www.cpalanka.org A ternatives l THE CPA NEWSLETTER No 24/2, 28th Lane - Off Flower Rd, 7 Vol 3 Issue 4 (April-June 2006) 04 Pages - Issued Free Prof Jayantha Seneivirathna, Dr P Saravanamuttu and S.G.Punchihewa and Sunila Patrick Vandenbruaene Lionel Guruge, Abeysekera (UNDP) Project Co ordinator “...and I said-even here, in The Federal Idea in Sri Lanka: , the Tamil people need to know that Challenges and Opportunities federalism is not about a separate state. It means As part of its continuing work on raising awareness of the relevance and applicability of the Federal Idea to the Sri they have to be part of the Lankan peace and conflict transformation process, CPA Sri Lankan State. We just organized a 3-day residential meeting titled “The Federal need to come up with Idea in Sri Lanka :Challenges and Opportunities,” in imaginative ways to define Piliyandala from 31st May - 1st June 2006. the Sri Lankan State to This meeting follows on CPAs successful Training of make it more inclusive, Trainer Workshops Program which facilitated meetings and not just a Sinhala throughout the country in the latter part of last year and in early 2006. majoritarian State.” (>>Page 3) Rohan Edrisinha,Director,CPA, recounting a dialogue in Jaffna, at the 3-day residential meeting titled “The Federal Idea in Sri Lanka CMEV monitored the Local :Challenges and Opportunities,” Government Elections held 20th in Piliyandala from 31st May - 1st May 2006. At the close of polls at June 2006. 4 p.m. CMEV had received 55 Co ordinator :Lionel Guruge reports of election related Photographs : Sisira Kananngara violence. Of these, seventeen and Buddhika Weerasingha (17) were categorized as Major incidents. Thirty six (36) were of stock photography of LTTEa minor nature, and consisted warnings overlaid on CMEVprimarily of violations of election posters 2005 Nov law. More details available at : Dr Nesiah in Vienna...... Pg2 http://www.cpalanka.org/ Dr Saravanamuttu in cmev_20th_May_2006_1st_Release.html San Fransisco...... Pg2

Mangala Moonesinghe joins Board....Pg 2 CPA checks RADA Bill... Staff Profiles...... Pg 2

th National Meeting on Public Service CPA held a consultation, 16 June, at which it raised Broadcasting...... Pg 3 concerns on the legislation to establish the Reconstruction and Development Authority (RADA). In the Press...... Pg 3 The consultation covered several legal and constitutional issues as well as their impact on Calender of Events...... Pg 4 reconstruction and development activities in Sri Latest Publications...... Pg 4 Lanka. (>>Page 3) A l ternatives Official Newsquarterly of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Colombo, Sri Lanka 2 April-June 2006

CONTACTING CPA Dr Devanesan Nesiah, participated at the Fourth Seminar For Web ConflictState Resolution Building for Sri & Lankans Internal, held Vienna Conflict... Austria 2- 8 http://www.cpalanka.org April .Participants included political, religious,private sector and email civil society leaders. Facilitation was by the institute for [email protected] Integrative Conflict Transformation and Peace-building , (IICTP)with leadership from the Austrian Government. The Overall Coordinator of resource team included Prof Johan Galtung, Director of CPA Units: Transcend International, Ambassador Dr Wolfgang Petritscn, Dr. Paikiasothy Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations in Geneva, and Saravanamuttu Executive Director former International Community High Representative in Bosnia and E-mail: Herzogovina , Ms Meeri-Maria Jaarva , Martin Ahtisaari,Advisor to President of [email protected] Finland as well as experts from IICP. A record of the issues, suggestions and recommendations is available for Centre for Monitoring Election Violence reference in the CPA library. Other seminar documents are with Dr Nesiah. (CMEV) Dr Saravanamuttu, E.D. ,CPA, was invited E-mail: Sanjana Hattotuwa, Senior by the Asia Foundation to participate as a [email protected] Researcher, Media Unit, attended a Resource Person on their “Conflicts in Asia” roundtable “Dialogue on Sri Legal Unit Programme 24th -30th April . He also Lanka” convened by the Institute for Contact Person addressed a luncheon Media, Policy and Civil Society Rohan Edrisinha meeting organized by (IMPACS),Ottawa, Cananda, 31st E-mail: the Foundation at its May. He met with representatives of [email protected] headquarters in San CIDA, DFAIT and other leading Francisco Media Unit Canadian quasi-NGOs & NGOs with Contact Person active or planned projects in Sri Sasha Ekanayake Dr Saravanamuttu, ED, CPA, Lanka. He presented an overview of E-mail: represented CPA on the 1st Steering the political and media landscape in [email protected] Committee of the Federation of Sri Lanka with a view to exploring Canadian Municipalities’ Programme ideas to support & strengthen Peace and Conflict on Capacity Building of Tsunami Canada’s involvement in governance Analysis Unit Affected Local Government Bodies. and peace building Contact Person The meeting was held in Sriyani Wijesundara Vancouver, 19th June, and E-mail: co-incided with the 3rd [email protected] Sanjana Hattotuwa also made a World Urban Forum. presentation on Electronic media in Polling Unit Sri Lanka for the South Asia Free Contact Person Bhavani Fonseka,Senior Researcher, Media Association’s (SAFMA) Pradeep Peiris Legal Unit, attended the Regional regional Conference on E-mail: High Level Meeting on Human Electronic Media in [email protected] Trafficking and HIV organised by Karachi, Pakistan, 8th – Translation Unit UNIFEM and the UNDP Regional Centre 12th June. Contact Person Colombo, held in Kathmandu T.Suresh Nepal,22nd -24th May. E-mail: [email protected] Staff Profiles,CPA Our Address 24/2, 28th Lane, Off Flower Road New on the Board ... Colombo 7 Mangala Moonesinghe Sri Lanka Former Member of Parliament and High Commissioner of Sri Tel: 94-11-565304-6 Lanka to (2002-2005& 1995-2000) and the United Fax: 94-74-714460 Kingdom(2000-2002), Mangala Moonesinghe joined CPAs board of Directors as of the 1st June . He qualified as a Barrister at Law (Middle Temple, London),has studied at Leaving CPA Western State University, California, USA, and is a member Javid Yusuf of the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation Director,CPA resigned and a director of Political and Institutional Studies at the from the Board , as of Marga Institute. 31st May. Namal Perera of Media Unit and Altaf Bradman Weerakoon, Hussein, Systems Analyst at CPA,since its Retired senior advisor to the Sri Lankan Government, inception in 1996, took Bradman Weerakoon re joined the CPA Board of Directors their leave as of as of June 1st. He has the distinction of serving nine Sri June.Namal will be Lankan heads of state and government in a career working with the spanning across half a century with the State, and his SLPI, and Altaf will autobiography “Rendering unto Caesar” was be working as a published in 2004 consultant. A l ternatives Official Newsquarterly of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Colombo, Sri Lanka 3 April-June 2006

National Media Unit Unit in Focus Meeting on Public Service Media Photos from CPA's 2 Day National Meeting on Public Service Media, 27th-28th June,which aimed at encouraging debate on public service media and the importance of instilling public service values in the local media culture, notably the state owned media organisations. particpants Editors and journalists from all sectors of the media, including provincial journalists and representatives from civil society participated.

Seetha Ranjani, Uvindu Mike Dobie, Marc Guber Patricia Kurukulasooriya,Sanath Uvindu Kurukulasooriya,Christopher Holland Balasooriya & Dharmasiri Warren, Dharmasiri Lankapeli, Sanath Lankapeli Balasooriya.

Dr. Devanesan Nesiah, Bhavani Fonseka and Mirak Lionel Guruge, co “Subharathi” speaking on Raheem representating CPA,travelled to Mannar, ordinator Peace the topic of “Buddhism Pesalai and Talaimannar on June 28, to assess the Outreach , and Federalism” prevailing situation there. The report subsequently participated in the released by the team was flagged by the Sunday Leader SLBC’s Vesak day CPA in the among other media, at http://www.thesundayleader.lk/ (12th May) program of Media ... 20060709/focus.htm#Report Reports of the previous Fact Finding missions CPA’s researcher Sriyani Wijeysundara played a Kebettigollawa and Undappuwa on 18th June, to lead role in formulation of assess the situation faced by the Internally the draft of the first Displaced Persons (IDPs) are available at the CPA National Youth Policy for Sri Lanka which was website, or on request. presented to the Minister of Sports and Youth (>>Page 1) Affairs,the Secretary,the CPA’s stand that the conflict can only be ended chairman of the National through a negotiated constitutional settlement and Youth Services Council that this settlement will have to be an elaboration and representatives of of the Oslo Communique incorporating the federal youth organizations on 26 idea as it basis, was reiterated. March,2006. Following discussions conducted with representatives from youth (>>Page 1) organisations, working and non-working youth, RADA Bill... school children, university students and victimised A significant feature of the draft RADA bill is that it youth the key issues covered by the policy were vests broad powers with the President and RADA, identified as education, unemployment, health, including powers over land acquisition, controlling and crime and violence, alcoholism and drug monitoring foreign and local organization as well as dependence. Approximately 2000 informal focus designating areas to be classified as being affected group discussions and 2000 informal by natural or man made disasters. Of grave concern interviews were conducted island wide to determine was the fact that there are no checks and balances in key strategies to combat problems in each of these areas.. place to ensure that the relevant actors do not abuse The draft has been approved by the minister and is such broad powers which could be used in an arbitrary to be duly presented to the President.. A National and prejudicial manner. seminar is planned to debate and discuss relevant The report of the consultation is available at policy recommendations and alterations. More www.cpalanka.org/research_papers/Report_ details at http://www.dailymirror.lk/2006/06/02/ RADA.pdf, and a press release made available following the consultation can be downloaded from http:// news/01.asp www.cpalanka.org/Press_Release_RADA.html, A l ternatives Official Newsquarterly of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Colombo, Sri Lanka 4 April-June 2006

LATEST PUBLICATIONS Calender of Events For more updates on latest and upcoming CPA events, visit http://www.cpalanka.org/calendar_events.html

May 31st May - 1st June 2006Three day residential meeting “The Federal Idea in Sri Lanka :Challenges and Opportunities,” in Piliyandala.

CMEV monitored the Local Government Elections held 20th May June “Stigma & th 16 ,Consultation, raising concerns on the Discrimination of legislation to establish the Reconstruction and Media Monitor May- People Living With Development Authority (RADA), covering several June HIV/AIDs” report legal and constitutional issues as well as impacting available tri-lingually. available tri-lingually future reconstruction and development activities in and in softcopy. Sri Lanka.

,27th-28th,Two day National Meeting on the Public Service Media aiming at encouraging debate on public service media and flagging the importance of instilling public service values in the local media culture

EVENTS ATTENDED

2nd - 8th April, Dr Devanesan Nesiah, consultant, Peace Unit, CPA , participated at the "Madhya Fourth Seminar For Conflict Resolution for Sri Boomikawa" a "SAMA VIMARSHI" Lankans, held Vienna Austria. newsletter on Suicide Sensitive Jouranalism 24th -30th April .Dr Saravanamuttu, E.D,CPA, was invited by the Asia Foundation to participate as a Resource Person on their “Conflicts in Asia” Programme, Washington DC and San Fransisco, USA. “IFJ Code of Ethics for Journalists" 22nd -24th May.Bhavani Fonseka, Senior Researcher, Legal Unit, attended the Regional High Level Meeting on Human Trafficking and HIV organised by UNIFEM and the UNDP Regional Centre Colombo, held in Kathmandu Nepal.

31st May, Sanjana Hattotuwa, Senior Researcher, Media Unit, attended a roundtable “Dialogue on Sri Lanka” convened by the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society (IMPACS),Ottawa, Cananda. Media Serving the PCI May 2006 Public ” Booklet on 19th June,Dr Saravanamuttu represented CPA on the available tri-lingually Public Service 1st Steering Committee of the Federation of Canadian and in softcopy. Broadcasting- available Municipalities’ Programme on Capacity Building of tri-lingually and in Tsunami Affected Local Government Bodies. The softcopy. meeting was held in Vancouve and co-incided with the 3rd World Urban Forum. Newsletter Design and Compilation 8th – 12th June, Sanjana Hattotuwa made a by Chandrika Gadiewasam presentation on Electronic media in Sri Lanka for [email protected] the South Asia Free Media Association’s (SAFMA) (Contents of this newsletter may be reproduced and/or regional Conference on Electronic Media in re-published with due accreditation to CPA) Karachi, Pakistan. This free newsletter is published by the Centre for Policy Alternatives, No 24/2, 28th Lane-Off Flower Road, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.