Unions reject JHU request to give up agitations

Unions reject JHU request to give up agitations
The Jathika Hela Urumaya yesterday requested all trade unions and undergrad organizations to shelve their agitations, strikes and campaigns for rights for one year in
support of ongoing war effort. But this was rejected by the unions. Unions reject JHU request to give up agitations
The Jathika Hela Urumaya yesterday requested all trade unions and undergrad organizations to shelve their agitations, strikes and campaigns for rights for one year in
support of ongoing war effort. But this was rejected by the unions. Targeted export income is US$ 8.6 bn for 2008
In the year 2008, the Ministry of Export Development and International Trade will concentrate its efforts on an export development and promotion programme of
achieving an export income of US$ 13 billion by 2011 for Sri Lanka. The targeted income for the year 2008 has been placed at US$ 8.6 billion. SL Rupee -US Dollar exchange rate defies adverse expectationsThe Sri Lanka Rupee to the United States Dollar (USD) exchange rate closed at 108.72 as at the end of 2007, when compared with the exchange rate of 107.71
per USD which prevailed as at the end of 2006, thus reflecting a depreciation of less than 1%, during the year.

Bodies of two infants found in sea

Bodies of two infants found in sea
Suranjith PERERA
The bodies of two female infants were found by fishermen in the sea off Ratmalana yesterday.The discovery was made about 150 metres from the 57th Garden Block settlement near Bellangala in Ratmalana.
The first body was detected around 8.30 a.m. and the other around 5.30 p.m.
Fishermen reported the discovery to Mount Lavinia Police. Police said it was certain that the infants were thrown into the sea as soon as they were given birth since the umbilical cords of both infants were crudely mutilated.
The bodies are lying at the Kalubowila Hospital Mortuary

Three killed, 80 injured in Sri Lanka road
2007-12-21 19:22:23 Print COLOMBO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua)

At least three people were killed and 80 others injured in road accidents in different parts of Sri Lanka during the last 24 hours, police said Friday.
Two people were killed when a privately owned passenger vehicle went down to a 20-meter precipice at Takawakelle-Nawalapitiya road in the central hill district of Kandy at around 7:15 p.m. on Thursday (1345 GMT).
Forty passengers were injured in the incident and they have been rushed to hospitals in Nawalapitiya, about 114 km northeast of Colombo.
Failure in breaks was identified as the reason for the bus to veer off the road, the police said.
In the early hours of Friday, one people was killed in a road accident at Tangalle in the deep south, police added.
Also in the Southern Province a bus plying from Galle to Mataracrashed into another vehicle, injuring 12 passengers on Friday.
In addition, at least 28 people were injured when a passenger van carrying garment industry workers clashed with a lorry at Kahawatta, about 125 km southeast of Colombo also on Friday morning.
Sri Lanka, with a population of about 20 million, has an average of 2,000 fatal accidents every year mainly because of negligence, poor quality roads and overcrowded public buses. Editor: Song Shutao

30 Agriculture officers arrested

30 Agriculture officers arrested
Wednesday, December 19,2007 COLOMBO:
Over 30 Agriculture and Agrarian officers were remanded yesterday in connection with the Rs 150 million fraud that took place in the distribution of fertilizer. The Agriculture Development and Secretary to Ministry of Agrarian Services T. M. Abeywickrama said several provincial officers, research officers and distribution agents were involved in the fraud. It is reported that there are two distribution agents among those arrested. According to reports one agent is involved in selling Rs 50 million worth of fertilizer at higher prices after purchasing it at a subsidized rate.

A person cannot be remanded on terrorist label - court
[19-12-2007 5.10pm]

“A citizen of Sri Lanka has the right to move freely and engage in the profession of his/her choice. The court cannot remand a person merely because the police arrested and labeled him/her as a terrorist,” Colombo Chief Magistrate Mackey Mohamed says. He was taking up a case in which a man identified as Meera Mohideen Abdul of Samanthurai is accused of gathering information for terrorist activities.
The police may have the ability to arrest a person on terrorism charges and detain him/her, but the court cannot do that, the Chief Magistrate said.
Appearing for the suspect, lawyer Paranthaka Perera said that his client was employed in Colombo.
After considering the submissions, the court released him on two Rs. 50,000 sureties and fixed January 11th as the date for the next hearing.
This Muslim national was arrested at an army roadblock near Rupavahini Corporation in Colombo and handed over to the Cinnamon Gardens Police.

ENB Lanka News 11122007

400 new Homeguards recruited to defend border villages in Thanthirimale against Tamil Tigers
Monday, December 10, 2007, 17:42 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 10, Colombo: Civil Defence Force formerly known as Homeguards have recruited 400 youth to defend villages bordering Wilpattu National Park against the
ethnic cleansing attacks by the Tamil Tigers.
According to the police sources 200 of these Homeguards are presently being trained by the Army and will be appointed to the villages before 15 Dec.
The Homeguards are to be deployed at hamlets located from Aluthgama to Bogamuwa along the border of the Wilpattu National Park. Tamil Tigers launched several
attacks at the villages in the Thanthirimale area killing few villagers during the last couple of weeks.
Potato farmers in Matale worry over lower prices offered for their harvest
Monday, December 10, 2007, 17:51 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 10, Colombo: Potato farmers in Matale district have become helpless due to the lower prices offered for their harvest.
The farmers in Mahawela, Pallepola, Yatawatte, and Dorakumbura areas cultivated potato for this year and said to have a relatively rich harvest this time than
previous years.
The farmers told media that the present prices have come down to Rs. 10 per kilo. They further told that if they sell their products at this price they would not be able
to recover the costs. To get a reasonable profit the price should be kept at least at Rs. 25 per kilo, the farmers added.

Sri Lanka maid's "forced confession" may still be used in death penalty appeal: AHRC11
December, 2007 10:53:00 Lanka Rates Writer Font size: An Asian human rights body expressed concern Tuesday that an allegedly coerced confession by a Sri Lankan domestic worker sentenced to death for murder in
Saudi Arabia may still be used against her in an appeal of the verdict to a higher court.
Teenager Rizana Nafeek, accused of murdering a four-month old baby while working in a Saudi Arabian home, was sentenced to death by Saudi Arabia’s Dawadani
court even though she protested her innocence.
The verdict was appealed to the country’s Appellate Court which began hearing her case on December 8.
“While the appeal is being heard there is still reason for concern as Saudi Arabian law places high value on confessions and whether the confession is obtained
through duress does not become the subject matter of a separate inquiry,” said the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in a statement.
The Hong-Kong based organization said a confession obtained through duress is not regarded as inadmissible evidence under Saudi Arabian law.
Nafeek, who was 17 at the time of the alleged crime, was tortured by police to obtain a confession, the rights group charged.“Therefore there is still the possibility that this legal principle may be applied even at the appeal stage despite of there being no collaborative evidence of any sort to
indicate that there was any intentional murder,” the organization said in its statement.
“There are many persons in Saudi Arabia itself who have made representation in favour of Rizana Nafeek in this case and have stated many principles within Shariah
Law to the effect that under the circumstances of the present case there is good reason not to attach undue weight to the confession but that all the circumstances
should be taken in their totality in dealing with the case,” it added.
Nafeek claims the death was accidental.
“She claimed that while she was trying to bottle feed the infant without any assistance from any adult, the child choked which resulted in the death,” the AHRC said.
“There was no intentional killing and she had only been working in the household for just a few days before the incident happened,” it added.
AHRC, which is helping finance her appeal, called on people to appeal to Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud for clemency and pardon.

'' THEART TO SECURITY ''

Hundreds of students of the Sabaragamuwa University picketed opposite the University Grants Commission at Ward Place yesterday demanding that the Applied Science Faculty be shifted to the main campus at Belihuloya from Buttala. Police tear gassed and used water cannon to dispurse them. Later, as seen in the picture, they squatted opposite the Vihara Maha Devi Park and engaged in a satyagraha. Nearly ten students were hospitalized due to injuries sustained while fleeing the tear gas attack. Six were arrested for disobeying Police orders.(Photo-Chandrasiri Weerasinghe)

658 Illegal abortions are performed daily in Lanka

658 Illegal abortions are performed daily in Lanka
Written by Daily Mirror Jul 08, 2007 at 06:21 PM

In a country where abortions are illegal 658 abortions are performed daily on an average. More than 240,000 abortions are done annually in Sri Lanka in contrast to 360,000 births an year, it was revealed. Obstetrician, Gynaecologist L.A.W. Sirisena, in a presentation at the Health Education Bureau said that majority of women who seek to terminate their pregnancies through illegal abortions came from semi urban and rural areas.
He was speaking at a seminar for media personnel titled ‘Men as partners in maternal health’ held last week to mark the World Population Day which fell on July 1. Dr. Sirisena making his presentation on how men could support maternal health in hospitals said mothers who were compelled to take the risk of going through an illegal abortion belonged mainly to the 25-39 age group
In a country where abortions are illegal 658 abortions are performed daily on an average. More than 240,000 abortions are done annually in Sri Lanka in contrast to 360,000 births an year, it was revealed.
Obstetrician, Gynaecologist L.A.W. Sirisena, in a presentation at the Health Education Bureau said that majority of women who seek to terminate their pregnancies through illegal abortions came from semi urban and rural areas.
He was speaking at a seminar for media personnel titled ‘Men as partners in maternal health’ held last week to mark the World Population Day which fell on July 1. Dr. Sirisena making his presentation on how men could support maternal health in hospitals said mothers who were compelled to take the risk of going through an illegal abortion belonged mainly to the 25-39 age group.
“There are many reasons for a mother to take that hard, life threatening and sad decision. They say it is because the first child is too small or the family is completed. Many do abortions for economic constraints or to go overseas for employment. Then there are those who have been raped and got unwanted pregnancies,” Dr. Sirisena said.
In Sri Lanka abortion is illegal. However an abortion could be legally performed on medical grounds if and when the pregnancy posed a threat to the life of the mother within the first 18 weeks of the pregnancy, he said.
Colombo University’s Obstetric Medicine and Endocrinology Department Head Chandrika Wijeratne said a healthy mother contributed to make a healthier family, healthier community and a healthier nation.
Prof. Wijeratna said according to UNFPA, every minute a mother dies during child birth in the world. Root causes to maternal deaths and ill health were unwanted pregnancies, lack of quality skilled care provisions and access to facilities, he said.
Consultant Psychiatrist Neil Fernando said mutual understanding, respect and cooperation between the husband and wife lead to a happy and healthier family.
Consultant Community Physician Loshan Moonesinghe said due to the lack of proper education on contraceptives or prejudices on sexual relationships and birth controls there had been many incidences of unwanted pregnancies.
Scientific education on family planning and contraceptive methods among younger generation were a sine qua non for a quality life, he said.
Last Updated ( Jul 09, 2007 at 07:22 AM )

Dar Al Sharq launches Lankadeepa Weekly

Dar Al Sharq launches Lankadeepa Weekly
Web posted at: 12/5/2007 3:35:53Source ::: The Peninsula Doha • Lankadeepa Weekly, Qatar’s first

Sinhala-language newspaper launched by Dar Al Sharq, publishers of The Peninsula and Al Sharq dailies, has hit the stands. “Lankadeepa’s launch reaffirms Dar Al Sharq’s commitment to provide information on various subjects to a cross section of readers in Qatar,” said Abdul Latif Al Mahmoud, the General Manager of Dar Al Sharq.
“Lankadeepa Weekly will certainly endeavour to match and uphold the fair and just standards of journalism that are practised by our publications. I wish the management and jou-rnalists of Lanka-deepa success in this new venture.”
Congratulating Lankadeepa, A GAbeysekara Charge d’Affaires at the Sri Lankan embassy said: “As an independent community newspaper focusing on local issues, it can make a significant contribution to the Sri Lankan community in Qatar and Middle East. I congratulate Lankadeepa for providing a channel for communication within the community and on behalf H E S BAtugoda and the Staff of the Sri Lankan Embassy, I wish them success in the future with all their ventures.”
Dar Al Sharq Foreign Publications also publishes the International Herald Tribune, Varthamanam, Rajdhani Weekly and New Era

Lanka News -''New price index'' shows 19.3% inflation!

Wed, 5 December 2007 0:00:40 LBO >> Economy New Index 04 December 2007 19:20:34

Sri Lanka new price index shows 19.3-pct inflation

Dec 04, 2007 (LBO) – A new index to measure inflation in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, showed that prices had risen by 19.3 percent in the past 12 months, a tad lower than the 19.6 percent measured by the existing index. The government's statistics office which computes price indices says the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) was not a "true measure" of inflation because its base is counted on the consumption pattern of a working class household 50 years ago.
All Inclusive
The new index called the CCPI(N) is based on the 2002 consumption patterns of all urban households in Colombo.
Data is collected from 12 urban centres in Pettah, Maradana, Wellawatte, Dematagoda, Grandpass, Borella, Kirulapone, Dehiwala, Kotte, Nugegoda, Kolonnawa and Ratmalana compared to seven centres earlier.
Authorities have been unhappy with the CCPI index as it showed high levels of inflation. The index responds quickly to money printing by the government to bridge the budget deficit.
The criticism that the CCPI index is "wrong" came while a country-wide index, the Sri Lanka Consumer Price Index (SLCPI) showed even higher levels of inflation.
In September inflation measured by the SLCPI was 22.1 percent compared to 17.2 percent for the old Colombo index. The new Colombo index showed 16.10 percent.
Though the trend was the same, the new index showed about a two percent lower inflation than the earlier Colombo index in some months, and sharply lower amounts at other times. But the index changes seemed smoother.
Why Understate?
Economic analysts say using an index that understates inflation would have several advantages to the government.
The main advantage would be that the government would be able to overstate economic growth with an index that understates inflation if it is made the official index for national accounts.

If it is used for monetary policy, the central bank would be able to print more money (have lower interest rates) without its negative effects being discovered by the public.
The government would also be able to underpay savers and provident funds, if the new index is used to index interest rates of inflation-linked bonds.
The government (and firms) would also be able to underpay workers, if the index is used to index wages. However indices using all households are not used to index wages of workers.
An index based on the consumption patterns of blue collar workers is needed to index wages. Such people spend a higher proportion of their income on items such as food.
Locally produced foods such as vegetables, meat and fish which monetary economists call 'non tradables' respond quickly to money printing because they cannot be readily imported when domestic demand pressure rises.
As a result blue collar workers need cost of living allowances quickly.
Even in the so-called capitalist countries such as the United States workers wages' are indexed to CPI-W which is based on the spending patterns of the bottom 32 percent of the urban citizens.
Sri Lanka's old CCPI index had a high proportion of food in it.
Techniques of understating inflation
In addition to using relatively blunt methods such as reducing the weight of items that go up the fastest, countries with central banking regimes use other sophisticated techniques to understate inflation so that more money could be printed;
= Hedonic regression - Discounting a price increase on the pretext that a qualitative increase has taken place which gives more 'pleasure'. The percentage of discount is usually arbitrary.
= Substitution effect - Substituting a rapidly rising product for a cheaper alternative on the pretext that a consumer would switch to a lower priced substitute.
= Increasing the weights of items that change slowly - Such as using rents in place of changes in actual house prices.
= Core-inflation – A controversial concept where the most important but volatile items are dropped altogether from an index. This allows a central bank to avoid tightening monetary policy. But when items such as food are dropped from core-inflation, the index no longer reflects the real world.
Core Inflation
"The Central Bank of Sri Lanka, in particular, has repeatedly highlighted the need for an accurate measure of inflation, which is crucial for the conduct of monetary policy," the statistics office said in a statement on the release of the new CCPI(N) index.
The census department has also developed a core-inflation index. Core inflation is not used in well managed countries to actually target inflation, as it is out of touch with reality.
Sri Lanka's core inflation index would drop prices under government price control, which analysts say is not necessarily a negative feature unless new items are brought under control, the statistics office said.
But using core-inflation for monetary policy purposes can result in frequent asset price bubbles as happens in the United States.
Most countries with inflation targeting frameworks use basic consumer prices with minor adjustments for interest rate changes or taxes. This because a legislative inflation target has no meaning unless it can positively impact the daily lives of ordinary people.
Economic analysts say Sri Lanka may be using a relatively unsophisticated method to understate inflation, which seems to centre around reducing non-trable products and increasing the weight of services in the index.
House rents, fees charged for services take time to adjust and can slow the growth of an index, but they do not necessarily understate inflation over the longer term, as most services are also largely 'non-tradable', meaning they cannot be readily imported.
New Zealand, the country that 'invented' inflation targeting, uses a special non-tradables index to base monetary policy decisions. However the target inflation is the CPI that affects ordinary people with an adjustment for value added tax.

SRI LANKA Policewomen Urged To Use Maternal Instincts In Dealing With Child Labor, Trafficking

CHILAW, Sri Lanka (UCAN) -- Children packing fish with ice or laying out the catch to dry are common sights along the coast of Chilaw diocese. Parents in this Catholic-majority area see child labor as a way to cope with poverty, even if it means a bleak future for the children, who typically have to work long hours under bad conditions. Sri Lanka's child-labor and related child-trafficking problems were the focus of a Nov. 7 workshop in Chilaw town, a little more than 100 kilometers north of Colombo, for newly recruited female police officers. The diocesan office of the Social and Economic Development Centre (SEDEC), the Church's social service organization, also known as Caritas Sri Lanka, organized the workshop, which appealed to policewomen's maternal instincts in addressing these problems. Neluka Perera, the program organizer, told participants most of the children come from poor fishing families. She called on the policewomen to stop child labor using "motherly compassion," strict law enforcement and "courage." The local child-labor situation is acute. According to Ruwan Manjula, a program officer with the SEDEC women's development unit, children as young as 10 can be seen in the wadiya, fish packaging centers, despite the legal minimum working age being 18. Mudalali, or boat owners, put children to work "under the pretense that it is helping poor families," she said. "The reality is that children are abused for minimum income and are virtual slaves," she reported. The issue is a tough one to deal with. One newspaper recently claimed this country of 20 million people has a "million child labor slaves." The workshop encouraged the policewomen to be more sympathetic in dealing with child laborers or children and women arrested on prostitution charges. As Perera made clear, children in fishing families live in poverty, often in troubled families with alcoholic fathers. Many families cannot afford education. In this diocese, children are "easy fodder" for human traffickers and sexual abuse at the hands of foreigners, she said. The western coast of the country lures foreign men who pay for sex with boys. British charity Christian Aid says information it has gathered indicates that up to 10,000 children between the ages of 6 and 14 are forced to work as prostitutes in brothels that cater mostly to foreigners. Gnanawathie, a deputy officer with the police Women and Children Bureau, told the workshop, "Although we arrest the people abusing children, the next moment we receive a call from a politician to release the culprit." The workshop organizers suggested that the policewomen contact priests or rights groups if they faced problems with influential people, such as politicians or businessmen, who block child-labor or child-trafficking cases because they make money off the children. The officers also were encouraged to help parents approach NGOs for help if they have trouble supporting their children. As Manjula said, cracking down on agents involved in child labor is difficult. "Here not only mudalali but sometimes our relative or friend could be the agent," she said. The policewomen talked about their own experiences. Kumuduni Perera, a police constable, said one mother complained that her child was trafficked by a mudalali to a wadiya for forced labor. "There was another incident in which parents gave their young child to a foreigner" for sexual purposes, she said. "Now this young child, not much more than 5 years old, is with the foreigner." One participant thought women police officers would be more compassionate than men in dealing with children and women victims, while their motherly instincts would provide the courage to act against culprits. SEDEC official Asoka Kumar said it was not only a state duty, but also a "religious duty" to deal with this problem. He said children are also suffering from the worsening economy and civil war. Thousands of child soldiers are reportedly fighting or working with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which launched an armed struggle for a separate state for the Tamil minority in Sinhalese-majority Sri Lanka since 1983. The Church worker expressed his conviction the Church could offer leadership in tackling the "horror" of child slavery. END

SRI LANKAPost-tsunami situation in Sri Lanka “shameful”

Melani Manel PereraThe World Forum of Fisher People denounces after having visited fishing villages hit by the killer wave. Three years on from the tragedy, survivors still live in tents and barely make ends meet. An appeal to the government to commit itself to rebuilding homes and the local economy.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – Almost three years on from the tsunami, fishermen and their families still live in makeshift tents in Sri Lanka as rebuilding and economic recovery is delayed. That is the warning launched by the fourth assembly of the World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP) held between November 29 and December 3rd in Kochchikade, north of Colombo. In 68, delegates from fishing communities throughout the world visited villages hit by the tsunami and expressed their “concern” for the living conditions of survivors.

The newly elected Coordinator of the WFFP, South African Naseegh Jaffar, said “we as the WFFP extend our sadness over the post Tsunami situation which we witnessed in Sri Lanka and the sad situation of the Tsunami victims, specially the victims of fisher sector are still suffering in the camps”. In a press briefing yesterday, Jaffar further added “we regret because these victims have lost their dignity, lost their basic human rights. Not only their property. We believe that the Sri Lankan government has a big responsibility to rehabilitate them”.

Among delegates who visited the camps, Joyce Oruko of Kenya and Marie Ademar of Europe told AsiaNews “the whole world helped Sri Lanka when the Tsunami hit but it is very sad to see the innocent fisher victims are still in camps and struggling with their day to day lives. It is very hard to believe that there are still Tsunami camps”.

Born in 1997 in New Delhi, the WFFP unites small fishing communities and those involved in the fishing industry in coastal zones and on islands in 25 countries throughout the world. The WFFP aims to make the voice of this category of workers heard and bring their demands to the attention of governments and international organisations