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The arrest of Indian fishermen for engaging in bottom trawling in Sri Lankan waters and their subsequent release after brief detention in Sri Lankan prisons were raised earlier this week in the Indian Parliament–the Lok Sabha.

Responding to a question raised by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) representative Dr. T. Sumathy Thamizhachi Thangapandian who alleged ‘step motherly’ treatment of Indian Tamil fishermen by the Indian government compared to Gujarati fisherfolk, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar explained the process followed in securing the release of poaching Indian fisherfolk, mostly from Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, the DMK MP alleged at least 600 Indian fisherfolk had been killed in recent times and thousands of their fishing vessels seized and more than 600 damaged in the past 30 years.

“But the Indian government is not taking stringent laws through legal action rather than talks, table conferences and diplomatic terms.”

Since 2014, 2,835 Indian fishermen had been released from Sri Lankan custody while the number of Gujarati fishermen released by Pakistan for trespassing is 2,165, the Lok Sabha was told.

“Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office, he set up a mechanism with Sri Lanka’s President and Prime Minister to deal with this issue and even directed me to take up the issue with Fisheries Ministers. So there was a ‘fatherly’ treatment for Tamil fishermen,” Dr Jaishankar said, while stressing he himself was a Tamil elected from a Gujarat constituency.

He did not stop there, but added that if Tamil Nadu fishermen were being released today following their arrests, “let us be clear, they are released not because someone in Chennai is writing letters, but someone in Delhi is taking up the matter.”

Northern university caught up in Indo-China geopolitics

It seems the ongoing Indo-China geopolitical struggle in the country has entered into university campuses in the North as well. It is a well-known secret that both India and China are trying to make inroads in the region via development projects and business ventures, in recent times.

The Indian Consulate General in Jaffna, with local partners, organised a three-day long December musical festival at the University of Jaffna to celebrate local carnatic musicians.

Then came more news among student circles that an entity named Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL) which worked closely with the Chinese Embassy in Colombo had invited university students to attend a three-day seminar titled “BRI and a Better Future for Sri Lanka” on the same day at a five-star hotel in Colombo.

Five economics undergraduates had been selected as participants and other students were also encouraged to attend the conference in Colombo.

Holidays: Sri Lanka fourth highest in the world

The recent announcement by the Home Affairs Ministry declaring tomorrow (December 26) a public and bank holiday, came as a surprise for many.

Some raised concern whether we need another public holiday considering the current plight of the nation given the country was among the top five countries with the highest number of public holidays in the world. Currently, Sri Lanka is fourth globally with 25 official public holidays next to Iran which has 26.

Top official resorts to cover up to go to Japan

At a time when there are severe curbs on foreign visits by both Government politicians and State officials, some have resorted to various tactics to go overseas. Some officials it seems are canvassing to go on private overseas visits as part of tour groups.

In one such instance, a key ministry secretary had written to the Japanese Embassy asking for a visa to visit Japan for ten days as part of a “sightseeing tour” undertaken by a group led by a Buddhist monk.

A letter sent by the ministry secretary to the Japanese Embassy’s visa officer noted that a former minister from the United National Party (UNP) would also be a member of this group. The official claimed in the letter that he hoped to join the delegation a little later due to his busy schedule.

Primary Industries State Minister Chamara Sampath Dasanayake

State Minister compares himself to India’s PM

Speaking at an event on Friday, Primary Industries State Minister Chamara Sampath Dasanayake compared himself to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Referring to himself in the third person, the State minister claimed Chamara Sampath had a difficult path to politics.

“The people know Chamara Sampath’s political journey. Chamara Sampath is a man who started with little,” he told his audience. Mr Dasanayake said both he and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi were from similarly poor backgrounds. Mr Modi was born into a poor family in western India’s Gujarat state and used to work in his father’s tea stall as a child.

Mr Dasanayake, who was from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), recently threw his support behind the Government in defiance of SLFP Leader and former President Maithripala Sirisena. He was subsequently sworn in as the Primary Industries State Minister.

Last month, he became visibly angry in Parliament when Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena referred to him as “Honourable Member” rather than “State Minister”, and questioned whether the Speaker did not know he had been given a ministerial post.

Promotion of tourism: No tulips from Amsterdam

The Government is working hard to promote tourism and attract more foreign currency inflows by taking many steps such as spending millions of rupees on so called social media influencers, advertising companies and other promotional activities.

Things however, are not rosy at the country’s main international airport–the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA)–when it comes to the Immigration and Emigration Department.

From Amsterdam, foreign tourists who scheduled holiday plans in Nuwara Eliya were heard complaining about how “things are moving slowly’’ to sort out the mandatory immigration counter work after they landed at BIA this week.

It took more than twenty minutes for them to reach the counter. The cause for the delay as it transpired later, was that the Immigration officer on duty had to obtain further clearance from his superior officer with regard to issuing visas to a diaspora based family. He had to leave his cabin and take the family with him to his superior’s office while other passengers were waiting for his return.

One of them was quick to draw a comparison with Nepal where he said, within a couple of minutes, tourists were processed through multiple immigration counters, whereas here, the number of officers was limited with no separate counters for tourists or locals or even migrant workers.

Attacks on MPs houses: President requested to submit full report

Government MPs who were targeted during the violence that erupted on May 9 have requested President Ranil Wickremesinghe to present to Parliament the report compiled by a Presidential committee appointed to investigate these incidents.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed the committee led by former Navy Commander and Fleet Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda to investigate the violent incidents starting from the demonstration that took place near former President Rajapaksa’s private residence in Mirihana on March 31.

The committee’s report is said to have been submitted to President Wickremesinghe recently. Sources claimed the report identifies the conduct of a then serving senior government official as exacerbating an already volatile situation.

Accordingly, the MPs, many of whose houses and properties were damaged during the unrest, were known to have called on the President to present the report in Parliament and make its contents public.

CEB Union gets shocking comments from Facebook users

In recent times, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) came under severe public criticism not only for being a loss making State institution at the expense of taxpayers, but how its powerful mafia type unions blocked critical restructuring attempts and investing in suitable green energy projects in the past.

Just days ago, a sensational, fear-mongering statement was issued by the CEB Engineer’s Union President of a potential ten hour power cut from next month if sufficient coal stocks did not arrive on time.

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara was forced to reject the report saying the Government had taken steps to ensure adequate coal shipments would arrive on time.

Meanwhile, with measures underway to restructure the CEB and reduce its debt load on the State, the union decided to take the matter to social media, with an anti-privatisation post to put up on its officialFacebook page against such moves. That did not go down well with followers being critical of the CEB Union and employees of the CEB.
They shot back with comments and memes.

Some of the comments from the users are as follows: “Privatise or go home. We the taxpayer cannot be paying your salaries forever,” and “If they privatise then you will have to work harder. That is the actual reason. Isn’t it?”