When a petition filed in the Court of Appeal against the import and distribution of pesticides contaminated with arsenic was taken up on August 5, the Bench comprising Justices S. Sri Skandarajah and H.N.J. Perera issued notice, returnable on August 8, on the respondents.
The petitioner - Centre for Environmental and Justice (Guarantee) Ltd. - cited the Registrar of Pesticides, the Central Environmental Authority, the Commissioner General of Agrarian Development, the Commissioner of Consumer Affairs and the Attorney General as respondents.
The petitioner claimed the authorities responsible for monitoring the quality and standards of imported pesticides were neglecting their duties of carrying out tests and other methods of identifying whether pesticides contained harmful chemicals such as arsenic. The petition claimed the use of these pesticides had caused severe health problems to the people.
The petitioner added tests carried out by intellectuals such as doctors, professors and lecturers attached to particular universities had confirmed harmful chemicals were present in imported pesticides.
The arsenic contained in them when mixed with the calcium found in water caused a reaction which formed calcium arsenate causing complicated kidney-related illnesses.
The petitioner claimed around 20,000 persons had been diagnosed with kidney-related ailments caused by this negligence of the respondents.
The petitioner stated as the relevant authorities were not taking action to stop the import of such harmful pesticides it was detrimental to the peoples’ health and violated their rights under Article 12(1) and 14(1) of the Constitution.
Attorney Vijitha Kumara appeared for the petitioner. Court issued notice on the respondents and listed the case for tomorrow.
Ex-UN spokesman Weiss faces down SL diaspora at book promotion
By Chaturi Dissanayake
Former United Nations (UN) Colombo spokesman Gordon Weiss faced a heated confrontation from members of the Sri Lankan community who attended a public lecture by him at the Australian National University last Wednesday, as part of his promotion campaign for his book on his experiences while serving in Colombo.
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| Gordon Weiss |
Some of the heated exchanges centered on Weiss’ claims, in his book titled ‘The Cage’, which puts the number of civilian casualties during the last few months of the war at over 40,000. Weiss said he got the figures from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
A large number of Sri Lankans attended the event.Weiss stood his ground, despite the objections, asserting that his book is based mostly on his own experiences. “It is my narrative and everything which I have spoken of in the book is evidence based”.
In his address, he also called upon the Australian government to back a campaign for a credible inquiry into what happened during the last phase of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
Referring to the history of the conflict, he stated that crimes were allegedly committed by both sides to the conflict. “I believe that most of the failure lies at the personal rule of the slain leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran,” he said.
House to probe UNP MP Dr JJ’s alleged LTTE links
By Chandani Kirinde
Seventy eight government MPs have endorsed the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee to probe the conduct of UNP Gampaha District parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena regarding his alleged links with the LTTE, and in particular, his participation in a protest campaign in London in November 2010, when President Mahinda Rajapaksa was visiting there.
The motion for the appointment of the Select Committee has been included in the Order Book of Parliament, under motions for which no dates have been fixed.
The motion states that Dr. Jayawardena directly or indirectly participated in meetings, protest campaigns and discussions by LTTE activists held in London, against the Government and the President on November 29, 2010.
It also states that the UNP member has maintained and is maintaining close links with LTTE activists or LTTE supporters in London and other major towns in Europe, and has acted in violation of the Constitution by his actions.
Meanwhile, eight UNP MPs too have handed over a motion to the Speaker, seeking the appointment of another Parliamentary Select Committee to inquire and report whether any MP was involved in the protest campaign held at Heathrow airport in London.
The UNP motion does not name Dr. Jayawardana, but states that Chief Government Whip Dinesh Guanwardena, in a statement to Parliament, had stated that any member who acts in breach of the Constitution, by associating himself with a banned organisation and an illegal group, by being present at the airport in London, when the President arrived there, should be subject to an inquiry by the House.
The UNP committee seeks to find out the background to the allegations levelled by Mr. Gunawardena, and whether any member of the House was involved in a protest campaign at Heathrow airport on that day.President Mahinda Rajapaksa was prevented from making a scheduled address to the Oxford Union due to protests that erupted when he arrived in London in November last year. The Government alleged that UNP MP Jayewardana was among the protesters present at Heathrow airport.
The Oxford Union cancelled the address citing security reasons following the protests. |
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