Gota slams Channel 4, says video is an anti Rajapaksa tirade

 

File Photo: Gotabaya Rajapaksa Seventh Executive President of Sri Lanka

Gota slams Channel 4, says video is an anti Rajapaksa tirade

Daily Mirror LK 7 September 2023 

In response to the recent allegations made by UK Channel 4 News regarding the 2019 Easter bombings, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the latest program by Channel 4 is primarily an anti-Rajapaksa tirade aimed at blackening the Rajapaksa legacy from 2005 onwards.

In a statement, the former President said that the film is filled with lies, much like previous films aired by the same Channel.

Full Statement 

The latest Channel 4 film on Sri Lanka

The central allegation made in the latest film on Sri Lanka broadcast by Channel 4 is that the Easter Sunday suicide bombings of 21 April 2019 carried out by Islamic extremists had been deliberately facilitated in order to create the conditions to get me elected to power in November 2019. This charge hinges on claims made by one Hanzeer Azad Maulana, an applicant for political asylum in Europe, that he had introduced Maj General Suresh Sallay (who is best known for his past role as the Director of Military Intelligence) to the principle suicide bomber Zaharan and his brother Zainee Moulavi in February 2018. Maj Gen Sallay has been described as one of my loyalists. However, he is a career military officer who has served under many Presidents and all military officers are loyal to the State and not to private individuals. I too was a former army officer, and like him, I too served under different governments. After leaving the position of Defence Secretary in 2015 and until I was elected President, Maj Gen Sallay and I had no contact at all.

Maj Gen Sallay had informed Chanel 4 that he had been removed from the position of Director Military Intelligence and was serving in Malaysia as Minister-Counsellor from 2016 to December 2018 and that he had not been in Sri Lanka at the time this meeting is said to have taken place. Furthermore, from January to November 2019 he was in India following the National Defence College course and during this entire period from 2016 to 2019 he was not operative within the defence or security structure of Sri Lanka. After Maj. Gen. Sallay was removed from Military Intelligence in 2016, he never served in that organisation again. It was only after I became President that he rejoined the intelligence apparatus as the head of the State Intelligence Service from December 2019 onwards. Hence this story about Maj Gen Sallay meeting the suicide bombers in February 2018 is clearly a fabrication.

In order to bolster their claim that Military Intelligence was in league with the suicide bombers, the film alleges that when the police started investigating into to the Vavunativu incident of 30 November 2018 where two policemen were killed and their weapons stolen and the discovery of explosives at the Wanathawilluwa safe house on 16 January 2019, the Military Intelligence had sabotaged the police investigations. All Sri Lankans are aware that the government of 2015-2019 persecuted the intelligence services and particularly the Military Intelligence and that that quite a few of its members spent months and years in remand and in police custody during that period. Hence any claim that the Military Intelligence could sabotage police work during the 2015 – 2019 government, is plain nonsense.

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday bombings has stated quite clearly that signs of a Muslim extremist build up were ignored by the government of 2015- 2019. They stated that the revelation made by the then Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe

 

on 18 November 2016 that 32 Sri Lankans had gone to Syria and joined the ISIS terrorist group and that foreign Islamic preachers were coming to Sri Lanka to propagate extremist teachings had been ignored. The Easter Sunday suicide bombers had held training camps from 23 to 25 March 2018 at a guest house in Lewella and more gatherings had been held in April and May 2018 at a guest house in Nuwara Eliya all of which had been reported to the police but had not been investigated.

Rilwan, the brother of Zaharan Hashim was seriously injured whilst experimenting with explosives in Kattankuddy in the early hours of 27 August 2018. Apart from the Vavunativu and Wanathavilluwa incidents referred to earlier, there had been the vandalizing of Buddha statues in Mawanella in late December 2018 as well. As the Presidential Commission observed, the proper investigation of any one of these early incidents would have led to the early apprehension of the terrorists and the prevention of the suicide bombings. It was the police and not Military Intelligence that was in charge of these investigations. Apart from the fact that I was not in power during this entire period, like many members of the intelligence services and armed forces, I too was going from one police unit to another and from one court house to another from 2015 till I became President in November 2019 as a result of relentless government persecution.

One of the allegations made against me and my government in this latest film is that after becoming President, I ‘sabotaged’ the investigation by transferring officers carrying out the investigation. I assume that this is a reference to the former Director of the CID Shani Abeysekera. Leaked telephone recordings had revealed that he had conspired with a politician to influence the outcome of an ongoing criminal case in the High Court, and he could not be kept in a position of responsibility in the CID under any circumstances by any government. The police officers attached to the Presidential Commission to investigate the Easter Sunday attacks were not transferred after I came into power. In any case, there was a gap of nearly seven months between the Easter Sunday attacks and my coming into power, and investigations should have been carried out during that period. SSP Abeysekera was also one of those responsible for the negligence between 2016 and 2019 mentioned in the Presidential Commission’s report.

Chanel 4 states that when the report of the Presidential Commission to investigate into the Easter Sunday Attacks published its report, that I refused to make it public. That is an outright lie. Everyone in Sri Lanka knows that it has even been tabled in Parliament. Last year, when some people started linking me to the Easter Sunday bombings, I instructed Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe in Washington to explore the possibility of obtaining FBI/CIA assistance in investigations into the Easter Sunday bombings. On 7 April 2022, Christopher A. Landberg of the Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State wrote to Ambassador Samarasinghe stating the following:

“Thank you for raising with us Sri Lanka’s request for an independent investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks… In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, and continuing to the present day, the U.S. government provided assistance in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible – to the point that the Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint in January 2021 against those deemed responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens. In light of that, even as we stand ready to continue providing support to your government, it would not make sense for the United States to conduct an additional investigation into the attacks…In terms of our cooperation on this case, I would like to highlight that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has worked closely with Sri Lankan law enforcement, and in the week after the attack, deployed approximately 33 personnel to Colombo to assist Sri Lanka’s Criminal

 

Investigation Department with all aspects of their investigation. These efforts included evidence collection, witness and victim interviews, and exploitation of digital devices…”

In this letter, Landberg also stated that if any additional requests were made by the Sri Lankan Attorney General they would be able to provide support from the two U.S. prosecutors, who were on the ground in Colombo at that time in April 2022. Earlier on 8 January 2021, the US Department of Justice had issued a media release stating among other things, that:

“…three Sri Lankan citizens have been charged with terrorism offenses including conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS)… The men were part of a group of ISIS supporters which called itself ‘ISIS in Sri Lanka’. That group is responsible for the 2019 Easter attacks in the South Asian nation of Sri Lanka, which killed 268 people including five U.S. citizens, and injured over 500 others… Two days after the attacks. ISIS claimed credit for the terrorist acts, attributing the murders to "Islamic State fighters."… The criminal case filed on Dec. 11, 2020, in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles is the result of a nearly two-year investigation by the FBI, which assisted Sri Lankan authorities in the wake of the suicide bombings that targeted Christian churches and luxury hotels frequented by Westerners.”

This latest film by Chanel 4 is mostly an anti-Rajapaksa tirade aimed at blackening the Rajapaksa legacy from 2005 onwards and is a tissue of lies just like the previous films broadcast by the same Channel. To claim that a group of Islamic extremists launched suicide attacks in order to make me President, is absurd.   Despite the politically motivated accusations being made against me by certain individuals, I have personally done everything possible to help the Roman Catholic community when I held government office. After the war ended, I helped in the restoration and reconstruction of the Madhu Church and the Church in Mullikulam. I also helped facilitate the arrangements to invite His Holiness the Pope to Sri Lanka and I headed the committee formed by the then government to organize the visit. I also played a key role in the construction of the Benedict XVI Catholic Institution of Higher Education in Bolawalana. I worked very closely with His Eminence the Cardinal during that period.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa Seventh Executive President of Sri Lanka

US to provide controversial depleted uranium weapons to Ukraine

Continued supply of Western arms and military equipment for the Ukrainian military would only prolong the war.-Russia

Press TV Thursday, 07 September 2023 

The United States says it is sending depleted uranium ammunition to Kiev, despite global concerns about serious health problems caused by such ammunition.

Washington said on Wednesday the controversial ammunitions are part of a new security assistance package worth up to $175 million.

The package also includes anti-tank missiles, artillery and mortar rounds, tactical air navigation systems, and additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.

The new military assistance is part of more than one billion dollars in overall aid announced for Ukraine during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Wednesday visit to Kiev.

The US aid also includes over $665 million in new military and civilian security assistance and millions of dollars in support for Ukraine's air defenses and other areas.

The US promise of depleted uranium rounds comes about two months after Washington said it would provide cluster munitions to Ukraine.

Kiev has already received more than $43 billion from the US in the form of weapons systems like howitzers and millions of rounds of ammunition, including widely-banned cluster munitions, since February 2022 when Russia started a "special military operation" in Ukraine.

A number of Republican presidential hopefuls have questioned the US aid to Ukraine, fuelling concerns over whether Washington will still support Kiev at the same level once the US 2024 election campaign intensifies.

The US has decided, in contravention of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions as part of the latest military aid package.

In reaction to Blinken’s visit to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “We have heard repeated statements that they (the Americans) intend to continue to help Kiev for as long as it takes.”

“In other words, they are going to continue to support Ukraine in a state of war and to wage this war to the last Ukrainian, sparing no money for this. That's how we perceive it, we know it. It's not going to affect the course of the special military operation,” Peskov added.

Russia has repeatedly warned that a continued supply of Western arms and military equipment for the Ukrainian military would only prolong the war.

Li calls for opposing new Cold War, promoting cooperation

 

Premier makes a four-point proposal for closer China-ASEAN ties

GT By Yang Sheng, Li Xuanmin and Zhang Yuying Sep 06, 2023 

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang said at the 26th China-ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia Wednesday that as long as China and ASEAN countries keep to the right path, whatever storms may come, their cooperation will be as firm as ever and they can press ahead against all odds, and analysts said that China-ASEAN ties remain close and will continue to develop to withstand the impacts of any external interference that attempts to instigate tensions and conflicts.

Li said that China-ASEAN cooperation has come a long way thanks to their keen understanding about hardships. "China and ASEAN countries have been committed to the unwavering pursuit of peace with a strong aspiration for development, and both take real actions to safeguard regional stability," he said at the summit, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The Chinese premier also said that China and ASEAN countries have properly handled disagreements by seeking common ground while shelving differences through dialogue and consultation. 

"The two sides have been deepening practical cooperation in the traditional and non-traditional security fields, and have upheld the five principles of peaceful co-existence and the purpose of the TAC (Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia)," Li remarked.

Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that "facing rising turbulence among the international community and the challenge of reverse globalization, China continues its attendance at the multilateral event held by ASEAN and chaired by Indonesia, where it presents China's solutions to global challenges with sincerity despite interruptions brought by external forces. These have shaped an image of China as a responsible major power."

The US is making great efforts to use disputes among regional countries on the South China Sea issue to instigate new tensions, interrupting the stability and development of the region to ruin the process of negotiation, experts said. These acts are not welcomed by the majority of ASEAN members, and with more pragmatic cooperation and dialogues with China, ASEAN is able to maintain peace and stability for the region to withstand external interruptions, they noted.   

For ASEAN, the key is to see whether China or the US is sincere in its support of ASEAN's centrality in the region, Xu said. "While it openly expresses support, the US' actions show its duplicity. The Biden administration is trying to promote its Indo-Pacific strategy over and over again. It wants to force ASEAN members to join its small clique and to have unnecessary but dangerous tensions with China while offering no meaningful support to boost regional integration or economic development. It is only interested in costly security cooperation. This in fact weakens ASEAN's centrality and shows that the US' purpose is different from what ASEAN wants," Xu noted.

China has proven its respect and support for ASEAN by actions and notable cooperation projects like high-speed rail construction. China has always insisted on seeking solutions to disputes via diplomacy with relevant countries in the region, and China has never established any new multilateral platforms in the region to weaken the ASEAN's position. ASEAN members are crystal clear about these differences between China and the US, experts said. 

Premier Li took a test ride Wednesday on Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, which connects two Indonesian cities as part of China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, media reported.

ASEAN's wisdom

According to Indonesian media TEMPO, Indonesian President Joko Widodo hailed the importance of China-ASEAN mutual trust as he opened the summit on Wednesday. He stressed the need for ASEAN and China to realize concrete cooperation that is mutually profitable. "This can only be done if we have trust in each other, which of course needs to be developed and maintained by all parties," Jokowi said at the Jakarta Convention Center on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, at the 43rd ASEAN Summit, Widodo stated that ASEAN would continue to uphold equality. As the world faces all kinds of issues, greater challenges will come, and there will be things leading to a tussle for influence by the superpowers. "ASEAN has agreed not to become a proxy for any power," Jokowi said, TEMPO reported.

Chinese analysts said as a major power in ASEAN, Indonesia realizes that with the rising tensions caused by the US-launched containment against China, as well as the tensions between the West and Russia over the Ukraine crisis, ASEAN is facing a danger of becoming an arena for confrontation between great powers. 

Marzuki Alie, former speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that "The relationship between China and the United States has a very complex and growing effect on Southeast Asian conditions. To attain stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia, it is essential that countries in the region maintain a balance and establish mutually beneficial relations with the two countries, as well as promote constructive dialogue and cooperation to achieve stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia."

"In some respects, China's contribution to ASEAN is greater than that of other nations, including the United States," Marzuki said.

Wirun Phichaiwongphakdee, director of the Thailand-China Research Center of the Belt and Road Initiative and researcher at the Thailand-China Strategic Research Center at the National Research Institute of Thailand, told the Global Times that "It seems like some Western countries have gone to great lengths to maintain their hegemonic position on the global stage, even at the cost of instigating divisions and even conflicts." 

"But what ASEAN economies and other parts of the world need are cooperation and development, which are incorporated in the concepts and initiatives China has put forward. We welcome competition, but not in the form of veering into confrontation," said the Thai expert.

"China is not only the creator of mutually beneficial concepts, but also a true propeller of regional development, which are in stark contrast to some countries' empty promises. I would suggest that some countries not interfere and create chatter while interfering in China-ASEAN cooperation, because we know what is best for us," Wirun said.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the ASEAN-China summit on Wednesday that the US and China need to "show leadership" to address a range of global issues, making it crucial for both to continue dialogue, build strategic trust at all levels and strive for greater cooperation, according to the CNA.

When the US only interested in containing China's development by all means to preserve its hegemony, it is impossible for the two biggest economies to "show leadership" together, even though China has always urged the US not to be driven by a cold war mentality, to cease its hostile containment strategy against China, and has called for cooperation to find a solution for global challenges, experts noted. On this matter, China shares a consensus with the majority of the international community, and the key is for the rest of the world to convince the US to change its mind, experts said. 

Economic growth center

In his speech, Li outlined the Chinese economic situation with the ASEAN members and other Asian countries. According to Xinhua, Li said in his opening remarks at the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit that the "Chinese economy is on track to realize the annual growth target of around 5 percent." China is advancing high-quality development in Chinese modernization on all fronts. The Chinese economy enjoys bright prospects, and will continue to generate fresh and greater opportunities for the region and the rest of the world, he remarked.

Li stressed that the ASEAN Plus Three countries, and indeed all countries in Asia, share so many things in common. They share a common home, common interests and common opportunities, Li said at the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit.

Li made a four-point proposal for fostering a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, the first of which is that China and ASEAN should work together to build an economic growth center, enhance interconnectivity, and deepen cooperation in industrial and supply chains.

Both sides should also jointly promote cooperation in emerging industries, and strengthen collaboration in such fields as new energy vehicles, photovoltaics and artificial intelligence, Li said.

Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that "the premier's remarks sent a strong signal to counter the recent narratives among Western media and politicians that have badmouthed China's economy. He delivers confidence to the region about not only China's economic growth, but also the joint growth that will benefit all countries in Asia."

"According to some data released by the US, it might be able to realize 2 to 3 percent annual growth, and if we take the US national debt into account, the US can only realize an annual growth of 0.2 to 0.3 percent at the most. Based on these facts, China, with a 5 percent annual growth, is still growing faster than the US, and with more potential," Li Haidong noted.

By badmouthing China's economy, the US is trying to spread fear and concern about a potential crisis in Asia, to drive talents and money away from the region and move to the US, so when US leaders and media talk about the economy, they do not care about benefiting everyone, but try to ruin the growth of others and use the crisis for their own benefit, Li Haidong said. "This is what the US is really good at, and it has tried many times in the past."

This is why China is encouraging ASEAN, as well as the whole of Asia, to remain confident and work together to build an economic growth center with strong certainty amid a world in turbulence, experts said. 

During the summit, a joint statement was issued on mutually beneficial cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and a series of outcome documents were adopted, including a joint statement on deepening agricultural cooperation between China and ASEAN, an action plan on China-ASEAN green agricultural development (2023-2027), an initiative on enhancing bilateral e-commerce cooperation, and an initiative on jointly implementing China-ASEAN science and technology innovation enhancement program.

The summit also welcomed the signing of an agreement on China-ASEAN technical cooperation and announced the year of 2024 as the China-ASEAN year of people-to-people exchanges.

C4: Who was behind 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings? (Video)

 Review

Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings review – startling and deeply disturbing viewing

This chilling Dispatches documentary reports on the aftermath of 2019’s apparently random terrorist attack, and alleges unpalatable truths

The Guardian (UK) Wed 6 Sep 2023  

On Easter Sunday 2019, six suicide bombings hit Catholic churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 269 people. Quickly, the perpetrators were identified as domestic religious extremists the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama’ath), claimed by Islamic State as their own. The wider world, pausing to note that the perceived threat of Islamic fundamentalism helped the controversial Rajapaksa family regain the Sri Lankan presidency a few months after the bombings, chalked it up as yet another terrorist atrocity about which nothing much could be said or done and moved on.

Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings, a new Dispatches investigation, makes serious new allegations about the attacks, based on whistleblower testimony. While the accusations are startling, they are straightforward: the charge is that allies of the Rajapaksas had associations with the NTJ, and that they made it hard for law enforcement to arrest its leaders prior to the bombings or to fully investigate the massacre afterwards.

Such information does not fill an hour of television; the programme is three-quarters done before the bombings take place. But, while the programme may feel like a 15-minute news report with a 45-minute preamble, that context is fascinating. The earlier section is a pithy summary of modern Sri Lankan politics, telling a tale of how authoritarians wield power, the lengths they will go to when that power is challenged, and how they lay dormant in the aftermath of apparent defeat, waiting to return.

We start in 1983, when an armed uprising by Tamil separatists sparked civil war, before spooling forward to the end of that conflict in 2009. Actions taken then by the Sri Lankan army, under the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa, have since been widely described as war crimes, not least by the 2011 Channel 4 documentary Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields – a film furiously criticised by Sri Lankan authorities.

Rajapaksa and his younger brother Gotabaya, appointed by the president as defence secretary, had already built a reputation as leaders to be feared. Numerous political opponents were threatened or attacked. The film recalls the chilling murder in 2009 of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, the government’s most prominent critic, who predicted his own demise and left behind an editorial to be published after his death: “Murder,” he wrote, “has become the primary tool whereby the state seeks to control the organs of liberty.” Such violent retribution was, the Dispatches contributors say, believed to be carried out by a clandestine death squad called the Tripoli Platoon.

In 2015, the Rajapaksas, who had flooded government posts with extended family and were beset by allegations of corruption, were voted out. Senior police officer Nishantha Silva then investigated the Wickrematunge murder, finding phone record evidence putting Tripoli Platoon members at the scene. Making his first public statements in this programme, Silva claims that, despite no longer running the country, the Rajapaksas still had enough friends in powerful positions to ensure the case stalled in the Sri Lankan courts.

Dispatches’ star whistleblower is an exile named Hanzeer Azad Maulana, who spent nearly 20 years working within the Rajapaksas’ inner circle as a translator and aide. And so we come finally to those headline allegations: Maulana says he was in the room when Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered the founding of the Tripoli Platoon. Even more seriously, he says that in 2018, the year before the bombings, he brokered a meeting between NTJ members and Suresh Sallay, who was the Rajapaksas’ head of military intelligence. (Sallay, who was demoted to an outpost in Malaysia after the end of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency in 2015, denies this, telling Dispatches he was in Malaysia at the time of the supposed 2018 meeting. Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not respond to requests to comment.)

We are told that information from Indian intelligence sources, warning of an attack by the NTJ on Catholic churches, was not acted upon. Efforts by the police to arrest NTJ followers were, according to documents obtained by Dispatches and testimony from a further, anonymous whistleblower, derailed by briefings from military intelligence filled with baseless accusations against other groups.

In this thicket of secrets and lies, the film takes time to hear from the victims, interviewing two survivors of the Easter 2019 attack on St Sebastian’s church in Negombo. Their memories of seeing loved ones die – 115 perished at St Sebastian’s, including 27 children – form a lurching contrast to the smiling face of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, elected as president in November 2019 on a wave of fierce, fearful nationalism. The new ruler appointed Suresh Sallay as his new intelligence boss – Dispatches’ anonymous whistleblower claims to have evidence of Sallay then obstructing the investigation into the bombings. Sallay, who denies everything and is now pursuing defamation claims in the Sri Lankan courts, is still the director-general of the State Intelligence Service today.

Citizens of many countries are accustomed, in the aftermath of apparently random and unstoppable terrorist horror, to learning that in fact the culprits had been “known to the intelligence services” and ought to have been intercepted. If the allegations here prove correct, the truth in Sri Lanka is even more disturbing.

📺 Dispatches: Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings is on Channel 4

Channel 4 to telecast documentary on Easter Sunday attacks

 

Channel 4 to telecast documentary on Easter Sunday attacks

UK’s Channel 4 News has announced that it will telecast a special documentary tomorrow pertaining to the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka in 2019.

Channel 4 in its weekly programme parade announced that a highly anticipated documentary that would make shocking revelations about the Easter Sunday carnage would be aired from 11.05 pm to 12 midnight London time on Sept 5. The programme, titled “Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings – Dispatches”, will shed light on new information brought forward by highly-placed whistle blowers, implicating government officials in complicity, the organization announced.

Whistle blower was leader of the  TMVP  Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan.

A British television station is to reveal shocking details over the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, which it says alleges complicity by officials inside the Government.

Channel 4 television announced it will broadcast the program, ‘Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings – Dispatches’ on Tuesday 5th September based on information from highly-placed whistle blowers.

Just last year Colombo Gazette and Daily Mirror had reported that a whistle blower had shared sensitive information related to the Easter Sunday attacks to diplomatic missions in Colombo.

That whistle blower was later revealed to be a close aide of the leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) and current State Minister for Rural Road Development Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan.

The informant of the TMVP, the breakaway faction of the LTTE, had made explosive revelations to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva.

Diplomatic sources had told Daily Mirror last year that the informant had revealed sensitive information related to the Easter Sunday attacks and a number of murders and enforced disappearances.

The informant had written to some key diplomatic missions in Colombo and overseas giving brief details of the information in his possession.

He had then fled the country and sought refuge overseas fearing for his life.

Pillayan later told Daily Mirror that the allegations were baseless.

The MP told Daily Mirror that anyone can leave Sri Lanka and seek asylum by making false allegations. 

Complicity by officials inside the government

UK Channel-4 News has announced that it will unveil shocking revelations about the 2019 Easter bombings in its latest programme titled “Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings – Dispatches” to be broadcast tomorrow (5), what it says, ‘allege complicity by officials inside the government’.

“Shocking new revelations about Sri Lanka's deadly Easter bombings of 2019, as high-placed whistle-blowers allege complicity by officials inside the government,” it stated.

Informed sources said that the primary source of the programme is the former spokesperson of Pillayan, who is currently living in Geneva, Switzerland seeking asylum. 

He was the media spokesperson and finance secretary of Sivaneshthurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan group.

Sources also said that Channel 4 had planned to broadcast this video on August 15, but had stopped broadcasting the video on that day following a clarification given to Channel 4 by the Chief of State Intelligence Service (SIS), Major General Suresh Salley through his lawyers about the allegations levelled against him in the video.

It is also reported that Major General Suresh Salley has informed Channel 4 with documents confirming that he was not on duty in Sri Lanka during the period related to the incidents that Azad Maulana made using his name.

However, it is reported that after Major General Suresh Salley’s response, Channel-4 had reportedly changed the title of the video and scheduled to broadcast it tomorrow.

Channel 4 previously aired a documentary video titled Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, a hard-hitting investigation into the final weeks of the Sri Lankan civil war.

Source: Media + ENB

Indian Minister’s visit ‘deferred’; no reason given

 

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230903/

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was due in Sri Lanka yesterday, suddenly called off his visit on Friday night, with no official reason made public by either Colombo or New Delhi for the cancellation.

The Sri Lankan Government was informed on Friday evening that the minister was indisposed, and the Indian High Commission issued a brief statement the same night saying the visit had been “deferred” and fresh dates were to be decided later, without giving reasons for the cancellation. The Indian Defence Ministry, however, said on Friday that “due to unavoidable circumstances” the visit was being called off but the Minister “remains committed to strong bilateral cooperation” between the two countries and looks forward to visiting Sri Lanka “at the earliest possible time frame”.

The ‘deferred’ visit of the Minister comes against the backdrop of a simmering issue over the visit of a Chinese ‘research’ ship that has been granted permission ‘in principle’ to dock in Sri Lanka amidst opposition by India, which claims the ship is a ‘spy ship’ and inimical to the security of India.

There was little confirmation if the cancellation of the visit was connected to the Chinese vessel being granted permission.

The Sunday Times learns that though the Chinese ship has been granted permission to dock in Sri Lanka, the details are yet to be worked out. These details also include which ports it will call at, the duration of the visit, and the exact work it will be engaged in while in Sri Lankan waters. The National Aquatic Research Agency has strongly supported the ship’s visit, saying its scientists hope to be engaged with the vessel’s work.

Poultry sector predicts long-term damage from Indian imports

 

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230903/ By Ryan Casiechetty  

The government’s decision to approve a proposal to import 92.1 million eggs from India for three months has drawn strong reactions from the local poultry businesses, which fear that it would affect the industry in the long run, but the government says imports will continue until prices are stabilised.

Approval was given, citing the importance of stabilising prices.

Following the elimination of the maximum retail price, both producers and consumers were hopeful about the probable decline in the price of an egg below Rs. 50. They believed that this would enable the market to establish equilibrium based on supply and demand dynamics.

Stakeholders, however, were perplexed.

The All-Island Poultry Farmers’ Association had previously promised self-sufficiency by December and that the price of an egg would fall below Rs. 35. However, the association urged the government to gradually cut back on imports from India, as local producers will increase supply in the upcoming months following the 50% reduction in the import duty on corn.

Ajith Gunasekera, the president of the All-Island Ceylon Poultry Association, told the Sunday Times there was a severe threat to the local poultry farmers due to excess imports.

Also, the poultry industry will fall into the same state as it was after the economic crisis. The government’s main aim is to import eggs until the local market price reduces to Rs. 35 per egg, he said.

He called on the government to treat the poultry industry equally with other industries.

Mr. Gunasekera emphasised the importance of eggs and chicken as the cheapest protein foods. “Very soon, poultry farmers will be on the streets protesting,” he warned.

The future of the poultry industry is uncertain due to the next generation investing in other ventures, he said.

Anton Appuhami, the chairman of the All Island Egg Traders Association, said the government had so far imported around 250 million Indian eggs. Noting the fresh imports of 92 million eggs would be unnecessary, he, however, added that selling eggs for Rs. 35 would be a big loss, as requested by the government.

Asiri Walisundara, chairman of the Sri Lanka State Trading Corporation, told the Sunday Times they would be importing eggs until the local market price dropped to Rs. 35.

He claimed that the production cost per egg is around Rs. 25, and the local producers are earning a reasonable profit. “Our main concern is the welfare of consumers, and we will be working towards it,’’ he added.

Quotations have been called from three Indian companies recommended by the Department of Animal Products and Health.

Market watchers, however, said a right balance needs to be struck, taking into consideration the welfare of consumers and the welfare of the local poultry industry.

China approves first batch of AI language models

 

SOURCE / ECONOMY

Authorities strengthen regulation to prevent risks, ensure digital safety

By GT staff reporters Published: Aug 31, 2023 

A total of 11 Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) large models, including Baidu's ERNIE Bot, reportedly have obtained approval for release to the general public starting from Thursday as Chinese technology companies ramp up innovations to compete with ChatGPT. 

Analysts and industry insiders said that China's AI sector has developed at an unprecedented speed so far this year despite the intensifying US blockade, and they expressing confidence in China's ability to break the US-led Western stranglehold in the high-tech sector.

On Thursday, Baidu took the lead by announcing that its AI-generated language model ERNIE Bot is now fully open to the general public.

Moreover, Baidu will launch a suite of new AI-native apps that allows its users to fully experience the four core abilities of generative AI - understanding, generation, reasoning and memory, the company said in a statement sent to the Global Times.

Boosted by the news, Baidu's shares in Hong Kong closed up by 2.12 percent at HK$139.4 ($17.77), while semiconductor-related shares such as East China's Jiangsu-based China Wafer Level CSP Co rose by the daily limit of 10 percent to 21.34 yuan ($2.93).

For its part, China's leading AI company iFlytek plans to upgrade its general large model, comprehensively benchmarking ChatGPT, on October 24. The new model is expected to surpass ChatGPT in Chinese capability and be equivalent to it in English capability. It is expected to be benchmarked against GPT-4 in the first half of 2024, according to a press release sent to the Global Times.

"Overall, the development of China's AI sector has witnessed progress at an unprecedented speed so far this year," Liu Dingding, an independent tech analyst, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Thanks to policy support, China entered a rapid development period for large AI models starting in 2020, and the total number of published large AI models in China and the US now accounts for more than 80 percent of the global total, Liu said.

He said that Chinese AI language models are running neck-and-neck with those developed in the US, with China even leading the US in applications driven by the country's 5G, mobile internet and other digital infrastructure.

China ranked second in the Global AI Innovation Index for a third straight year in 2022, as it has been accelerating efforts to create a talent pool, build data infrastructure and make technological breakthroughs.

Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFlytek, said at the China Entrepreneurs Forum 2023 on August 25 that Huawei's graphics processing units can match Nvidia's A100 performance.

"We are collaborating with Huawei to build a cluster advantage in the training of ultra-large language models, and we have confidence in breaking the stranglehold in computing power and striving to benchmark with OpenAI in terms of the application of general AI," Liu said.

"The achievements in China's AI sector, especially AI chips, show that it is wishful thinking for the US to contain China's technological rise by restricting high-tech chip exports," Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Chinese tech giant Huawei surprised the market by unveiling its Mate60 Pro smartphone on Tuesday, which the company said is the most powerful of the series, with new breakthroughs in aspects including satellite communications, AI and Kunlun Glass, a screen that is high performing on the inside and toughen on the outside.

Huawei's rollout of a cutting-edge product despite severe US restrictions shows that the US crackdown is doomed and instead it will prompt Chinese firms to develop faster, Xiang said, noting that China has become stronger despite escalating US efforts at containment.

The era in which the US could contain Chinese companies' development with political measures has gone, and the US needs to ponder the China-US relationship. Does the US want to pursue globalization and cooperation, and what are the world's two largest economies competing over, Xiang asked, urging the US to refrain from hegemonic actions but instead strengthen sci-tech innovations to maintain global competitiveness.

While the boom of generative AI technology has created new opportunities for economic and social development, there are potential risks such as the spread of fake information, the infringement of personal information and data safety, Liu said, noting that the authorities are stepping up regulation of AI language models for the healthy development of the market.

An interim regulation on the management of generative AI services, released by the Cyberspace Administration of China and several other authorities, took effect on August 15. 

The move is aimed at promoting the sound development of generative AI and its standard applications, safeguarding national security and the public interest, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, legal entities and organizations, according to the CAC.

SLPP dissidents ask AG if Adani Group represents govt. of India

 

https://island.lk/ By Shamindra Ferdinando  2023/09/01

The rebel SLPP group has demanded to know whether Adani Green Energy Ltd., represents the government of India.It has raised this question in the wake of Sri Lanka declaring its intention to consider the proposed construction of two wind and solar power parks in Mannar (286 Megawatt) and Pooneryn (234 megawatt) in terms of Government to Government basis as required by Section 43(4)(c) (1) of the Electricity Act No 20 of 2009.

Prof. Charitha Herath

Prof. Charitha Herath discussed the issues at his weekly media briefing held at the Nawala Office of Nidahasa Janatha Sabhawa on Tuesday (29). The group consists of 12 MPs, including former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and ex-Power and Energy Minister Dullas Alahapperuma.

The one-time Media Ministry Secretary alleged that Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera had sought cabinet approval to categorise the Indian conglomerate as a government entity to circumvent the Electricity Act.

Prof. Herath said that Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s opinion on this contentious issue should be obtained without further delay. The AG should clarify the status of the government-to-government agreements and say whether Adani projects could be categorised under them, he said.

Having briefly dealt with Indo-Lanka relations over the past couple of decades, including the direct intervention here that led to the 1987 accord, he explained how the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government advanced ousted

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s project with Adani group finalised in March 2022.

Prof. Herath recalled the then CEB Chairman M. M. C. Ferdinando’s disclosure regarding Indian PM Modi pressing President Rajapaksa on the proposed Adani projects and the circumstances the official retracted those remarks made at a meeting of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). Lawmaker Herath urged the media to reexamine that episode against the backdrop of President Wickremesinghe building on Rajapaksa-Adani agreement.

The academic said that the issues should be apprised taking into consideration the agreements India and Sri Lanka entered into during President Wickremesinghe’s two-day visit to New Delhi last month. Minister Wijesekera was a member of the government delegation.

MP Herath said that another matter of grave concern is the move to deviate from the Electricity Act in respect of the proposed establishment of a Kilinochchi-Habarana 400 kv backbone transmission line. Although the private sector had been allowed to engage in electricity generation, the CEB remained the only transmission licensee, Prof. Herath pointed out, adding that the government justified the Adani investment amounting to USD 135 mn on the basis of its inability to make available required funding for the project.

According to the relevant Cabinet paper dated Aug. 14, 2023 seen by The Island, the total cost of the on-grid renewable energy development project is USD 442 mn and restricted to wind power for want of free land for solar power projects. Contrary to the Electricity Act, the cabinet paper directed that the CEB to seek proposal in this regard specifically from the Adani group.

Prof. Herath questioned whether the government carried out New Delhi’s dictates regardless of consequences. How one conglomerate could be granted special status at the expense of the law of the land? the first time entrant to parliament asked.

At the onset of the briefing, Prof. Herath appreciated the stand taken by the Catholic Church on the controversial proposal to establish a bridge between Sri Lanka and India. Referring to Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith’s declaration that such a move should be subject to a referendum, the MP said that the consequences could be quite catastrophic and irreversible.

Prof. Herath compared the Colombo Port City with the proposed bridge-building project while stressing that the incumbent President chosen by parliament to complete the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s five year term couldn’t take such far reaching decisions. The MP said that the then government revised the Administrative District Act No 22 of 1955 to bring the reclaimed land under the Colombo district. Prof. Herath asked constitutional experts to examine whether Sri Lanka’s boundaries could be changed as the President desired.

Acknowledging that the SJB and JJB (Jathika Jana Balawegaya) had declared Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake as their respective candidates, Prof. Herath stressed the responsibility on their part to adopt a common strategy. Responding to queries, MP Herath pointed out how the entire Opposition regardless of differences backed Maithripala Sirisena at the 2015 presidential poll to bring Mahinda Rajapaksa’s reign to an end.

Declaring that Wickremesinghe social market economic policies had failed and certainly didn’t have the slightest chance to succeed in current environment, Prof. Herath said that foreign policy pursued by President Wickremesinghe could cause an unprecedented crisis against the backdrop of China and India seeking favoured status here.

Tackling the water crisis

 

Tackling the water crisis

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230827

Somewhere in the Anuradhapura district, women carrying clay pots are trudging in search of water. This is the worst-affected district in terms of the current water shortage.

The other areas affected by the dry spell are reportedly Ratnapura, Trincomalee, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Jaffna, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Badulla and Moneragala. Often women bear the brunt of any drought, walking for several kilometres in search of water for the family’s daily needs.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, in a recent speech at a school at Nugegoda said that a (serious) water shortage is expected in 20 years and people need to prepare for it.

The water shortage in fact is happening every year and despite this regular occurrence the authorities have not been able to prepare a proper plan to address the crisis. If the answer is yes, there is a plan in place, how do you explain the water shortage and the disorganised water distribution for power and irrigation this time? Thousands of acres of paddy land have been destroyed due to non-release of water for irrigation purposes and even though the water was released last week after rising farmer protests, it was too late to save these fields.

This was the topic of conversation by the trio under the margosa tree. “Niyagaya nisa ape gamey kumburu vinasha wela (Our paddy fields in the village have been destroyed by the drought),” said Kussi Amma Sera.

“Ape gam paththeth me prashnayama thiyenawa. Govin kiyanawa egollange wagawan siyayata panahak vinasha wela kiyala (The same issue is faced in our area where farmers say 50 per cent of their crop has been affected),” noted Serapina.

“Me prashna hinda haal hingayak ethi wewida (Would this mean that there will be a rice shortage this time)” asked Mabel Rasthiyadu.

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has said there won’t be a shortage of rice. Even if there is, imports from India, Sri Lanka’s main rice import source, are not possible this time since India has banned rice exports due to a shortage there.

In a water-related development this week, India successfully landed its spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s surface and has begun exploration for “frozen water (ice)” that could be a resource for future missions.

As I reflected on these issues, the phone rang. Who was calling on this Thursday morning? It was Pedris Appo – short for Appuhamy, a retired agriculture expert who does farming.

“I say, the drought is affecting many sectors in Sri Lanka, in particular rice production and water for consumption,” he said.

“The problem with the authorities is that there is no set plan on an issue that crops up every year – distribution of water resources for human consumption and irrigation,” I said, adding that there is no need for a crisis if a proper plan is in place every year.

“That’s right. For instance, droughts and dry spells have been occurring every year for the past decade and one needs to prepare for them. For example, after this year’s crisis would we have another water crisis next year and, if so, do we have a plan to tackle it (next year)?” he asked.

“Even though water was released from reservoirs for irrigation purposes, farmers whose fields were at the bottom end of the water channels complained that they were not receiving water since only fields at the upper end of the channels were receiving water,” I said.

Admittedly, the authorities were caught napping this time because the drought and dry spells are one of the worst on record.  The level of evaporation in the water catchment areas is also higher this time due to the intense heat being experienced in the country, so much so that a heat index has emerged.

According to media reports, the Department of Meteorology has cautioned the public that the temperature felt on the human body is expected to increase in some areas of the Northern, North-Central and Eastern Provinces and the Monaragala District. It was pointed out that prolonged activity or exposure to the sun could lead to fatigue and heat cramps.

Sri Lanka has two monsoon seasons – the Maha (October to January) and the Yala (May to August) during which paddy is grown. Apart from paddy, several other crops including tea have been affected by the drought and arid weather conditions.

One of the arguments put forward by administrators and experts is that farmers didn’t start cultivations on time as proposed by the authorities and the delay led to issues in water distribution.

Experts told the Business Times that farmers should not delay their cultivation at the next Maha season “to ensure the harvest yields could be acquired as per requirements in a bid to overcome the drought weather pattern of (global phenomenon) El Nino”.

The Yala season’s harvest yield is likely to drop as a result of which only 20-40 per cent of the 26,000 hectares affected by the drought will fully recover while the rest will be hard to recover, Peradeniya University Crop Science Senior Prof. Buddhi Marambe told this newspaper.

He said that all stakeholders involved in the cultivation of the next season need to ensure that they get all farmers onboard and ensure cultivation starts together on time with the onset of the rains.

Nearly 40,000 acres of paddy land have been destroyed by the current drought conditions and affected over 30,000 paddy farmers with Kurunegala being the worst-hit area.

Drought and dry spells are a perennial problem and this year’s drought is no exception or surprise. Planners are known to prepare for these emergencies and ensure fair distribution of water for consumption and irrigation purposes. So what went wrong this time? Is it, as explained earlier, that farmers didn’t follow the prepared calendar for cultivation times or was it simply disorganisation on the part of the administrators? There were also reports that despite warnings of the crisis by one ministry, it was not heeded by others.

Apart from these annual disturbances in the proper distribution of scarce water resources, comes the warning of an acute water shortage in the next 20 years.

As I wound up my column, Kussi Amma Sera brought in my second mug of tea saying: “Sir, ada hari rasnei (Sir, it’s very hot today).”

I nodded in agreement and spent some time wishing that this year’s crisis would serve as a reminder to have a proper water distribution plan in 2024, dredge catchment areas that are filled with mud and other sediments so that more rain water can be stored and prepare a forward-looking plan to tackle future shortages.

Read: Climate Change Risk Assessment for Kurunegala, Sri Lanka: Water and Heat Waves