News
Sri Lanka’s mandatory cremation policy is playing politics with the dead-GTF
The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) says that while appreciating Sri Lanka’s relative success in the management of COVID-19, it would like to express its strong condemnation of the mandatory cremation of all bodies suspected to have been infected with coronavirus; it has called upon the leaders of all communities to do all they can to have this irrational and discriminatory government policy reversed.
Excerpts of the GTF statement:
Sri Lanka’s mandatory cremation policy has caused major outrage and trauma for the Muslim and Christian minorities, whose beliefs require dead bodies should be buried. It is the Muslim community that has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and to force them to adopt practices that violate their fundamental religious beliefs is cruel and inhumane.
There is no scientific justification for the government to adopt this policy and deny the dead the dignity they deserve in death. In fact, the guidelines from the World Health Organization state that the burial of victims posed no danger to public health, and almost all the countries allow for the burial of COVID-19 victims, making Sri Lanka an outlier among the world nations.
Top government officials changed their original guidelines under pressure from influential Buddhist monks to mandatory cremations. The Supreme Court rejected fundamental rights petitions filed by 14 affected families without giving reasons for its decision. Faced with mounting domestic and international pressure, the government made an extraordinary attempt to fly bodies to Maldives for burial to placate its extremist support base. All these unquestionably indicate the direction Sri Lanka is heading.
The mandatory cremation policy is not an exception, but rather one more fitting element within the broader agenda of the Rajapaksa government. The deplorable initiatives it has taken within a year, such as enacting the autocratic 20th Amendment to the constitution; appointing Presidential Commissions and task forces to scuttle established governance procedures; militarizing top levels of the bureaucracy (including some who are credibly implicated in serious human rights violations), resorting to surveillance, intimidation and detention without charge (a precursor for rampant media self-censorship), and withdrawing from the UNHRC resolution which Sri Lanka pledged for years as its ‘solemn commitment to accountability and reconciliation’ – are indicative of its gradual transition from democratic to an authoritarian regime.
Sri Lanka is also a country that has produced decent and humanitarian citizens and leaders, who stood for diversity, pluralism and human rights of all its peoples. It is time again for those principled citizens to do their part irrespective of their ethnic or political affiliations to prevent Sri Lanka plunging further into the abyss of prejudice and intolerance. The role of the majority community is so crucial to achieve this noble transition in the society.
Sri Lanka’s present hard-line policies on inter-communal tolerance and pluralism will take the country backwards by decades and even sow the seeds for future conflicts. The country’s preparedness to dishonour its firm commitments – whether to India or UNHRC – is likely to pose serious challenges to the international community. Deviating from long held international norms will have economic and other costs to the country on top of the already devastating blows dealt by the pandemic. Lack of collective initiatives and counter actions now will only make the task much harder in the future. The civil society groups and all fair-minded people should seize the moment in the name of humanity, brotherhood and fundamental rights.”
Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has alleged that the current government is attempting to suppress freedom of expression and media freedom to lead the country towards authoritarian rule.
In a video message on Thursday (25), Premadasa said that in a democratic country, the four main pillars safeguarding democracy are the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and the independent media, but, at present, the government is using the police to violate both the democratic rights of the people and the rights of police officers themselves.
He said that the government is working to establish a police state that deprives citizens of their right to access truthful information.
“For democracy to be protected, media freedom must be safeguarded, and space must be given to independent media. Instead, the government is interfering with the independent media process, using the police to suppress and intimidate independent media,” he said.
He noted that even when independent media present their views based on reason, facts, and evidence, the government attempts to suppress them. Such actions, he said, amount to turning a democratic country into a police state. “Do not suppress the voice of the silent majority, the independent media,” he urged.
Premadasa emphasised that independent media represent the voice of the silent majority in the country and must not be suppressed.
“Media repression is a step towards authoritarian rule, and the people did not give their mandate to create an authoritarian regime or a police state. If the government attempts to abolish democratic rights, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya will stand as the opposition against it,” he said.
The Opposition Leader further alleged that the government was interfering with police independence, stating, “Political interference has undermined the independence of the police, making it impossible for them to serve impartially. Suppressing freedom of expression is an attempt to lead the country towards authoritarian rule.”
Premadasa pointed out that the media has the right to reveal the truth, and interfering with that right is a violation of the rights of 22 million citizens.
Vegetable prices at the Peliyagoda Manning Wholesale Market surged to unusually high levels yesterday (26), raising concerns among consumers as the festive season drives up demand. The situation is expected to persist over the next few days, a spokesman for the Manning Market told The Island.
He said a sharp increase in the number of buyers visiting the wholesale market, ahead of upcoming festivities, had resulted in a sudden spike in demand, prompting wholesale traders to raise prices significantly. The price hikes have affected a wide range of commonly consumed vegetables, placing additional pressure on household budgets.
According to market sources, the wholesale price of beans climbed to Rs. 1,100 per kilogram, while capsicum soared to Rs. 2,000 per kilogram. Green chillies were selling at around Rs. 1,600 per kilogram. Prices of other vegetables, including beetroot, brinjal (eggplant), tomatoes, bitter gourd, snake gourd and knolkhol, also recorded unusually high increases.
The spokesman alleged that despite the steep rise in prices, vegetable farmers have not benefited from the increases. Instead, he claimed that a group of traders, who effectively control operations at the wholesale market, are arbitrarily inflating prices to maximise profits.
He warned that if the relevant authorities fail to intervene promptly to curb these practices, vegetable prices could escalate further during the peak festive period. Such a trend, he said, would disproportionately benefit a small group of middlemen while leaving consumers to bear the brunt of higher food costs.
By Kamal Bogoda ✍️
The Hakgala National Botanical Garden, which was closed in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, has been reopened to tourists from yesterday, the Ministry of Environment indicated.
The Ministry said the reopening was carried out in accordance with recommendations and guidelines issued by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and the DisasterManagement Centre (DMC) after safety assessments were completed.
However, due to the identification of hazardous ground conditions, several areas, within the garden, have been temporarily restricted. These include the pond area, near the main entrance, and access roads leading towards the forest park where potential risks were observed. Warning signs have been installed to prevent visitors from entering these zones.
To ensure the safety and convenience of both local and foreign visitors, the garden’s management has introduced a special assistance programme, with staff deployed to guide and support tourists.
The Hakgala Botanical Garden was closed as a precautionary measure during the disaster situation triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. The Ministry noted that the garden has now been safely reopened, within a short period, following remedial measures and inspections, allowing visitors to resume access while maintaining necessary safety precautions.
By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
A few showers may occur in the Northern, Eastern and Uva provinces and in Polonnaruwa, Matale and Nuwara-Eliya districts
Sajith warns country is being dragged into authoritarian rule
Wholesale mafia blamed for unusually high vegetable prices
Cyclone-damaged Hakgala Botanical Garden reopened with safety measures
Holiday travellers generate record revenue for expressways
Another casualty from underworld warfare succumbs to his injuries
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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