Uva Province Chief Ministerial Candidate for the United National Party (UNP) Harin Fernando said that he is ready work in collaboration with Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to defeat the government at the Uva Provincial Council election.

In an interview with BBC Sandeshaya the Chief Ministerial Candidate said that he is even ready to relinquish the post of Chief Minister to work in unison with other opposition parties.

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Harin Fernando said that the Uva Province Chief Ministerial Candidate for the United People’s Freedom Alliance {UPFA) Shashindra Rajapaksa has failed to serve the needs of the people of Uva and has failed to ‘get the small things right’.

“What Shashindra should have done was to start with the small things, say, for instance, a glass of milk for the children - something that would actually benefit the people”, Fernando said.

Harin Fernando also pointed out that the ruling party has failed to recognize the value of the Uva Province to help the country’s tourism sector.

Fernando said even though there are a few policy differences between the UNP and the JVP, both parties are working towards a common goal and a team from UNP is already preparing for discussions with the top brass of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.  

“It is true that Shashindra has immense support from the government and enough influence; but what he lacks is the practical knowledge”, he said.

Pitching for a political solution that meets aspirations of ethnic Tamils, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said all stakeholders in Sri Lanka should engage “constructively” in a spirit of partnership and mutual accommodation within the framework of a “united Sri Lanka“.

The Prime Minister stated this when a delegation of Sri Lankan Tamil MPs met him here and briefed him on the situation, including the alleged moves by the Sri Lankan government to change the cultural and linguistics identity of the north-eastern areas and militarisation in the Tamil-majority localities.

Mr. Modi assured the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation of India’s continuing support for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction works in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka particularly in projects relating to housing, livelihood generation, capacity building, education, hospitals and infrastructure.
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A PMO statement said the TNA delegation briefed the Prime Minister on the situation in Sri Lanka and their “assessment and expectations” regarding devolution and national reconciliation.

“The Prime Minister stressed the need for a political solution that addresses the aspirations of the Tamil community for equality, dignity, justice and self respect within the framework of a united Sri Lanka.

“In this context, the Prime Minister urged all stakeholders in Sri Lanka to engage constructively, in a spirit of partnership and mutual accommodation, towards finding a political solution that builds upon the 13th Amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution,” it said.

The visit of TNA leaders is part of India`s continuing engagement with the government and political parties in Sri Lanka, the PMO statement said.

Briefing newspersons after the meeting that lasted for an hour, TNA leader and delegation head R Sampanthan said Mr. Modi expressed interest in meeting the Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Council C V Wigneswaran.

“Modi has expressed his interest in meeting our Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister. He welcomed the Chief Minister,” Mr. Sampanthan said.

The six-member delegation also included Mavai S Senathirajah, K (Suresh) Premachandran, P Selvarajah, Selvam Adaikkalanathan and M A Sumanthiran.

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Nripendra Misra, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh were present at the meeting.
(The Hindu)

"When petrol is purchased at Rs.102 and sold for Rs.162, why does the Petroleum corporation run at a loss?". "Where did that money go?". These were some of the uncomfortable questions asked by Minister of Science and Technology Patali Champika Ranawaka at the launch of his book "Power and Power" at the SLFI auditorium yesterday.

People should be made aware as to why a liter of diesel is imported at Rs. 103 but sold at Rs. 125. Similarly, a petrol liter is imported at Rs. 97 or Rs 100 and sold at Rs. 162 or Rs 170. The public has a right to know what happens to the petroleum tax levied from them, Ranawaka further said.

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He also mentioned that even though the estimated loss conveyed to the Public Utilities Commission before the year began said that the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) will accrue a loss of Rs 7000 million in the first six months of this year, the loss has run to Rs 21,000 million.

Industries and the public should have a right to know why such losses are occurring despite the fact that the revenue of Fuel Adjustment Charges were at Rs. 25,000 million. The public has a right to know how this money was spent.

In his book, Minister Champika Ranawaka rejects many persistent myths about energy use including that which states "coal is the cheapest form of energy", "solar power is abundant so why not use it in lieu of every other source of energy?", "nuclear energy is dangerous for small countries such as Sri Lanka".

He amusedly mentioned the fact that we should be careful when we create our super highways and 40 story casinos because in 40 years we won't have the energy to run vehicles on such roads nor operate the lifts required to reach the upper floors of high rise buildings. He soberly pointed out the example of Norway which is completely self-sufficient in oil who never construct any building over 5 stories tall because they are very much aware of the fact that oil will run out and these buildings which are created to last decades should still be accessible in a world without it.

In his speech, Ranawaka slammed the global energy mafia and its local counterparts, whom he called "white collar criminals" who prevent a price regulation system from being introduced. He stated that energy was behind power politics and for the energy mafia, "oil is thicker than blood." He further said the people should join to defeat the future generations from these criminals.

Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem has told his supporters that he would never leave the government, although they have issues that need to be addressed immediately. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention in the denial of visas to the United Nations Investigation Committee, which is conducting the inquiry into war crimes in Sri Lanka towards the end of war. 

She claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu would face strong disappointment if the denial of visas is not overturned. “Given that India is geographically Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and a number of SL Tamil refugees are still residing in Tamil Nadu, India is definitely a place that any team probing human rights violations in Sri Lanka should visit to conduct its inquiries.  Hence, I request you to kindly intervene in the issue and ensure that the international committee is granted the necessary visas and is in a position to complete a fair and impartial enquiry into the human rights violations in Sri Lanka,” read Jayalalithaa’s letter to Modi, dated July 23.

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“I am surprised to see media reports which indicate that India has refused visas to the United Nations Investigation Committee which has been formed to conduct the investigation.  If the media reports are true and India has actually refused visas to the United Nations committee probing the human rights violations in Sri Lanka, this would be a bitter disappointment to the people of Tamil Nadu who are determined to ensure that the Sri Lankan regime is held to account for its heinous acts against Tamils,” she added.

Jayalalithaa also stated that she had written to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a number of times with regard to the issue, but that no strong action had been taken despite four resolutions of the Tamil Nadu Assembly against the continuing discrimination against Tamils in Sri Lanka. She also expressed outrage over the fact that India had abstained from a vote against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council in the run-up to the LS polls, despite her repeated pressure on the matter. She also noted that she had raised the issue in the memorandum she had presented to Modi, when she met him in New Delhi on June 3. (The New Indian Express) 

The UN team, which has been put together to investigate allegations of human rights violations and war crimes against the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), will be holding hearings in New York, Geneva and Bangkok, Express news service of India said.

The team constituted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), would of course seek permission to hold sittings in Sri Lanka. But it is unlikely to get it as the Lankan government has rejected any international probe.

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Sources said that Tamil expatriates and Lankan Tamil rights groups which are very active in North America, Europe and Australia, would testify at New York, Geneva and Bangkok. Tamils living in Lanka would be interacting through telephone, video conferencing and skype. Rights groups in Lanka might organise such interactions besides travelling abroad to testify.

There is no law in Sri Lanka to bar any citizen from testifying before a UN body, but government ministers have publicly warned that those bad mouthing Lanka at the UN inquiry would be dealt with. In the absence of a witness protection law, witnesses could be subjected to intimidation as has been the case in Lanka so far. However, as the proceedings of the Lankan government’s own Disappearances Commission show, witnesses could brave  threats and testify fearlessly.

To protect witnesses against intimidation by pro-government groups, the UN team might keep their identities secret for 20 years as the earlier Darusman panel on Lanka did.

But the Lankan government could challenge the veracity of the testimonies used by the UN team on the grounds that the identities of the witnesses are shrouded mystery, as indeed it did in the case of the stinging Darusman report earlier. To counter the UN investigation, the Lankan government has started its own investigation into the charges of rights violations and war crimes by expanding the mandate of the existing Disappearances Commission. The UN and Lankan commissions would be working contemporaneously. But while the UN commission would not be able to get many Lankan Tamils resident in Lanka’s war affected areas to testify, most of those testifying before the Lankan panel would be living in the war affected parts of the island. The Lankan panel’s report is therefore likely to have greater credibility. This could provide Colombo with a good instrument to discredit the UN investigation.

Asked if the foreign advisors to the Lankan panel (Sir Desmond de Silva, Sir Geoffrey Nice, and Prof David Crane, could be counted upon to give ‘government-friendly” advice, a source said that the terms of appointment had clearly stated that they shall tender advice only when the panel seeks their advice. Also, President Rajapaksa has reserved the right to appoint more advisors.

“The Island” daily pointed out on Saturday, that while the Lankan government has revealed the composition of its panel, the UN OHCHR has not revealed the composition of its panel fully. The latter has only revealed the name of the Coordinator and those of three experts or advisors. Thus, the Lankan government seems to be more transparent. Colombo might well ask how the UN panel could be taken seriously when its composition is shrouded in mystery.

The UN panel will have very little time to do its work. lt will have to gather fresh evidence (from four different places in the world), write the report, send it to the Lankan government for its comments, and submit the final draft report by January so that it could be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2015.

The Lankan panel, on the other hand, has a less cumbersome and time consuming procedure. (TNIE)

A Malaysian airliner reportedly with 295 people on board has crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border, on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia Airlines said it had lost contact with Flight MH17 from Amsterdam. The last known position was over Ukraine, it said in a tweet.

An aviation source in Moscow told Reuters the plane had been found burning on the ground in east Ukraine.

It had failed to enter Russian airspace, the source said.

Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying the plane had been hit by a missile at an altitude of 10,000m (33,000ft).

A number of military planes have been shot down by missiles in recent weeks over eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatist rebels have been fighting government forces.

The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports of the crash and was "urgently working to establish what has happened".

(BBC)

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has accused the government of politicizing the Ministry of Buddha Sasana while creating divisions among the Sangha community of Sri Lanka.

Addressing a public meeting in Galle, the Opposition Leader said the present government has turned the Ministry of Buddha Sasana into a political institution. He also alleged that the Ministry of Buddha Sasana only allocates funds for monks whose political allegiance lies with the government.

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“As a result of this, various hierarchical issues have arisen in the Sangha community,” the opposition leader said.

The opposition leader also criticized the President’s decision to appoint Buddhist monks as Presidential Advisers.

“The government  is now on a mission to turn Buddhist monks into political stooges and this is will make a grave impact on the traditional Sangha community,” Wickremesinghe alleged.

If the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party wants to develop its support-base among the Sangha community, they can do it through their own Bikkhu organizations. Appointing Buddhist monks as Presidential Advisers is unethical and unacceptable,” the Opposition Leader charged.

He also asserted that the government was on a mission to “destroy” the traditional values of Sangha community of Sri Lanka.

This statement comes in the wake of the Opposition Leader’s  remark that the government should be held responsible for the clashes between Sinhalese groups and the Muslims.

"I wish to have a comprehensive report on this incident and also wish to ask the Prime Minister as to why the Government idled, letting the incident in question start and spread out. I also wish to know about the organisations, leaders and persons responsible for these events and the legal action taken against them," the Opposition Leader said making a special speech in Parliament soon after the clashes.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka today alleged that the Attorney General had failed to take necessary measures against the certain acts committed by the Bodu Bala Sena.

The Bar Association also said that the inaction on the part of the Attorney General Department could make a disastrous impact on ethnic and religious disharmony in the country. The BASL made these observations in the wake of the recent clashes that took place in Beruwala, Aluthgama and Dharga Town.

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The President of Bar Association of Sri Lanka Upul Jayasuriya said addressing a press conference in Colombo that although the BASL had urged the Attorney General to call for the reports on investigations and prosecute the suspects, no positive response came from the Attorney General's Department.

The BASL also said it had made written requests on two occasions urging the Attorney General's Department to intervene into the incidents which cause damages to ethno-religious harmony in the country.

Meanwhile, Police said yesterday that 41 people have been arrested in connection with the violence that erupted in Beruwala, Aluthgama and Dharga Town. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has also instructed the Police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter and take strong action against culprits. 

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) which was set up to promote and protect human rights in the country has launched a separate investigation into the clash which occurred in Aluthgama, Beruwala and Dharga Town.

A group of investigative officers attached to the HRCSL has already visited the \area to commence its investigations, a spokesman of the Human Rights Commission told Asian Mirror.

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Meanwhile, the HRCSL is to summon state officials including the senior police officers to the Kalutara district secretariat office tomorrow (18). The HRCSL is to finalise a report regarding the incident and give its recommendations on the state institutions which should be held responsible for not taking action against those who incited violence in the area.

The Police have come under severe criticism from the Public for allowing the Bodu Bala Sena to hold a protest rally in Aluthgama in the wake of a tense situation surrounding Sinhala-Buddhists and Muslims in the area. Some allege that the Police did not take action to prevent mobs from parading the streets and attacking houses and buildings belonging to Muslims.

A spokesman of the HRCSL said each and every aspect of this problem will be carefully analyzed by the investigative body before finalizing its report.