comprised the ‘pure SLFP’ while those in the national government were virtually functioning under the UNP.

The mainstream SLFP, led by President Sirisena, has however responded in a positive spirit. SLFP general secretary Duminda Dissanayake says disciplinary action will not be taken against SLFP members who choose not to attend the party’s 65th Convention to be held in Kurunegala on Sunday. He says the attendance at the convention is purely voluntary and all party members will be invited to attend. 

Most analysts believe that for a vibrant democracy and sustainable, all inclusive development, Sri Lanka needs a strong UNP and a strong SLFP which could work together for at least the next five years and perhaps even further to rebuild a new Lanka where the politicians will sincerely serve the country and give their best for it instead of trying to indulge in plunder and pillage. Mr. Rajapaksa as President for more than nine years, gave effective leadership for the defeat of the LTTE terrorists and the country is grateful to him. Now he needs to face realities and bow out gracefully without giving leadership to those who want to split the SLFP and thereby damage the country’s two party foundation.

Ceylon Today Editorial

India, not Ban, the adjudicator

 29 August 2016

As reported on these pages yesterday, UN Secretary General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit the island on Wednesday.

During his visit, he's supposed to meet President Maithripala Sirisena. Ban Ki-moon is also expected to visit Jaffna and meet with Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray. The UNSG is also billed to speak on the UN's global development goals in Colombo.

UNSG's visit to Colombo on Wednesday will be his second to the island. His first visit was soon after Sri Lanka's 26-year old war with the Tamil terrorists was over on 17 May 2009. During that visit he also met Tamil refugees, then, veritably housed, in their tens of thousands, in refugee camps in the North.

According to the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Ministry website, despite the war end seven years ago, there are still 43,864 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the North and the East, waiting to be resettled. Ministry Adviser Bradman Weerakoon told this newspaper that those numbers embrace all communities and do not include only the Tamils displaced.

Therefore, this number may also comprise part of the 72,000 Northern Muslims whom LTTE terrorist Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran ejected in 1990. Nonetheless, immediately after the war end, Tamilian refugees from the North alone were allegedly to have had numbered some 300,000.

Still for all, the government needs to find a viable solution to resettle those 43,864 IDPs belonging to all communities of Sri Lanka's, not least Tamils and Muslims.

Meanwhile, Ban's visit to the island comes at the tail-end of his career. Next year there will be a new UNSG on that seat. His visit comes a few weeks after UNESCO Secretary General Ms. Irina Bokova, an aspirant to get into Ban's shoes, visited Sri Lanka.

Bokova denied that her visit was to get Colombo's support for her candidacy to the UNSG post. One wonders whether Ban's visit is to garner support for one of the nine aspirants who are vying for the UNSG post! Ban is on record of having had said that he prefers a woman to succeed him. Of the nine candidates, four are women, including Bokova.

Meanwhile, in respect of Ban's first visit to Sri Lanka (this was when President Mahinda Rajapaksa was at the helm), the UN's website, among other things, had this, in its last para, to say: "Sri Lanka reiterated its strongest commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, in keeping with international human rights standards and Sri Lanka's international obligations. The Secretary-General underlined the importance of an accountability process for addressing violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The government will take measures to address those grievances."

After Rajapaksa was twice kicked out by the electorate last year, the mantle of carrying on with these promises now lie on the shoulders of UPFA Leader and President Sirisena and his Prime Minister, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. At the UN Human Rights sessions in Geneva last year, Sri Lanka, together with the USA, co-sponsored a resolution to investigate into alleged war crimes 'committed by Colombo during the closing stages of its war with the LTTE. This resolution was passed.

Nonetheless, Sirisena is on record of having had said that he will not allow foreign jurists to probe alleged war crimes. He has said that that will be done by a local tribunal. A few days ago, the government passed the Office of the Missing Persons (OMP) Act, a law which aims at trying to trace all those who have been listed as missing since 1980.

The period covers both the Tamil terrorist and the JVP terrorist engineered conflicts. This undoubtedly is a step on the right direction, which, undoubtedly would also be right up Ban's sleeve. The other, i.e. of getting/not getting foreign jurists is a vexing affair, with international and local ramifications.

If Sri Lanka goes against a resolution which it has jointly sponsored, of, allowing foreign jurists to 'meddle' with Sri Lanka's internal affairs, that may incur the wrath of the West, led by the USA, Sri Lanka's largest market.

On the other hand, if it does, this may be political oxygen to Rajapaksa who's trying to make a comeback on the back of Sri Lanka's overall, 70%, Sinhala-Buddhist vote, who may think that this is a move to punish the security forces and the police, considered as war heroes, for their successful prosecution of the LTTE Tamil terrorist war.

The bulk of the island's Sinhala and Jaffna Tamil population, the latter being the cause of the war, look at each other with suspicion.

It may however ultimately be in the hands of Sri Lanka's closest and giant neighbour India, with its 1.3 billion strong and economically growing population, commercially wooed by the USA and the West, to adjudicate this situation.

Daily News Editorial

A timely relocation

 29 August 2016

The Department of Immigration and Emigration is moving to a brand new home today. “Suhurupaya” the new multi-storey building in Battaramulla, Sri Jayawardhanapura, has been tailor-made for the requirements of the Department, one of the frontline agencies of the Government of Sri Lanka.

This was a long-awaited move as most other government agencies and departments had already moved to Sethsiripaya and other buildings in the Battaramulla area which has plenty of transport links. The Department of Immigration and Emigration was up to now housed in a rather cramped rented building at Punchi Borella. While the location itself was convenient, it did not offer many other facilities such as parking and good washrooms. Parking was especially a nightmare as only one private car park was available and once it filled up, it was practically impossible to find a parking space. The building was located in a narrow, highly congested road, which compounded the problem.

We hope that the new building complex will solve most of these problems. A spacious building was essential for the Department which receives thousands of people including foreigners every day. The former premises was so congested, it is a miracle that no one was injured in a stampede. The parking problem too is likely to have been addressed – no one will mind paying a parking fee if ample space is available.

The former premises also had a smattering of privately-operated photo booths and eateries. We do not know whether these operators had been given accommodation in the new building, but the Department stands to earn more if it too can operate a photo/photocopy booth and a cafeteria open to the staff and the public. No room should be allowed for beggars and touts to harass visitors coming to the building. There will also be an additional demand for public transport and the Department should work with the SLTB and the Private Bus Owners Associations on strengthening the 163, 170, 171, 174, 177 and 190 fleets.

The new building will enable the Department to be more efficient, productive and technologically advanced. In fact, Sri Lanka was among the countries that pioneered the concept of Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). This system has since been adapted by many countries, including developed countries such as Canada. Within a few years, it should be possible for an applicant to lodge a passport application entirely online, apart from the biometric (fingerprint) registration requirement for which centres can be established islandwide. Even now, the passport photographs taken by approved studios are sent online to the Department, with the applicant not required to get a printed photograph. More awareness needs to be created about biometric passports, with most countries now demanding that all visitors should be in possession of such passports. If biometric info can be included in all passports, it will also end the discomfiture of having to give one’s fingerprints at a foreign embassy or Visa Service Centre.

Biometric or not, there are signs that the Sri Lankan passport is gaining more recognition post-war and post-2015. Many countries have relaxed entry requirements for Sri Lankans, who can now travel visa-free or with e-visa to 40 countries and territories including Singapore and India. Indonesia recently introduced a Visa on Arrival process for Sri Lankans while Malaysia plans to offer the e-Visa facility to Sri Lankans from November. The authorities should negotiate with more countries especially in Asia and Africa to gain improved access for Sri Lankans. As Sri Lanka’s economy and Per Capita Income improve, more countries are likely to offer e-visa or visa-free facility to Sri Lankans. It is a pity that SAARC citizens cannot travel entirely visa-free within their own region yet due to certain geopolitical considerations, but this too should be addressed.

The Department also faces the challenge of addressing the problem of illegal immigration of which there are two aspects – foreigners overstaying in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans who try to migrate abroad illegally by boat. Visitors from certain countries can blend in very easily with the local population and it is very difficult for the Department alone with its limited resources to nab them. Public and Police cooperation must be sought in this exercise. The latter category has seen a decline, but the Department should continue awareness programmes in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on the futility of trying to reach foreign shores illegally.

The resumption of the Dual Citizenship Programme, stopped arbitrarily by the previous administration for undisclosed reasons, has been a great success with the Department inundated with thousands of applications from Sri Lankans domiciled abroad. This gives them a renewed sense of belonging to the Motherland. All Sri Lankans living abroad must be encouraged to regain their Sri Lankan citizenship.

As more Sri Lankans travel overseas on business, leisure and employment, the Department of Immigration and Emigration will naturally have a bigger workload in the years to come. “Suhurupaya” will hopefully rise to the onerous challenge of this inevitable extra demand and expansion.

The Island Editorial

Attacks on journalists:
Elephant in the room and can of worms

29 August 2016

Investigations into attacks on journalists under the previous government took a dramatic turn last week with former Rivira Editor Upali Tennakoon and his wife, Dhammika, identifying a military intelligence officer who assaulted them on Jan. 23, 2009 in Gampaha. But for resistance offered by Upali and his wife courageously, the incident would have had a tragic ending.

It cannot be claimed by any stretch of the imagination that the assailants including the one identified by Upali and his wife, at an identification parade, acted on their own. They obviously carried out orders from on high and it is up to the investigators to stop beating about the bush and find out who really wanted journalists harmed. Let them question former UNP MP Joseph Michael Perera, who in his capacity as the Chief Opposition Whip, told Parliament on July 28, 2008 that a special army unit controlled by the then Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka was responsible for attacks on journalists. Perera, on behalf of the then UNP-led Opposition, called for arresting those responsible forthwith. Now, the UNP is in a position to make arrests!

Strangely, the UNP, which levelled the aforesaid serious allegation, not only agreed to field Fonseka as the common opposition presidential candidate in 2010 but also backed him to the hilt. It enlisted his support to ensure President Maithripala Sirisena’s victory at the last presidential election, promoted him to the rank of Field Marshal and brought him to Parliament through the backdoor (read the National List) following his defeat at the last general election and made him a Cabinet Minister. He is now in the UNP!

It is not being argued that Fonseka is guilty as alleged so to speak. But, it behoves the UNP top guns who wept buckets for the media persons in distress under the previous government to make their position clear on their allegation against the army and Fonseka at that time. It is puzzling why the media rights groups have chosen to remain silent on this vital issue. Is it that they who are accused of toeing the government line do not want to open up a can of worms for their political masters?

Now that Upali and his wife have taken the trouble of coming all the way here from the US, where they are domiciled, to help bring those who harmed journalists to justice, the onus is on former Deputy Editor of The Nation, Keith Noyahr, to follow suit. Upali and his wife only saw their attacker for a few seconds while struggling to save their lives, but Keith was abducted, taken somewhere and ‘put to the question’ for a couple of hours in May 2008. So, being an experienced scribe, he must have been able to gather from the questions he was asked who was really behind his abduction. Having fled the country he is currently living in Australia. If he is wary of coming here for security reasons let him be urged to divulge information about his abductors from down under electronically.

Besides attacks on journalists, some of whom perished at the hands of their assailants, newspaper offices/printing presses and MTV and Siyatha TV studios were set on fire by goons loyal to the Rajapaksa government. Those incidents must also be reinvestigated thoroughly and the perpetrators of violence brought to justice. Better late than never! The government has rushed through Parliament a constitutional amendment, camouflaged as an ordinary Bill, to pave the way for setting up an office to investigate enforced disappearances since 1971. Why doesn’t it put in place a mechanism to investigate attacks on the media during the same period as well?

It is fervently hoped that, given the possible political ramifications of the probes being conducted into the attacks on journalists, the investigators won’t come up against a brick wall sooner or later.