“One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated”― Thomas More, Selected Writings. Three weeks after the gruesome and heinous 21 April Easter Sunday suicide bombings, Sri Lanka was once again thrown into utter chaos with racist mobs taking the law unto their own hands and attacking Muslim-owned houses, businesses, and mosques on the 12th and 13th of this month. It is now known that unlike the Poruthota, Negombo incident that took place on 5 May, these “retaliatory” attacks were well-planned and well-orchestrated and were carried out in many parts of north-western Sri Lanka including Kurunegala, Wariyapola, Kuliyapitiya, and Nikaweratiya in the Kurunegala District; Chilaw, Naththandiya, and Wennappuwa in the Puttalam District; and Minuwangoda in the Gampaha District. It is also learnt that these Sinhalese mobs had outnumbered the security forces in the area and as such, although a shooting order had been issued, it was unlikely due to the sheer magnitude. Furthermore, except for one isolated incident where a middle-aged Muslim Fowzul Ameer – owner of a timber business in Nattandiya – succumbing to slash injuries, the mobs had been instructed not to harm life but only houses, businesses, and mosques. Socio-political analysts claim that the unrest in the country since 21 April is now becoming a ploy to destabilise the country’s economy that was on a growth path, with most issues including Islamist extremists and Sinhala racism all being destructive remnants from the previous regime. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met with the government ministers at Temple Trees on Monday (13) morning. President Sirisena, who on the same day left for China, appointed Ruwan Wijewardena as the Acting Defence Minister due to the security situation in the country. All ministers agreed that every possible action should be taken to prevent another disaster like the 1983 Black July, albeit certain politically motivated extremists were trying to push for another pogrom. On Wednesday (15) morning, Leader of the House Minister Lakshman Kiriella asked the Prime Minister whether he had managed to fathom the reason for violence to erupt three weeks after the Easter Sunday attacks. The question was posed since Wickremesinghe had travelled to the areas affected by violence the previous day (14). “I ordered the immediate arrest of all those who were responsible for the unrest as well as those who were planning on creating further unrest. There cannot be any pardon given to extremists trying to destroy the country,” Wickremesinghe has said. One law Last week saw the building up of a discussion on the need for one law to rule the country in place of laws that are based on caste or ethnic lines. The path for this discussion was created at a parliamentary committee meeting chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. The discussion progressed from the banning of the burka and niqab to the regulation of Islamic madrasa schools and the need for the Government to acquire the proposed “Sharia” university in Batticaloa. A final decision on the topics discussed was not reached at the meeting. However, a group of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) parliamentarians who were at the meeting, decided to get together and formulate a document that would present proposals to introduce the concept of “One Country-One Law.” The group of SLFP MPs met with Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith last Saturday (11) to discuss the concept. SLFP MPs Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mahinda Amaraweera, Duminda Dissanayake, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, and several others participated at the meeting. The Cardinal expressed his pleasure at such an initiative and had given his blessings for the programme. The group of MPs met the following Sunday (12) morning at Amaraweera’s residence to further discuss and formulate the document. Head of the Defence Ministry oversight consultative committee MP Malith Jayathileka was also present at the breakfast meeting. After a lengthy discussion, the group of MPs formulated a draft document with 11 proposals. In the evening, the group of MPs arrived at the SLFP Headquarters to further discuss and finalise the document. It was then decided to meet with political party leaders and get their ideas and support for this purpose. Accordingly, a group of SLFP MPs headed by Nimal Siripala de Silva, Amaraweera, Dissanayake, Dayasiri Jayasekara, Alagiyawanna, and Ranjith Siyambalapitiya arrived at the Wijerama Road residence of Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa last Wednesday (15) to apprise him of the proposals. The group explained to the Opposition Leader, the need for one law in the country as well as proper government regulation of madrasa schools. They also emphasised the need to present the proposals as soon as possible to Parliament. Rajapaksa said that he needed to discuss points related to the education sector with MP Bandula Gunawardena. However, Gunawardena was already at the Wijerama Road residence to attend a parliamentary group meeting of the “Joint Opposition”. Rajapaksa had then asked him to join the meeting with the group of SLFP MPs. After appreciating the initiative by the SLFP MPs, Rajapaksa asked them to explain the proposals to the “Joint Opposition” (JO) parliamentary group as well. No faith Following Rajapaksa’s meeting with the group of SLFP MPs, the “JO” group commenced their meeting under the patronage of the Opposition Leader. The meeting was convened to make a final decision on the no confidence motion against Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. The proposal to present a no confidence motion against Bathiudeen was mooted at the previous week’s meeting. The preparation of the draft motion was assigned to MPs Udaya Gammanpila and Wimal Weerawansa. By the time of last week’s meeting, several Opposition MPs signed the motion and several others had expressed displeasure at not being asked to sign the document. “I asked you to come today to discuss the No-confidence Motion against Minister Rishad Bathiudeen,” Rajapaksa said at the outset of the meeting. “Sir, I’m a Catholic. A lot of people in my area, Negombo, were killed by the Easter Sunday attacks. But I have not been asked to sign this No-confidence Motion. MP Mahindananda asked me yesterday to come to Parliament today to sign the motion and said a final decision would be taken at this meeting. Now, the document has been uploaded on Facebook with several signatures. But it has been done without our signatures. Now our people are asking why we didn’t sign the document,” lamented MP Nimal Lanza. Rajapaksa then reprimanded the young MPs who had signed the motion and uploaded it on social media. “Don’t act in this manner. It places a lot of our other MPs in a difficult situation,” the Opposition Leader said. “Now there are rumours that Basil and I are against the motion. We are not against it. We say this motion must be presented, but when the young MPs behave in this manner, the people get the wrong message,” an angry Rajapaksa said. Despite attempts by MPs Kanchana Wijesekera, Kanaka Herath, and Tharaka Balasooriya to explain the matter, Rajapaksa had not given them the opportunity. “We must work according to one decision and that needs to be understood. We decided at yesterday’s party leaders meeting to take a final decision on this matter at today’s group meeting. But now wrong news is being circulated that Basil and I are against this; it is not so,” Rajapaksa has bellowed angrily. “Even I didn’t know what was happening. I said I would not sign it because I was under the impression that the No-confidence Motion was being presented by Rathana Thero,” MP Ranjith Soysa joined in. However, SLFP MPs S.B. Dissanayake, Dilan Perera, Thilanga Sumathipala, and Nishantha Mutuhettigama signed the No-confidence Motion and it was handed over to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Thursday (16). Meanwhile, the fact that Rajapaksa had not signed the No-confidence Motion became a topic on social media. However, the “JO” MPs said the decision for Rajapaksa not to sign the motion was made as a matter of protocol. “As per our initial agreements, Mahinda Rajapaksa never signed a No-Confidence Motion against a Minister or MP. He will only sign a No-Confidence Motion against the Prime Minister or for the impeachment of the President,” Gammanpila said. Accused sleuth reinstated Meanwhile, the country was dealt another blow in media freedom, with a former military intelligence sleuth implicated in several attacks on media personnel being reinstated by Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake this week, with New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) heavily criticising the move. “The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed alarm that a Sri Lankan military intelligence official – who, according to news reports and court documents, is linked to attacks on at least three journalists –was restored to active duty. In 2017, authorities arrested five military intelligence officers in relation to the 2008 abduction and assault of columnist Keith Noyahr, CPJ reported at the time. Maj. Bulathwatte was among the suspects, according to the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), an independent think tank in the capital, Colombo. During the investigation, police found evidence linking the men to the 2009 murder of The Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, according to news reports. Ahimsa Wickrematunge, Lasantha’s daughter, filed a civil case in April in the US court against former Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, alleging that Rajapaksa operated a clandestine military intelligence unit known as the Tripoli Platoon that was responsible for her father's assassination as well was attacks on Noyahr and Rivira weekly Editor Upali Tennakoon. Bulathwatte was the leader of that platoon, according to news reports citing police investigations. He was released on bail from the Noyahr investigation, according to a Colombo-based English newspaper. No charges against Bulathwatte have been disclosed. “Promoting to active duty, an intelligence officer who has been implicated in the killing of one journalist and the torture of two others, severely undermines Sri Lanka's claim that it is fighting impunity for crimes against journalists,” said CPJ Asia Programme Coordinator Steven Butler in Taipei. “Instead, the move creates new threats to journalists in Sri Lanka, who are not safe to do their jobs.” CPJ’s emailed requests for comment to the Sri Lanka Army did not receive a response. CPJ reached out to the army, local civil society groups, and journalists in Sri Lanka in an attempt to obtain contact information for Bulathwatte, but was unable to contact him. Rajapaksa did not respond to a CPJ message in April seeking comment on the US lawsuit. Senanayake said that Bulathwatte had been placed on a special team that functions directly under him, according to the paper. The SLWJA too condemned the decision pointing out that Maj. Bulathwatte was the main suspect behind the abduction and torture of journalist Keith Noyahr and is also linked to the murder of The Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge. “We believe that his reinstatement as an active intelligence officer will spark fears about ongoing investigations relating to crimes against journalists and media institutions,” the SLWJA statement noted. The association added that it was also concerned that the reinstatement would result in increased risk of threats to officers, witnesses, and their families who are supporting and conducting the investigations into these attacks on media personnel. “The SLWJA expects that the President and the Government will take necessary steps to correct this mistake,” the statement added. Many are bemused as to why an accused military sleuth has to be reinstated whilst there are over 12,000 intelligence operatives and with Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake himself assuring India's public service broadcaster that the terror threats had been contained with the security situation in the country returning to normal and nearly 85% of terror suspects linked to Bloody Easter bombings arrested. However, Gen. Senanayake lamented that nobody in the armed forces were informed of intelligence inputs about probable attacks on Easter Sunday and called for better co-ordination among security services and intelligence establishments. The SLA Chief also sought closer cooperation with India and friendly nations in intelligence sharing and tackling radicalism in the region. Many citizens were also perturbed by Senanayake’s remark that too much of freedom, too much of peace during the last decade led to the ISIS attacks. Great Chinese firewall? With the third social media blackout in just one month since the 21 April Bloody Easter bombings, and with President Sirisena announcing greater defence ties with China, many fear that Sri Lanka is in the process of implementing a China-styled Great Firewall to block social media. On May 13, Sri Lankan internet providers blocked Facebook, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, YouTube, and Snapchat for the third time this month, according to international digital rights group NetBlocks and news reports, whilst the blocking of Twitter occurred for the first time. Both NetBlocks and CPJ have raised concerns on how these blocks limit journalists' ability to do their jobs safely and securely. According to the Presidential Media Division (PMD), during Sirisena’s visit to China, both his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and China’s Premier Li Keqiang assured assistance in curbing cyber-terrorism. “Official discussions held between President Sirisena and the Chinese President Xi Jinping were concluded in a fruitful manner and the Chinese President pledged to provide every possible assistance to Sri Lanka to curb terrorism. “The Chinese Government has taken steps to provide a grant of Rs. 2,600 million for security forces during this emergency situation on a request by President Sirisena. The Chinese President also agreed to immediately release 100 jeeps and other equipment costing Rs. 1,500 million to the Sri Lanka Police Department. “President Sirisena briefed his Chinese counterpart about the Easter Sunday attacks, steps taken by the Government following the attacks, and the new security mechanism put in place by the Government. The discussion also focused on strengthening co-operation in the defence sector and sharing intelligence between the two countries. “President Sirisena said that the country does not have technological expertise and equipment to trace the individuals who are fanning the flames of terrorism by propagating false information through social media. “The Chinese President agreed to provide necessary technological expertise and equipment to the country immediately. He also informed President Sirisena that a Chinese technical team will be sent to Sri Lanka soon to look into the matter. Both leaders also discussed the progress of development projects being implemented in the country with Chinese financial assistance. Sri Lanka President said that he expects to complete the constructions of these projects soon. “Prime Minister Li Keqiang too reiterated that China would soon take steps to assist Sri Lanka’s strategic capabilities to combat international terrorism in the light of Chinese aid being made available to control the abuse of the internet and social media for propagation of terrorist activities.” In addition, a statement by Southern Province Governor Ranjith Keerthi Tennakoon said that the tour to China was very important to the President. “As a result of this tour, Sri Lanka will receive software which would help control racial and hate messages and monitor the people spreading fake news…Following the unfortunate incidents which occurred recently, we realised that the Sri Lankan Government and security services lacked the technology to combat terrorism. China, who is a long-standing friend of Sri Lanka, has given the knowledge and technology that is required to fight terrorism. I must also mention that during some key stages of the war against the LTTE, China provided technical and military aid. So getting that support once again is crucial for Sri Lanka at a time like this. Sri Lanka will receive resources worth Rs. 5 billion.” Meanwhile, Governor of the Northern Province Dr. Suren Raghavan also remarked that obtaining highly sophisticated surveillance systems to combat extremism and terrorism was the highlight of the tour. “This visit has been an extremely successful visit for Sri Lanka as a state and for all Sri Lankans irrespective of their ethnicity or religion, because we agreed with the Chinese Government to work together in a way that an advanced manner to prepare ourselves for any extremism or terrorism that could be possible in the future. For this, the greatest contribution is an advanced surveillance system, advanced investigating system, and an advanced information collecting system that have been agreed upon,” he said. “Nearly about Rs. 5 billion worth of military support in terms of software and other equipment has been promised to Sri Lanka, and I think this is a very beneficial agreement because, as we all know, Sri Lanka is situated in a strategically important location in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, Sri Lanka could be used as a base for terrorism even to attack other countries. Therefore, we need to be prepared,” the Governor added. The hub issue Meanwhile, Peter Koenig an economist, geopolitical analyst, research associate for Canada-based Centre for Research on Globalisation, and co-author of “The World Order and Revolution”, penned a paper on Sri Lanka’s strategic importance. “May we expect a wave of Saudi-sponsored Wahhabi Salafi Deobandi (WSD) terrorism in the East too? – Is the horror Saudi Government protected by the US, because it does its bidding? And this bidding leads to making gradually Islam extremism the justification for NATO bases around the globe? – Perhaps in Sri Lanka, tomorrow? So far Sri Lanka is clean from NATO. Sri Lanka has not even an association agreement with NATO. “Just look at the world-geostrategic location of Sri Lanka, linking the Arabian Sea with the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka may also have a direct, open-sea connection with the small British island of Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Archipelago, north-east of Madagascar. Diego Garcia hosts the US’s largest navy base outside the American continent. Many of the drone killings in Yemen, Syria, and other places in the Middle East originate from Diego Garcia. The ‘civil war’ in Syria was (and still is) largely directed from Diego Garcia, as well as from Djibouti. “Wouldn’t it be logical for NATO to set up base in Sri Lanka to control South East Asia? Saudi guided WSD attacks would create the necessary chaos, justifying western secret services – plus NATO – to descend on Colombo, to create further protests and anarchy – a never-ending internal strife, giving the war industry a new never-ending flow of profit, hence, further justifying the never-ending war on terror – and, thereby, moving yet an inch closer to full spectrum dominance over Mother Earth and her hapless spectators, what western humanity has become – a bunch of complacent consumers, drenched in turbo-capitalist market ideology, too comfortable to go on the barricades. “The key and engine to all of this is NATO, whose modus operandi is killing for a living, for dominance and for profit. If there is ever to be peace – and that’s what the vast majority of the inhabitants of this globe wants – I’m not exaggerating pretending that 99.99% of world population wants to live in peace – then NATO must go, NATO must be dismantled.”