Ceylon Today Editorial

It s About Time We Woke Up

 30 August 2016

What the rest of the world comes to know and fear as cyber terrorism or internet vigilantes such as the controversial hacker groups like Anonymous, to us Sri Lankans is a humdrum bunch of computer jilmart. We simply do not care about our cyber privacy or what lies, information and truths could be unveiled in the covered up annals of the Sri Lankan cyber waste bins. Our cyber security and internet privacy is nil; at stages of non-existence.

Recently, President Maithripala Sirisena's official website www.president.gov.lk was hacked by an unidentified group of hackers. The hackers had posted a 'welcome note' on the main face of the President's website and had made several demands that were directed at President Sirisena himself.

The hackers who dauntlessly identified themselves as 'Sri Lankan Youth' had demanded that the government reconsider the decision to hold the GCE Advanced Level Examination in April. Furthermore, the hackers had demanded to hold another presidential election and the removal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for his 'irresponsible conduct'. The demands fell on deaf ears considering the government did not even bother to make an official statement about it.

The attack was condemned right and left, of course but the government's lack of response is disturbing. The lack of interest from the public is even more so. The threats might be full of hot air, the demands resonating political influence, but it does not mean that proper precautionary methods should not be looked into.

Hacking is not necessarily a bad thing, let alone it being labelled as a criminal offence. There are ethical hackers as well as unethical hackers. Ethical hackers are driven by a sense of overwhelming sense of morality that drives them to do good, revealing hidden data on corrupt government officials, financial frauds hidden in terabytes of metadata are the manna for ethical hackers. They are the modern day cyber vigilantes. They are the watchdogs of the internet.

However, like the proverbial particle of cow dung in the milk pot, there is the bad side to hacking the spammers, the identity thieves, the online stalkers, etc and etc. The list is endless. Sri Lanka has had experience with almost all these hackers in the past. In 2013, the Sri Lankan Media Centre for National Security website was hacked and its main page was defaced by a hacker known as 'Game Over'. In 2014, a global hack – a conglomerate of several international hacker groups simultaneously targeted 129 vulnerable local websites which included the Ministry of Higher Education, Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons and the Prime Minister's Office websites.

However, the most recent attack was different from the norm. The attack feigned an attack of general misbehaviour and attempted to send out a message to the public. "We are out there and we are watching." Although, it did not work out as they planned. Their demands alone showed an obvious political alliance which straight away blew apart the hackers' Robin Hood-like appearance, in one go.

There are many things we can learn from this most recent attack. One is that we really should take cyber privacy and internet security more seriously. Our websites are more or less vulnerable for future attacks and are in immediate need of strengthening. Furthermore, our general knowledge in these matters is almost non-existent; which should also change so that we are ready to face future attacks.

The most important message however, is this: Nothing happens is what it seems these days. What might seem like an act of social justice can very well hide a clear political agenda supported by corrupt political ideologies. Even more so, they might be funded by politicians or individuals with political influence. We as the citizens of this country, rest easy, blind and oblivious to these matters. Our awareness is our greatest strength.
It's about time we woke up.

Daily Mirror Editorial

Sampanthan goes South with hand of friendship

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.

Daily News Editorial

Justice for the Disappeared

 30 August 2016

"Some men arrive. They force their way into a family’s home, rich or poor, house, hovel or hut, in a city or in a village, anywhere. They come at any time of the day or night, usually in plain clothes, sometimes in uniform, always carrying weapons. Giving no reasons, producing no arrest warrant, frequently without saying who they are or on whose authority they are acting, they drag off one or more members of the family towards a car, using violence in the process if necessary. This is often the first act in the drama of an enforced or involuntary disappearance, a particularly heinous violation of human rights and an international crime.”

This is how the United Nations describes enforced or involuntary disappearances which have frequently been used as a strategy to spread terror within the society. The feeling of insecurity generated by this practice is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared, but also affects their communities and society as a whole. How is it like to wake up every day, not knowing the fate of your son/daughter or brother/sister? Since most of the disappeared are in the prime of their youth, the society as a whole is affected.

Today (August 30), the world will focus on this problem on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. This is especially significant for Sri Lanka in the context of its recently passed Office of Missing Persons (OMP) Bill and tomorrow’s visit to Sri Lanka by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who has been a strong voice against this practice. Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not restricted to a specific region of the world.

Once largely the product of military dictatorships, enforced disappearances can nowadays be perpetrated in complex situations of internal conflict, especially as a means of political repression of opponents. Of particular concern are: the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders, relatives of victims, witnesses and legal counsel dealing with cases of enforced disappearance; the use by States of counter-terrorist activities as an excuse for breaching their obligations; and the still widespread impunity for enforced disappearances.

According to the UN, “persons are arrested, detained or abducted against their will or otherwise deprived of their liberty by officials of different branches or levels of Government, or by organised groups or private individuals acting on behalf of, or with the support, direct or indirect, consent or acquiescence of the Government, followed by a refusal to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the persons concerned or a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of their liberty, which places such persons outside the protection of the law.” The victims are frequently tortured and in constant fear for their lives. They are well aware that their families do not know what has become of them and that the chances are slim that anyone will come to their aid. Having been removed from the protective powers of the law and “disappeared” from society, they are in fact deprived of all their rights and are at the mercy of their captors. Some of the human rights that enforced disappearances regularly violate are: The right to recognition as a person before the law; The right to liberty and security of the person; The right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; The right to life, when a disappeared person is killed; The right to an identity; The right to a fair trial and to judicial guarantees; The right to an effective remedy, including reparation and compensation; The right to know the truth regarding the circumstances of a disappearance.

Even if death is not the final outcome and the victim is eventually released from the nightmare, the physical and psychological scars of this form of dehumanization and the brutality and torture which often accompany it remain. There are thousands of examples for the damage caused by disappearances from Sri Lanka alone. Journalists are a particularly vulnerable group – the Prageeth Ekneligoda case is just one example in hundreds of such cases worldwide.

Thus the recently passed OMP Bill is a golden opportunity to address the issue of disappeared and missing persons in this country. We cannot think of a bright future without addressing and probing these bleak spots in our recent history. Far from being a witch-hunt against the valiant Security Forces members, it will actually be an opportunity to also inquire into the fate of more than 5,100 Security Forces personnel who had disappeared during the conflict. Their parents and relatives also need consolation and closure. It is only after this Government came to power that judicial proceedings into several high-profile disappearances have started. Several persons are already in custody on suspicion of being involved in these acts. All disappearances must be investigated – it is only then can we find the truth and take steps to avoid this abhorrent crime in the future.

The Island Editorial

When small is not beautiful

30 August 2016

Minister of Ports and Shipping Arjuna Ranatunga has embarked on an ambitious project as is his wont. He has undertaken to put up the world’s tallest Christmas tree on the Galle Face Green! There has been a mixed reaction thereto.

Schumacher’s aphorism, ‘Small is beautiful’ is not for Sri Lankans, who seem to think ‘the bigger, the better’. We think so big that we end up achieving too little paradoxical as it may sound.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe keeps telling us that we can be proud of having the world’s biggest swimming pool aka the Hambantota Port. Many a true word is said to be spoken in jest. Time was when we used to boast of the sheer size of a sugar factory, which is now ‘rusting in peace’. The last government, known for its penchant for gargantuan projects of Ozymandian proportions, began the construction of the Chinese-funded Lotus Tower. That administration, in all its wisdom, also dug up land to build an inland port and started reclaiming land from the sea to build a city! A couple of moons ago President Maithripala Sirisena unveiled a huge Buddha statue. So, former ICC World Cup winning skipper turned Minister, Ranatunga may have thought of launching a mega project in the belief that he may be remembered for that.

Minister Ranatunga’s Christmas tree initiative may have warmed the cockles of many a heart. We don’t intend to discuss the merits or the demerits of his project or contest his assertion that the project will boost the government’s reconciliation efforts which are, no doubt, laudable; lack of ethno-religious harmony has been the bane of this country. Instead, we wonder whether the government has got its priorities right.

It was only recently that outspoken Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, together with a group of other religious dignitaries, staged a walk against the ever worsening drug menace. He made a shocking revelation; many students of a church-run school were addicted to cannabis. The situation must be more or less similar in most other schools, we argued in a previous comment.

Successive governments have failed to tackle the narcotic problem; they have been only scratching the surface thereof. The best way to safeguard the interests of any community, religious, ethnic or otherwise, is to help save its young members from evil. Programmes to prevent narcotic addiction and rehabilitate addicts require a great deal of funds. The Ports Authority can contribute to this worthy cause championed by the prelates.

Yesterday, a senior Buddhist monk visited our newspaper office, complaining that the newly introduced rural electrification programme for low income groups had not benefited the places of religious worship in pecuniary difficulties. He said he had appealed to the powers that be to supply electricity to the poor religious institutions such as Buddhist temples, churches, mosques and kovils in rural areas.

This is an issue Minister Ranatunga can take up at the Cabinet level. The survival of places of worship is a prerequisite for bringing about religious amity. We wonder whether the Colombo Port can utilise a fraction of its profit to help the religious places on the brink of closure.

There are many orphanages run by the Church and other religious institutions and they are experiencing severe financial difficulties. Minister Ranatunga should give serious thought to directing the Colombo Port to cut down on waste and use funds so saved to help such places.

Minister Ranatunga cannot be unaware that in his home district, Gampaha, there are many poor Christian families, especially along the coastal belt. They need government assistance. Leaders of the present administration claimed before the last presidential polls that they were among the people to be affected by the Rajapaksas’ Port City Project, whose construction is to be resumed under a different name shortly.

Let Minister Ranatunga and all others who have launched the tallest Christmas tree project—of course, in good faith—be reminded what legendary, versatile priest, Fr. Marcelline Jayakody famously wrote: Mage naththala dugiya bath kanadaya—which roughly put into English means ‘my Christmas is when the poor dull their pangs of hunger’.