Jaffna voters who left to be omitted from list

By Kelum Bandara in The Daily Mirror, July 29

The Elections Secretariat has decided to omit from the 2010 electoral register,   the names of voters in the Jaffna district who have left the country during the conflict period. Elections authorities are currently enumerating the voters to prepare the electoral list for 2010.

According to the 2008 electoral register  there had been 722,000 registered voters in the Jaffna district.

In the 2009 register this had increased to 816,000.  However, many of them now live outside the country.

The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), said yesterday that the actual number of voters staying in Jaffna could be placed roughly at 400,000.

PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi told Daily Mirror that the election authorities would come up with the exact figures very soon.  Besides, he said that there is a lack of enthusiasm among people in the North to be registered as voters.“People are not keen on this. The political parties also do not play a proactive role in this case,” he said.

Mr. Hettiarachchi said that the voter registration in the North would continue for another few months due to such practical problems.

“People also do not like to be registered as voters in their new areas fearing that they will lose their previous residential lands. Anyway, people are not interested in the electoral process,” he said.http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/front-page-news/16998.html

 

2.No-confidence against GL

By Kelum Bandara in the Daily Mirror, Juy 29

The UNP will hand over a no-confidence motion to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa next week against External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris.

The UNP had decided to bring this motion against Prof. Peiris soon after the appointment of a panel by UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon to advise him on the accountability issues in Sri Lanka during the last phase of war.

In this case, the UNP said, the government failed in diplomacy.

According to parliamentary traditions, a No Confidence motion is the most potent device for the Opposition to challenge the legitimacy of a government. It is an essential feature of the Parliamentary System that the government should enjoy the confidence of Parliament. The challenge of a no-confidence motion is normally accepted by the government and given precedence over other businesses of the House. Under Article 49 (2) of the Constitution, the Cabinet of Ministers stand dissolved upon defeat at a no-confidence motion.

Such a motion will lapse if Parliament is prorogued only. In 2001, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga prorogued Parliament when there was a no-confidence motion against her government.http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/front-page-news/16990.html

 

3.Over 35,000 displaced Tamils still in camps

Colombo: More than 35,000 internally displaced Tamils continue to be in camps in northern Sri Lanka amid a cash crunch faced by a top aid agency for their welfare.

Latest government statistics have revealed that at least 35,333 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were still camps set up in early 2009 for those who crossed over to the government side as the civil war came to an end in May, 2009.

The government claimed to have settled 267,393 IDPs till last week. Critics have pointed out that most among the "resettled" IDPs have simply been released from the main camps to be moved to transit camps or temporary accommodations; some have even set up their own tents at their own places of origin. And rehabilitation is still a long way off.

Amid all this, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCCS) have announced that it is running hugely short of funds to take care of 5,000 displaced families under its care.

An emergency appeal was launched in April seeking $3.4 million in cash, kind, or services to support the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) as it assists approximately 5,000 families (25,000 people) for 24 months.

"With contributions received to date, including pledges in the pipeline, the appeal is about 40 per cent covered. Funds are urgently needed to enable SLRCS to provide much needed assistance to those displaced by years of conflict," a statement from its office said.

The government and humanitarian actors estimate that the total number of houses in need of rebuilding and reconstruction is around 260,000.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/579030.aspx

 

4. Summons on witnesses: By Lakmal Suriyagoda in the Daily Mirror online

The Colombo High Court today issued summons on 20 witnesses to the ‘white flag’ case involving former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka and will begin daily hearings into the case from 27 September.

When the case was taken up for hearing today the High Court judge ordered that witness number one to twenty appear in Court to testify in the case where it was alleged that General Fonseka had claimed in an interview that unarmed LTTE cadres were shot dead by the army when they surrendered with white flags during the final stages of the war.

The judge also instructed the relevant officials to ensure the right of General Fonseka to his Parliamentary privileges. http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/5427-summons-on-witnesses-.html

 

5. Five Brigadiers promoted

Colombo: Five senior Brigadiers in the Sri Lanka Army have been promoted to the rank of Major General, the Military Secretariat announced. Military spokesman, Brigadier U.A.B. Medawela was also promoted.

Brigadier S.A.A.L Perera, former General Officer Commanding 52 Division, Brigadier E.K.J.K Wijesiri, Provost Marshal, Brigadier U.A.B. Medawela, Military Spokesman and Director Media, Brigadier V.U.B Nanayakkara, former Chief Field Engineer and Brigadier M.H.S.B. Perera, General Officer Commanding 23 Division were thus promoted to the rank of Major General.

Brigadier V.U.B. Nanayakkara had served as Military Spokesman cum Director Media (Sept 2007-Feb 2010) before the incumbent Military Spokesman took office a few weeks ago on 1st July 2010.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/5412-five-brigadiers-promoted.html

 

6. Hard labour for 2 who spied on Mangala Samaraweera

Colombo:  Two men have pleaded guilty to a charge of spying on former minister Mangala Samaraweera in an LTTE attempt on his life.

Colombo high court judge Sunil Rajapakse today (July 28) sentenced each of them to 11 years of hard labour.

They had been accused of plotting to spy on and of spying on Mr. Samaraweera and providing the information to the LTTE in August 2006.

They had also been charged with withholding from police that the LTTE had been gathering information on the former minister.

The convicted are G.G. Ranaweera alias 'Malli' and D.S.G. Sampath Thushara.http://colombotoday.com/english/articles/Lite/Hard-labour-2-who-spied-Mangala-Samaraweera/13642.htm

 

7. Sri Lanka could play a regional role in Islamic finance: official

July 28, 2010 (LBO) - Sri Lanka could issue Islamic finance sovereign bonds or 'Sukuks' and take the lead in becoming a regional centre for Islamic financial services which other countries with less experience are aiming for, an official said.

"Australia and Mauritius have said they want to be hubs for Islamic finance," says Rushdi Siddiqui, head of global Islamic financial markets at Thomson Reuters, a news service.

"Sri Lanka already has more than a decade of experience in Islamic finance. Sri Lanka has just approved an Islamic bank. That means regulators are open-minded."

Sri Lanka's central bank has just given provisional approval to set up Amana Bank which is promoted by Amana Investments, a group which has been in Islamic finance for more than a decade.

Several Sri Lankan banks also have 'Islamic banking' windows.

"You could be a bridge to Maldives, Mauritius and South India," Siddiqui said on the sidelines of an Islamic finance conference organized by UTO Educonsult, a consultancy.

Siddiqui says Sri Lanka could issue a 'Sukuk' or sovereign bond compliant with Shariah or Muslim religious law which could raise the profile of the island among Gulf countries.

"You could do a parallel rupee and dollar denominated issue," says Siddiqui. "Britain is talking about it. Singapore has issued Sukuks.

Saxony-Anhalt, a regional government issued a Sukuk, backed by government buildings.

Middle Eastern nations and Malaysia have issued Islamic bonds for years. Global Islamic finance is valued at more than a trillion dollars.

Islamic financial instruments are structured on a profit sharing model so that it stands out from the interest yielding structure of conventional finance and is attractive to investors who want to be compliant with Shariah laws.

But Siddiqui says Islamic financial instruments are also issued and bought by non-Muslims. Feizal Salieh, head of Amana Investments says some of the firm's largest customers are companies with no religious affiliation.

Siddiqui says the issue of a sovereign Sukuk could also provide a benchmark for private firms to sell such securities. Sri Lanka is expected to allow private firms to issue securities to foreign firms before the end of the year.

Officials say there is a lot of liquidity in Gulf countries in particular that is looking for investment opportunities. http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=253513604

8. Sri Lanka depositors to petition UN human rights council

Depositors of a failed Sri Lankan finance company desperate to get their money back want to petition the United Nations human rights council saying their fundamental rights have been violated, a spokeswoman said.

Only a few depositors had benefitted from a government repayment scheme for those who had money in the Golden Key Credit Card Company, part of the Ceylinco goup, the spokeswoman for the Ceylinco depositors association said.

"We will send a petition to the Geneva human rights council in three weeks after getting the signatures of all depositors," she told our sister news website Vimasuma.com.

She said depositors had filed action in local courts saying their fundamental rights had been violated after they lost their deposits when the Golden key Credit Card Company collapsed.

The case has been postponed repeatedly with the next hearing scheduled for August 6.

"We hope it will not be postponed again,"' the spokeswoman said, adding that they had also appealed to president Mahinda Rajapaksa to intervene on behalf of the 38,000 depositors of the failed firm.

The central bank said earlier this week that 772.93 million rupees had been paid to 7,838 deposit holders of the Golden Key Credit Card Company in the first phase of a repayment scheme.

It said that company assets and those of related firms were to be sold to raise more funds to make more repayments.

But the spokeswoman for depositors said the 772.93 million rupees repaid to depositors was insufficient considering that Golden Key had about 26 billion rupees in deposits.

She said the maximum repayment had been 100,000 rupees per depositor and only small-time depositors had been given relief, not the majority who have deposited millions of rupees. http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1478259064

 

9. Mass Protests against Drugs

A protest was held opposite the Maliya Maha Vidyalaya over the escape of a drug peddler from police custody.

The protest was staged by area residents and the concerned parents.

Protestors charged that although complaints had been launched with the Polpithigama police on several occasions that drugs were being sold to students, their complaints had fallen on deaf ears. Area residents then provided information to the Kurunegala police, who took steps to arrest the suspect.

But the peddler managed to escape from police custody. Protestors also expressed these views on the sordid episode:

“Police officers, who had handcuffs with them, tied his hands with a wire. Then the suspect  escaped, but the Kurunegala Special Operations officers were not able to capture him,” said one protestor.

“Even twelve-year old students have got addicted to this,” said another. Our village was not like this before. It had good morals earlier. Our youth got together and caught the peddler on Monday,” said a mother.

According to Newsfirst correspondent, the area residents had acted swiftly, captured the miscreant and had handed him over to the Kurunegala police yesterday morning. The residents had also provided information on another three drug peddlers who were also involved in the trade.

Protestors also said that even at the time the recaptured suspect was handed over to police, he had heroin in his possession.

Thereafter, the crowds engaged in a protest march in the town.

Newsfirst correspondent noted that the OIC of the Polpithigama police arrived to meet the protestors.

However, when asked for details about the drug and mass protest episode in Polpithigama, SP Prishantha Jayakody, police media spokesman said that he was not aware of such a situation. http://www.newsfirst.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12246:mass-protest-against-drugs-but-police-spokesman-unaware-&catid=97:news-items-2&Itemid=294

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