Odds & Ends

The Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington DC, in conjunction with the Sri Lanka Permanent Mission to the UN, is seeking the assistance of Sri Lankan-Americans to lobby US Senators and Congressmen in an attempt to salvage the country's tarnished image amidst charges of torture, human rights abuses and harassment of journalists. A meeting held last week-and hosted by the two ambassadors was confined to about 25 to 30 expats and all of them Sinhalese. The ethnically lop-sided composition of the lobbying group has triggered resentment and anger among Tamil and Muslim expatriates who were shut out of the Government-sponsored meeting.

A series of similar meetings are scheduled to be held in other American cities, including Miami, Chicago, Washington DC and Los Angeles further polarizing the expatriate community. "Does this mean", asked one longtime expatriate,"that all or most of the Sri Lankan Tamils and Muslims are LTTE sympathisers and cannot be trusted or taken into confidence?." An official political meeting confined only to Sinhala expats in the US is unprecedented-- particularly one hosted by a Sri Lankan ambassador.

''If this is a new Sinhala chauvinist policy'', said a pro-Government Muslim supporter, ''will Tamils and Muslims be shut out of the upcoming February 4 Independence Day celebrations?''. The irony of it all is that the group of Sinhala expatriates, blessed by the two Sri Lankan ambassadors, will have to tell US senators and Congressmen that they speak on behalf of, and represent, a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society in Sri Lanka. So much for multi-culturalism.

The story that was spread: ‘Kohona tipped to be next envoy to US’, according to those close to the Foreign Secretary is more wishful thinking than fact. Asked whether it was an inspired leak, they said its intention certainly was to inspire Dr. Kohona to leave, but he had no intention of leaving at this juncture. The story claimed that Dr. Kohona was taking up the Washington post early next year as a result of a misunderstanding with Minister Rohitha Bogollagama that had been prevailing for some time. So can we guess the source of the leak?

Except for some incidents like the torching of the Leader printing complex, the serious crimes in the country like contract killings, daring robberies and gang clashes, which virtually seemed to overwhelm us not so long ago have come down considerably. The obvious reasons appear to be zero tolerance shown to desperadoes and the intensified security checks at all times of the day and night. The zero tolerance of desperados too is no problem, for human rights mongers true to their double standards are quite transparent in their ignoring of such acts. But the most important reason is that key posts in the police hierarchy in the city and the immediate suburbs have been purged of most of the rotten eggs, along with routine transfers.

While the Treasury boys and the Government appointed directors have obviously taken a leave of absence of their responsibilities, the peacock handlers are said to be tying the bird in financial knots for years to come. Not only are they making hasty arrangements to sell what remains of the bird’s family silver. There is said to be a worse catch in leasing back the same stock. Insiders whisper that part of the deal is to return the three “dandu monaras” with new engines at the end of ten years, at our expense. So it is not only the lease expense that has to be met, but cost of 12 brand new engines.

Ruling types certainly read the comrades wrong. What with even posters being put up to thank JVP comrades for defending Mahinda Chintana pasted all over by Tuesday morning as if there was no doubt about the final stand of the revolutionaries. It certainly was a revolution to the surprise of the eager beavers in Government wanting to embrace the comrades. Despite the Budget victory this was a gaffe that could not be erased so easily even physically and certainly not from the minds of amused people. It was a monumental task. But it was done with a vengeance on Tuesday night and by Wednesday morning only the tell tale torn shreds remained on the roads.

The bull’s eye hit on LTTE political commissar Thamilselvan on November 2 and the US freezing funds of the financial arm TRO on November 15, are ample hints to Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran to mend his ways and come to the negotiating table. His annual Maha Veerar Day address is on November 27 when he outlines his future course of action. So on Tuesday we’ll know whether he had learnt from recent history or not?

The country’s policy of receiving foreigners coming from most countries with ready visas in order to attract more and more visitors got a severe jolt when an alleged HIV infected Ugandan woman was arrested at the BIA last week, while she was leaving the country after staying here for several days. The allegation is that she had been issued a visa to visit Sri Lanka without getting a medical check. Now new guidelines are being finalised by authorities on issuing of visas to insist on medical certificates, especially for those coming from sub-Saharan countries. As for nationals from 79 countries, who are entitled to over the counter visas on arrival here no such rules will apply.

The recent government sponsored terrorism conference in Colombo, which left many wondering whether it should have been held in the first place after the many adverse outcomes, including the chief guest virtually challenging the government’s attitude to tackling the LTTE and the so-called terrorism expert who handpicked the speakers, himself failing to show up.

Now it appears that leaving aside the massive cost of organizing the international conference and meeting the entire cost of the attending delegates, the foreign Ministry had even incurred several millions to print a thick book about the size of a big telephone directory, but containing nothing but a collection of articles on terrorism culled from here and there, but mainly from newspapers. Of course two of the main articles in it were by the terrorism expert who picked the delegates and the acolyte who sold this hare-brained idea to his political boss. What a way to spend the tax payers money and what a way to fight terrorism.