Ceylon Today Editorial

Death of Discipline

13 December 2016

The incident involving the Navy Commander and the Hambantota Harbour employees has become yet another scapegoat incident which has grabbed the masses' attention from the significant story and sidetracked towards the less significant but yet flamboyant story.

During a protest organized by the unconfirmed employees of the Hambantota Magampura Harbour which saw the workers forcibly controlling two foreign merchant vessels at the Port, being intervened by the Sri Lanka Navy. As per the provisions of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, it is the Sri Lanka Navy that should intervene in a matter of this magnitude port workers forcibly delaying the departure of foreign vessels - and not the Sri Lanka Police. The Sri Lanka Police is not equipped or trained to handle riots, protests that take place at sea.

Thus, the Navy's presence at the protest site was justifiable. After all, what the workers were staging can be and has been defined as an act of piracy. Firing in the air and firing blanks were strictly adhered to as a scare tactic to disperse the protesting crowd.

Talking about the elephant in the room now: the Navy Commander assaulting journalists who were covering the protest, is one of the most abhorrent examples of media freedom violations, that was reported during the present government's tenure. This is unfortunately not even the first time a military officer had attempted to manhandle the media; last June, when the armoury of the Sri Lanka Volunteer Force Headquarters in Salawa, Kosgama exploded due to unknown reasons (still) several journalists and news reporters were threatened and allegedly assaulted by certain high ranking officers of the military forces.

The Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunratne's berserk mode will undoubtedly go down in shame history, regardless of the fact that all the necessary government bodies are rejecting to believe it actually took place.

The Navy Commander had no right and no need to assault journalists. By doing so, he has unintentionally drawn to him the wrath of the country's entire fourth estate and it will not be any time soon that we let go of this. The Navy Commander's discipline was a farce when compared to the pride we had in the Sri Lanka Navy and this should be redeemed before it's too late.

The Sri Lanka Navy, following its crucial role in the latter part of the Civil War, managed to secure a good reputation with the nation's populace and was also able to achieve recognition internationally. But following those years, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the other military forces became political puppets. Navy officers have been accused of political kidnappings and forced disappearances. This slapstick comedy act by the Navy Commander will only add those disgraces.

This is why we call for justice. We call for immediate disciplinary action against the Navy Commander and if possible, termination of his service and a dishonourable discharge. If the government wants to prove that they had no hand in this and to prove that media freedom is not violated under their watch, this is the only plausible course of action.

Coming back to the main objective of the story, the one that we all chose to ignore and conveniently forget: while this has been happening, the unconfirmed employees of the Hambantota Harbour are continuing to protest outside the port premises. It is high time a proper leader went and listened to their grievances, without sending some small fry politician who no one cares about.

We implore the President and Prime Minister to visit these workers and lend an ear to their issues. They only ask for job security which can be provided so easily. The Hambantota Port can be managed by outsiders, but they also need the human labour that is required to do so and it is cheaper to use the local labour for the job, instead of importing it. If the President or the Prime Minister visited these protestors, explained that scenario of events, things would have been completely different. This incendiary situation could have been avoided.

And to those who turned a simple protest - that of the Buddhist activists and their likes with the mysterious political links - do not think your actions went unseen. You were not afraid to show your face at the Hambantota Port. You were there when the differently-abled soldiers were protesting in Colombo. Everyone who has an iota of understanding and common knowledge knows that the incident was fired up by you. Every time someone in the Joint Opposition or the likes of you talks about media freedom, a dead journalist rolls in his/her grave.

You are literally the political drop of dung in the worker's pot of milk. Your actions have been noted and we do not intend to let them go until some justice is done.

Daily News Editorial

Electric future for railways

13 December 2016
 

Sri Lanka’s railway landscape has hardly changed since the days of the British Raj – in fact we have the singular distinction of truncating a perfectly good line that existed up to Opanaike. The only sign of progress was the change from steam to diesel. We have been talking about electrifying our railway lines for decades, but nothing happened.

After years of false hopes, the Sri Lanka Railways plans to take a giant leap forward by introducing an electric train service by 2020 with construction slated to start next year itself. Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva disclosed these plans at a technical workshop on the proposed inauguration of electric train services.

During the first stage of the programme, the electric train service would be introduced on the Veyangoda - Polgahawela, Ragama - Negombo lines and Maradana to Homagama on the Kelani Valley Line. This would involve the modernization of rail roads to enable the operation of trains at a speed of 100 km per hour, introduction of a new signal system and an automatic security brake system. There would be three railway lines from Colombo Fort to Panadura, four lines from Maradana to Ragama and two lines from Maradana to Homagama. This is in addition to the Light Rail Transport (LRT) systems proposed under the Megapolis programme in the Western Province, which will also be electric-powered.

What are the advantages of electric railways? It is much less polluting, (if not zero pollution), faster, silent, more stable and more comfortable. They will enable commuters to experience faster journey times – for example, if an electric train were to go up to Galle, it would only take around one hour. Eventually, the authorities should aim for an islandwide network of electric rail lines including new tracks and extensions of existing ones. This should include an electric train service that directly links the Bandaranaike International Airport to Colombo City. While foreign experts will necessarily have to be involved in the construction process, our engineers and contractors must get a fair share of the work. When even foreign railway firms were baffled by the sheer destruction caused to the Southern coastal line by the tsunami, it was our engineers and contractors who repaired the lines perfectly in just two-three weeks.

Apart from cruise ships, trains are the only vehicles that can accommodate more than 1,000 passengers at once. Nothing can beat the economies of scale that trains offer in terms of the cost per passenger. If more car owners can be enticed to travel by train, hundreds of cars can be taken off the roads. Electric cars will appeal to much broader segment of commuters including car owners, precisely due to the advantages outlined above. The authorities should begin a campaign from next year to promote the proposed electric trains among car owners. Our air will also get much cleaner as a result, apart from the fuel savings. There is an infatuation with expressways among both lawmakers and the public, but a network of high-speed railway lines will be a far better investment in the long run.

Japan has long held the records for the fastest trains in the world with its acclaimed Shinkansen ‘Bullet’ trains. The fastest Shinkansen train, the Nozomi, can reach speeds up to 300 Km/h. Many countries including China (maglev), Germany (ICE) and France (TGV) have super-fast rail services, with India slated to join the club by 2023 with its 508-km Ahmedabad-Mumbai line. Elon Musk of Tesla fame has proposed a mass transit system called Hyperloop that can reach speeds up to 1,200 Km/h, which is actually faster than any commercial airplane. Even speeds of 300 km/h may not be practical in Sri Lanka given the varied terrain, infrastructure problems such as level crossings and the geographical size, but the authorities must go in for the fastest possible conventional electric trains.

Clearly, train travel is fast becoming the best option for faster, cleaner, greener travel. Here in Sri Lanka, train travel is popular, but not as popular as it should be. There are many factors for this status quo. One is that the train network does not reach every part of the country. Another factor is that our trains are not all that efficient, clean and fast. Train stations also deserve an upgrade. Better comfort levels in trains and at stations will attract more passengers.

Passenger transport is only one aspect of rail operations. We give little thought to the possibility to transporting more freight by rail. However, it is much more economical in the long run than deploying a multitude of container trucks that often clog traffic and cause horrendous accidents. It will also help reduce fuel consumption. A mechanism should be evolved to transport more freight by rail in consultation with major importers and exporters. An electricity-driven rail network will enable the faster movement of both people and goods, giving a real boost to the economy.