PERALIYA, Sri Lanka //Sixty-five years after Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain, the spring in the step of the president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his supporters has turned to something of a swagger.
The recent history of the island, known as India's teardrop because of its shape and location off the southern tip of the subcontinent, helps to explain the self-satisfaction.
The deadly tsunami of 2004, when an estimated 40,000 Sri Lankans died, is not forgotten. But closer, now, to loyal minds is the defeat four-and-a-half years later of the Tamil Tigers, ending nearly three decades of bloody civil war.
Sri Lanka claims this made it the "the first country to eradicate terrorism" on its own soil. The president preaches harmony, presenting his country as a model of growing stability.
There is another view, equally robust, that acknowledges the strides made while lamenting that human rights have been trampled in the process.
While western critics are routinely dismissed by government supporters as hypocritical meddlers, even some moderate Sri Lankans question the methods used to maintain a flawed peace. They also express dismay at rampant nepotism they detect in the profusion of relatives and friends of the president in positions of power or influence.
Moreover, rising tension between elements of the large Buddhist majority and Muslims challenges cosy notions of a post-conflict era based on one-nation values.
And last month's impeachment of the chief justice, Shirani Bandaranayake, for alleged financial and judicial impropriety, reinforced suspicions that modern Sri Lanka is prepared to resort to undemocratic and irregular solutions to inconvenient problems.
Could it be that the truth lies somewhere between the polarised positions?
The government insists its hard-won battle to crush violent Tamil insurgency in northern and eastern areas had been followed by "genuine" action to implement recommendations from an ambitiously titled Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation committee.
One minister complained that remnants of the Tamil Tigers, including "sections of the diaspora supporting LTTE (Tamil Tiger) terrorism", seize on any opportunity to damage Sir Lanka's image.
On community relations, ministers pledge in public utterances at least to combat the abuse of any religious groups.
A government committee is to investigate an alleged "hate campaign" against Muslims, who represent less than 10 per cent of the population of 20 million.
Mainstream Buddhist leaders distance themselves from monks who demonstrated last month with placards denigrating Islam in the northwestern town of Kuliyapitiya, besieged a Muslim-owned shop in Maharagama, 44 kilometres away, and posted offensive material on the internet.
Whatever the president's concerns on religious intolerance, his government is markedly less conciliatory when discussing the impeachment and human rights.
A delegation from the International Bar Association's human rights institute was refused entry last week on a mission to assess the country's rule of law relating to the insurgency. The external affairs ministry said it planned activity "of an intrusive nature to the sovereignty of Sri Lanka".
Mr Rajapaksa was dismissive of a US delegation's similar visit: "People come and go. No doubt they may work to an agenda."
The pro-government Daily News trumpeted a declaration by the International Council of Jurists, currently under Indian chairmanship, that the chief justice's impeachment was "absolutely in accordance with the prevalent Sri Lankan laws" - a view sharply at odds with hostile reaction from the UN, Commonwealth, EU and the island's own supreme court.
Opponents suspect a link with a series of judgments against the government. But the president says Ms Bandaranayake's impeachment and removal from office was "good for the country".
In his independence day speech yesterday, he promised "equal rights to all communities" while ruling out further autonomy for Tamils.
For many ordinary Sri Lankans, the plight of the deposed chief justice and even the country's reputation abroad matter less than everyday concerns. The government says 1.8 million people are living below the poverty line, itself only 3,611 rupees (Dh105) a month, but has set 2016 as a target for eliminating the problem.
Most still recall with horror the tsunami, a natural disaster that featured relatively little in the rhetoric surrounding the build-up to independence commemoration.
At Peraliya, south of the capital Colombo, a giant Buddha donated by Japan stands on the coast road in silent tribute to victims of the world's worst rail disaster on December 26, 2004. Some 1,270 people, according to the engraving at another monument nearby, died when waves engulfed the train. Other estimates put the figure as high as 1,700.
More than 200 villagers were also swept to their deaths. Homes, restaurants and other business were ravaged, leaving flattened sites and stumps where buildings once stood.
"For a long time, people would not return to live here," said Prabash Mendis, 26, a driver who lost five of his own relatives. "They swore they could hear the cries of the dead."
But it is the fate of others that will dominate debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva next month.
More than 12,000 names are cited in UN council's list of "enforced or involuntary" disappearances between 1983 and 2009 as a result of action by security forces. More than half are dead, even on official accounts.
Sri Lanka is preparing for a rocky ride, aware that the country is seen by some as descending into international pariah status.
Perhaps the most striking summary of the competing assessments came from the Sunday Leader newspaper.
Historically the loudest of opposition voices, the paper feels a special right to comment: its founder and former editor, Lasantha Wickramatunge, was murdered in 2009 during the final stages of the civil war and no one has been prosecuted. His successor, Frederica Jansz, claims she was threatened by the president's brother and defence minister, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, before being dismissed last September.
A recent editorial said Sri Lanka found itself in the dock of world opinion and declared: "The Mahinda Rajapaska government has been outstanding in fighting terrorism at home but has fared disastrously in diplomacy."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Company%20profile
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
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