By Faraz Shauketaly

Title Deed in Thahir’s name, lllegal agreement to sell land from Noor Mohamed Ikram for Rs 2.5 Million, The land being cleared for construction of the new embassy complex , The fenced-in land and The new site for the embassy complex

The heiress of a murdered turfing contractor has instituted legal action against the Russian Federation, the Ministry of External Affairs in Sri Lanka and a host of others in an attempt to regain control of a prime block of land in Colombo, valued at between Rs. 2 Billion and Rs. 4 Billion. Nazeera Sali Begum, whose husband Mohamed Thahir was shot dead in Borella in February 2007 – on  the day that he received his copy of the Interim Order from a Colombo court returning the land to his control, says she is virtually ‘destitute’ and that she is in hiding as she fears for her  life and that of her family. Nazeera Begum told The Sunday Leader that ‘almost 150 relatives’ live in and around the land that has been owned by her late husband’s family for ‘at least 50 years’.
Recounting her tale of sorrow, Nazeera Begum who changed the location and time in the interests of security, told us that the trouble started when in 2006 her husband was approached by MP Mervyn Silva who asked if their bare land could be used as a car park for the Dayata Kirula 2006 programme. They wanted use of it for one week and her husband had agreed. The area was then cleared and sections were even carpeted. A week went by and they found it impossible to regain control of their own land. That resulted in them going to Court and the Interim Order permitting them to regain control was granted in February 2007. A week later – Nazeera claims on the day that her husband received the Order physically – and whilst he was in the process of affixing copies of the Order around his property, he received a call on his mobile phone. He then went to Borella to meet someone – she is unaware of the identity of the person or the reason for the meeting – where he was shot dead. Nazeera Begum says that investigations into her husband’s murder is still on-going and she has little incentive to believe that the Police will find his killers.
The prime plot of land, at the Kanatta end of Bauddhaloka Mawatha is 680 perches in extent and has been valued conservatively at  Rs 2,040,000,000 (Rs 2 Billion) and optimistically at Rs 3,400,000,000 (Rs 3.4 Billion) and has clearly attracted a lot of interest from various parties. The Thahir family, has carried on their family business of turfing for landscapes from this location for as long as most can remember.
Currently, this is the area in which The Russian Embassy is now constructing  a new complex.  Quite how the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sri Lanka became involved is far from clear. We tried to contact the Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs Karunathilaka Amunugama. He was out of Colombo  so we were passed on to the Director General of Public Communications, Ministry of External Affairs. His telephone rang incessantly but no one answered. We tried Professor G. L. Pieris as a last resort. He too was unavailable but we were told that his office would attempt to give us an answer especially because Professor Pieris was reported in the Press as having laid a foundation stone on the property marking the start of building the new Russian Embassy Complex. We specifically wished to ask the Minister whether in fact  he was present for such a function and on what basis this land was being used for building the new Russian Embassy Complex.
Nazeera Begum’s Manager, Mohamed says that it is impossible for them to verify whether there is such  a foundation structure in place as the Police post on the property does  not allow the owners access to their land.
Diplomatic behaviour, practice and standards are guided by a set of agreements known as the Vienna Conventions. The Vienna Convention is explicit that “without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State.”
Nazeera Begum with two young children and a moral duty of care towards her late husband’s extended family – as is customary  within her community – numbering around 150 persons in all, is adamant that the Russians have not acted with ‘respectb to the laws and regulations’ of Sri Lanka as is envisaged in the Vienna Conventions.
Two agreements were made for the sale of this land but for various reasons the transaction did not reach completion. Nazeera Begum says she has arrangements  to repay both parties who paid advances but did not complete, once the sale of her land goes ahead.
Various attempts have been made to ‘help’ Nazeera Begum to sell this land for her. One, a contractor named Noor Mohamed Mohamed  Ikram of Reid Avenue Colombo 4, allegedly offered to sell the entirety of the land in May 2009 for a trifling Rs 2.5 Million! In the agreement Noor Mohamed Ikram apparently passes off ownership of the land as his own. In later proceedings  it was established that the documents supplied by Noor Mohamed Ikram were patently false.Another, Ukwatte Lalith Wijetunge of Ethul Kotte, the President of the United Lanka People’s Party (Eksath Lanka Podhu Jana Pakshaya) offered to ‘sell and dispose’ the land in a letter addressed to Ramasamy Luxman, a property broker.
Nazeera Begum states she has not appointed Wijetunga or Luxman as her brokers. The ownership of the land appears not to have been disputed in the aftermath of Mohamed Thahir’s murder. Nazeera Begum sought and obtained Administrative papers following a testamentary case during which time no objections were received by the Courts.  As part of the proof that they have owned this land the Court of Appeal has been supplied with various documents showing that for example, local taxes have been paid to the CMC by the Thahir family. Almost bizarre  but certainly strange, is the fact that the CMC has now started to send out tax bills to the Ministry of External Affairs for the same property. Nazeera Begum also receives CMC bills for the same property. Nazeera Begum was so frustrated at the injustice  being meted out to her from all quarters, she complained to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.  An enquiry was launched but got nowhere as the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the property ‘was owned by a foreign mission’.
Utterly distraught and on the verge of destitution with two children and a host of extended family, Nazeera  Begum bemoans the involvement of various parties and says that it is apparent that there are no rights for the ‘common man’. Her sentiment may well be felt by others – especially when she can see that someone, somewhere is robbing her off her rightful inheritance in front of her very eyes.  “It is like seeing Rs. 3 Billion slipping away while I watch,” she said. If Nazeera Begum does succeed in getting her land back and sells it for anything like the prices mentioned in this article, she will go straight into The Sunday Leader’s Rich List and join the ranks of Sri Lanka’s Billionaires. faraz@thesundayleader.lk

Our Mail To The Russian  Embassy In Colombo
We also called and wrote to the Russian Federation’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka. We received no response from the Russian Embassy at the time of going to press. In essence this is what we asked the Russian Federation’s Embassy: “Very recently the Colombo Municipality  has started to issue local taxes for this same property purporting it to be in occupation by an “Embassy” – yet continue to also issue invoices in respect of the same taxes to the lawful owners, the heirs of the late Mohamed Thahir.
I am writing a story based on the injustice that is apparently being meted out to a Sri Lankan family which includes several women  and young children, who appear to have lost their ancestral lands to the Russian Federation. Please be so kind as to comment on exactly what basis the Russian Federation has come into acquiring this property which has been valued at between Rs. 2 Billion and Rs. 3.4 Billion”

St. John’s College has never heard of Niromi de Soyza

By Raisa Wickrematunge

Niromi de Soyza and A fake tale and a scam?

Last week, ‘Tamil Tigress’ authoress Niromi de Soyza was featured in these pages. De Soyza claimed that she was one of the first female LTTE cadres in her book, which was released earlier this year.

Soyza claimed at a literary event that proceeds from her book were going to the “SJC87 Initiative” a charity that provided scholarships to war-affected children in the North and East. Her Facebook page also noted that 15% of “Tamil Tigress” sale proceeds were going to the charity, which is run by the St’ John’s College batch of 1987.
However, this statement is completely false. Further investigation reveals that de Soyza is not donating book proceeds to St. John’s College, nor was it ever her alma mater as she reportedly claimed.
Principal of St. John’s College, N. J. Gnanaponrajah said the school was always a boys’ school. Therefore, it could not have been her alma mater as she claimed at a literary event. Gnanaponrajah confirmed that the SJC87 Initiative was run on the initiative of past pupils, though any money collected on behalf of the school would have to be handed over to them. He also said that the charity had given scholarships to around seven students. The principal said he had not heard of Niromi de Soyza, but added it was possible that the author was dealing directly with the SJC87 initiative.
However, country representative of the SJC87 initiative, Nimalasenan Thamboo said he had never heard of de Soyza either. “No, she has never donated anything. Not even a cent [to us],” Thamboo said.
Thamboo also asserted that the SJC87 Initiative was a genuine charity, dealing directly with principals of sponsor schools.
He added that St. John’s College did have a sister school, Chundikuli Girl’s School, and as such it was possible de Soyza was referring to Chundikuli Girls when he claimed that proceeds from her book were going to her ‘alma mater’. However, he reiterated that he had never heard of de Soyza, let alone received money from her.
Below is an excerpt from last week’s article on ‘the Tamil Tigress.’ Several Sri Lankan diaspora book reviewers and researchers have raised questions about the authenticity of the book, based on certain wording and mistakes in recalling key historical events. However, the book was well received in Australia, where Niromi de Soyza frequently attends and speaks at several events.

Excerpt:

”However, despite the acclaim she has received from overseas, there are an increasing number of dissenting voices – people who claim she is a fake. What is more, there are claims that her charitable efforts are not above suspicion. Principal researcher and founder of the Point Pedro Institute of Development, Muttukrishna Sarvananthan attended a literary festival in Eltham where de Soyza was speaking. At one point, she said that the proceeds of the Tamil Tigress would be going towards her “alma mater,” and provided an email address with the username sjc87. A simple Google search and the website www.sjc87scholarship.org pops up. This website depicts a young girl bent over a book, looking at the camera.
The SJC87 initiative aims to assist war affected children in the North and East, by helping provide them with a decent education at selected schools. Children are selected by a sponsor, who can choose based on school, gender or age. Apart from scholarships, there are English and IT programmes, even programmes to encourage those with an aptitude for theatre. It seems a legitimate call for humanitarian aid – except for the minor fact that SJC stands for St. John’s College, a boys’ school in Jaffna. As Sarvananthan observed, it is curious that de Soyza appeared to claim that she attended this school.
The “Tamil Tigress” Facebook page notes that 15% of the money from book sales would be going to the SJC87 initiative, though there was no mention of de Soyza attending the school. In fact, de Soyza does not appear to be mentioned anywhere in the SJC87 initiative website—which is curious considering her charitable donations.
In order to get some answers to the questions raised, the Sunday Leader attempted to contact de Soyza through her publisher, Allen and Unwin. Several emails were sent to the publicity department, as directed, with no response.”
After the newspaper went into print, publicist Kate Hyde responded via email, saying she was currently on tour with the author. “We do not usually arrange media in countries where the book is unavailable, especially 4 months out from publication, but I will look into this one as an exception,” Hyde said. She further said she would contact the publishing and rights department as well as Niromi herself to see whether an interview would be possible. There was no further response from Hyde following the email on Monday (21).

By Muttukrishna Sarvananthan Ph.D

The objective of this research note is not only to uncover the truth or otherwise of the “memoir” by Niromi de Soyza (nom de guerre) titled  The Tamil Tigress: My story as a child soldier in Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war, but to go beyond and investigate the purpose(s) of publication of her “personal story” and reason(s) for hiding her real name and identity.
This research note is based on the reading of the book under scrutiny in its entirety, promotional blurbs and reviews of the book by journalists in Australia, critical reviews of the book by two persons of Sri Lankan origin living in Australia, listening to the author of Tamil Tigress at a literary festival and discussions with few people among the Tamil diaspora in Melbourne and Sydney. In addition, I sought an interview with Niromi de Soyza, in order to afford her an opportunity to respond to my doubts, which she tried to postpone for two months (but did not refuse to meet) for reasons best known to her. In spite of her instant granting of interviews to media personnel (both print and electronic) in Australia and participation in almost all the literary/book festivals held around Australia since the release of her book in mid-2011, her evasiveness to meet a researcher from her place of origin compounded my suspicion about the author of the book.
I first came to know about this book when one of my Sri Lankan diaspora acquaintances living in Australia forwarded me a web link to the Booktopia Blog about this book on July 2, 2011.[i] For this Professor of Medical Sciences at the Monash University in Melbourne the book was “Mind boggling. A must buy.” The same Professor forwarded me an interview of the author to the Good Weekend magazine (Sydney Morning Herald) by Nikki Barrowclough on July 9, 2011. My only question at that time was, why is this self-proclaimed Tigress using a nom de guerre in lieu of her real name two years after the decisive end of the civil war in Sri Lanka?

Niromi de Soyza

Since I was travelling to Melbourne in late August 2011 in order to commence my Endeavour Research Fellowship at Monash University, I deferred my curiosity about the book by the self-proclaimed Tigress. In any case the book was not available in Sri Lanka at that time (perhaps even now). After I arrived in Melbourne I have come across two critical reviews of the book that have questioned the authenticity of the self-proclaimed Tigress. One is by Arun Ambalavanar (2011) who lives in Sydney but originally from Karavetty, Northern Sri Lanka. The second is by Michael Roberts (2011) who was an Adjunct Associate Professor of Historical Anthropology at the University of Adelaide (who still lives there) hailing from Galle, Southern Sri Lanka. These two critical reviews of the book rekindled my own curiosity about the book, yet I did not read their criticisms fully immediately.
Then, a lecturer at  Monash College invited me to the World Matters 2011 (an annual literary festival) held at Montsalvat in Eltham (outskirts of Melbourne) on 14, 15 and 16 October 2011.[ii] On the last day of this literary festival, Niromi de Soyza was to participate as a panelist in the ‘Missing Peace’ spotlight on Sri Lanka chaired by David Feith (lecturer at Monash College). I did attend the panel discussion on Sri Lanka and saw the face of the author of Tamil Tigress. Beyond her face, a lot of what she said and the customary tears she shed (real or contrived) raised more questions than the answers I was looking for. Her tears have become customary because she had done it with Nikki Barrowclough (2011) earlier. What astounded me most was what she claimed her “alma mater” is. Then onwards my intense curiosity turned into profound suspicion.
Niromi announced in Melbourne that part of the proceeds of the sale of her “personal story” will be donated to a charity in the name of her “alma mater” and she gave an email address with the username sjc87. When I searched the web for sjc87 I came across the following website http://www.sjc87scholarship.org/. SJC is the acronym of St. John’s College (Jaffna) which is a boys-only school and therefore cannot be an alma mater of Niromi de Soyza, who is a woman.
In the list of “Working Committee” members of the ‘St. John’s College Batch of 1987 Trust’ or the ‘SJC 87 Initiative: Every Child deserves an Education’, the two names given in Sri Lanka have only mobile phone numbers, which is dubious to say the least. In fact, all the contact details of members of the working committee mentioned on the website are mobile phone numbers and email addresses only, which arouse suspicion; there are no postal addresses (even P.O. Box addresses) or land phone lines in any country of their presence. The working committee members are spread across the world: 3 in Australia, 1 in Canada, 1 in New Zealand, 2 each in Sri Lanka, UK and USA.[iii] One past pupil of St. John’s College Jaffna living in Australia (who is active in the old boys’ association based in Australia) could not identify any of the three working committee members of SJC 87 Initiative living in Australia and New Zealand.
However, the SJC Initiative website does mention a Registration number INC9892583 and Charity fund raising approval number CFN/21586.[iv] But, it is highly unlikely that this purported charity is providing scholarships to children of the schools in Kilinochchi district mentioned on the website.[v] Further, the pictures of classrooms in the beneficiary schools on the website could not have been taken in the past two years.
Moreover, the presenter in the promotional video of the SJC 87 Initiative outlining its activities and soliciting donations is a native Australian woman. This indicates that the primary target of this promotional video is the native Australian general public and not the Sri Lankan diaspora in Australia (who are by this time well versed with such scams by the LTTE lobbies). Ironically, while the entire working committee members are men of Sri Lankan Tamil origin, the presenter is an Australian woman.
It is typical of the overseas domiciled LTTE to use host country personnel to advance their cause in whatever form it may take. Prominent members of the LTTE in many countries were/are married to host country women/men; for example, the wife of Anton Balasingham(the former “ideologue”, “theoretician” or simply “political adviser” of the LTTE) is Adele Balasingham originally from Victoria (Australia) and was living in the UK until her husband’s death in December 2006, her current whereabouts are unknown; the wife of Chandru Pararajasingham [the head of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) office in Colombo during the ceasefire time (2002-2005) - TRO was the humanitarian arm of the LTTE] is an Australian named Margaret Pararajasingham. There are four doctors in the working committee of the SJC 87 Initiative; one each in Australia and New Zealand and two in America. I am not sure whether these are medical practitioners or doctorates or just quacks like Anton Balasingham.
The SJC 87 Initiative is probably a scam. The website of SJC 87 Initiative seems to have come online in August 2011 immediately after the release of Niromi de Soyza’s autobiographical book in July 2011. There may be an organic link between Niromi’s book and the SJC 87 Initiative. This book could have been purposefully written for fundraising to the SJC 87 Initiative AND more. Niromi asserted in Melbourne that she is not in touch with either the Tamil diaspora or the Sinhala diaspora in Australia. If that was the case, how could she be funding the SJC Initiative from the sales of her book? Certainly she is not telling the truth.
Niromi showed (in Melbourne) a picture of what she claimed was the “gravestone of Ajanthi” at “Kopay/Urumpiraay” and talked about the desecration of that LTTE cemetery by the Sri Lanka Army for building the new army headquarters (Jaffna) on the same premises in early 2011.[vi] In fact, Kopai (Valikamam East) and Urumpirai (Valikamam South) are not one and the same place but are far apart. The place she was referring to in Kopai was not a cemetery in the first place and therefore there is no issue of desecration of the cemetery.
During the time of ceasefire (in 2003) two large “maaveerar thuyilum illam” (great warriors’ sleeping place) were constructed by the LTTE; one in Kopai and the other in Kodikamam in the Jaffna peninsula, as monuments for propaganda purposes (the huge maaveerar thuyilum illam in Kilinochchi was also a propaganda monument and not a real cemetery). One of the compilers of the very first list of maaveerars (great warriors) circa 1990 confirmed to this author early this year that there was no human body ever buried or cremated in any of the aforementioned so-called cemeteries. All the aforementioned maaveerar thuyilum illams were built on crown/state-owned lands.[vii] In fact, the Kopai LTTE cemetery was built on land belonging to the Department of Prisons earmarked for building a new and bigger prison for Jaffna, which is housed in an old dilapidated building within the City. However, some other maaveerar thuyilum illams did have bodies of fallen Tigers, either cremated or buried; e.g. Vaharai in the Batticaloa district and Sakkottai in Point Pedro. Secondly, there was no evidence to confirm that the picture of the gravestone shown by Niromi was that of “Ajanthi”; it could have been anyone’s.
Niromi claims in her book that she has an Undergraduate Degree in Biotechnology and a Master’s Degree in Law (de Soyza 2011: 299). Besides, at the literary event (in Melbourne) the Chair said that she holds a Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property Rights Law. Taking these claims as truth, is it not ironical for an intellectual property rights law graduate to be an admirer of Julian Assange (Purcell 2011), founder of WikiLeaks (who is a proprietary rights abuser)? Furthermore, if Niromi is really an admirer of Julian Assange (who is opposed to confidentiality and privacy), how come she concealed her own name and true identity? Moreover, how could Niromi protest against the alleged rapes by the Sri Lankan Army and the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) personnel, at the same time being an admirer of an alleged rapist? Is this not duplicitous?
Ironically, Niromi de Soyza has not mentioned (even once) the name of Adele Balasingham in the book, who was the founder of the ‘Freedom Birds’ (the women’s wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1985) and its military wing. (See Schalk 1994) This profound omission by Niromi could be to protect Adele Balasingham (Australian/British dual national) from potential criminal prosecution on charges of ‘crimes against humanity’ for recruiting underage girls from schools in Jaffna and the Vanni in Northern Sri Lanka for combat (self-confession in her own writings and in interviews given to international media and scholars). This author has testimonies from such affected girls who are still alive. The non-reference to Adele Balasingham could also be a deliberate snub because Anton and Adele Balasingham became persona non grata to the LTTE since about late-2006 after the former acknowledged the responsibility of the LTTE in the murder of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during the course of an interview with an Indian television channel.
In the balance of probability, Niromi de Soyza’s Tamil Tigress is largely a fiction based on The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara (Niromi’s teenage idol) and few books and articles on the LTTE by M. R. Narayan Swamy, et al. The writing style appears to be cloned from Guevara (1995) and most of the information on the LTTE in Niromi’s “personal story” skimmed from many books and articles on the LTTE, e.g. Swamy (1994). However, she may have had some rudimentary connection to the LTTE; like being a member of the Students Organisation of the Liberation Tigers (SOLT). Due to brevity of space, I just give the following two examples to confirm my assertion:

Example 1

“…….A self-trained man, he (Prabhakaran) wanted us to develop exceptional patience and mental strength which he claimed to have achieved as a young boy by staying inside a sack in the sun all day (no ordinary achievement, considering Jaffna’s heat), by inserting needles under his fingernails and by torturing insects. He knew he was one day going to fight the Sinhala regime, he said…. ” (de Soyza 2011: 121)
Note the striking similarity between the foregoing and the following sentences.
“…….., Prabhakaran began preparing for the battles that he perceived lay ahead. He would tie himself up, get into a sack and lie under the sun the whole day. He would also go and spread himself on chilli bags. He even inserted pins into his nails. At other times, he would catch insects and prick them to death with needles to gain the mental preparation to torture the “enemy”,” (Swamy 1994: 52).

Example 2

Niromi claims to have been an eyewitness to the point-blank shooting to death of Shanthan (an LTTE cadre) for falling in love with a female cadre Nora, by Mahathaya in early 1988 (then deputy to Prabhakaran) (See de Soyza 2011: 276-79). I believe this purported murder was skimmed from an article by Jan Goodwin in which she mentions about Prabhakaran murdering two of his close aides for having sex. (See Goodwin 2008: 4-5) Niromi has replaced Prabhakaran with Mahathaya in order to vilify the latter and justify the former (who is revered by Niromi) as the pro-Tiger lobbies overseas have been doing for the past twenty years.
I am largely in agreement with the questions of authenticity raised by Ambalavanar (2011) and Roberts (2011) and factual inaccuracies pointed-out therein (though some of it could be trivial or even acceptable to Sarvan 2011). According to Niromi, in The Telegraph (London) article, her mother was a teacher (de Soyza 2009: 3), but according to the memoir her mother worked for the Department of Telecommunications (de Soyza 2011: 94). This double act is certainly not excusable. There are numerous other contradictions, inaccuracies, lies, and misrepresentations which I have not pointed out here due to brevity of space. Nonetheless, Niromi de Soyza should be commended for revealing the class, caste, gender and other social strictures of the Jaffna society; despite some of them being exaggerations.
I could empathise with the rank and file of the Tamil Tigers. I had undertaken a survey of over one-hundred former guerrillas for an INGO in late-2010. I have been helping former guerrillas find jobs in the private sector. But I cannot empathise with dupers, imposters, and scammers masquerading as noble warriors. My suspicion is that there is a group(s) of people behind Niromi’s “personal story” book, which is at least partly a fundraising scam.
To me, in deference to Ambalavanar (2011) and Roberts (2011), there is a much more serious felony perpetrated by Niromi de Soyza and the people behind her book including the purported charity she is funding through the sales of her book. It is the responsibility of the appropriate authorities in Australia (and beyond) to get to the bottom of this apparently well-conceived and well-concealed scam. At a time when Sri Lanka is reeling under a low-intensity authoritarian regime of the Rajapaksa family (Lions), the last thing Sri Lankans want is ghost or pseudo Tigers.
Muttukrishna Sarvananthan (Ph.D. Wales M.Sc. Bristol M.Sc. Salford B.A. Honours Delhi) is the Principal Researcher of the Point Pedro Institute of Development, Point Pedro, Northern Sri Lanka (http://pointpedro.org) and an Endeavour Research Fellow at the Global Terrorism Research Centre (GTReC), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia from Sept 2011 to Feb 2012. He can be contacted at muttukrishna.sarvananthan@monash.edu
[i] See http://blog.booktopia.com.au/2011/06/27/niromi-de-soyza-author-tamil-tigress-answers-ten-terrifying-questions/[ii] See http://worldmatters.weebly.com/
[iii] See http://www.sjc87scholarship.org/Working_commitee.html
[iv] See http://www.sjc87scholarship.org/Welcome.html
[v] ibid
[vi] See GroundViews, Desecration of graves in Jaffna: Path to reconciliation? March 08, 2011. http://groundviews.org/2011/03/08/the-desecration-graves-in-jaffna-path-of-reconciliation/
[vii] Read my comment in ibid.

REFERENCES

Ambalavanar, Arun, (2011), “The Farce of a Fake Tigress”, Sri Lanka Guardian, August 15.

http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/08/farce-of-fake-tigress.html

Barrowclough, Nikki, (2011), “Tigress, interrupted”, Good Weekend magazine (Sydney Morning Herald), July 09, pp26.
de Soyza, Niromi, (2011), Tamil Tigress: My story as a child soldier in Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war, Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
de Soyza, Niromi, (2009), “Life as a female Tamil Tiger guerrilla relived by one of first female soldiers”, The Telegraph, May 08. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/srilanka/5283438/Life-as-a-female-Tamil-Tiger-guerilla-relived-by-one-of-first-female-soldiers.html
Goodwin, Jan, (2008), “When the Suicide Bomber Is a Woman”, Marie Claire, January 16. http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/female-suicide-bomber?click=main_sr
Guevara, Ernesto Che, (1995), The Motorcycle Diaries: A Journey around South America, London: Verso.
Purcell, John, (2011), “Niromi de Soyza, the author of Tamil Tigress, answers Ten Terrifying Questions”, June 27. http://blog.booktopia.com.au/2011/06/27/niromi-de-soyza-author-tamil-tigress-answers-ten-terrifying-questions/
Roberts, Michael, (2011), “Forbidden Fruits: Niromi de Soyza’s “Tamil Tigress”, Norma Kouri and Helen Demidenko?” Groundviews, August 31. http://groundviews.org/2011/08/31/forbidden-fruits-niromi-de-soyzas-tamil-tigress-noumi-kouri-and-helen-demidenko/
Sarvan, Charles Ponnuthurai, (2011), “Writing and truth: The instance of Niromi de Soyza’a Tamil Tigress”, The Sunday Times (Plus), September 25. http://sundaytimes.lk/110925/Plus/plus_07.html
Schalk, Peter, (1994), “Women Fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ilam: The Martial Feminism of Atel Palacinkam”, South Asia Research, Vol.14. No.2, autumn, pp163-183.Swamy, Narayan M.R., (1994), Tigers of Lanka: From Boys to Guerrillas, Delhi: Konark Publishers PVT Ltd.
Windsor, Gerard, (2011), “Tamil Tigress: Life of a child veteran fighting persecution in a protracted civil war”, Sydney Morning Herald, September 03. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/tamil-tigress-20110901-1jmmv.html

By Raisa Wickrematunge

The picture that appears when you go to www.niromidesoyza.com is very evocative. It shows a young child in the foreground, with the muzzle of a gun pointed straight at the camera.
There are other armed children in the background. This picture is also the cover of Niromi de Soyza’s latest book “The Tamil Tigress.” The book details Soyza’s decade-long stint in the LTTE, as one of the first female cadres, she says.
The website is empty other than for this picture. Clicking on it redirects the user to the book’s official Facebook page. The first post is a picture of the “Tamil Tigress” in a school library.
Following the July release, the ‘Tamil Tigress’ was well received in Australia, where de Soyza now lives. As the Facebook page notes, the book was named one of the ‘50 books you can’t put down’ in the Australian Government’s “Get Reading!” 2011 campaign. Scrolling down the page, it becomes apparent that de Soyza is active in the literary events circuit. Her more recent activities include speaking at the Australian Council and even a radio interview on Australia’s ABC Classic FM; she has also attended (and spoken at) several literary festivals.
However, despite the acclaim she has received from overseas, there are an increasing number of dissenting voices – people who claim she is a fake. What is more, there are claims that her charitable efforts are not above suspicion. Principal researcher and founder of the Point Pedro Institute of Development, Muttukrishna Sarvananthan attended a literary festival in Eltham where de Soyza was speaking. At one point, she said that the proceeds of the ‘Tamil Tigress’ would be going towards her ‘alma mater’, and provided an email address with the username sjc87. A simple Google search and the website www.sjc87scholarship.org pops up.
This website depicts a young girl bent over a book, looking at the camera. The SJC87 initiative aims to assist war affected children in the North and East, by helping provide them with a decent education at selected schools. Children are selected by a sponsor, who can choose based on school, gender or age. Apart from scholarships, there are English and IT programmes, even programmes to encourage those with an aptitude for theatre. It seems a legitimate call for humanitarian aid – except for the minor fact that SJC stands for St. John’s College, a boy’s school in Jaffna. As Sarvananthan observed, it is curious that de Soyza appeared to claim that she attended this school.
The ‘Tamil Tigress’ Facebook page notes that 15% of the money from book sales would be going to the SJC87 initiative, though there was no mention of de Soyza attending the school. In fact, de Soyza does not appear to be mentioned anywhere in the SJC87 initiative website—which is curious considering her charitable donations.
In order to get some answers to the questions raised, The Sunday Leader attempted to contact de Soyza through her publisher, Allen and Unwin. Several emails were sent to the publicity department, as directed, with no response.
De Soyza has conducted many interviews with Australians, but is more reticent with Sri Lankans. In fact, she had postponed meeting Sarvananthan for two months.
The questions posed in the email were as follows:
Why does de Soyza continue to use a nom de guerre, when the war has been over for two years? Is she under threat in Sydney, where she reportedly lives with her husband and two children?
What is her response to the allegations that her book was not in fact a true story? Several points did not ring true, such as her use of the term ‘boyfriend’, a term not commonly used in Jaffna at the time and her claim in the opening chapter of smelling ripening palmyrah fruit, which ripen in June or July, not December. More serious, however, is the fact that she portrayed the LTTE as battling government forces in December, when in fact they were fighting the Indian Peacekeeping Force; it was Groundviews reporter Michael Roberts who pointed out this error. Were these minor mistakes? Or deliberate rearrangements of the truth? Questions were also raised as to de Soyza’s fundraising activities for her supposed alma mater.
Although it was stressed that de Soyza had an opportunity to respond to her detractors, she or her publishing company chose to ignore the emails.
One thing is for certain- the book is captivating, told from the point of view of a female child soldier. The opening scene, which has de Soyza crouching in the shadow of a water tank in the midst of a desperate mission, is just as evocative as the book cover. Whether it is fact or fiction, though, is something only de Soyza can answer.

By Vimukthi Yapa

For the past few weeks the daily newspapers have been carrying various articles regarding the removal of Mr. Malik Cader from his position as Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka.
There were several rumours doing the rounds and the overall consensus was that Cader was being transferred to a high post in the Ministry of Finance. We have not been able to confirm whether Cader is moving out or not.

Malik Cader

Some of the stock market investors contacted by us were quite critical of Cader and insisted that he and his uncommon regulatory and over regulatory methods brought about the ‘Crash’ in the Market. They opined that such practices resulted in killing the investor sentiment. They also felt that the SEC and Cader failed to appreciate that some of the measures introduced were irrational and would result in investors incurring serious losses. He had not fully understood the market dynamics and lacked experience in the Capital Market Industry.
We explored some of these allegations and found that in the past the Commission had on its panel illustrious professionals such as Messrs C.P. de Silva, Michael Mack, G. C.B. Wijesinghe, Hemaka Amarasuriya and Cubby Wijetunga to name a few. Presently the Commission members are top professionals but have no Capital Market experience. Perhaps the Commission should look into this area of expertise that seems to be lacking.
The stock market commenced its decline around March this year and this downward trend still continues. The daily turnover is a fraction of what it used to be and today the ASPI is at 6281 and MPI at 5604.
Given below are some of the measures introduced by the SEC for the period August 2010 to August 2011. Many investors are extremely critical of these measures and some refer to them as ‘ experiments’ carried out by the SEC. They say that these measures ruined the Market.
•    3 / 8 /10 Trading halted on GREG warrants, DPL, TWOD and BLUE DIAMONDS. ASPI dropped by 26 points
•    5 / 8 / 10 SEC imposed a 10% price band on all stocks  ASPI declined by 77 points.
•    5 / 8 / 10  to   9 / 8 /10  ASPI declined by 351 points.
•    20 / 9 / 10 Additional restriction. Trading in price band shares for cash only. No credit. Secret formula introduced.
•    20 / 9 /10 to 29 / 11/ 10 ASPI declined by 264 points.
•    29 / 12 / 10  SEC made it compulsory for all Brokers to force sell by T+5 those shares of buyers which are in default of settlement by T+3, with effect from 1/1/11 ASPI declined by 124 points.
•    16 / 8 / 11   SEC issued a directive permitting Brokers to extend credit to investors over
•    T + 3 based on the computation of liquid assets less obligations , maintaining a leverage at zero level.
Stock Brokers Association requested for a leverage of one time.

ASPI moved up by 214 points.

The above factors resulted in the market dropping steadily and even though blue chips have posted excellent results, their share prices are still dropping.
Some Brokers had given excessive credit to their customers, well above the regulatory 50%, and on force selling their clients incurred serious losses. In defense of the SEC, it should be remembered that the SEC gave ample notice for the Brokers to collect monies overdue. All in all the Brokers were given nine months to collect the dues. Thereafter the T+5 rule was strictly enforced by the SEC.
Another factor that caused the Turnover to drop was the constant IPO’s, Rights Issues and Private Placements. In the past if a share’s price went up unreasonably, then the SEC used to immediately suspend that share from trading.
The company was contacted and if the SEC was satisfied with the explanation, an announcement was made. This practice has been stopped. Instead they enforce a price band.
The market has been dropping regularly from around March this year. Many local and foreign investors have moved away from the market and genuine investors appear to be watching the situation. It may take some time for the Market to revive. No doubt the crippling financial problems in the West will take its toll on our market. Malik Cader may be sent off, but whether this alone will revive the market, is anyone’s guess.

Unceremoniously Sacked…  

A source close to the former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director General Malik Cader who was unceremoniously removed from his post on Wednesday (November 2) for conducting investigations into insider trading and stock price manipulation by certain powerful personalities, said that he was sacked for doing his job.
He said that the launch of such investigations into breaking SEC rules was not done at the sole discretion of Cader, but was on a joint decision by the SEC, its commissioners and the Surveillance Department of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) on the basis of set criteria that warranted such investigations.
The source said that the SEC Chairman Mrs. Indrani Sugathadasa according to reports had said that those investigations will continue.
On the question of why Cader who was once the blue-eyed boy of the administration has now had the tables turned against him, he replied that he (Cader) was not the blue eyed boy of anyone and that his appointment was on merit.

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• An example of a Broker in difficulties on account of SEC regulations imposed on margin tradings…

Vijay Easwaran owned Asia Capital to sell Asian Alliance Insurance PLC?

A leading investment banking house in Sri Lanka Asia Capital PLC (ACAP), is yet to sell its 73.206% group held stake of Asian Alliance Insurance PLC (AAIC) and exit from the insurance business, a market source told the CSE Leaks.
Sri Lankan origin, one of the richest men in Malaysia; Quest International (QI) Chairman Dato Vijay Easwaran has a significant investment in Sri Lanka’s Asia Capital PLC (ACAP) which has two other businesses – a stockbroking firm, Asia Securities and an asset management company titled Asia Wealth Management. According to market analysts Swiss based entrepreneur and Chairman of Richard Pieris Group Dr. Sena Yaddehige is already eyeing to buy Asian Alliance Insurance PLC (AAIC) whilst another emerging post war bullish Sri Lankan platinum conglomerate is also interested to buy the stake of the insurance arm of Asia Capital PLC.
“The Richard Pieris Group, owned by Dr. Sena Yaddehige, already has 25% in the Asian Alliance, and Asia Capital owned Vijay Easwaran led QI wants to exit from Asian Alliance Insurance,” our source told the CSE Leaks.
Market sources in the investment banking industry highlights that the sale of 73.2% stake of Asian Alliance Insurance (AAIC) is to take place for a total consideration of Rs.4.5 billion (US $ 41.28 million) whilst the related parties of Asia Capital Group currently holds a total of 27.451 million ordinary voting shares of the Asian Alliance Insurance PLC.
As per Asian Alliance Insurance PLC’s financials for the quarter ended in 31 December 2010 Vijay Easwaran’s QI Group led Asia Capital PLC (ACAP) owns 9.74 million shares of AAIC (25.98% stake), Fast Gain International Ltd owns 9.09 million shares (24.25%) and Asia Fort Sri Lanka Direct Investment Fund has 8.61 million shares (22.96%) of AAIC being the three major shareholders of the entity. The fourth shareholder of AAIC is Dr. Yaddehige controlled Richard Pieris & Co.Ltd with 5.62 million shares (15.01% stake) and fifth being Richard Pieris Distributors Ltd with 3.75 million shares (10% stake) of AAIC.
Although Asia Capital notes that AAIC is a 52% owned subsidiary of Asia Capital as at 31 March 2010, the quarterly results of Asian Capital PLC (ACAP) as at 31 March 2011 outlines that on 19th August 2010 Asia Capital (ACAP) Group has acquired 6 million shares of Asian Alliance Insurance Co PLC (AAIC) for Rs.343.75 million and Asian Alliance Insurance Co PLC became a Subsidiary as of that date.
“On 23rd August Asia Capital PLC has acquired further 1,298,800 shares of Asian Alliance Insurance Co PLC for Rs.74 million. Company also disposed 1.2 million shares of Asian Alliance Insurance PLC during the month of March 2011” Asia Capital financials further notes to its shareholders.
Industry sources also stress that that Asia Capital (ACAP) is going through difficult times and several media earlier exclusively reported back in January 2011 that despite the termination of its long-standing strategic partnership with US based stockbroker- Auerbach & Grayson Co, Inc. Asia Capital’s Asia Securities Ltd is quite confident over its new tie-up with the two UK-based entities including Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Exotics group of United Kingdom. However, when Auerbach & Grayson moved out and terminated their agreement on 20 January with Asia Securities and tied up with newly formed TKS Securities owned by Malaysian politician Dato Tiong King Sing in November 2010 Mano Nanayakkara had told reporters that it will erode Asia Securities turnover at least by 30%.
It is also anticipated by market sources that Asia Capital PLC (ACAP) is selling its entire stake in Asian Alliance Insurance PLC (AAIC) to utilize funds to retire over Rs.1 billion debt of Asia Securities that has risen due to margin facilities that it had provided to Sri Lankan stock investors.
Back in 2010 Asia Capital had disposed its stake in Capital Reach Holdings Ltd on 19th August 2010 for Rs.299.5 million for Sri Lanka’s emerging platinum conglomerate Softlogic Holdings.
As at 31 March 2011  Dato Vijayeswaran Vijayaratnam has 96.38 million shares of Asia Capital (87.62%), with Fast Gain International Limited having 3.87 million shares (3.52%) and Asian Alliance Insurance PLC (AAIC)-(Life Fund) has 2.19 million shares (1.99%) and Asia Capital Chairman Hiniduma Liyanage Lakpriya Manohan Nanayakkara having 2.13 million (1.94% stake) of Asia Capital PLC’s (ACAP) 110 million issued capital of shares. Asia Capital financials outline that in May 2009, Asia Fort Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd sold out their 29% stake in your company to Dato’ Vijeyeswaran Vijayaratnam (Vijay Easwaran), Chairman of QI Group in Malaysia and in February of 2010 Dato’ Vijay Easwaran purchased a further 58% of the company, increasing his holding to 87%.
According Chairman/Managing Director Mano Nanayakkara who came to Asia Capital board on the 22nd May 2009, at the time of changeover of ownership Asia Capital faced both a difficult and challenging task.
“Financial Year 2007, 2008 & 2009 saw increasing losses as shown in the chart set out opposite.” Nanayakkara outlines in his review for financial year 2010 adding that the company was in deep crisis.
In his review for the financial year 2010 Nanayakkara goes in to explain that the biggest crisis Asia Capital faced was at its subsidiary Asia Asset Finance Limited in which a combination of the issues faced by the industry in the wake of the public implosion of a large non-bank financial institution ‘Golden Key’ of Ceylinco. Nanayakkara further states that high domestic interest rates and weak management at Asia Asset resulted in the company running at heavy losses and consequently fully eroding its capital base.
“Second to this crisis, the amount of debt carried by the Group was crippling, with the previous management resorting to informal sources of financing at a very high cost.” Nanayakkara notes. Subsequently at the time under the Nanayakkara’s leadership to obtain an immediate cash infusion to the Asia Asset Finance Limited a 10% chunk of in its subsidiary Asian Alliance Insurance PLC (AAIC) held by Asia Capital (ACAP) had purchased by the white knight investor Dato’ Vijay Easwaran with a buy-back provision for Asia Capital.
“The purpose of this manoeuvre was to make Asia Capital solvent and to achieve financial stability.” Mano Nanayakkara outlines in his results.
According to Mano Nanayakkara in his review for  2010 the management is hoping to list Asia Securities (Private) Limited and Asia Asset Finance in the coming year subject to Board approval and also hope to increase the Asia Asset Finance capital base to Rs.1.5 billion to qualify to apply for a savings bank licence.
Meanwhile Nanayakkara in his review further notes that while insurance industry in Sri Lanka has not been stellar in providing a return to their policy holders; Asian Alliance Insurance (AAIC) has now focused on a strategy to redefine financial intermediation costs and to provide outstanding value and delight their policy holders.
“As an operational goal the company has now AAIC set itself a target of providing a return double that of an ordinary savings bank account in a commercial bank” Nanayakkara says adding that Asian Alliance Insurance PLC continues to perform very well, principally in the Life Division during the period 2009/2010 with the assistance of the major shareholder acquiring the shares for the much needed liquidity of the group.
As at 31 December 2010 Asian Alliance Insurance PLC (AAIC) Net Assets Value per Share stands at Rs.41.62 and the assets are valued at Rs.4.31 billion. Company had reported a revenue increase of 28% at Rs.2.08 billion and a net profit increase of 154% at Rs.368 million as per the financials of 31 December 2010.Company’s Public Holding is just as low as 1.665 as at 31 December 2010 whilst issued share capital of AAIC represented by 37.5 million ordinary shares.
Courtesy: www.cseleaks.com

A Sudden Death in custody or another extra judicial killing?

The place where Jesudasan repaired vehicles and Pitchai Jesudasan

By Nirmala Kannangara in Nuwara Eliya Pictures by Asoka Fernando

The sudden demise of 40 year old Pitchai Jesudasan, the main suspect in The Sunday Leader Editor-in-Chief Lasantha Wickrematunge murder case has raised many questions.

Jesudasan was arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) on February 26, 2010 at his residence No. 31, Magastota Estate, Ruwan Eliya, Nuwara Eliya for the alleged involvement in terrorist activities.
Jesudasan has been later sent to Boossa Camp after interrogation at the Secretariat Building, Colombo 1. He had then been transferred to Welikada Magazine Prison and was an inmate there till his death on Saturday October 15.
According to the B Report submitted by the TID dated March 30, 2010, P. Jesudasan of 31, Magastota Estate, Nuwara Eliya and Kandegedara Piyawansa of 42/ 28 Katuwana, Nuwara Eliya were arrested for the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge and attempted murder of the then Editor of the Rivira newspaper Upali Tennakoon and previous attack on Deputy Editor for the Nation newspaper Keith Noyahr.
With relation to the murder of Wickrematunge police charged that Jesudasan’s national ID had been used by Kandegedera Piyawansa to obtain five SIM cards which were later believed to have been used by a five man hit squad who trailed and murdered Wickrematunge on January 8, 2009.  However, Jesudason as far back as August 23, 2008, had reported the loss of his National ID to S.M.P.S. Samarakoon, Grama Sevaka Ruwan Eliya.

The detention order, Jesudasan’s official complaint to the Grama Sevaka reporting his lost NIC in 2008 and A copy of the ‘B’ report charging Jesudason for the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge

The report had further charged the two suspects of attempting to topple a legitimate government and bring discredit to the government.
However given the sudden and unexpected demise of Jesudasan, his family in Nuwara Eliya is seeking justice to find out what had happened to him as he was in the best of health when seen last.
“We went to the Magazine prison on August 11 to see him and he was in perfect health. According to the General Hospital my brother had died of a blood clot in the brain. This is hard to believe as he was a healthy person,” his elder brother Albert told The Sunday Leader.
Lourthusamy, the younger brother meanwhile queries as to why the prison guards failed to tell him that his brother had been sent to the General Hospital for treatment when he and his younger sister Mary visited the Magazine prison on Saturday, October 15.
“It was with the greatest difficulty that we always collected money to visit our brother as it cost us at least Rs.3,500 for our journey. When we went to the Magazine prison on Saturday October 15 to see our brother we were told that he was admitted to the prison hospital (PH). We then went to the PH and after about two hours we were told that he was not there and that he was at the Magazine prison. We then went back to the Magazine prison. When we informed the prison guards of this, they confirmed that our brother was not there but at the PH. Since it was late, we left Welikada to get back to Nuwara Eliya as we did not have money to spend for our food if we had stayed that night at the Fort railway station. We went to the prison at 8 a.m and were there till 2.30 p.m. Had they told us that our brother was in the General Hospital we would have gone and seen him before he died,” said Lourthusamy.
Meanwhile a reliable source at the Welikada Prison on conditions of anonymity told The Sunday Leader that Jesudasan was brought to the prison without being taken to the General Hospital even though the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate had asked the prison guards to take him to the hospital immediately after he collapsed at the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate Court house on October 13.
“Jesudasan was taken to the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate court for the Wickrematunge murder trial on October 13. It was then that he had collapsed due to a fit. Although the Magistrate had asked the prison guards to take him to the hospital immediately he was brought back to the prison later that afternoon and was admitted to the prisons hospital. Since his condition was serious he was then transferred to the general hospital later in the evening and was admitted to Ward No. 44,” said the source.
When asked whether Jesudasan was an epileptic patient, the source said that he was not aware of his medical condition, but according to some prison guards he had complained of severe headaches often.
When The Sunday Leader visited Jesudasan’s family in Nuwara Eliya not only the neighbours and villagers but also a police constable stationed at a road block closer to the garage where he had worked were grieving at the untimely death of Jesudasan. “He was the most sincere person I have ever met. I have never seen him asking money after repairing a vehicle. He accepted whatever he was given. Always with a smile he was ready to help anyone that came to him even at midnight,” the police officer said.
For them it was a puzzle as to why Jesudasan was taken into custody for a crime he had never dreamt of committing.
The Jesudasan family live at Ruwan Eliya. Their humble home sits perched on a high elevation 3 km away from Nuwara Eliya town. His 78 year old mother and an elder brother are bed-ridden and it was Jesudasan who was the breadwinner. He was the seventh in the family of nine siblings, was unmarried and looked after his ailing mother and brother and the younger sister.
According to the Jesudasan family, they were not aware as to what had happened to their brother since he was taken away on February 27, 2010, until a lawyer from Colombo came forward to appear on his behalf to get him released.
“He was first arrested on February 26 early morning at 3.30 a.m. while he was fast asleep. When we asked the police officers as to why they were taking our brother we were told that he will be sent back after interrogation about a murder. Then again he was brought home by these same officers the following day to conduct a search of our house. When he requested the police officers to allow him to see the mother who was fast asleep, the heartless police officers did not allow and took him away,” said Albert.
When asked whether the family knew about his connections with an army intelligence officer who too had been taken into custody, Albert said his brother was good with anyone whom he met.
“The police said that my brother had bought five SIM cards and had given them to Wickrematunge’s killers. Why did they say that? Would a person who has not even killed an ant get involved in killing a fellow human being? To be honest it was only after this incident that we came to know who Lasantha Wickrematunge was. We are not educated enough to read his articles or even to see him on TV. Please give our sympathies to the family and tell them that my brother was not involved in killing him. Once I wanted to go to The Sunday Leader office and meet the family and to tell them how innocent we are but I could not do so as I did not have the money for the journey,” said Albert.
Since the breadwinner of the family was arrested, 27 year old Mary had no other options but to leave her bedridden mother and brother alone at home and to find a job. “My other siblings are married and I could not depend on them. I got a job at the diamond factory to keep the hearth burning,” dejected Mary said.
She has postponed her marriage until her brother was released and had taken a loan from the office to buy medicine for her ailing mother and brother. Despite all her mental suffering and financial difficulties she has still managed to provide food and medicine for her mother and brother.
“Only my stomach knows about how many days I have survived with only a cup of tea. I have pawned my jewellery to give money for bus fare to go to Welikada. Now I do not want a marriage and will continue to look after my mother and brother forever,” she said.
According to Albert, Jesudasan had lost his national identity card (NIC) and had obtained a letter from the Grama Sevaka in 2008 to obtain a new NIC.
“He went to the police station on many occasions but they had failed to record his statement and sent him back empty handed. Had the police recorded his statement and a copy given to my brother, he would have obtained a new NIC and that would have saved his life. We are suspicious as to why the police did not record his statement,” said the family.
According to the family, Jesudasan had told the police about this but to no avail.
“Even the Grama Sevaka’s letter was taken away by the police. Now we do not have any document to prove that he had lost his NIC and was trying to obtain a new one,” they said.
It was late in the evening of October 15 that the Jesudasan family has come to know about their brother’s death.
“One of our neighbours had heard the news over the radio and when we told the ‘watte mahattaya’ (A. J. Vithanage) gave us Rs.10, 000 for three of us to go to Colombo. On Sunday October 16 (morning) we reached Colombo and went straight to the hospital. When we went to the mortuary to see Thambi’s (younger brother) body, we were told that they cannot allow us to see the body but to come with the Borella police. Then we asked what the cause of death was and we were told that it was due to a blood clot in his brain,” said Albert.
It was around 2.30 p.m. when the Borella police came to the hospital and the body was released at around 3 p.m. on Monday, October 17. By this time Vithanage’s brother had came and handed the body over to Kelanipura Florists in Punchi Borella. All expenses were met by Vithanage totaling approximately Rs.50,000. The body was brought to Nuwara Eliya early Tuesday morning
A. J. Vithanage told The Sunday Leader that it was a crime for the TID to arrest such an innocent person for an offense he has not committed. “People in Ruwan Eliya knew who Jesudasan was. He was an innocent man who looked after the family with his little income,” said Vithanage.

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The police failed to inform the family where Jesudasan was – Kaushalya Wijesinghe Attorney-at-Law

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Attorney-at-Law Kaushalya Wijesinghe who appeared for Jesudasan said that the police had failed to inform Jesudasan’s family of his whereabouts, till she first appeared for him.
“I saw this story in a national newspaper and decided to help this innocent family. If I had not came forward to appear for him last year this helpless family would have not known what his fate was till he died,” Wijesinghe said.

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Was a postmortem conducted on Jesudasan?
Speaking on condition of anonymity a leading Consultant Specialist queried as to how the hospital came to the conclusion that the alleged suspect in an important murder case had died of a blood clot in the brain.
“This is extremely suspicious. On the one hand he was an alleged suspect in one of the most important murder cases in the whole country and on the other hand is the question of how the hospital authorities could confirm to the bereaved family that their brother had died of a blood clot in the brain or generally known as a stroke, before the postmortem was held.
It is only after a pathological postmortem that the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) can come to a conclusion as to what the cause of death was. Otherwise no Medical Specialist even with many years of experience can arrive at a conclusion on the cause of death without conducting a postmortem,” the Medical Specialist told The Sunday Leader.

Dr. Liam Fox calls on President: Shadow Defence Secretary of UK, Dr. Liam Fox called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at President’s House on August 28, 2009. Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Central Bank Governor Ajith Cabraal and Shenuka Seneviratne are in the picture. At this meeting Adam Werrity was also present although he is not visible in this photograph.

By Uvindu Kurukulasuriya

It was Margaret Thatcher’s son, Mark Thatcher who said how business was done in Sri Lanka with his local front man, an arms dealer Ravi Wettesinghe in the late 1980s. His business dealings at the time his mother was the Prime Minister, was the subject of much press attention.
Both Ravi Wettesinghe and Mark Thatcher were investigated for running shady operations by South African and Sri Lankan authorities in 1998. According to “Thatcher’s Fortunes: The Life and Times of Mark Thatcher” both Mark and Ravi Wettasinghe met President D.B. Wijetunga in Sri Lanka. Ravi Wettesinghe fled the country and never returned to Sri Lanka.  Now Dr. Liam Fox and his controversial partner Adam Werritty are in the centre of a scandal.
In early 2010, I was asked to meet with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to brief him on the situation in Sri Lanka on media suppression. When I contacted one of my colleagues and informed him about my meeting, he told me that there was no point in meeting politicians as they are playing with the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. He further said the Sri Lankan government had even bribed British opposition parliamentarians. He also said that one of his close friends when visiting Sri Lanka recalled seeing Liam Fox and some other man embracing two girls and they were acting like lovers at the Hilton night club, but added that certain identification with the exception of Fox was impossible. He said it looks as if the Sri Lankan government was supplying prostitutes to influential foreigners in order to white wash their atrocities.
Later that story was largely circulated within the Sri Lankan community living in London. Subsequently when I discussed the Fox scandal with the Guardian and Sunday Mail journalists I told them about this story. However, some of them dismissed it saying Fox’s sexual orientation was different.

“Pictures have emerged Liam Fox caught in an embrace with a porn actress. The 1997 pictures with Cathy Barry were taken at a charity event in Bristol.”

“Gossip is certainly circulating” Chris Grayling, the employment minister and a friend of Fox told the BBC when asked if Dr. Fox was gay. On the eve of his marriage in 2005, Dr. Fox addressed what he described as “smears” that he was “either a playboy” or “wild man, or gay”.  Chris Grayling, under pressure from the media, stressed that Fox was a “happily married” man. He said, “If you look around the Westminster village, you will find all kinds of wild gossip about all kinds of individuals in all parties. That does not mean they are not good at their jobs. I have known Liam for many years, I have known Liam and his wife, and they have always struck me as being a very happily married couple. The reality is that the gossip is certainly circulating.
Today pictures have emerged in the Telegraph of Liam Fox caught in an embrace with a porn actress.
On Friday October 14,the Guardian reported, “With political officers in London telling Sri Lanka that Labour was almost certain to lose the coming elections, Fox was seen in Colombo as a major potential asset. Researchers working for human rights organisations during this period were so concerned by indications that the Sri Lankan government might be seeking to enlist Fox’s support to ease restrictions on arms imports from the UK to the island nation, they raised their worries with the Foreign Office in London. Sources say now that they received specific information that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the feared Defence Secretary and the brother of the president, had asked Fox to lobby for more access to British weapons.
The Guardian, The Sunday Leader and Colombo Telegraph joint investigating team found that there is a relation between the owner of Bell Pottinger, Dr. Fox and his controversial partner Adam Werritty.
The Defence Secretary Liam Fox’s friend for 30 years Lord Bell, whose PR firm Bell Pottinger was employed by the Sri Lankan government until last year to improve the country’s reputation abroad, said the deal had been struck between Fox and the head of the Sri Lankan bank: “In order for these funds to operate they would need an agreement with the country. The financial interests of Sri Lanka come under the Governor of the Central Bank”.
The Defence Secretary Liam Fox was intimately involved in negotiations with the Sri Lankan regime as recently as last summer, according to Lord Bell, agreeing on a deal that allows the Sri Lankan Development Trust to operate in the country in the same period in which he now says he withdrew his involvement. The Trust was a venture designed to rebuild the country’s infrastructure using private finance with a sideline in charitable projects for Tamil communities.
In June 2010, Fox met the Sri Lankan foreign minister in Singapore, along with Werritty and Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials. “The purpose of the meeting was to make it clear that although I would no longer be able to participate in the project, the others involved would continue to do so,” he said on Monday. But Bell told the Guardian on Thursday that discussions took place last summer in which Fox agreed with the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka that the Trust would invest in road building and other infrastructure projects using private investment.
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal confirmed to BBC on October 22, 2010 that the government had hired a few PR companies. But he refused to reveal the amounts paid. “So many people are spending huge sums of money to tarnish our country’s image. Media institutions are also involved in this. We will do everything possible to boost that image and I believe it is our duty,” he told the BBC.
According to informed sources the Sri Lankan government had paid the British PR firm about £3m ($4.7m) last year to try to enhance the country’s post-war image. Bell Pottinger’s motto displayed on its website is “Better reputations, better results.”
When a request was made under the Freedom of Information Act, the Chairman of Bell Pottinger’s parent company, Chime Communications, told the BBC Sinhala service that the Act only covers UK government departments and certain contractors. “Further I must tell you all our client contracts are commercially confidential – consequently we cannot supply the information you seek,” Lord Bell said last year.
“Liam Fox told the house about the Trust on Monday. It is clearly not a full explanation. If he was still striking deals with the Sri Lankans last summer, how does that fit with official UK foreign policy? He has to explain these negotiations. You cannot have a situation where a government minister is appearing to run a completely separate foreign policy from that of the government,” Kevan Jones, shadow defence minister, said. Labour urged the government to come clean on Fox’s work in Sri Lanka and whether it might have contravened the government’s official policy, while a senior Whitehall source said the minister had been operating a “maverick foreign policy” and it is this that will ultimately decide his political fate.
Dr. Fox has been a long standing friend of the Sri Lankan government and relations go back nearly 15 years. His name became familiar to Sri Lankan people after the Liam Fox agreement between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe. Contributions to the cost of the trips were also received from the Sri Lankan government via its London embassy.
In fact, Opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake, told The Sunday Leader last week that in 2010 he together with Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had a breakfast meeting with Liam Fox and Adama Werritty. This was not the first time Karunanayake met the duo as a photograph published in The Sunday Leader in 2009 also showed Karunanayake posing with Fox and Werritty. “Adam was introduced to us as Fox’s personal aide,” Karunanayake said.
Ravi Karunanayake and Ranil Wickremesinghe were not the only members of the main opposition UNP Fox and Werritty met with. The pair also had a meeting with Presidents Counsel and 0pposition MP Wijedasa Rajapaksa at the Hilton Bar last year.
David Cameron said at Prime Minister’s question time, that he was waiting for the O’Donnell inquiry before deciding whether to sack Fox. “I ask people to have a little patience and wait for the facts to be established,” he said.
uvindu@journalist.com

Liam Fox Resigns Over Adam Werritty Affair: Letter Of Resignation
Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, has resigned over his links to his self-styled ‘adviser’ Adam Werritty. Here is the full text of his resignation letter to Prime Minister David Cameron.

14 Oct 2011

Dear David,

Dr Liam Fox and best man Adam Werritty Photo: PA

As you know, I have always placed a great deal of importance on accountability and responsibility. As I said in the House of Commons on Monday, I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my Government activities to become blurred. The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days. I am very sorry for this.
I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. I now have to hold myself to my own standard. I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as Secretary of State for Defence – a position which I have been immensely proud and honoured to have held.
I am particularly proud to have overseen the long overdue reforms to the Ministry of Defence and to our Armed Forces, which will shape them to meet the challenges of the future and keep this country safe. I am proud also to have played a part in helping to liberate the people of Libya, and I regret that I will not see through to its conclusion Britain’s role in Afghanistan, where so much progress has been made.
Above all, I am honoured and humbled to have worked with the superb men and women in our Armed Forces. Their bravery, dedication and professionalism are second to none. I appreciate all the support you have given me – and will continue to support the vital work of this Government, above all in controlling the enormous budget deficit we inherited, which is a threat not just to this country’s economic prosperity but also to its national security.
I look forward to continuing to represent my constituents in North Somerset.
Yours ever,
Liam

Courtesy: The Guardian – UK

_______________________________________

On the 16th of December, Adam Werrity, the personal aide to British Secretary of Defence Liam Fox arrived in Sri Lanka. He arrived in advance to vet the arrangements that were being made for Liam Fox’s visit when he was expected to make the keynote speech at the Lakshman Kadirgamar commemoration. He first met with Mrs Suganthi Kadirgamar to go over the arrangements.
Fox visit cancelled Werrity received an urgent message early next morning from England where he was informed that the visit to Sri Lanka by Liam Fox was suspended and that he should keep the Sri Lankan government advised. Adam Werrity then met with External Affairs Minister G.L Peiris and Sachin Waas Gunawardene, Monitor, External Affairs, the next morning to pass on this information. He also changed his travel arrangements and was to leave Sri Lanka later that day. Minister G.L Peiris and Sachin Waas Gunawardene had then requested him to change the status of the cancellation of Liam Fox’s visit to Sri Lanka into a ‘postponement’ in order to prevent embarrassment to the government of Sri Lanka.
Accordingly Adam Weritty kept Liam Fox informed and the official version was changed to ‘postponed’. His visit was postponed for the next year and his speech too would be made during an official visit to be scheduled in 2011 the communiqué added. The official communiqué also stated that as his visit to the Gulf had been extended hence his inability to visit Sri Lanka at this time.
Though Liam Fox’s visit to Sri Lanka to deliver the Lakshman Kadirgamar commemoration lecture was one of a private nature, the British Press had been critical of it nonetheless.
Liam Fox came under criticism by his own party, when he was in the opposition for speaking favourably of the Sri Lankan government on his visits to the island, some undertaken at the invitation and expense of the host nation. His website states that these private visits to Sri Lanka were at the invitation and cost of the Sri Lankan government. Costs have been borne by Sri Lanka Development Fund. Who administers this fund is in question. The site depicts his visits overseas as such: His private visits to Sri Lanka and his seemingly close ties with the government of Sri Lanka was cause for concern to British Foreign Secretary William Hague. The media had hinted that these visits though of a private nature would have an adverse impact on British Foreign Policy and interests according to William Hague.
The media was of the view that Hague’s concerns were the cause of the cancellation. Though Liam Fox had announced that he would visit Sri Lanka in his official capacity the following year, William Hague was to issue a statement that he would be sending a special envoy next year to Sri Lanka for a first hand observation of conditions here. Accepting that Liam Fox’s connections with the government of Sri Lanka could be useful to William Hague in sending a special envoy independently, he was making a statement that these private visits would not impact on British Foreign Policy. Reading between the lines one can deduce that future dealings between the British government and Sri Lanka at an official level would be through the special envoy

Minister of Indigenous Medicine is touting uncertified and untested Japanese drugs to  cancer patients in Sri Lanka

By Indika Sri Aravinda

Sri Lankan VIP’s at the opening of a mosque in Japan

We are in an age where medical specialists and experts are devoting all their time and energy towards discovering a permanent cure for the millions of cancer patients world over who are battling for their lives.
The moment a patient comes to know he is suffering from cancer, he is immediately driven into deep despair because of the fear that there is no cure. However, a great many of our medical doctors and experts are making unrelenting efforts to find a cure. In our country even if there is a cure it is very expensive and only a limited number of patients can afford it. In such situations the patients look towards the government for assistance.
The Sunday Leader reported on September 18, 2011 how the Ayurvedic Department is getting ready to import two drugs produced in Japan purportedly to cure cancer. However the government of Japan has refused to give a certificate of assurance for the two drugs. The Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Salinda Dissanayake has now intervened with seemingly great enthusiasm allegedly for selfish reasons.
Brast Sheave Co. Ltd. of Japan located in Osaka city targeted cancer patients by introducing two new drugs in 2008 -2009. But because a recognized certificate could not be issued as to the extent cancer can be cured, the Japanese drugs manufacturer met with several problems. Consequently the Japanese government objected to the drugs being used on cancer patients. As a result Brast Sheave Co. Ltd. could not manufacture these drugs on a large scale; their main objective being to somehow obtain the Japanese government certificate and earn large amounts of money by marketing the drugs worldwide rather than primarily focussing on curing cancer patients.
Brast Sheave Co. Ltd. in the period between 2008 -2009, named two cancer curing drugs as NCK E 538A and NCK E 538 B, and issued a local certificate, but because there was no definite confirmation with regard to its safety, the Japanese government rejected its use. If the Japanese government is to approve, the company has to wait for 10 to 15 years before a full practical analysis is done by the government. This clearly shows how concerned the Japanese government is about the health of its nation unlike in Sri Lanka where money and political power can steer through any impediment tagged to personal benefit.
In Sri Lanka, a certificate for any product can be obtained easily by offering money or through political influence. In Japan, the Ministries and its officials are vested with the necessary powers to implement policies duly and unwaveringly and we admire them for that. According to the Japanese government’s policies, every product they manufacture is subjected to tests a hundred times, and only when the stringent quality test is passed, and only once the certificate of government approval is issued, can the product be marketed worldwide.
Since Brast Sheave’s objective is only commercial, the groundwork to achieve this aim began in 2009. Sri Lanka was the main country, among other Asian countries, it chose for this purpose as Sri Lanka is a country which is most susceptible to the influence of money and politics. Brast Sheave too had realized that anything can be achieved in Sri Lanka through the power of politicians. The Board of Directors of Brast Sheave therefore decided to focus on Sri Lanka to test the effectiveness of the drugs and also for its marketing strategy. The company also decided to get a Sri Lankan onto its Board of Directors and worked towards that goal.
The assistance of Mohamed Nazeer, considered a close friend of a prominent Minister of the Sri Lankan government A. H. M. Fowzie was sought for this purpose. Nazeer is a permanent resident of Japan and married to a Japanese national. As such, Nazeer was appointed as an interim Member on the Board of Brast Sheave Company, with a view to marketing the two drugs worldwide.
Mohamed Nazeer was the President of the Assalaam Foundation registered in Japan and through him Dr. Jayantha Balawardena, a medical specialist of the Sri Lanka National Cancer Hospital and his family were invited to tour Japan. Dr. Balawardena was to do a study on these drugs and give suitable assistance towards achieving Brast Sheave’s commercial aims.
It is reported that all travelling expenses as well as expenses for his family’s entire stay were to be met by the Japanese Company. All these arrangements were made via the Assalaam Foundation under Nazeer’s signature.  Dr. Balawardena’s approval was then obtained for the two drugs NCK-E538A and NCK-E538B to be used in the hospitals for the treatment of cancer. In 2009, a letter from Dr. Balawardena along with a letter from Brast Sheave were forwarded to the then Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Tissa Karaliyaddha to be placed for review before the Medical Evaluation Committee.
After much deliberation the Committee, which had been notified of the Japanese government’s denial of approval, decided not to grant permission for the import of the drugs. At this time, Brast Sheave was also ready to take medical specialists from Sri Lanka to Japan to do a study on the use of the two drugs on cancer patients.
When we inquired from Tissa Karaliyaddha he said that, since the necessary information and documents were not furnished by Brast Sheave at the time he was the subject Minister, approval was not granted. “Our people cannot be made guinea pigs for the experiment and so it was rejected,” he said.
Brast Sheave however did not abandon its efforts. It then sought support from a former senior Minister, Piyasena Gamage to secure the approval for these two drugs. When we inquired from Piyasena Gamage, he said that there had been attempts by the company to introduce these two drugs. “But I sensed that there was something dubious in this effort and also a popular politico of our government was involved; so I requested the company to furnish the necessary certificate from the Japanese government for us to consider approval. At that juncture Brast Sheave invited me to tour Japan. But I replied saying that when I get an opportunity to travel to Japan I shall come to look into the possibilities. During my period of office the Japanese company could not get approval for the drugs to be introduced here,” he said.
Meanwhile, there are a number of questionable issues pertaining to the recent tour of Japan by Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Salinda Dissanayake to declare open a Muslim religious site.  Is there a special purpose attached to this tour? Is there any significance attached to the participation of a Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and a top official of the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine at this event? Were funds approved by the government for this tour?
Prior to embarking on this tour, Salinda Dissanayake sought media publicity saying he was going to Japan with the intention of importing drugs to cure cancer patients in Sri Lanka. However, he had gone to Japan to open a Muslim religious site. It can therefore be clearly inferred from all these shady actions that Dissanayake was touring Japan for the reprehensible purpose of preparing the groundwork for the import of these uncertified cancer “curing” drugs.
It is important to pay attention to the facts and data surrounding the importing of medical drugs to Sri Lanka. To what extent are these drugs useful to patients in Sri Lanka?  Have the relevant certificates been duly obtained? Has the government of the country of origin given its stamp of approval?
When we made inquiries from the Director of Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Regulatory Authority of Sri Lanka, Dr. Hemantha Beneragama, he clearly emphasized that all drugs relating to western medical treatment have to be approved by the institution under his authority before they are imported to the country. This approval has to be obtained from the Specialized Committee of the Health Ministry and permission is granted based on a proper evaluation. Such approval is also given only for a specified period of time. He added that no government specialist or doctor is eligible to give a letter of approval for a drug to be imported without this procedure being followed. If any evaluation has been done that report must be forwarded to the Health Ministry before any further steps are taken.
Thus, the letter issued by Dr. Balawardena of the Maharagama Cancer Hospital supporting the import of the Japanese drugs as being most suitable for cancer patients in Sri Lanka is absolutely illegal, as per Health Ministry rules and regulations. Hence, it becomes important to probe Dr. Balawardena’s hidden agenda in this issue.
It is also learnt that Mohamed Nazeer, had registered a company – Kankio Herber Pvt. Ltd. in Sri Lanka with a view to marketing these drugs on a large scale after obtaining approval from the Ayurveda Department. The National Cancer Hospital’s approval has also been obtained for this venture.  There is however no evidence whether cancer patients in the Hospital have already been administered this treatment.  These drugs can be obtained on a prescription and have been recommended as a cure for cancer patients at a cost of about three million rupees. The Ayurvedic Medical Council had been apprised of this.
When asked, Secretary, National Health Ministry, B. D. Dissanayake, said the drugs were being imported on a trial basis. Dr. Balawardena had issued a certificate in this regard and he would give a confirmation after a medical examination is conducted on them.
When Deputy Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Pandu Bandaranayake was asked about this, he said it was Minister Salinda Dissanayake who had been instrumental in importing these drugs to Sri Lanka and an evaluation committee was not appointed in this connection because Minister Dissanayake was directly involved. He also urged The Sunday Leader newspaper not to use his name in relation to this subject as the Minister is “showing a direct and keen interest” in this matter.
The Sunday Leader on September 25, carried  a headline news item about the dissolution of the Ayurvedic Medical Council by Minister Salinda Dissanayake because the members had objected to the import of these drugs and that he is now moving toward appointing his kith, kin and henchmen to the Council. The Minister had also postponed, indefinitely, the meeting of the Ayurvedic Medical Council which was scheduled for September 29, 2011.
Dr. Danister Perera, a member of the Ayurvedic Medical Council, who had from the every outset raised strong opposition to the import of these drugs, refused to comment, except to say that we should get the details on this issue from the National Health Minister or his Secretary.
The Council meets under the aegis of the Commissioner of Ayurveda and comprises 20 members including Ayurveda doctors and government officials. It is reported that 18 members had objected to this drug being imported. Normally, permission is granted only for a three year period when importing a drug, but because of the approval granted by Salinda Dissanayake over the telephone, Brast Sheave Co. Ltd had been given permission to export the drugs to Sri Lanka.
This import is for a preliminary 6 month period, to be extended subsequently for a year, and approval for marketing it abroad while being used on cancer patients in Sri Lanka had also been granted.
The government’s attention should be drawn to this particularly dangerous situation where the Minister of Indigenous Medicine is over-riding all opposition mounted by the Ayurvedic Medical Council and the Commissioner of Ayurveda and proceeding to import uncertified and untested drugs that are purported to cure cancer. It should also be probed as to why Dissanayake is obsessed with this particular issue, casting aside all his other duties.
It is reported that for the Ayurveda exhibition held across Japan on September 10 and 11, 2011, organized by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Japan, Minister Dissanayake, Deputy Minister Pandu Bandaranayake and their families, the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Indigenous Medicine and several non Ayurveda doctors visited Japan as local representatives. What is of great significance is that this team had left Sri Lanka to attend this two day exhibition on September 5 and returned only on September 17. It is worthy to probe whether these colossal expenses were met by the Sri Lankan government or whether the tour was funded by Brast Sheave Co. Ltd.
Health Ministry Secretary B. D. Dissanayake answering our queries in this regard said the name list of those visiting Japan was sent to the Presidential Secretariat. However a Ministry official stated that the group which went to Japan was due to return on September 12 or 13 and not on September 17. Under these circumstances the import of this controversial drug is already in the pipeline. The former Ministers of Indigenous Medicine and the present Ayurvedic Medical Council have completely opposed this import. Who is actually benefitting from the import of these drugs, while placing at risk the lives and health of cancer patients?
It is the duty of those in the highest echelons of government to disallow politicians to abuse their political powers in order to make selfish gains while cruelly compromising the interests of the country, its people and the suffering patients.
The World Health Organization also should focus sharply on this issue of playing with precious lives of the sick and ailing in Sri Lanka. During the recent past we have been publishing a number of exposés on ignominious politicians and powerful individuals who are ruthlessly sacrificing the interests of the country, its people and the destitute at the altar of filthy lucre and selfish interests. This is one in the series of our exposés done for the common good of all.

Cancer Spreads Due To Urbanisation
Director of the Maharagama National Cancer Institute, Dr. Kanishka Karunaratne told The Sunday Leader that the hospital has not approved the use of the Japanese drugs to cure cancer. He said in order to approve the drugs, discussions must be held with the Health Ministry and other relevant officials. He said that approximately 18,000 new patients seek treatment for cancer at the Maharagama hospital every year. Most patients suffer from breast, lung and stomach cancers. He blamed the spread of cancer mostly on urbanisation and smoking cigarettes. Dr. Karunaratne said the Maharagama Cancer Hospital has yet to find a cure to fight cancer.

By Uvindu

A leaked US diplomatic cable says both the ICRC and the Indian High Commissioner had reported that their medical teams treating wounded have come across no evidence of chemical weapons or phosphorous use in Sri Lanka. The cable had originated from the US Ambassador Robert O. Blake on April 10, 2011. This is a serious challenge to the theory that Ekneligoda was abducted because of his investigation regarding the use of chemical weapons by the government in the last stages of the war.
Three months ago this writer wrote an in-depth article analysing all the existing theories related to Prageeth’s abduction and came up with a new theory. One can read it googling, “Was Prageeth abducted for his journalism or for mailing human ash?”
The Prageeth Ekneligoda disappearance has caused alarm and distress as much as it has been the subject of intense controversy. Many theories have been put forward regarding his abduction. Was his abduction a result of his journalism or of something else? Was he really a journalist or a poser?
September 16 was to mark exactly 600 days since Ekneligoda, said to be a cartoonist of the Lanka e news website disappeared after being abducted.  All this time no progress has been made in the investigation into his disappearance, and his family has no recourse to justice or comfort. They do not know whether to hope or to grieve.
The BBC recently quoted the UN’s Working Group on Disappearances saying it has been waiting more than four years for the government to respond to its request to visit Sri Lanka. There are some 5,653 unsolved cases over two decades which the group has looked into but the disappearances have not stopped. Certainly the phenomenon is part of the landscape of absolute impunity now enjoyed by the Rajapaksa regime.
Gordon Weiss recently released his book The Cage, The Fight for Sri Lanka and the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers. He was the UN Spokesperson in Sri Lanka during the last 3 years of the war.
In his book he says “On the twenty – second day , a freelance Sinhalese journalist, Prageeth Ekneligoda, is abducted from his home by men in a white van, tied to metal bar and terrorised, but later released. A week later, armed men stop a car carrying the news director of the TNL television station, Namal Perera, and savagely beat him and a friend in an attempt to abduct him.” (Page 151 Chapter 7-The struggle for truth)
That said, in the quoted paragraph above Gordon Weiss has either got his facts wrong or has, for reasons best known to him, deliberately exaggerated the issue.
Firstly, neither Prageeth Ekneligoda nor Namal Perera were working journalists at the time these incidents took place. There is no justification to exaggerate or colour a situation or issue. Such practices even with the best of intentions will only discredit a story rather than help.
Secondly, Prageeth Ekneligoda was abducted a long time after the Namal incident. Ekneligoda was abducted for the first time on August 27, 2009 whereas Namal Perera was attacked on June 30, 2008. Thus not only did Weiss get the chronology of the events wrong but the timing as well. It was not a gap of a week as Weiss claims but of a year between the two incidents. Weiss claims to quote a monthly e- bulletin by the Free Media Movement (FMM). I was both the Convener of the FMM and a Director of the Sri Lanka Press Institute where Namal was working during the relevant period. But I am unaware  of the existence of such a monthly report. Thirdly, the question that has to be raised is that while Namal Perera’s incident was related to journalism was it was so in Prageeth’s case too.
It is proper to quote here what Lanka e news of whose news website Prageeth was said to be a journalist and cartoonist published about his first abduction.
“Ekneliyagoda was for a while attached to the ‘Lanka e news’ and had written several articles. He was a cartoonist also”. http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=8238
Nonetheless, since Ekneligoda’s second abduction he has been missing 600 days and there have now been at least four theories posited on this disappearance.

First theory – Victor Ivan

The first theory came from Ravaya editor Victor Ivan in his article titled, ‘Is it only politics that is uncivilised?’ published in the Ravaya newspaper on February 28, 2010.
Ivan alleged that Prageeth had been in the business of writing unsubstantiated scurrilous articles for websites and had been instrumental in penning a scurrilous article on the sex life of a certain minister of the government.  Ivan’s view was that if a journalist chooses to publish unsubstantiated stories and slander as news and as a result he/she is subjected to physical violence by an aggrieved party(s), that could not be construed as suppression of media freedom.
I certainly do not agree with Victor Ivan’s conclusion on this matter. But the said article in question allegedly penned by Prageeth, appeared sans a by-line on December 8, 2009. Editor Lanka e news Sandaruwan Senadheera denied the claim that Prageeth wrote it.
Victor’s spin was obviously to effectively shift it to the narrow personal confines of an irate and humiliated government minister whose sexual promiscuity and erotic secrets had been revealed. But Victor Ivan’s theory does not explain why Prageeth was abducted the first time on August 27, 2009, because at that time there was no alleged scurrilous attack in any article published by Prageeth.

Second theory – C.A. Chandraprema

The second theory came from the political correspondent of The Island newspaper, C. A.  Chandraprema published on May 7 and 8, 2010. He wrote two articles under the title The Prageeth Ekneligoda affair, http://www.island.lk/2010/05/07/features8.html
According to Chandraprema, the disappearance or abduction of Prageeth Ekneligoda was an elaborate fraud carried out by Prageeths’ wife Sandhya and some others in the Fonseka election campaign.
Chandraprema says “By staging the disappearance of Prageeth in the last 48 hours before the day of the election, the objective was to bring the government into disrepute by making them go into an election with the abduction of a ‘journalist’ in the headlines. By the time the public would get to know that Prageeth was no journalist, the election would be over and Fonseka would be in power. Now things have gone wrong and Prageeth cannot come out. So there are attempts to build up a false case to the effect that he was wanted by the government.”
Certainly, like Chandraprema this writer too in the first flush of hearing the news did not find the second abduction on January 24, 2010 a credible one. This writer had his misgivings and thought it may have been “an election campaign gimmick”. It is almost impossible to believe since Prageeth was suffering from poor health conditions, but for the sake of truth and justice this writer has to leave that open at this point.
This writer called a friend in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and asked if there was any reason for this. He could not enlighten me either. Relentless in my pursuit to find out the reason for the abduction two months later this writer contacted the CID friend once again. This time he had more to tell me. It was not much but it provided me with a vital clue. He said it had to do with identifying Prageeth’s handwriting rather than dissecting the content of his writing.

Third theory – Sandaruwan Senadheera

This piece of information contrasted sharply with the position of the Lanka e news editor Sandaruwan Senadheera who said it was to do with Prageeth’s journalistic act. After he fled to the USA, Sandaruwan insisted the abduction related to an investigation Prageeth was conducting regarding the use of chemical weapons by the government in the last stages of the war.  On May 12, 2010, Sandaruwan wrote an article titled “Why Prageeth Ekneligoda went missing” to Lanka e news which says it was due to this investigation.
A leaked US diplomatic cable says both ICRC and the Indian High Commissioner had reported that their medical teams treating wounded had come across no evidence of chemical weapons or phosphorous use. The cable was written by US Ambassador Robert O. Blake on April 10. Here this writer quotes it in full; Ambassador forwarded reports from Tamil groups that the GSL has used chemical weapons in fighting to Foreign Secretary Kohona urging the GSL to respond publicly. In a private reply, Kohona categorically denied that the GSL had ever acquired chemical weapons and reported that the government has requested an investigation from the Office for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons into charges of chemical weapons used by the LTTE. (note: any investigation would  cover both sides.) Additionally, both ICRC and the Indian Ambassador have reported that their medical teams treating wounded had come across no evidence of CW or phosphorous use.- Blake. Read the full cable here; http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/04/09COLOMBO 413.html
There is today a great upheaval within the army, among the rank and file, and especially among the top brass. Many jostle to have the spotlight on them as the heroes who defeated the Tamil Tigers. The implosion within the army however started with the move by the former Army Commander, General Sarath Fonseka to enter politics in mid-2009. Fonseka was tried for several offences in three courts martial, and many army officers and rank and file were falling over their boots selling and passing on war crimes evidence and video footage. And yet nothing has so far come up relating to chemical weapons usage. This alone does not disprove the theory that chemical weapons were used but let us just say the jury is still out.

Fourth Theory – Kelly Senanayake

In Victor Ivan’s article he stated that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had in their possession a scurrilous paper (kalapaththarayak) purportedly written by Prageeth.
Meanwhile this writer had heard that another friend of Prageeth’s, Kelly Senanayake, – owner of Navamaga Printers was questioned by the CID and the CID had in fact taken a handwriting sample from him. Kelly confirmed he had in fact been summoned to the fourth floor of the CID and questioned about the said document on either January 8 or 9, 2010. He had been asked if he had penned the document in question. Kelly had denied writing the same at which point the CID had taken some samples of his handwriting.
In fact the document was one Prageeth had written to support Fonseka’s election campaign. In that document he focusses on 23 persons in the government including President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The document was typeset and Prageeth checked the proofs as well. Moreover, his handwriting was also visible in some sections of the document. Then some people started to believe his abduction was related to this scurrilous paper. But this still did not explain why Prageeth was abducted the first time. For then there was no such document and the Fonseka election campaign had yet to kick off. Moreover, the Presidential election itself was yet to be announced.

Human ash

Based on my own research, I would therefore like to pose another theory. It relates not to Prageeth the journalist or cartoonist but to Prageeth the man. I had been reliably informed by one of my sources that Prageeth had been posting human ash in small envelopes to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Prageeth discussed this issue with his closest friends and one of them spread it among his own network.
It was Ravindra Chandralal who spread Prageeth’s idea. Chandralal left Sri Lanka after Prageeth went missing. This writer contacted Chandralal last May and he confirmed that Prageeth had indeed discussed with him the subject of sending human ash to the President. But he insisted he did not know whether Prageeth actually did it or not. When this writer asked Chandralal whether he had repeated this to anyone else he said he might have told this to some others.
Certainly given what we know now, if such a thing were done then the idea had to come from Prageeth. In Sri Lanka, the power of spirits and human ash is deeply believed in. Steeped in mysticism and the spirit world as most Sri Lankans are, with politicians rarely stepping out on a morning without consulting their astrologer, the perceived power in such a gesture is phenomenal. In fact, many people resort to sending human ash when they feel oppressed or when there is widespread suppression.
Be that as it may, one morning the President’s Media Director Chandrapala Liyanage had chanced to open an envelope which contained human ash and having been scared out of his wits by this, had screamed loudly.
Prageeth who had got to know of Liyanage’s reaction had laughed heartily finding the incident rather funny. The President’s Media Director Liyanage however did not see the joke. Terrified, he begged the President to give him another job. So the President sent him to the Sri Lankan embassy in Italy. This writer spoke to Chandrapala Liyanage last May who confirmed the incident took place and further said that two people were questioned regarding this issue.
It seems clear that Prageeth had been allegedly sending human ash to the Presidential Secretariat from where ever he used to travel to – Matale, Dambulla, Anuradapura, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, etc.
Himself a gifted artist, Prageeth would have done it using his talent to change his handwriting. Therefore, when he was abducted the first time in August 2009 it was most likely because he was allegedly sending human ash in envelopes to the Presidential Secretariat. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that his first time abductors had taken samples of his handwriting and had checked it and then released him. Prageeth is an excellent artist and is exceptional at his craft. He may have cleverly changed his handwriting so they could not recognise it. That is why they said he was the wrong man and let him go. That is perhaps why he did not tell anyone about it and did not want to talk about anything that happened during that night in captivity. It was to Prageeth’s advantage to cover up the issue from everybody. Even if people did not believe he was abducted he did not care. It was more important for him that the issue just disappeared. I recall what he said to me when I phoned him after the first abduction, “It looks as if you cannot write anything by pen.”

Prageeth’s abduction has nothing to do with his journalism

It is this writer’s considered opinion that Prageeth was not abducted because of his journalism.  Chandraprama reported, according to Bennet Rupasinghe its editor, he had been only an occasional contributor and not even a regular freelance contributor. See http://www.island.lk/2010/05/07/features8.html
So far Bennet Rupasinghe the News Editor of Lanka  e news has not denied it. If anyone can produce any cartoon or article related to his abduction I am happy to withdraw my theory.  Those who portray him as a missing journalist are wrong but we must give them the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes, circumstances call for desperate measures, and to save the life of a fellow-human being, perhaps we can forgive the slight twist of facts. These persons may have done it to accelerate the finding process and apply maximum pressure on the government of Sri Lanka which is undoubtedly guilty of media suppression to the worst degree.
We need to know where Ekneligoda is, in spite of who he is, what he did/does for a living and who his friends are. We need to know where he is because he is a fellow-citizen.

uvindu@journalist.com

The advertisement calling for bids

A tender notice published by the state owned Lanka Mineral Sands Limited has raised doubts among local entrepreneurs as to whether the tender was aimed at really finding a bidder or to discourage interested parties.

Lanka Mineral Sands Limited announced the sale of several thousands of metric tons of llmenite, Rutile and Hi Ti Ilmenite from the company’s plant in Pulmoddai. An advertisement was placed in the state owned Daily News newspaper on Friday, June 24, 2011 to announce the sale of mineral sands under tender number LMS/MKT/TDR/11/01.

The advertisement stated that quotations have been called for the sale of 15,000 metric tons of Ilmenite, 750 metric tons of Rutile (bagged) and 2,000 metric tons of Hi Ti Ilmenite which were available at the Pulmoddai Plant.

Nevertheless, some of the conditions highlighted in the advertisement have caused doubts whether the tender is aimed at discouraging any competitive bidding for the mineral sands.

The first condition that caused concern was the third clause in the advertisement that states, “furnish a refundable fund of 10% of the quoted price credited to LMSL current account (931-BOC, Colombo 01) at or before 2 p.m. on 11.07.2011.”

Meanwhile, the tenth condition states, “quotations could either be sent by registered post to the following address or be deposited in the Tender Box kept at the Development Division before 2 p.m. on 11.07.2011. Tender would be opened at 2.05 p.m. on same day…”

Therefore, the amount the bidder has quoted would be revealed even before the tender is opened resulting in the loss of confidentiality in the whole process.

Another interesting clause in the advertisement was the ninth clause that applications for tenders could be obtained only on June 24th (the day the advertisement is published in the newspaper) till 2.00 p.m.

Interested bidders therefore were given only five hours from 9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. to collect application forms.

However, Lanka Mineral Sands Limited had published an advertisement correcting the advertisement published the previous day, 24th.

Yet, only the ninth condition on the time allocated to obtain applications for the tender had been corrected. The time period had been increased from 2 p.m. on June 24 till 1 p.m. on July 11, 2011.

Clause five of the tender notice has posed a barrier to local companies as it states successful bidders should make payments only in foreign currencies and that failure to do so within 14 days of notification would result in forfeiture of refundable deposit.

General Manager, Lanka Mineral Sands Limited, K. G. Leelananda was not available for comment and Managing Director of Lanka Mineral Sands Limited, Dishan Goonasekera refused to comment about the tender notice over the phone.

State Resources and Enterprise Development Minister Dayasritha Tissera was not available for comment.

The business community, given the clauses in the Lanka Mineral Sands Limited tender notice, has raised issues of the lack of transparency, confidentiality and competitiveness.

Be that as it may, the State Resources and Enterprise Development Ministry has stated that it is currently engaged in reforming several identified loss making state enterprises by entering into partnerships with the private sector.

Therefore, discouraging persons from bidding for a state sale would have an adverse impact on the government’s move to push for investments.