SAARC summit 2008 in Sri Lanka makes thousands homeless: Has South Asia not seen urban poverty?

Sri Lanka is now categorized as a medium income country but it is no secret that a sizable section of population still lives below poverty line. According to UNDP statistics, 45% of Sri Lankan population lives less than US$ 2 a day (this means their spending for a day for food, shelter, clothes, transport, education etc., does not exceed Rs. 220) and 6% lives less than US$ 1 a day. It is inevitable that some of them live in urban areas, sometimes near city centers.

Urban poverty is not unique to Sri Lanka. Slums are seen in the cities of any developing country. Every South Asian country has its own share. In every Indian metro millions of people live in slums. They cannot afford proper sanitation facilities. Majority of them do not even have toilets. Though not a common sight in Colombo, mass public defecations are seen in many South Asian cities. Mumbai is so crowded that they say when a city train hits a person (which happens every day, it seems) the drivers don’t even stop. Even in Bangalore – claimed to be the high tech city in South Asia there are estimated number of 15,000 toilet cleaners who carry buckets of human refuse on their shoulders. That is the sad reality South Asia lives with.

So what is this big deal about ‘cleaning the city’ for the summit chasing off poor people from their homes? Whom are we trying to fool?

Are the leaders of our government so naïve that they assume other South Asian leaders have not witnessed urban poverty? Don’ they know these leaders, except President Gayoom of Maldives, come from countries with 30% of the population live in extreme poverty compared to Sri Lanka’s 6%. (US$ 1 per day) Colombo might have been a heaven compared to the places they come from. So why this attempt to make thousands of people unnecessarily suffer?

It is also customary now to use ‘National Security’ to justify any damaging act of the government. Some of the people who had been chased off from Glennie passes have been living for more than 50 or 60 years. If they had not been a security threat for all these days how come they are now? Have they been recruited by tigers overnight?

It is also funny that the demolition of houses and shops is not restricted to centre Colombo. Houses of poor people in areas like Kotte, Nawala, Battaramulla and Kaduwela too have been destroyed? Why? Do any of the SAARC leader visit Kaduwela? (20 km from city centre) Why these people were made to suffer unnecessarily?

For development purposes, relocation of human habitats sometimes becomes a dire need. For example, a land in the middle of the city might be required to construct a super market complex, so relocation of current occupants become necessary. It can be done, provided that those poor people not only get homes somewhere but their occupations are not disturbed. Even if they are given land to build homes, will it be of any use if the relocation disturbs their income? How they could find money to feed their children? Are there good schools to send their children?

Perhaps we should not ask these questions. The priority of any Mugabe type ruler is himself and his family. As long as his family could rob the national wealth they have no concerns what happen to the rest. Did Hitler ever worried about the Jew children’s’ education when they sent them to camps? Did Idi Amin ever worried about the welfare of the millions he cold blooded killed? Did Polpot think twice before he made half the population starve? More recently does Mugabe ever worries about what hardships his hunger for power brought to the people? So why should only Sri Lanka be different?

I only hope international journalists take note.

Don’t you feel sorry for them, Kurakkan Uncle?

Where do these poor people go when they were chased off from their homes? Should the poor people suffer because of the political gimmicks like SAARC that will only boost image of key politicians and do nothing to country?

An eviction order has been issued to 800 families in Glenie Passage, Slave Island, claiming that the land they have settled on belongs to the Defence Ministry, reported Lanka Dissent today.

Glenie Passage, which is a cross road in the Chittappalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, has been housing around 1,500 people of 800 Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim families for nearly 50 years.

The residents, who have been paying the state taxes, water and electricity bills, have even been included in the voters list. In addition, a minister of the current regime has laid the foundation stone for a project to provide electricity to the area.

Soon after coming into power, the present government has obtained their signatures in agreement to evacuate the area, promising to grant them permanent settlements in return. An attempt to evict these residents without providing them means of resettlement was disrupted after a massive protest, even obstructing the train tracks in Slave Island was held.

Several persons who claimed themselves to be officials of the Defence Ministry had visited the area on July 11th and informed its residents to shift to temporary wood settlements in the Keerakotuwa area in Wattala till permanent houses are built for them. Noting that the residents have illegally settled down in a land that belongs to the war department of the Defence Ministry, these officials have ordered them to evict within a week.

Speaking to ‘Lanka Dissent’, a resident of Glenie Passage said that they would not shift to the proposed wood settlements in Keerakotuwa, which are only about 10 x 10 feet in size. He added that they would evict their present homes only if they are offered permanent housing as initially promised.

UNP parliamentarian, Ravi Karunanayake and several others who visited the area today (July 14th) to look into the matter, informed the residents that the Defence Ministry does not have the power to evict them as it required a court order to do so. The parliamentarian added that he would not allow an unlawful eviction to take place. Speaking to ‘Lanka Dissent’, MP Karunanayake said that neither the Defence Ministry nor the government has the power to evict these residents in such a manner and charged that the government was attempting to portray Colombo as a city sans slums to the SAARC summit. The MP further added that the UNP would not allow anyone; especially not a foreign citizen to forcefully evict people from their homes without legal authorization.

News Source: http://www.lankadissent.com

Three die in firing on bus in Buttala

A bus has been fired at near the 149th km post in the Galge area on the Buttala- Kataragama road around 10.30 this morning (July 11th).

Three people have died and 16 others injured in the incident, military spokesman, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

The injured have been admitted to the Kataragama Hospital.

Kataragama Joint Operations Commander, Colonel Devendra Perera also confirmed the incident.

http://www.lankadissent.com

Lalkantha – the David to strike the Goliaths

I am no fan of Lalkantha. To give my personal opinion, taking all hats off, I am also not in favour of strikes of any kind – least the ones by professionals. Traditionally, it was the left that believed in trade union action, not the UNP. We have always believed in nation building by working more, not less.

Since independence, the damage blind trade union actions have done to the economy is only next to that caused by terrorism. Lee Kuan Yew was dead right in thanking the Ceylonese left leaders, who organized a string of strikes in 1960s which resulted diverting most Colombo port bound sea traffic to Singapore, making it the most favoured port between Europe and China. I would have some more respect for Dr. N. M. Perera, and old boy of my own alma mater, had he not been the one responsible for generating such unproductively.

Having said that, I do not deny my interest this time. It is more as an observer. What stimulates most of us is the contrast in confrontation. On one side we have the entire government mechanism using all its influences like a giant octopus. On the other side we have Lalkantha sahodaraya – who is next to nothing. He is an MP, but that is nothing when compared to the establishment he is fighting against. Lalkantha sahodaraya does not give a darn. His confidence impresses me. He is a David, brave enough to attack the Goliaths – with only a catapult in hand. I wish UNP too had more leaders of Lalkantha’s caliber.

Though I hesitate to endorse this kind of trade union action, I empathise with the public and private sector employees on a fixed monthly salary. With the sky rocketing commodity prices most of them find it hard to make ends meet.

Even the essential items now cost twice more when compared with pre-2004 prices. We hear about families that save milk only for the youngest children in the family – others have to be satisfied with plain tea. We see people buying 250 g of vegetables – they cannot afford more.

This is the ‘development’ brought by ‘Mahinda Chinthana’. Minister of Consumer Affairs is shameless in admitting he has no control over the COL. Poor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, the clueless Central Bank Governor, does not even know how much money his organization prints. The inflation level was 30% last month – the highest in South Asia. It would be a miracle if people do not protest.

Is there a solution?

Here is one: Minister Dullas Alahapperuma wants the poor people to reduce one curry from the plates – so that costs will be less.

Look who is talking. I would be very much interested in knowing whether the minister and his wife are ready to do the same. This couple, average sized human beings just one decade ago (before Dullas Alahapperuma got into politics) now look more like Mr and Mrs. Obelix. I am not kidding. They are two walking globes of fat. An observer is forgiven for wondering whether they are the singular reason for the food crisis in Sri Lanka. How come they have become so overgrown during this short period?

This is the pathetic reality in our society. Minister Dullas Alahapperuma and his wife Pradeepa Dharmadasa who once sang about Sarojaas now shamelessly maintain super-luxury lives on the money robbed from poor Sarojaas. They are light years ways from reality.

Given the enormous amount of food they may seem to consume it might not be too difficult for Minister Dullas Alahapperuma and his wife to cut down one curry from their plates. In fact it would be good for their health too. Both of them badly need reducing so many layers of fat. On the other hand, how many poor people will be able to do so?

Perhaps minister Dullas Alahapperuma might not be aware about the millions in this country who take rice only with one curry (most probably the simple pol-sambol) or those who eat rice only for one meal a day. Does the minister what them to also to reduce one curry from their plates? Does the minister Dullas Alahapperuma want children also to cut down on their food? Isn’t he aware that it might result in mass scale malnutrition? Does his wife, who was so emotional about poor Sarojaas now wants to see them malnourished?

That is why the people take trade union action. The strikes might be unproductive but maintain 109 fat ministers at the cost of poor, while they are starving is far more unproductive. Perhaps that is the point Lalkantha sahodaraya wants to make.

To kurakkan boy this action would bring some poetic justice. UNP’s stance has always been a lean government. Ranil Wickremasinghe government of 2001-4 has given special attention to developing private sector so that mass scale employment opportunities are created outside the government. It was the UPFA government that wanted to limitlessly expand public sector for its political gains. What it did not realize was the short of money to sustain such a huge work force. So it is fair that the same government that did that historical mistake now encounter this. Let us see what kurakkan boy has to say.

Central Bank of Sri Lanka: A donkey doing dog’s work but not its own

A colourful half page advertisement in Daily News says it all. Central Bank plans a new currency museum at Anuradhapura.

This adds to Central Bank’s innumerable current functions; researching oil drilling, conducting lectures for A/L students, micro-managing micro finance, insisting so called ‘good governance’ on others but not on itself, publishing books on Sri Lanka’s heritage and branding those question them ‘terrorist sympathisers’.

Are these what a Central Bank supposed to do?

We have one most over-staffed Central Banks in the world. One Central Banker for every 10,000 in population. Its per capita staff cost is on par with those at developed countries like Japan, Canada and UK. Majority of this gigantic workforce is doing things nobody expects them to do. Why need a Central Bank for managing provident fund? Where else in the world Exchange control is considered a Central Banking function? (In manpower terms, the largest department of Central Bank of Sri Lanka is Security Services!)

Any Central Bank is supposed to ensure two and only two things:

(a) Financial stability
(b) Price stability

How successful in Central Bank of Sri Lanka in these two functions?

Dreadful. I would not even consider a C minus.

Financial stability?

One day we cannot wake up to find our banks not returning deposits due to a financial system collapse. That is why we pay to have Central Banks. They are supposed to guarantee that financial system is alive and kicking. They are supposed to supervise, catch and stop any culprits.

The banking system in Sri Lanka still stands on its feet not because of Central Bank. The private banks are cautious. The state banks need not be cautious because they are backed by treasury – thanks to tax payers. Had it not been for the treasury support one of the state banks would have taken the system down drains long ago - given the somersaults they do. Pramuka Case is adequate illustration for Central Bank’s ability to prevent a financial institution under its supervision taking enormous risks. Attempts to micromanage micro finance (with less than 1% aggregate capital within system) show their ‘expertise’ in financial systems.

Price Stability?

Ha Ha Ha Don’t make me laugh!

As the sole currency issuing authority (Prabhakaran or Pillayan have not got the idea yet!) Central Bank of Sri Lanka is supposed to maintain the price of Sri Lanka Rupee against international currencies and also its own. It cannot control the rise of price of bread, but if everything costs more than what it was last week, surely there is something wrong with monetary policies. That was what Nobel laureate Milton Friedman said: Inflation is everywhere and always a monetary phenomenon.

Right now Sri Lanka records the highest inflation rate in South Asia and within the top ten countries worldwide. (To be fair, we are still better than Zimbabwe) For the last year it was from 20 - 25%, and now nearly 30%. Markets prices of all goods and services, including essential services are of continuous rise. It has risen to such uncontrollable levels Central Bank of Sri Lanka even unsuccessfully changed the Colombo Consumer Price Index, to diverge the blame. High prices spoiled even the annual Avurudu celebrations throughout the country. Every evidence points that Central Bank is not of control. It has failed to stop printing money (=increasing money supply) in bulk. It has failed to tighten monetary policy. The inflation is so bad the Minister for consumer affairs admits his inability to control prices. A hyperinflation situation is on the cards. This could lead to protests as happened in other countries under similar circumstances.

Inflation is common symptom of a war. Any war needs money, in bulk and fast. The only solution most governments have is to print money in bulk. This brings down the value of money, as there is no increase in the supply of goods and services. 

The negative correlation between the war and economy is not readily understood by the politicians. That is why we need Central Banks. One key role of any Central Bank is to be government’s economic advisor. It is supposed to give independent opinion. We pay for that. Central Bank of Sri Lanka has an Economic Research Department of more than 100 researchers to do just that. Had a single researcher in Central Bank ever pointed out the cause of this inflation? Did they ever advise the government to stop this meaningless war and enter into talks with rebels?

Perhaps it is useless blaming Central Bank as a whole. Its head is a political appointee whose only task seems to be justifying every stupid act of the government. It is unfortunate that Mr Ajith Nivad Cabraal, whose only qualification is an unsuccessful local government politician, sits in the same chair once held by eminent economists of the land. He is not an economist. His knowledge of economics, or rather lack of it, was amply demonstrated when he said he did not print any money and all currency notes in circulation were autographed by the previous governor. What can be expect from somebody who does not even know that in economics ‘money printing’ means an activity far more complex than mere physical print of money?

In UK, the Governor of Bank of England was supposed to write to exchequer informing the remedies if inflation rate crosses mere 2%.  If that cannot be brought under 2% within a period of six months the Governor has to submit his resignation. Mervin King now behaves as his pants are on fire. Fair enough. That was what he is being paid for. Unfortunately no such good governance is practices in this side of the Suez canal.

The evident neglect of duties by head of Central Bank can only lead to a definite economic crisis. What plans government has to stop it? Does at least Mr Ajith Nivad Cabraal admit that it is his fault? Or will we have to continue blaming government for appointing this hapless individual for such a responsible post?

අපි වෙනුවෙන් RAMBO

Fasten your seat belts first. This is going to be big news. Sri Lankan Army has done something amazing. They have recruited RAMBO to fight the tigers. Don’t believe me? Wait, I will prove it. (Not surprisingly Defence.lk did not reveal it because it is still a secret)

Associated Press released this news item few hours ago, base on the information received from the Ministry of Defence.

See the numbers. Aren’t they amazing?

In Vavuniya 16 Tigers and ONLY ONE SLA killed.
In Welioya 11 Tigers and again ONLY ONE SLA killed.

Can any rationally thinking individual believe these numbers?

Yes, only if we have Rambo on our side. Of course, Rambo can kill as much as enemies he wants.

This is what Wikipedia has to say on Rambo.

Rambo is a fictional former Green Beret created by David Morrell in his novel First Blood. Morrell’s character and ideas were used in the 1980s and 2000s as the basis for a series of popular action films starring Sylvester Stallone.

The films featuring the character are: First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), and Rambo (2008), with Rambo V upcoming in 2009. The films focus on a troubled Vietnam War veteran and Green Beret, John James Rambo, who is skilled in many aspects of survival, weaponry, hand-to-hand combat and guerrilla warfare.

Morrell says that in choosing the name Rambo he was inspired by “the sound of force” in the name of the rambo apples which he encountered in Pennsylvania, and he felt that its pronunciation was similar to the surname of Arthur Rimbaud, the title of whose most famous work A Season in Hell, seemed to him “an apt metaphor for the prisoner-of-war experiences that I imagined Rambo suffering.”[1]

In popular culture, the name has become an eponym for a tactic of military aggression or, alternatively, a person demonstrating great heroism through extreme violence and skill, especially when outnumbered. However, the term can also be used somewhat derogatorily to describe someone who thoughtlessly charges into a fight with no regard for personal safety or careful planning.

However Associated Press journalists, not being ‘konde bandapu cheenas’, as the Ministry of Defence assume them to be, add these two paragraphs to their report.

It was not possible to independently verify the military reports because journalists are banned from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes place. Each side commonly exaggerates its enemy’s casualties and downplays its own.

The government earlier vowed to crush the insurgents by the end of this year. However, the island’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, told reporters Monday that it may take another year to defeat the rebels.

Can fake ‘nationalists’ working with tiger sympathisers block Major General Janaka Perera’s victory?

On the verge of obvious defeat the government has made plans to use a set of their henchmen in the guide of ‘nationalists’ to undermine the role played by Major General Janaka Perera as a top military officer.  Some of these contracted fake ‘nationalists’ have already started working on their agendas, in mass media and Internet.

Simultaneously, the overseas Tiger sympathisers too have started a parallel campaign against Major General Janaka Perera.

These are some of the sentiments expressed by Tiger sympethisers:

In the mid-eighties, Gen. Perera worked in the eastern province helping to create a wedge, breaking up the contiguity of Tamil Eelam, the Tamil Nation, comprising of the North and East of Sri Lanka. The area connecting the North and East was ethnically cleansed of Tamil people. Tamil villages were evacuated at gunpoint, hundreds were murdered and others fled out of fear, to make way for State sponsored Sinhala settlements. As a reward for this ‘heroic’ act a Tamil village (Munkindimalai) was renamed Janakapura (Janaka Town). 

In 1995, he was appointed as Commander for the Welioya Brigade. Large-scale civilian killings took place in Manal Aru (Weli Oya) during this period.

President Kumaratunga’s decision to resume the war against the LTTE in October 1995 propelled Perera back into a position of power. He was appointed commander of the elite 53rd Division of the Sri Lankan army which played a key role in ‘Operation Riviresa’.

Over a thousand Tamil civilians arrested by the security forces disappeared (Amnesty International, the international rights watch dog, estimates at least six hundred while the US State Department states a figure of seven hundred), in the area under Janaka Perera’s command. Despite widespread rumors, these disappearances could not be verified because of the media ban on the war zones.

Interestingly these were the same feelings coming from some of the self proclaimed ‘nationalists’ on Internet including the typical Rajapakse lackeys like Lanka Rising.

Take the following extract by a blog post by Dilrook Kannangara, one such self proclaimed ‘nationalist’.

What changed Janaka Perera from the much loved soldier in the 1990s to a despicable traitor? Although he doesn’t seem to have the faculty to explain it to the nation, it can very well be inferred from the turn of events. Possibly there can be pettier reasons than the foregoing, which, to say the least, are not even worth exploring. It is possible that alleged war crimes petitions against him played a major role in shifting his allegiances. There were many such petitions organised by pro-LTTE groups against him.

One such allegation was ethnic cleansing of Tamils in the East and the North-East of the island paving way for Sinhala settlements that were allegedly not there previously. Mungindimaalai, a Tamil village was thus ethnically cleansed and was renamed Janakapura which has a majority of Sinhalese settlers.

There seems to be also paid writers to comment on the character of Janaka Perera. (No dearth of such people – specially the retired public sector officers who have no work and need some hard cash. They will even insult their mothers if somebody pays them thousand rupees) Here is one such comment:

The capture of Wijeweera was similar. It was an operation planned and conducted by a very capable officer, Colonel H ( Now Maj Gen), and when they were about to set off on the operation, Janaka heard about it and asked the Army Commander General Waidyaratne to permit him to accompany the troops, which he first refused, and later permitted. Janaka merely went along for the ride, but made sure, as the senior officer, to take all the credit. All this can be verified from Gen Waidyaratne’s report, which still exists, unless it was ‘censored’ by Janaka. During the UNP regime he was appointed Military Liaison Officer to the Ministry of Defence, because of his father’s very close political connection with the UNP, and particularly with President Premadasa. During this period when he had access to Ministry records, it is alleged that he falsified many officer’s personal files, cleaned up his own personal file and destroyed records that described his inefficiency.

There are few questions that arises in this backdrop.

How come these self proclaimed ‘nationalists’ share the same platform as the tigers and their sympathisers?  How come their stance on Major General Janaka Perera overnight turned from a well respected ‘War Hero’ to a turncoat traitor?

The more interesting question: Can the joint effort of LTTE and UPFA defeat Major General Janaka Perera in the provincial elections?

At least we have an answer to the last question. It would be a tough fight no doubt, government is going to put their full force, but still they will never be able to prevent his victory in the elections. For that we are certain.
 

True figures: Sri Lanka lost 185 soldiers in Jaffna battle - AFP quotes military sources

COLOMBO (AFP) — At least 165 government soldiers were killed and 20 more went missing in a major battle against Tamil rebels this week, military sources told AFP on Friday.

The figures were far higher than official defence ministry casualties which gave 43 soldiers dead and 33 missing from Wednesday’s fighting in the north.

“Some of the senior officers have been told that the army lost 185, including 20 who are still listed as missing,” said a military source who declined to be named. “We are trying to establish the fate of the missing.”

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Thursday returned the bodies of 28 soldiers they had captured.

The government also reported killing more than 100 rebels in the pre-dawn offensive along the Muhamalai front lines on the northern Jaffna peninsula.

However, the separatists, who have been fighting for a Tamil homeland since 1972, said they lost only 25 combatants.

Official defence ministry casualty tolls and LTTE figures can seldom be verified because the government prevents journalists from visiting war zones and territory held by the rebels.

Wednesday’s confrontation was the bloodiest in recent years and the biggest battle since the military withdrew from a Norwegian-arranged truce in January this year.

(AFP)

 

Prince Harry and Prince Aston Martin

Prince Harry has been fighting on the front lines in Afghanistan for 10 weeks, his presence there kept secret until Thursday in a remarkable deal between the British military and news media.

British military officials confirmed that Harry, 23, third in line to the British throne, deployed to Afghanistan on Dec. 14 and has been fighting Taliban forces from a forward operating base in southern Helmand province.

When the news was posted Thursday on the Drudge Report Web site, British newspapers and television stations instantly rolled out extensive special reports on the first British royal to see combat since the Falklands War more than 25 years ago. Those reports included lengthy taped interviews with Harry just before his deployment in December and last week at his Afghan base. Photos and video showed Harry firing a machine gun, patrolling on foot in full combat gear in an Afghan village and washing his socks in a camp sink.

“All my wishes have come true,” Harry told reporters in last week’s camp interview, wearing a brown military T-shirt and camouflage pants and noting that he had not showered in four days. “It’s very nice to be sort of a normal person for once; I think it’s about as normal as I’m going to get,” said Harry, now addressed with his rank as Cornet Wales. “It’s much better being here experiencing it rather than hearing all the stories of people coming back.”

Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka, the circumstances are entirely different. We have enough ‘CARDBOARD HEROES’ to fight the war only with words, but when it comes to making a real contribution they always back leaving the poor rural youth to be sent to war front, so that the powerful political leaders’ sons can enjoy life in London, Paris and New York, taking their girlfriends to clubs in Aston Martins. These self proclaimed ‘PATRIOTIC’ and ‘BRAVE’ fathers never think it is their duty to send their sons to the battle front to save the ‘RATA-JAATHIYA and AAGAMA’ (country, race and religion) they talk so much about. It is always the poor youth that sacrifice their lives in North and East, while all the fighting the politicians’ sons do is at clubs bashing innocent people.

Is this because our war-promoting political leaders just think that their words (uttered with clenched fists, of course) per se will win the war so no more commitment from their families necessary or just value the lives of poor rural youth so low or they just value the lives of poor rural youth so low?