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The Worst

Minister Rauf Hakeem was almost prevented from attending an event in Akkaraipattu today when certain elements tried to create a roadblock with burning tyres on the roads. Police were deployed as the situation was becoming serious. Rauf Hakeem is the leader of the SLMC and a Minister of Parliament. As a Muslim leader, he has been instrumental in securing many rights for Muslims in the past years. His active participation in Sri Lankan politics has ensured that the minority Muslim population are not denied their rights in a otherwise very volatile environment. Unfortunately, riots have had a home in Akkaraipattu in the recent past; and certain elements have developed an animosity towards Rauf Hakeem due to his success in securing the rights of the Muslims. It was prudent to control the situation before any large scale demonstrations or protests took place which could have easily become out of hand.

The Best

The European Union is coming under pressure from retailers in the UK to not take away the GSP plus scheme for Sri Lanka. The EU has been debating whether to remove the GSP plus privileges for Sri Lanka due to the recent alleged human rights violations by the government over the minority Tamils during the last stages of the LTTE war. UK shops are now warning that relegation of the GSP privilege to Sri Lanka will increase consumer prices in the UK making sales even more difficult in a market that is already in deep recession. This is good news for Sri Lanka as the GSP plus scheme has been instrumental to key developments in the country. The continuation of the scheme will ensure that Sri Lanka will continue to see growth which will be even more marked due to the end of the war.

The Worst

Our Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake apparently had an embarrassing incident at Japan's Narita Airport. On arrival, instead of being treated as a VIP, he was fingerprinted before being cleard by Japanese authorities. Needless to say that this is a humiliation any country would not suffer. On any other occasion, I would vehemently protest such actions by the Japanese. However, it appears that Mr. Prime Minister was on a private visit to Japan and may not have informed the Japanese of his arrival...or the local authorities for that matter. In any case, foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama has recalled the Sri Lankan ambassador to Japan Mr.Jayantha Palipane back to Sri Lanka. It is difficult to decide whether this was a snub by Japan or an honest mistake due to the fact that they had no clue who Ratnasiri Wickramanayake was as he hadn't informed the relevant Japanese authorities clearly. Recalling the Japanese ambassador seems a little extreme considering that Japan has been Sri Lanka's friend in the recent past. We'll be keeping an eye on how this story develops...

The Best

It looks like the LTTE were involved in some serious brainwashing of schoolchildren during their rule of the Eastern Province. Sources have found out that many schools had been renamed to that of LTTE cadres who lost their lives in the war. Statues and other remembrances were also found within the schools. If the names of schools were changed, who knows what was taught at the schools under the pretext of education or history. Schools should be a place of education, and should remain so even during conflicts. The authorities have now ordered the names to be changed back to their original names and all statues and remembrances to be removed. Slowly but surely, normalcy is returning to North and East. These areas are finally being opened up to all, and people are finally living normal lives.

The Worst

Asoka De Silva is the new Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. Chief Justices in Sri Lanka, have historically been the puppets of the heads of state. The loyalty is established through bribes, gifts, and other means of coercion which allows the government to always get what it wants from the justice system. The current Chief Justice was chosen by the President which makes this process even easier. I believe that the judicial system of a country should be independent in practice as well as theory if the country is to make any advancement in maintaining law and order. The current appointment is less than ideal by a big margin and leaving many people in Sri Lanka questioning the motives of the President and the Government.

The Best

The president of the Janata Party in India, Mr. Subramanian Swamy has said that he has evidence that the LTTE paid off various politicians in Tamil Nadu to facilitate their nefarious activities. He is contemplating taking the evidence to Indian courts with the purpose of bringing these politicians to justice. It is no secret that the LTTE have been paying off Indian politicians in Tamil Nadu since the inception of the war. However, this is the first time, that evidence of such payments has come to light. If Mr. Swamy is able to use this evidence, to bring these politicians to justice, India will benefit more than Sri Lanka in ridding their system of corrupt politicians.

The Worst

The Police in Sri Lanka have been coming under increasing criticism due to the recent Angulana incident as well various other incidents around the country. In order to quell public fears, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jayantha Wickramaratna held a press conference today detailing his efforts in flushing out certain 'corrupt elements'in the Police force. He also said that action has been taken against as many as 168 Policemen for breaking laws. My opinion is that severe punishments should be given to these officers in an effort to set an example to the rest of the Police force that any law breaking will be dealt with harshly. Even though it is a calamity that 168 officers were found guilty, we can take heart in the fact that the IGP is doing something about this.

The Best

"Faji" is the name of a well known gangster in Colombo. Today, Police report that they have killed him in a shootout in Maligawatte. Gangs are a big problem in Colombo; with gangsters controlling many areas of the City. Although the problem is not that same as it was in New York in the 1920's, the situation is serious enough that these thugs have enough power to do what they want in their little niches of the city. Police are constantly in battle with such elements, and it is heartening to note that they have achieved a victory today. Every victory in the area of gangs is a victory for democracy in Sri Lanka and should be celebrated as such.

The Worst

Today, the Sri Lankan cabinet decided to open an Embassy in Eritrea. First of all, most people don't know that there exists a country called Eritrea. Secondly, why spend money on opening embassies in non-existent countries when they can spend that money to feed the poor in Sri Lanka. As far as I know, there are no major trade ties with Eritrea, nor are there any political benefits. We can hope that Eritrea will benefit Sri Lanka is some form other than just providing land to build an embassy.

The Best

Channel 4 of British TV has had the gall to air a video showing an alleged Sri Lankan soldier killing an unarmed man in the North in January this year. With the west doing their best to save the LTTE when they were down, such an video is hypocrisy in it's purest form. It is therefore most apropos that the government responded by lodging a protest with the UK. The UK is in deep recession and does not have too many friends in the east. Isolating themselves further is bordering on self-euthanasia.

The Worst

Mihin Lanka, the ill-fated budget airline of President Mahinda Rajapakse is now reported to be running at a monthly loss of Rs 1.8 million. It's losses as of today amount to Rs 3 billion. It is a shame that the government keeps spending the tax payers money on a veutre that has failed before, and is continuing to fail again. SOme say that nefarious reasons to swindle money in collusion with bad management have led to the loss of this company. If the public monies are going into someone elses pocket, we demand that the person be brought to justice. Ironically, if the people involved are in the highest offices of the country, justice is merely a word to be printed until that person leaves office. Oh well...that's the way the wheel turns in Ol Lanka.

The Best

Ironically, the best news also comes from the aviation industry. Air Asia, the world's largest budget airline has decided to set up its regional base in Sri Lanka. Air Asia has announced that it intends to use the base for flights to Europe and South Asia. In additional to the direct revenue due to employment and tourism; the indirect benefits by the exposure of Sri Lanka to visitors as well as the influence of foreigners on Sri Lankans will help the development process tremendously.