INVOKE EMERGENCY TO SUSPEND LAND AND POLICE POWERS ETC
Posted on July 20th, 2013
By M D P DISSANAYAKE
There are early indications that the Tamil National Alliance has already completed the ground work to create a direct conflict with the Central Government assuming that the TNA will captureƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ power in the Northern Province following the upcoming Elections.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Government of Sri Lanka has taken a cautious approach to the proposed amendments intended toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ negate some of the powers vested in the 13 A by referring the matters to the Parliamentary Select Committee in compliance with the democratic governance , but in the meantime ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the TNA and ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Big Brother India have marched forward to dictate terms to the Government of Sri Lanka.
The Chief Ministerial nominee former Supreme Court JudgeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Mr C V Vineswaran ( whose son is married to the daughter of Minister Mr Vasudeva Nanayakkara)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ has made it clear that he will demand powers well beyond the 13 Amendment if he becomes the Chief Minister.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There is no doubt that he spoke on behalf of LTTE and the Indian Government.
The Parliamentary Select Committee process and its deliberations including calling for views of the general public will drag on for quite sometime.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This delay will provide ample opportunity and much needed time for the LTTE puppets of TNA andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the Indian Government ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to create maximum publicity in the lead upto the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Such an adverse publicity will be counter-productive for the GovernmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s desire to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-show caseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka with its massive success stories throughout the country.
The Government has done sufficient ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-talkingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ on the issue and it is now time to act.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Pending the outcome of the PSC, the government should invoke the Emergency Regulations and under which suspend theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ provisions of the 13 Amendment which have been referred to the PSC.
Following the invocation of the Emergency, it could be debated in the Parliament whichƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ will expose the weak hands of the UNP on this vital national issue. Malwatte Maha Sanga has already given its blessings, Inter-alia, for the removal of 13A in its entirety. The Catholic Church will continue to play its role of an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Egyptian MummyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
Holding the Elections in the North without any safeguard mechanism will directly play into the hands of the TNA.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The new North Provincial Council will have every constitutional and legal right to demand the Land and Police Powers etc. if the election is held under the existing provisions of the Constitution.
If some of the provisions of the 13A are suspended under the Emergency Regulations, there will be strong opposition from ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the LTTEƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ supporters, their Puppets. The TNA itself may boycott the Elections as a result.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ What a wonderful outcome will that be?
Our President has achieved a lot in the past, this should be a walk in the Park. Such a bold step will undoubtedly bring positive outcome to the Country as a whole.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
July 20th, 2013 at 2:24 pm
MDPD ! While the President has given the Green light to the PSC to generate a solution, I think it will be tantamount to subjudice, to invoke the Emergency Regulations. I may be wrong. This is just my point of view. Probably, President has Over-riding Powers.
Also the President is shivering from the winds of threat from India, and he is unable to take a walk in the park, without adequate insulation.
July 20th, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Now we are getting somewhere.
Emergency cannot be JUST imposed. SOMETHING must happen that require it.
We should CREATE it which adversely affect Tamil nationalists and then snap emergency, SCRAP police and land powers.
But the easiest rote is REFERENDUM.
July 20th, 2013 at 3:59 pm
“If some of the provisions of the 13A are suspended under the Emergency Regulations, there will be strong opposition from the LTTE supporters, their Puppets. The TNA itself may boycott the Elections as a result. What a wonderful outcome will that be?”
Good.
The world will blame TNA for not cooperation.
BUT still the CM and others in NPC will be LTTE TERRORISTS.
July 20th, 2013 at 6:46 pm
Do not enact any emergency power till the commonwealth of nations meeting is over. Then enact the emergency powers act and use it to remove the 13th amendment. Since the manifesto of the Tamil National Alliance is to see a separate Tamil homeland they should be dissolved as a legal political entity that is working in behalf of the integrity of the nation. Using this time it would be equally advisable to send the strongest message to India by sending India’s Ambassador back home and hand over the building that housed the Indian Embassy to a Chinese military company. As for Katchacheevu which is going through the Indian courts for the possibility of reclaiming it after it is now part of Sri Lanka the best solution is to build a naval base on it as soon as possible.
July 20th, 2013 at 6:48 pm
Correction:’ “they should be dissolved as a legal political entity that is working against the integrity of the nation and is the voice of both Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Diaspora”
July 20th, 2013 at 7:37 pm
I have submitted the following as a stand-alone Article to be published at LankaWeb. I am presenting it here as a comment because the issue is important and needs to be urgently addressed.
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STOP the PC Elections NOW: Census 2012 Data Shows Massive ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION of Indian Tamils into Sri Lanka during LTTE control of the North & East in the last 30 years!
By Ananda-USA
July 18, 2013
The 2012 Census indicates NO REDUCTION in the Tamil Population of Sri Lanka, after allowing for the net natural population increase due to more births than deaths.
If 1.5 million Sri Lankan Tamils EMIGRATED, legally and illegally, to foreign countries, over the last 30 years, and many of them currently hold Sri Lankan passports, why is the EXPECTED REDUCTION in Sri Lankan Tamil population not reflected in the 2012 Census figures?
The only possible explanation is that during the Eelam War years about 1.6 MILLION Indian Tamils illegally entered Sri Lanka with the connivance of the LTTE and Tamil Nadu.
Were the 300,000 Tamils herded by the LTTE as a “human shield” actually some of the ILLEGAL Indian Tamil Immigrants brought into Sri Lanka who would be DEPORTED back to India if the SECRET of their ILLEGAL Immigration status was revealed? Were they WILLING participants in the human shield for that reason?
The article below by IRIN bemoans the difficulties faced by “war returnees” due to the lack of National ID cards, The reason why they don’t have Sri Lankan National ID cards may be because many of them are ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS who were never citizens of Sri Lanka, and NEVER HAD Sri Lankan National ID cards issued to them.
This should be INVESTIGATED IMMEDIATELY by the Government of Sri Lanka to IDENTIFY and DEPORT these 1.6 Million ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from Sri Lanka, as soon as possible! No National ID cards should be issued until the legal citizenship status is established through detailed background investigations.
Now it becomes clear why the TNA, the Tamil Nadu Politicians, and the Government of India are in SUCH A HURRY to hold Provincial Councils Elections and install the TNA in the Provincial Government, and Devolve Police and Land powers to them.
If the TNA is endowed with Police & Land Powers, they can easily FALSIFY REGISTRATION RECORDS, issue documents certifying Sri Lankan citizenship to these ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, and COVER UP the MASSIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION that has taken place!
If this MASSIVE Immigration SCAM is allowed to take effect, the DEMOGRAPHICS of Sri Lanka would change INSTANTLY to favor the Tamil Community, with the induction of 1.6 MILLION new citizens!
Until this ISSUE IS RESOLVED, NO PC ELECTIONS should be held, and NO POWER should be DEVOLVED to these CROOKS! DO NOT ISSUE PERMITS to Illegal Immigrants that allow them to to vote in Provincial or National Elections; that will give them another official document to buttress their claim to citizenship.
There is NO ISSUE OF GREATER IMPORTANCE to Sri Lanka’s National Security than the protection of the legal status of native Sri Lankans by keeping illegal immigrants out of Sri Lanka.
STOP THE PC ELECTIONS … NOW!
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No ID, no security, the dilemma of Sri Lanka’s returnees
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
July 17 (IRIN) COLOMBO- Close to 100,000 returnees in Sri Lanka’s north lack national identity cards (NICs), more than four years after the end of the country.s decades-long civil war.
“Many people cannot resume their lives as NICs are the passport to accessing multiple services and were made mandatory for voting in 2006,” Suresh Premachandran, a member of parliament (MP) with the Tamil National Alliance, one of the largest national parties representing minority Tamils from the north, told IRIN.
According to the United Nations, more than 460,000 displaced persons have returned to Northern Province – which is home to more than 1 million inhabitants – since government forces declared victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who had been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland since 1983.
In Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts alone, an estimated quarter of the districts’ 200,000-plus inhabitants are without national IDs.
Without such documentation, many residents struggle to access public services such as health and education, and well as government assistance programmes.
They also face the risk of questioning and delays by police and security officials.
Not a priority
Under the law, NICs are compulsory for all Sri Lankans 16 years or older, and authorities may detain suspicious individuals who fail to show any form of legal identification – a legacy of the war.
“Without an NIC, you are always at risk,” said Shereen Xavier, a north-based lawyer and executive director of the Home for Human Rights (HHR). “Without it, the impediments can be many.”
Even to enter many government buildings, one must produce an NIC, people complain.
But moving ahead on this issue is proving a challenge.
Despite the identity cards’ importance, the government has yet to prioritize the issue, with much of its effort focused instead on large-scale infrastructure and development projects in the north.
Many returnees do not have the required documentation to apply for an NIC, and with no local offices for issuing NICs, applications can take several months to process.
“The processing of papers can prove time-consuming,” Shanthi Sachithanandan, chairperson of Viluthu, an organization promoting good governance in the north, explained.
Temporary IDs
After the war, the government was keen to have its voter lists updated.
When these lists were updated ahead of presidential and local polls in 2010 and 2012, temporary IDs were issued to over 40,000 people to allow them to vote, a process that continues today.
At that time, around 90,000 people from the north failed to indicate their NIC number, Deputy Elections Commissioner M.M. Mohammad confirmed.
“Temporary IDs were issued to many, especially to facilitate their participation in the presidential and local government elections that were held,” he said.
But many returnees say such IDs are looked down upon. Those holding temporary ID have difficulty accessing government services and are sometimes treated with suspicion by officials, they say.
Now, with the first provincial council election in Sri Lanka’s former war zone scheduled for September, returnees and politicians alike are again urging the government to improve the issuing of NICs.
“The government has started issuing temporary IDs, which is a time-consuming process. People have to contact the local government officials and process papers, which is not easy for returnees,” MP Premachandran said.
But according to the department responsible for issuing NICs, given the amount of time and documentation it takes to process such applications outside Colombo – and specifically in the former war zone – temporary IDs may still be the best option available at this point.
“This is the best solution to the present problem,” maintained M.S. Sarath Kumara, commissioner general of the registration of persons, noting that temporary IDs issued to facilitate voting could also prove useful to people without any other form of identification.
“A temporary ID is a practical idea, and it can be revalidated through reapplication,” agreed Rohana Hettiarachchi, executive director of People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections, an election monitoring body that has been helping eligible voters to obtain national identity cards through a mobile clinic effort.
But for those returnees without an NIC, still struggling to establish some semblance of normalcy in their lives after years of conflict and displacement, the idea of anything temporary offers little solace.
“A temporary ID is useful for those who wish to cast their vote at the forthcoming northern provincial election. [However,] for us former IDPs [internally displaced persons], returning home after being displaced for a decade, there are much bigger issues than getting involved in a political battle,” explained Muttuvel Kadirmani, a 46-year-old father of three from Mullaitivu. He urged the government to issue NICs instead of temporary forms of identification.
“It will be useful in every aspect of life and provide us with a sense of security,” he said.
Read More:: IRIN (Source)
July 20th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Dear Mr. Bernard Wijeyasingha
Thank you for your very valuable input. I did think of the idea of delaying the invocation of emergency until after the CHOGM meeting, but deferred it. There are strong possibilities that at the first NPC meeting itself it will unanimously pass a Special Resolution seeking police,land powers etc. Though the President may intervene as the last resort, it will bring enormous strain on him at the door steps of CHOGM.
The TNA Rolling Mill is working overtime, we need to insert the “spanner in the works” immediately to jam the continuous casting operations. Let TNA produce scrap iron instead of Round Bars. Thank you once again.
July 22nd, 2013 at 1:14 am
They want mala eelam in north and the east since they had their ‘ancient kingdoms without buildings’ in the north and east of the country. Still want to keep Colombo to themselves.
Hypocrits to the core! Living in Canada, US, UK etc. thanks to ‘persecution’ they faced. Now they want
their own country to go on holiday. How much rudrakumaran’s parents paid for his education to
become a lawyer in the terrible, vastly discriminating country? Now he is a prime minister in a dream land.
Ungrateful, unashamed traitors!
Why do we have to listen to India’s tune? We should listen to China. We should get Chinese to start
a nuke project to supply ‘energy’ in the north to solve country’s power problems.