ARMY CONVERTS APPAREL FACTORY MAKING OF A ‘FREE CRIME’ ZONE INTO COVID FACILITY AS SRI LANKA SCRAMBLES FOR BEDS MAY 07 - 09, 2021 UK AND FRANCE SEND NAVAL VOL: 4- ISSUE 246 SHIPS TO CHANNEL ISLAND IN . TENSE FISHING DISPUTE THE PRODUCTIVE PROFLIGATE 30 GLOCAL PAGE 03 EYE ON EUROPE PAGE 05 COMMENTARY PAGE 08 LITERARY LIVES PAGE 11

Registered in the Department of Posts of Sri Lanka under No: QD/130/News/2021 India’s neighbours close borders over virus rampage COLOMBO - Sri Lanka on Thursday (6) became the latest of In- dia's neighbours to seal its borders with the South Asian giant as it battles a record coronavirus surge. Bangladesh and Nepal have also banned flights and sought to close their borders with India, where a huge rise in numbers in the past three weeks has taken deaths past 230,000 and cases over 21 million. All three countries are fighting their own pandemic surg- es, which Red Cross leaders have described as a "human catastro- phe". The Sri Lankan government banned flight passengers from India entering, as the country reported its highest daily toll of 14 deaths and 1,939 infections in 24 hours. Sri Lanka's navy said it had stepped up patrols to keep away Indian trawlers, adding that on Tuesday (4) it stopped 11 such vessels which had crossed the nar- row strip of sea dividing the two neighbours. Bangladesh halted all international flights on April 14 because of its own surge and shut its border with India on April 26. It has reported 11,755 COVID-19 deaths and 767,338 cases, but experts say the real figures are higher in all South Asian countries. Nepal suspended international flights a week ago, until May 14. Just two return flights a week are allowed to India, to bring back stranded nationals. Most border crossings are also closed and only returning Nepalis can use those still open. Many hospitals in Nepal are overflowing with COVID-19 patients, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan are all experiencing record COVID-19 death rates, it added. Even the luxury tourist destination of the Maldives has tightened restrictions for Indian visitors, insisting on negative test results on entry. India is the largest tourist market for Sri Lanka and the Mal- dives, both of which now face huge losses from the fast-spreading Covid-19 new wave. Sri Lanka has reported 117,529 infections with 734 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The Maldives has re- ported 32,665 cases with 74 deaths. -AFP US, Iran could return to nuclear deal within weeks - Danish Siddiqui/Reuters/theguardian.com WASHINGTON - The United States and Iran could each come Urns containing ashes after final second deadly surge of COVID-19 of the COVID-19 cases reported said in its weekly epidemiological back into compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal within weeks, a rites of people including those who has seen hospitals run out of beds worldwide last week, the World report that India accounted for senior State Department official said Thursday (6), on the eve of died from the coronavirus disease and oxygen and left morgues Health Organization said, even as 46% of global cases and also what could be a final round of negotiations before an agreement % is brokered. It was the most optimistic signal yet by the Biden ad- await immersion, at a crematorium and crematoriums overflowing. the country's coronavirus deaths made up for 25 of global deaths ministration that an American return to the accord between Iran in New Delhi on Thursday (6). India's India accounted for nearly half rose by a record 3,780. The WHO reported in the past week and world powers was within reach. Briefing journalists on condi- tion of anonymity, the senior official described the likelihood of an agreement before Iran’s presidential elections in mid-June as both possible and doable. He said it potentially could come in the round of talks that begin Friday (7) in Vienna. Still, the official cautioned Former Maldives president injured in that the United States and Iran continued to diverge on the extent to which each side needed to comply with the original terms of the 2015 deal — namely, unwinding economic sanctions by Washington in exchange for Tehran scaling back its nuclear program. He would not describe specific sticking points. ‘assassination attempt’ The Trump administration withdrew from the deal in 2018 to pressure Iran into a broader agreement that would have also limited MALÉ - A bomb blast injured former Mal- They said he was being treated at the ADK was also taken to hospital. Residents in its missile program and military activities across the Middle East. dives president and current Parliament Hospital in Male. Male said the blast was heard across the Later that year, the United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran’s Speaker Mohamed Nasheed on Thursday Officials said the Maldivian Parliament, capital. key financial sectors, including its lucrative oil industry, to squeeze (6), officials and residents said. which was in recess, called an emergency Nasheed is a former Amnesty Interna- its economy and try to force Tehran back to the bargaining table. The 53-year-old pro-democracy pio- meeting following the attack. tional prisoner of conscience who became Instead, Iran resisted the pressure campaign by accelerating its neer was about to get into his car in the The blast came just before a night cur- the country's first democratically elected nuclear program and raising its prospects for building a weapon. congested capital when a bomb rigged to few was due to go into effect in the capital president in the first multi-party elections President Joe Biden has pledged to rejoin the nuclear accord — a motorcycle was detonated, officials said. as part of measures to contain the spread in 2008. but also has called for negotiating a “longer and stronger” deal af- "Nasheed escaped an assassination at- of coronavirus. The archipelago of 26 at- He was toppled in a coup in 2012 and terward to curb Iran’s missile program and its support for proxy tempt," a Maldivian government official olls is battling a surge in infections con- was sentenced to 13 years prison in 2015 forces in places such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen. told AFP by telephone. "He is injured, but centrated on Male. on terrorism charges slammed as politi- -NYT his condition is stable." A family member said Nasheed had sus- cally motivated by civil rights groups. Armed police units and security forces tained several wounds. President Abdulla Yameen let him leave cordoned off the area where the attack "They have put him under anaesthesia. for medical treatment and Nasheed went US-Germany rift as Berlin opposes took place. There is a deeper cut on one of his arms," into exile in Britain, but he returned home The Indian Ocean nation of 330,000 the family member told AFP, speaking on in 2018. plan to ditch Covid vaccine patents Sunni Muslims is known for its regular po- condition of anonymity. Nasheed became parliament speaker, litical turmoil as well as its luxury holiday He said Nasheed was responsive and the nation's second most powerful posi- WASHINGTON - The US and Germany are at odds on the issue of resorts. Police confirmed that Nasheed spoke with doctors as he was taken in with tion, following 2019 polls. waivers for patents on COVID-19 vaccines, as Berlin argued a waiv- sustained injuries but did not give details. shrapnel injuries. One of his bodyguards -AFP er would not increase production and would inhibit future private sector research. The disagreement is the first major rift between the two economic powers since Joe Biden took office, and threatens to deadlock dis- cussions at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and sour relations Trending News Quote for Today within the G7 group of major industrialized democracies. Any WTO More law, less justice. decision on a waiver would have to be by consensus, so Germany Afghanistan: The Pentagon says US Jerusalem, amid a controversial land rights -Marcus Tullius Cicero opposition is a major obstacle to intellectual property rights on vac- military has deployed more heavy bomb- case over the fate of Palestinian families threat- cines being suspended. The Biden government’s announcement on ers and fighter jets to protect withdraw- ened with eviction. Word for Today Wednesday (5) that it would back a waiver on vaccine patents was ing American and coalition troops, welcomed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a step to- Africa: The WHO warns of a new wave of Hardscrabble [hahrd-skrab-uhl] wards greater global equity at a time when poor countries have lit- USA: President Joe Biden warns Con- COVID-19 infections in Africa due to delayed -adjective- providing or yielding tle access to vaccines and south Asia has been hit by a devastating gress needs to adopt his multi-trillion vaccine supplies, a slow rollout and new vari- meagrely in return for much effort; outbreak. dollar spending plans to renew the econ- ants. demanding or unrewarding India accounted for 46% of the new COVID-19 cases recorded omy because China is “eating our lunch.” Malawi: The government orders thousands around the world over the past week, and there are signs the wave Brazil: At least 25 people are killed after of long-integrated refugees to return to its Today in History is spreading to Nepal, Sri Lanka and other neighbouring states. But heavily armed police stormed one of Rio sole but badly overcrowded refugee camp, in 1945 - Germany signs uncondition- Angela Merkel’s government came out against a waiver on Thurs- day. “The US suggestion for the lifting of patent protection for de Janeiro’s largest favelas in pursuit of a controversial move that many have vowed to al surrender ending World War II. It COVID-19 vaccines has significant implications for vaccine produc- drug traffickers, in what activists say is resist. takes effect the next day. tion as a whole,” a government spokeswoman said. one of the deadliest raids in the city’s his- Russia: Researchers say at least 170 endan- “The limiting factors in the production of vaccines are the pro- tory. gered seals have washed up dead over the Today is... duction capacities and the high-quality standards and not patents,” China: Beijing rejects accusations of hu- course of several days on the shores of the Cas- No Pants Day she added, arguing that the companies were already working with man rights abuse and economic coercion, pian Sea in the republic of Dagestan. partners to boost manufacturing capacity. “The protection of intel- made by G7 foreign ministers as ‘ground- A day that reminds us that true free- lectual property is a source of innovation and must remain so in Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel urges dom requires but one thing, legs un- less’ and accuses them of “blatantly med- industrialized nations not to let the enormous the future.” The US secretary of state, Tony Blinken, said the patent dling” in the country’s internal affairs. fettered from the shackles of denim, waiver was just one of a variety of means the administration was financial toll of the coronavirus pandemic deter Palestine: Clashes with Israeli police them from investing in the fight against climate polyester, or any other fabric that looking at to intensify the struggle to contain the pandemic. would hold them, prisoner! -The Guardian continue for a second day in annexed east change. 2 MAY 07 - 09, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS BUSINESS

Study finds By Julia Kollewe Pharmaceutical Pandemic drove 230 million Indians into poverty firms’ shares tumble MUMBAI - Around 230 million In- according to the study published on worse," said Amit Basole, one of the curbs on economic activity in most of dians fell into poverty due to the pan- Wednesday (5). The report, which de- report's authors. Many families coped the country, millions of Indians whose After US plans patent demic last year with young people and fined people in poverty as those living with the income losses by spending lives are already precarious are likely waiver on COVID vaccines women the hardest hit, and the cur- on less than 375 rupees ($5) per day, less on food and taking on debt, with to see their condition worsen. rent second wave threatens to make said: "Though incomes fell across the an alarming 20% of respondents re- "We find that additional govern- Shares in pharmaceutical companies fell matters even worse, a new study has board, the pandemic has taken a far vealing that their food intake had not ment support is urgently needed now sharply after the US government threw its said. heavier toll on poorer households." improved even six months later. for two reasons - compensating for the weight behind global plans for a patent waiv- India's stringent months-long lock- Asia's third-largest economy was in Last year's lockdown sparked a huge losses sustained during the first year er on COVID-19 vaccines to boost their pro- down from last March put around 100 the throes of a prolonged slowdown exodus of millions of migrant workers and anticipating the impact of the sec- duction and distribution around the world. million people out of work, the report even before COVID-19 struck, but the who headed home to their villages, ond wave," the study said. Shortly after the US declared its support by the Bangalore-based Azim Premji pandemic untraveled years of gains. with many planning to return after the The report's authors urged New for the intellectual property (IP) waiver, University said, with around 15% un- An estimated 50 million Indians economy reopened for business. Delhi to expand its fiscal stimulus which still has to be approved by the World able to find jobs even by the end of the were expected to climb out of poverty But one in three people aged under by providing free groceries and cash Trade Organization (WTO), shares in Chi- year. last year, instead the poorest 20% of 25 failed to find work even by the end transfers to the most vulnerable nese and American vaccine makers tumbled. Women were especially worse-off, households saw their entire income of the year after losing jobs in the lock- households as well as launch an em- The Hong Kong-listed shares of CanSino with a staggering 47% of female work- vanish in April and May as business down, the study said. ployment program in the worst-hit Biologics, which makes a single-dose COV- ers unable to secure employment even ground to a halt. "Needless to say, the As a vicious second virus wave over- districts. ID-19 vaccine, were down nearly 22% at one after virus restrictions were lifted, second wave is going to make things whelms hospitals and triggers fresh -AFP stage, while its Shanghai shares lost 17%. Fo- sun Pharma, which distributes the BioNTech vaccine, fell by up to 18% in Hong Kong. Pfizer CEO ‘not at all’ in favour of US patent waiver Sri Lanka The overnight falls followed big declines on Wall Street. The vaccine makers Moderna BRUSSELS - Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on capacity to produce billions of doses," he said. and Novavax fell 6% and 5%, although Pfizer Thursday (6) said he was against a US-backed "The problem is that there are no facilities in Rupee ends around 199/208 levels was unchanged. They fell a further 8.9%, proposal to waive patents on COVID-19 vac- the world outside the ones that we can build 7.4% and 2.3% respectively in early trading cines and that production should be ramped ourselves, that can make mRNA vaccines," he to one-month dollar on Thursday. Pfizer and Moderna have to- up in existing facilities instead. said, referring to type of Covid vaccine devel- COLOMBO - Sri Lanka’s rupee tal Market Research said in its gether forecast sales of $45bn (£32bn) from In an interview with AFP, Bourla said his oped by Pfizer and BioNTech. Bourla cautioned closed at 199/208 to the dollar daily report. Bonds maturing on their vaccines this year. company, which developed its vaccine with firmly against disrupting current operations in the forex market on Thursday 15.12.2022 closed at 7.65/75%, The Novavax’s shot is yet to be approved, German firm BioNTech, was "not at all" in fa- "with politically motivated announcements." (6) while bond yields marginally down from 5.70/75% the previ- but the Maryland-based firm has pencilled vour of the call from the United States to waive "They are empty promises," he added. eased on short tenors. ous day, while bonds maturing in several billion dollars of revenue in the patent protections for coronavirus jabs. Earlier, BioNTech pointed to issues ranging Rupee closed at 199.75 levels to on 15.11.2023 closed at 6.31/35%, next 12 months. Pharmaceutical patents The widely praised move by the US an- from the set up of manufacturing sites to the the US dollar on Wednesday (5). down from 6.35/42% and are designed to guarantee a certain level of nounced on Wednesday (5) is seen by propo- sourcing of raw materials, to the availability of In the secondary market, bond bonds maturing on 15.12.2024 revenues for drugmakers that usually spend nents as a way to boost production in develop- qualified personnel that were holding up the yields on the short end of the closed at 6.68/73% down from several years and billions of dollars develop- ing countries that so far have received far fewer process. The German government on Thursday curve were marginally down, 6.70/85%. A bond maturing on ing new medicines. jabs. also stressed the importance of keeping patent dealers said. 01.05.2025 closed at 7.05/25%, They last 20 years from the date the pat- But Bourla, reflecting the pharmaceutical in- protections intact after the EU said it was open “In the secondary bond mar- down from 6.90/7.20%, and a ent is filed – rather than when a drug is dustry's long held position, insisted patents are to looking into the idea. ket, yield curve shifted down- bond maturing on 01.02.2026 brought to market – but each new drug is not the main roadblocks to more production "The protection of intellectual property is a wards amidst the continued buy- closed at 7.30/35%, down from guaranteed five years of patent exclusivity. and that building new plants would be coun- source of innovation and must remain so in the ing interest witnessed mainly in 7.35/45%, while a bond matur- When patents expire, other companies can terproductive. "We should focus our efforts in future," a government spokeswoman said. the short to mid tenor maturities ing on 15.10.2027 closed at flat at make cheaper versions of the medicine. what we can build right now, that is enough -AFP while recording moderate vol- 7.70/90%. Hu Yunlong, a Beijing-based fund man- umes during the day,” First Capi- -economynext.com ager, said: “The patent waiver will definitely have some impact on China’s domestic COV- Sri Lanka welcomed 4,100 tourists in April, ID-19 vaccine makers, as it would increase Infotainment the global vaccine supply.” India leads Pfizer said this week it expected to bring COLOMBO – Sri Lanka has welcomed 4,168 In April 796 or 19% of the tourists came from Hydrating Oily Skin: The Body in $26bn of revenue from its COVID-19 vac- tourists in April 2021, up from zero a year ear- India. In May Sri Lanka stopped arrivals from cine this year, with its soaraway product ac- lier, with Indians leading the pack, data from India as the epidemic ravaged the South Asian counting for more than a third of the com- the state tourism promotion office showed. neighbour. Shop’s new formula strikes the pany’s total annual takings. Total arrivals up to April were 13,797 against China was second with 475 or 11.4% of ar- On Thursday (6), Moderna raised its es- 507,311 last year, the Sri Lanka Tourism Devel- rivals, Kazakhstan generated 440 tourists, perfect balance timate to $19.2bn revenues from its Covid opment Authority said. German 383 and the United Kingdom 334, the jab from $18.4bn previously. The company Sri Lanka allowed tourists to come under a United States 248 and Canada 144. made its first-ever quarterly profit since it ‘travel bubble’ concept where they have to take The UK, US and Canada have a large Sri Lan- Tea tree leaves are was founded in 2010 after generating $1.7bn a series of coronavirus tests and can visit desig- kan migrant communities. gently steam distilled in sales from the vaccine in the first quarter, nated tourist sites. and is aiming to produce 3bn doses this year. -economynext.com within 12 hours of har- Both companies charge from $30 (£21) for vest using a sustainable the required two shots. heat source fuelled by Moderna’s chief executive, StéphaneBan- macadamia shells. This cel, who has been turned into a multibillion- gives us the pure leaf aire as a result of the huge increase in the oil in the Tea Tree Range Moderna share price, said the firm would that is loved for its skin- not enforce its COVID-19 related patents clearing benefits against those making vaccines intended to fight the pandemic. Pharmaceutical experts said axing patent protection would not solve vaccine supply problems quickly. They argue that manufac- The natural properties of tea tree ties of salicylic acid, hyaluronic turing bottlenecks and raw material short- oil have been used in traditional acid, and aloe vera. Well-known ages were the bigger hurdle to making more medicine for centuries; a versatile for its effectiveness in reducing COVID-19 vaccines. oil used to help treat infections acne, exfoliating skin, and keep- However, production capacity has been and promote healing, made from ing pores clear, salicylic acid can increased rapidly since the coronavirus was the crushed leaves of the tea tree be a powerful ingredient when first identified as a threat. According to the plant, a species that is native to combined with tea tree oil. Mean- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Australia. while, hyaluronic acid works to Industry, vaccine manufacturing capacity Over decades, various re- keep skin supple and hydrated, globally has risen from 3.5bn doses a year searchers have conducted mul- balancing moisture levels from before the pandemic to 10bn doses for coro- tiple studies, delving into the within by binding to water mol- navirus vaccines alone by the end of 2021. effectiveness of tea tree oil as a ecules in the skin. Bancel said the patent waiver would not powerful remedy for acne and in Perhaps one of the most widely boost production in the next 18 months. “[It] fighting oily skin. Its natural pu- used skincare remedies, in both will not help supply more mRNA vaccines to rifying effects on blemished skin new and age-old recipes, the gel- the world any faster in 2021 and 2022, which have made it a go-to ingredient like components of the aloe plant is the most critical time of the pandemic,” he for many. have antimicrobial properties said, adding: “There is no idle mRNA manu- Harnessing the nourishing that help in flushing out microbes facturing capacity in the world.” and antiseptic properties of tea and dirt, unclogging pores and Some companies are already effectively tree oil for a range of skincare softening one’s skin, thus treating sharing their intellectual property (IP). solutions, Tea Tree Oil by global acne with an unmatched efficacy. AstraZeneca, which sells its vaccine on a beauty brand, The Body Shop, is Bringing together the unique cost basis, has shared details of its vaccine a formula that has been perfected healing properties of these ingre- through partnerships with 20 companies over years, containing 15% Com- dients, The Body Shop’s new Tea around the world that make the vaccine, in- munity Fair Trade tea tree oil. Tree In-Control Hydrator works cluding India’s Serum Institute. This means users can safely apply to provide users with an intense, Sheena Berry, an analyst at the investment it directly onto skin without dilu- 24-hour hydration. firm Quilter Cheviot, said: “Details are limit- tion, unlike the 100% undiluted Combining Community Fair ed just now but this move is unlikely to help or “neat” forms available else- Trade Tea Tree Oil from Kenya, immediately given the technical challenges where. Community Fair Trade organic producing the vaccines, supply constraints The lemon tea tree oil in the aloe vera from Mexico, salicylic and time required to potentially approve the formula, known for its highly acid, and white willow bark, wavier. Manufacturing bottlenecks rather aromatic fragrance, contains pu- amongst other ingredients, the than intellectual property are the bigger rifying properties that have been Tea Tree In-Control Hydrator has hurdle to producing more vaccines and more proven to tackle blemishes and been created to be a light, non- needs to be done to solve these issues.” keep one’s skin looking clear. greasy formula that can be ap- She said vaccine quality might also be Meanwhile, the tamanu oil in the plied seamlessly onto one’s skin, compromised. “The requirement of signifi- tree oil formula is well-known for balancing its natural oil produc- cant scientific knowledge and knowhow can its antibacterial properties, effec- tion. make the vaccines difficult to manufacture tively soothing blemished skin. With a global reach that com- and quality of the product is critical in the By combining tea tree oil with prises more than 3,000 stores fight against Covid-19.” a variety of other interesting in- in more than 60 countries, The Dr Adam Barker, healthcare analyst at gredients, The Body Shop has ex- Body Shop is constantly striving Shore Capital, said there could be longer perimented with its healing prop- to push the boundaries of skin- term ramifications of a change in patent pro- erties and created several unique care and enrich its products, the tection. “If pharma companies thought their skincare solutions, ranging from lives of people, and our planet. IP could just be waived, would this discour- masks and scrubs to lotions, and Its range of Tea Tree Oil products age innovation going forward? You would facial washes to body washes. can be purchased at The Body presume that this is a temporary proposal Going a step beyond, The Shop flagship store on Bagatalle given unprecedented circumstances, but no Body Shop has more recently Road, Odel at Alexandra Place, doubt pharma companies would be worried combined the properties of tea Kandy City Centre, and Colombo about ‘creep’ into other areas.” tree oil with the healing proper- City Centre. -theguardian.com WEEKEND EXPRESS MAY 07 - 09, 2021 3 GLOCAL

Express Newspapers (Cey) Pvt. Ltd., 185, Grandpass Road, Colombo 14, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka to rely on Telephone: 0117 322 705 (Editorial) 0117 322 731 (Advertising) 0117 322 789 (Circulation) Sputnik V, as search Email – [email protected]/[email protected] Epaper - http://epaper.newsexpress.lk continues for more Facebook –News Express Sri Lanka AstraZeneca COLOMBO – Sri Lanka will hence- Army converts apparel factory into Covid facility as forth use the Russia-made Sputnik V jab as the country’s primary vaccine against COVID-19, while continuing to hold talks with governments with ex- Sri Lanka scrambles for beds cess AstraZeneca stocks to secure the required doses for some 600,000 peo- COLOMBO – The Sri Lanka Army According to the National Operations only 40 were available at the time of President of the Public Health Inspec- ple awaiting their second shot. (SLA) announced the conversion of an Centre for the Prevention of COVID-19 writing. Forty-eight provincial and base tors (PHI) Union, Upul Rohana, in sepa- State Minister of Primary Health eco-friendly apparel factory in Seeduwa (NOCPOC), the Brandix facility with hospitals used as secondary treatment rate interview given to another privately Care, Epidemics and Covid Disease into a COVID-19 treatment facility on 1200 beds, will be the biggest COVID centres have 4,500 beds between them, owned channel, expressed similar senti- Control, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandop- Thursday (6), as the country scrambles treatment facility run by the SLA. of which only 20 are currently free. The ments, warning that Sri Lanka’s health ulle, said authorities were looking at to provide beds for its rapidly increasing The Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters’ As- ministry has also converted some hotels system will collapse if the daily patient every possible avenue to acquire more COVID-19 patients in need of hospitali- sociation said in its website the 130,000 adding 1,900 beds to the system, but of count is not reduced by at least 50%. vaccines. zation. sq ft factory had been converted into an these, too, only 200 remain. Rohana called for a lockdown, though “There are countries that have pur- Health officials have raised the alarm eco-friendly plant by Brandix in 2008, Director MoH Tertiary Care Services, he acknowledged the strain it would chased and stored excess consign- over Sri Lanka’s fast-declining hospital with harvested rainwater as its main Dr. Anver Hamdani, told a privately have on the country’s ailing economy ments of the AstraZeneca jab. We’re bed capacity, with daily cases now near- source of water supply amongst other owned television channel that 10,000 and the burdens it could impose on low- talking to those governments to see if ing 2,000 amid reports of delays in hos- eco-friendly components. people had tested positive for COVID-19 income families. However, the country we can acquire vaccines from them,” pitalization. Fernandopulle said talks are also un- over the past five days. must be locked down for at least seven she said. State Minister of Primary Health Care, der way with the Department of Ayur- “We had only 9,000 beds before cases days to bring the situation under con- State Minister of Production, Supply Epidemics and COVID Disease Control, veda to convert Sri Lanka’s Ayurvedic started to spike, but we did not give up,” trol, he said. and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Sudarshini Fernadopulle, confirmed hospitals into Covid-treatment facilities. he added. Meanwhile, Army Commander Gen Prof. Channa Jayasumana, told report- on Thursday that bed capacity was “al- “We currently have 15,488 beds for However, Health Services Deputy Di- Shavendra Silva said at a NOCPOC ers on Thursday (6) that Sri Lanka will most full”, noting that the Seeduwa fac- COVID-19 patients in the country and rector Dr Susi Perera, warned hospital press briefing Thursday that all possible switch to Sputnik V as the main vac- tory, property of Brandix Apparel Lim- we are adding to that number,” Fernan- capacity may run out very soon and that measures will be taken to provide beds cine for the remainder of 2021. ited, was converted as part of a network dopulle said. was the real danger. to COVID-19 patients even if it means Sri Lanka started administering the of other factories, hospitals and hotels Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health (MoH) “There was no delay in hospitalization troops have to give up their camps. Russian jab for people aged between the military has temporarily taken over has 100 hospitals and intermediate treat- before, but now it takes about a day to As of Wednesday (5), the army had 30 and 60 residing in Gothatuwa, to treat COVID-19 patients. ment centres under its purview dedicat- find a hospital or a treatment centre due added 2,500 beds to the system, Silva Colombo, an area the authorities said “Another factory in Warellawatta is ed to COVID -19 treatment, official data to limited capacity. Some patients have said, with 5,000 more beds to be added has reported a high incidence of daily being converted by the Navy, along with shows. Eight of these are tertiary treat- had to wait for four to five days,” she ac- over the next couple of days. COVID-19 cases. several other places,” Fernadopulle said. ment centres with 1,489 beds, of which knowledged. -economynet.com The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) approved Sputnik V for emergency use in Sri Lanka on Sri Lanka bans travellers from India with March 4 and the cabinet of ministers subsequently approved a proposal to purchase seven million doses at a cost immediate effect of US$ 69.65 million this year. COLOMBO - The Civil Aviation Au- ation Services (Sri Lanka) said the re- Prof. Jayasumana, noting that 13.5 thority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) on Thurs- striction was solely for air passengers. million Sri Lankans need to be vac- day (6) announced a temporary ban on “Aircraft, cargo and seafarers will cinated against COVID-19, said, “We arrivals from India, effective immedi- keep coming but they will not be al- can inoculate at least half that number ately. lowed to disembark,” he said. with Sputnik V.” CAASL Additional Director General Countries across the world including The two doses of the Russian vac- P. A. Jayakantha said travellers from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zea- cine, which needs to be stored at tem- India, including those who visited In- land and a number of European coun- peratures between 2 and 8 degrees dia over the past 14 days, will not be tries as well as neibhouring nations Celsius (a standard fridge is roughly 3 allowed to disembark in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh have imposed a to 5 degrees), are to be administered 21 noting the decision had been taken as travel ban on India. days apart. the coronavirus continues to spread Unconfirmed reports have alluded to Sputnik V is unusual from other rapidly in India. He said a notice was an influx of Indians ‘escaping’ to other COVID-19 vaccines in that it carries a issued to all airlines to prevent the dis- countries including Sri Lanka. Howev- different formula to the first. Both for- embarkation of Indian nationals arriv- er, Sumanasekara denied such claims mulae target the coronavirus’s distinc- ing from India until further notice. saying there was no influx of Indian in- tive ‘spike’, but the two doses contain Sri Lanka is suffering a sudden spike bound passengers to Sri Lanka. slightly different vectors – the neutral- in COVID-19 infections, with health On average they were getting no ized virus that carries the spike to the authorities claiming a new COVID-19 more than two to five passengers from body. virus variant was rapidly spreading India per day, adding that the total Fifteen thousand doses arrived in Sri – J. Sujeewakumar/ENCL across the country. daily inbound passenger turnout was Lanka on May 4 for a trial rollout su- A woman receives her first dose of the Sputnik V COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine from Shehan Sumanasekara, Director Op- about 100 on average. pervised by Russian officials. a health worker at a vaccination centre in Colombo on Thursday (6) erations (all airports), Airport and Avi- -ENCL/economynext.com Chairman of the State Pharmaceuti- cal Corporation (SPC), Dr. Prasanna Gunasena told a private media net- Outgoing AG turns Speaker receives SC UNP says work the jabs were sent as a test con- signment for Russian officials to per- Sri Lanka’s participation in UN sonally supervise the process of an down diplomatic determination on Port City Bill initial rollout. COLOMBO - Speaker Ma- Thera, Sri Lanka Podujana “They’ll be supervising everything posting to Canada hinda Yapa Abeywardena Peramuna (SLPP) lawmaker peacekeeping missions must not from the point they land in Sri Lanka: has received the Supreme Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and how we release the consignment from COLOMBO - Attorney General Court (SC) determination Transparency International be weakened the airport, how we transport it and (AG) Dappula de Livera has turned on the Port City Economic Sri Lanka were among those how we store it,” he said. down an offer to server as Sri Lan- Commission Bill and will who had filed the petitions. COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s and the need for additional “Once they’re satisfied with our ka’s High Commissioner to Canada. announce the determina- Issuing a statement, the participation in United Na- financial resources. Last week, processes, they will send the rest,” he President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tion in Parliament shortly. UNP pointed out that the tions (UN) peacekeeping and Opposition Leader Sajith Pre- added. had nominated Dappula de Livera The Speaker said he had Port City project was of peace enforcement operations madasa claimed plans were It is unclear whether such supervi- reviewed the court deter- national importance and if must not be weakened, the underway to purchase four Mi- to be Sri Lanka’s new High Commis- sion took place in Thursday’s rollout. mination on Wednesday (5) properly implemented will United National Party (UNP) 171 helicopters from Russia at Gunaseana had previously said the sioner to Canada. night and that he will an- greatly benefit the country’s said. a total cost of USD 72 million. However, the Attorney General’s timeline for the arrival of the Rus- nounce the determination economy. However, it ques- In a statement issued on “The purchase of the heli- sian jab was 200,000 doses by April, office said he has turned down the in Parliament on May 18. tioned as to why the process Thursday (6), the party said copters should only be made 400,000 by May, 800,000 by June offer, claiming he would prefer to re- The Supreme Court, to draft the Bill been carried the UNP-led Yahapalana gov- utilizing the Russian Export and 1.2 million by July. main in Sri Lanka and serve the peo- which on April 23 conclud- out in a hurried manner, ernment had decided to partic- Credit Line for Arms Pur- “It was delayed due to some rea- ple. The term of the current Attorney ed considering petitions lacking any proper trans- ipate in the missions as part of chases with a grace period and son, but the Russian authorities have General ends later this month. Dap- filed challenging the Co- parency. a higher profile foreign policy. long-term repayment,” the promised to send the rest of the vac- pula de Livera has so far concluded lombo Port City Economic The party also noted the “An army battalion, with MI- party said. cine as scheduled,” he said in an earlier action on 27,206 criminal cases dur- Commission Bill, said it will important piece of legisla- 17 helicopters, was dispatched The UNP also urged the gov- interview. Quoting the Health Minis- ing his tenure, Coordinating Officer convey its decision on the tion had been presented to to Mali as part of the UN con- ernment to address concerns try’s epidemiology unit, Gunasena said tingent facing Al-Qaeda affili- raised about Sri Lanka’s do- to the Attorney General State Coun- Bill to the Speaker of Parlia- Parliament on the eve of at a press conference last month, that ment. the Sinhala and Tamil New ated terrorists,” it said, noting mestic human rights record they had been advised to administer sel Nishara Jayaratne said. Several petitions were Year, failing to allow for that the UNP was of the view by the United Nations Human She added that this was done dur- the Sputnik V vaccine to citizens under filed challenging the Co- proper examination and the operations should not be in Rights Council (UNHRC), say- the age of 60. The geographical areas ing the two year term of the Attor- lombo Port City Economic consultation and said it was anyway weakened as there is ing, “If we are to continue our – apart from Gothatuwa – where the ney General from May 2019 to May Commission Bill. challenging the Bill on the scope for further involvement involvement and increase our vaccine will be distributed have yet to 2021. The United National grounds that it was incon- in future contingents. numbers in these missions, the be declared, however. -CG Party (UNP), Samagi Jana sistent with the Constitu- The UNP also cautioned government must address the The SPC chairman said Sri Lanka Balawegaya (SJB), Centre tion of the country and will against purchasing helicop- human rights concerns in the has also signed agreements with the for Policy Alternatives, Ven- fail to fulfil its purposes. ters given the prevailing situa- UNHRC.” US-based Pfizer Inc. The multination- erable Muruttetuwe Ananda -CG tion with regard to COVID-19 -economynext.com al pharmaceutical giant has communi- cated to the SPC that between April to June, 35,000 doses will be delivered to Cops under fire after video on Jaffna arrest goes viral Sri Lanka, followed by 105,000 from COLOMBO - The Police have come un- Though those arrested, mostly youth, July to September and 4.8 million der fire for abuse of power, after a video are not seen resisting arrest, they are from October to December. showing them arresting people in Jaffna however carried to a Police bus in a de- In order for Sri Lanka to reach herd for not wearing face masks or not main- grading manner. Many are dragged out immunity, he said, out of a population taining social distancing went viral on from shop and some are forced to aban- of 21 million, 13 million should be vac- social media. don their motorcycles and bicycles in the cinated. Video footage shows the police, suit- middle of the road. Meanwhile, Minister of Health ably attired in personal protective gear, The footage comes as the Sri Lanka Pavithra Wanniarachchi said health - TG dragging Jaffna youth and forcing them military intensifies its crackdown on the authorities plan to vaccinate 63% of in to a bus, to be taken away to a quaran- North and East with a series of arrests The Jaffna Police have refused to com- the population by the end of 2021. tine centre. Reportedly the hunt for peo- under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. ment saying only the Police Spokesman So far 139,286 out of 925,242 Sri ple without masks had been a special op- “When someone is arrested you can make comments to the media. Lankans have received their second eration carried out on Wednesday (5) by should tell them why they are being ar- The Police are conducting operations dose of the AstraZeneca Covishield the Jaffna police under the instruction rested. Here they just pick up the man around the island to apprehend those vaccine. Sri Lanka has around 350,000 of Chief Inspector, Prasad Fernando. At and take him away. They are not resist- not adhering to health guidelines, es- doses of the India-made vaccine in least 20 people had been were arrested ing arrest so the Police are using unnec- pecially not wearing face masks or not store and need some 600,000 more to for not wearing masks or following social essary force,” according human rights wearing it properly. administer the second shot. distancing measures. experts. -ENCL/CG -economynext.com 4 MAY 07 - 09, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS HOT TOPICS

By Jerome Taylor By Matina Stevis Gridneff Convicted Hong Kong EU leader says bloc is journalist wins award willing to discuss patent for investigation waiver for COVID vaccines BRUSSELS — Under growing pressure, the Eu- HONG KONG - A Hong Kong journalist ropean Union is considering whether to follow who was prosecuted over investigating an the Biden administration’s decision to support a attack on democracy supporters by gov- waiver of patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines as ernment loyalists won a prestigious press many poor and middle-income nations struggle prize on Thursday (6), even after her em- to secure lifesaving doses. ployer backed out of the awards. The European Commission’s president, Ursula Bao Choy, a former producer with Hong von der Leyen, stopped short of outright support- Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK, was ing President Joe Biden’s decision in a speech on found guilty last month of “knowingly Thursday morning, but said the European Union making a false statement” to access num- - PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP was “also ready to discuss any proposals that ber plate ownership records - a conviction Workers wearing personal protective equipment enlarge a crematorium in Kathmandu, address the crisis in an effective and pragmatic that was decried by media groups as an as- Nepal, on Wednesday (5), as the number of people dying from COVID surges manner.” sault on public interest journalism. “That is why we are ready to discuss how the On Thursday, Choy and five colleagues By Peter Beaumont US proposal for a waiver on intellectual property won the Chinese-language documentary protections for COVID-19 vaccines could help award at the annual Human Rights Press achieve that objective,” she said, speaking at the Awards for their work ‘Who Owns the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Truth?’ Nepal facing ‘human catastrophe’ similar “In the short run, however, we call upon all vac- The awards recognize human rights re- cine-producing countries to allow export and to porting across Asia and have been running avoid measures that disrupt the supply chains.” for 25 years. Her comments mark a shift, as she has previ- Judges praised the RTHK documentary to India’s amid rampant COVID surge ously said she did not support patent waivers. for “chasing the smallest clues, interrogat- KATHMANDU - Nepal is strug- state of Uttar Pradesh, which saw She continued: “Many places are The United States had been a major holdout ing the powerful without fear or favour”, gling to contain an explosion in a sudden influx of thousands of re- only accessible on dirt roads or by at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over a and described the 23-minute documentary COVID-19 cases, as fears grow that turning Nepali migrant workers foot. Responding to this crisis and proposal to suspend some intellectual property as “an investigative reporting classic”. the situation in the Himalayan coun- from India ahead of the border be- ensuring remote villages have access protections, which could give drug makers access The July 2019 attack in the district of try may be as bad, if not worse, than tween the two countries closing. to tests and supplies will be a mas- to the trade secrets of how the vaccines are made. Yuen Long by a gang of men armed with in neighbouring India, with which it “We need to act now and we need sive undertaking.” But Biden had come under increasing pressure to clubs -- and the police’s failure to respond shares a long and porous border. to act fast to have any hope of con- With fewer doctors per capita than support the proposal, which was drafted by India quickly enough -- was a turning point in Following warnings by health offi- taining this human catastrophe,” India, and a far weaker health sys- and South Africa. the huge and often violent pro-democracy cials earlier this week that the coun- said Alexander Matheou, Asia Pacif- tem, cases in Nepal in the last month The European Union is one of the world’s larg- protests that year, further hammering pub- try was on the brink of losing control ic director for the Federation of Red have increased from about 100 a day est producers, exporters and consumers of vac- lic trust in the police force and city leaders. of its outbreak, Nepal has appealed Cross and Red Crescent Societies. to more than 8,000. cines, and has so far opposed activism at the RTHK used footage from witnesses and for urgent international help. Netra Prasad Timsina, the chair The country of about 30 million WTO level to recognize the pandemic as a huge security cameras - as well as number plate As the country reported its high- of the Nepal Red Cross, said: “What people has only about 1,600 inten- emergency and remove protections on the vac- searches and interviews - to piece together est daily number of new infections is happening in India right now is a sive care beds and fewer than 600 cines, permitting them to ultimately be produced events. – 8,605 – the prime minister, K. P. horrifying preview of Nepal’s future ventilators for its population. There in larger volumes by manufacturers around the It uncovered new details about the al- Sharma Oli, who has been criticized if we cannot contain this latest Covid are 0.7 doctors per 100,000 people, world. leged attackers, some of whom have links for his handling of the crisis, asked surge that is claiming more lives by a lower rate than India. The calls to change course on patent waivers to politically influential rural committees the army to help manage emergen- the minute.” Like India, the Nepali govern- have grown stronger in recent weeks as India’s that support Beijing. cy facilities to take pressure off the Nripendra Khatri, of Catholic Re- ment allowed a series of major reli- catastrophic coronavirus wave has plunged the It also said that police failed to respond health system. lief Services, described the situation gious festivals to go ahead, includ- country into the worst outbreak the world has to the build-up of stick-wielding men, fer- With vaccines running short and and the difficulties hampering Ne- ing Pahan Charhe, which helped the seen since the start of the pandemic. ried into the district by specific vehicles hospitals overwhelmed, serious pal’s own response to the crisis. spread of the disease. The European Union is on the verge of an- that evening hours before the attack. outbreaks have hit both the capital, “In Kathmandu, many people are Reports in Nepali language me- nouncing a deal with Pfizer-BioNTech for 2022 Police have rejected any accusation their Kathmandu, and the south-west staying home now because of how dia have alleged that the govern- and 2023 that will lock in 1.8 billion doses for officers failed the public that night and and west of the country. The na- fast the virus is spreading. At the ment’s belated and opaque attempts boosters, variants and children’s vaccines, com- senior officers have since sought to recast tional positivity rate – the percent- same time, there are long lines in to procure vaccines from the Serum pounding the global inequity. The United States the ambush as an evenly matched melee age of tests that come back positive hospitals and pharmacies. Institute of India were conducted via said it would also start vaccinating children over between two opposing sides. – is being reported at a staggering “Because of the lockdown in major middle men in exchange for hefty 12. Hong Kong maintains a publicly acces- 47%. Rates are even higher in some cities, access to transportation and commissions. Most government- Frontline health workers in some poorer na- sible licence plate database long used by locations. Earlier this week Oli ap- medicines is also affected. Crema- run hospitals are overstretched, and tions still don’t have access to a single shot of the journalists, including pro-Beijing news pealed to the international commu- tion centres around the country are many poorer people have been un- vaccine. outlets. nity for vaccines as officials warned filling up fast, and family¬ – mem- able to afford private care. Katherine Tai, the US trade representative, But authorities introduced a rule change that those who had already received bers are unable to properly perform “It’s like we are in a war zone,” announced the administration’s position on that meant journalists were no longer al- a first dose of the AstraZeneca jab last rites. Dr. Sher Bahadur Pun, chief of the Wednesday (5) afternoon as the pandemic con- lowed to make searches. were in urgent need of second shots. “Nepal is a difficult place for lo- Clinical Research Unit at the Suk- tinued to spiral in India and South America. Choy, 37, faced up to six months in The government’s haphazard vac- gistics, especially for specialised raraj Tropical and Infectious Disease “This is a global health crisis, and the extraor- jail but was ultimately fined HK$6,000 cination campaign, which has seen medical equipment. Our country is hospital in Teku told the Kathmandu dinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic ($770). She plans to appeal her conviction. people queue for hours in the capi- landlocked and supplies often come Post, adding that patients were being call for extraordinary measures,” she said in a Beijing has made no secret of its desire tal, has been blamed for spreading overland from India, but right now, treated on the floor and courtyard. statement. “The administration believes strongly to see Hong Kong’s critical media tamed the disease. Amid new lockdowns India needs all of its medical equip- In a stark indication of the crisis, in intellectual property protections, but in service and the city has slid down press freedom and the cancellation of most inter- ment. Nepal’s ministry of health conceded of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of rankings in recent years. national flights, travellers described “That means everything must in a statement last week it was los- those protections for COVID-19 vaccines.” RTHK has found itself a government tar- checkpoints in Kathmandu en route come through airports, and all com- ing control of the situation. “As the Any proposal on waiving patents would require get. Authorities have ordered an overhaul to the airport. mercial flights have been suspended number of infections has increased unanimous approval by WTO members, so Euro- of the broadcaster, including the recent One of the worst-hit areas out- except for two flights a week to Del- beyond the control of the health sys- pean Union support is necessary. But even if the appointment of a career civil servant as its side Kathmandu has been the city hi, India. Once supplies reach Kath- tem, it has become tough to provide proposal passes, it could make little difference to new head who has since pulled multiple of Nepalgunj in the Banke district, mandu, they have to fan out – across hospital beds for care.” vaccine availability in the short run. shows for “one-sided views” and “inaccu- close to the border with the Indian a country of mountains. -thegurardian.com Eighty-three percent of shots that have been racies”. administered worldwide have been in high- and RTHK suspended Choy after her No- upper-middle-income countries. Just 0.2% of vember arrest and did not contribute to Qatar arrests finance minister over alleged corruption doses have been administered in low-income her legal defence. countries. In North America, 48 out of 100 adults It also announced it had withdrawn from DOHA - Qatar's finance minister Ali National Bank, the region's biggest it was too close to Iran and funded have received at least one dose of a vaccine; the all press award entries but many award or- Shareef al-Emadi has been arrested lender. He is also on the board of Qa- extremists. Doha has always denied figure is 31 per 100 adults in Europe. In Africa, ganizations, including HRPA, declined to over alleged abuse of power and mis- tar Investment Authority, the coun- the accusations. it is 1.3, according to figures compiled by Our accept the withdrawal. use of public funds, State media said try's sovereign wealth fund. He won accolades for not allowing World in Data. “During the transition period, RTHK on Thursday (6). While he is not part of the royal the currency to devalue in the face of Von der Leyen on Thursday (6) once again decided not to nominate programs for While there have been previ- ruling class, he comes from an afflu- extreme external pressure, liquidat- stated the European Union’s belief that “no one awards, would also withdraw their entries ous high-level arrests in corruption ent and influential family with large ing almost a quarter of Qatar's eco- is safe until everyone is safe” in the fight against from those competitions, and would not cases in Qatar, official sources said investments in the country, includ- nomic reserves to weather the storm. the pandemic. accept related awards,” a spokesperson Emadi is the highest-profile figure to ing trade and real estate. Emadi also presided over massive That notion, she said, was as true for the con- said Thursday. face such allegations under the cur- Hussein Ibish, a Washington- spending for the 2022 World Cup tinent of Europe as it was for the world. She said The station’s Twitter account - which rent rule of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin based Gulf expert, tweeted on Thurs- which Qatar is to host. Gas-rich Qa- she could not imagine what it would have meant has developed an irreverent outspoken- Hamad Al-Thani. day that it was "pretty remarkable" tar is one of the smallest Arab states, if some countries in the European Union secured ness under the new management -- hinted "The attorney general ordered that Emadi was arrested "on suspi- with a population of 2.8 million, vaccines while others went without. at disquiet within the newsroom. the arrest of Minister of Finance Ali cion of corruption and embezzle- most of whom are foreigners. “Economically it would have made no sense “#RTHK picks up more prizes, despite Shareef al-Emadi (to) question him ment". Qatar-based diplomats told In June 1995, former emir Sheikh whatsoever with such an integrated single mar- management’s best efforts,” the account on what was mentioned in reports AFP that the arrest had come as a Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani was de- ket,” she said. “And politically it would have torn wrote. “Bao Choy and Nabela Qoser, regarding crimes related to civil ser- surprise. throned in a bloodless coup by his our union apart.” who’ve both been given their marching or- vice that involved damage to public "This is actually great, it shows son, the father of the current emir, But addressing global inequity will present a ders, are recognised in this year’s Human money, abuse of function and abuse Qatar is taking corruption seriously Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. far greater challenge. Rights Press Awards.” of power," state media said. -- if that is what it is found to be -- Sheikh Hamad inherited virtually The bloc has allowed major vaccine exports Earlier this week, RTHK fired reporter The official Qatar News Agency and helps build the image of the rule empty state coffers amid swirling and made large financial contributions to initia- Nabela Qoser who had become famous for said that an investigation had been of law being complied with,"' a diplo- allegations of corruption and eco- tives that seek to spread vaccines to poorer na- her aggressive questioning of officials at launched, but did not give any fur- mat in Doha told AFP. nomic mismanagement by his pre- tions. press conferences. ther details. Emadi has served as fi- Emadi stewarded the economy decessor. But, under criticism at home for not doing as A report she helped produced on the po- nance minister since 2013. He is also through a three-year economic The current over an annual anti- much as the United States and Britain to get its licing of protests won a commendation in the president of the executive board blockade imposed on Qatar by Saudi corruption award for those who have own residents inoculated faster, it has stopped the same category as Choy. of the national carrier Qatar Airways Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, worked to combat graft globally. short of throwing its weight behind the growing - Agence France-Presse and chairman of the board of Qatar Bahrain and Egypt over allegations -Agence France-Presse global movement for the lifting of COVID-19 vac- cine patents. It has also held back from pushing pharmaceutical companies to share their techno- Prince Harry, Meghan ask for COVID vaccine donations for Archie’s birthday logical know-how to build up global production WASHINGTON - Britain's Prince tion, they praised supporters for their still struggling with the impact of this at ‘Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite capacity. Harry and his wife Meghan on Thurs- charity donations on Archie's birth- pandemic," they said, asking for dona- the World’ where performers will in- Changing course now would be a huge turna- day (6) asked fans to donate money day. tions for the purchase of vaccines for clude Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, J round for von der Leyen. In an interview with for COVID-19 vaccines as a way of cel- "Many of you donate to charities on "families in the world's most vulner- Balvin and HER. The Times in which she previewed the Pfizer- ebrating the second birthday of their his behalf, and mark the occasion by able places." Put on by Global Citizen, an inter- BioNTech deal last month, she came out strongly son Archie. giving back or doing an act of service "We will not be able to truly recover national advocacy organization, the against vaccine patent sharing. "We have been deeply touched over — all through the goodness of your until everyone, everywhere, has equal campaign is pushing businesses to “I am not at all a friend of releasing patents,” the past two years to feel the warmth hearts. You raise funds for those who access to the vaccine," said the couple, "donate dollars for doses," and for G7 von der Leyen said, advancing a common argu- and support for our family in honor need it most, and continue to do so who co-hosted a concert to raise funds governments to share excess vaccines. ment among pharmaceutical executives that pri- of Archie’s birthday," said the couple, organically and selflessly. We remain for vaccines that is due to air on Sun- It also urges pharmaceutical com- vate enterprise was in part responsible for the who now live in California after re- incredibly grateful." day (9). panies "including Moderna to make innovation that spurred the speedy development nouncing their royal duties. "This year, our world continues Along with US President Joe Biden vaccines available at not-for-profit of COVID-19 vaccines. “Therefore, you need this In a letter posted on the website of to be on the path to recovery from and First Lady Jill Biden, Vice Presi- prices." private-sector ingenuity behind it,” she added. their Archewell non-profit founda- COVID-19. Yet too many families are dent Kamala Harris will also appear -Agencies -New York Times WEEKEND EXPRESS MAY 07 - 09, 2021 5 EYE ON EUROPE

By Neil Vigdor Charity launches probe Space aged into child abuse Bottle of wine from allegations VIENNA - An international charity said Thurs- space station could day (6) that it is investigating alleged abuse of children under its care or fund mismanagement sell for $1 million in Africa and Asia, pledging an “uncompromis- LONDON - It was a cool and dark envi- ing” probe. ronment, but not your traditional wine SOS Children’s Villages International sup- cellar. ports 1.2 million mostly children through more Not when it involved orbiting the Earth than 550 centres and other programs around the about 250 miles up at a speed of 17,500 world, helping orphans and others in need. mph aboard the International Space Sta- It has found “cases of serious child protection tion, which is where a celebrated bottle of violations and mismanagement,” the head of the red wine from France’s Bordeaux region organization, Elisabeth Hauser, said in a state- spent 14 months, according to Christie’s ment. auction house. A spokeswoman for the group told AFP that The bottle, a Pétrus from the year 2000, allegations of child mistreatment, including is now being sold by Christie’s, which lists sexual abuse, or fund mismanagement have the estimated price of the bottle at $1 mil- cropped up in about 20 of the 137 countries lion. The company is calling it a “space- where the charity operates. aged” wine for discerning connoisseurs, More than 40,000 people work for the or- ganisation founded more than 70 years ago in as private-sector monetization of space - Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP exploration and research ascends. Sip French fishing boats protest in front of the port of Saint Helier off the British island of Jersey on Thursday Austria. slowly. (6), to draw attention to what they see as unfair restrictions on their ability to fish in UK waters after The probe is also looking into alleged financial “This bottle of Pétrus 2000 marks a mo- mismanagement. Brexit. Around 50 French fishing boats gathered to protest at the main port of the UK island of Jersey, amid The spokeswoman said the organisation could mentous step in the pursuit of developing fresh tensions between France and Britain over fishing and gaining a greater understanding of the not say how many children have been affected maturation of wine,” Tim Triptree, the in- because the probe was still ongoing. ternational director of Christie’s wine and By Mark Landler and Stephen Castle “There are also allegations that executives spirits department, said in a statement on from SOS Children’s Villages International were Tuesday (4). aware of some of the incidents and that the in- Renowned for its complexity and tast- vestigation and prosecution was suppressed,” ing notes of black truffles, black cherries, UK and France send naval ships to Hauser said. licorice and mulberry, the 21-year-old Pé- The cases - some dating back to the 1990s - trus is regarded as one of the best vintages came to light through an investigation commis- in the world of wine. A 750-milliliter bottle sioned by the charity last November following typically fetches several thousand dollars. channel island in tense fishing dispute an initial probe into abuse allegations launched The “space-aged” bottle comes with a three years ago. bespoke trunk, a decanter, glasses and a LONDON — An ugly spat over ing rights, which were a sticking and negotiators in Brussels just Hauser said in one case a child whose perfor- corkscrew crafted from a meteorite, said post-Brexit fishing rights has point throughout the difficult trade before Christmas was a disap- mance in school had dropped had been locked the auction house, which is including a erupted into a stranger-than-fic- negotiations between Britain and pointment to British fishing com- up and not allowed to visit its own parents. “terrestrial” bottle of Pétrus from 2000 so tion maritime standoff between the European Union. munities, who had been promised As an example of fund mismanagement, that the buyer can compare the two. Britain and France, as naval ships “The prime minister underlined a “sea of opportunities” by Brexit Hauser pointed to alleged cases of nepotism in A dozen bottles of wine in total were from both countries converged on his unwavering support for Jer- supporters. the awarding of construction contracts. transported to the International Space Thursday (6) in the waters off the sey,” a spokesman for Downing Instead, the increase in annual An independent commission led by an Aus- Station in November 2019 aboard a Cyg- island of Jersey, where dozens of Street told the British news me- quotas for British fishing crews trian politician, known for her victim protection nus spacecraft by Space Cargo Unlimited, French fishing boats were threat- dia on Wednesday. Johnson, the was initially modest. And because work, has been set up to probe the cases further a European startup. They returned to ening to blockade a port. spokesman said, called for “de- Britain has left Europe’s single and suggest structural changes to the group. A earth in January aboard a SpaceX Dragon Prime Minister Boris Johnson escalation in tensions” and said market for goods, British fish and report is expected by the second half of 2022, ac- spacecraft, according to Christie’s, which dispatched two British Navy ves- any blockade would be “completely shellfish require more documenta- cording to SOS Children’s Villages. said this was the first time a bottle of wine sels, the HMS Tamar and the HMS unjustified.” tion and checks when sent to mar- “We are called upon to act decisively and that had gone to space was being sold. Severn, on Wednesday (5) evening Relations between Britain and kets in continental Europe, making without compromises,” Hauser said. Nicolas Gaume, the co-founder and as a “precautionary measure,” ac- France had already soured on a them more difficult and expensive “Our structure obviously has weaknesses. As chief executive of Space Cargo Unlimited , cording to his office. range of issues as Britain and the to export. it is now clear, our standards are not implement- said in a statement that the proceeds from On Thursday, France deployed European Union divorced. Presi- The trade agreement also ad- ed in all countries with the same conscientious- the sale would help pay for future space two naval patrol boats near Jer- dent Emmanuel Macron of France dressed the complicated issue of ness and transparency.” experiments to “help invent the agricul- sey, about 14 miles off the coast raised doubts about the efficacy of fishing around Jersey. The island She said victims would be compensated from ture and food we need for tomorrow on of France to “ensure the safety of a coronavirus vaccine developed has the right to impose its own li- a special fund totalling “millions of euros” (dol- Earth.” navigation” as well as the “safety at the University of Oxford and censing requirements and has left lars). “It is our conviction that there is no of human life at sea” in case the produced by AstraZeneca, a Brit- French fishermen complaining of In 2012, SOS Children’s Village tasked an Aus- Planet B, and we intend to pave the way for situation deteriorated, according ish-based drug maker, prompting difficulties in receiving the author- trian historian to document its work and educa- our future by leveraging microgravity and to a spokeswoman for the French charges of “vaccine nationalism”. ization they need to fish in waters tional practices from the 1950s to the 1990s in enticing accelerated natural evolutions in maritime authorities in charge of In December, Macron briefly cut they have worked for decades. Austria, including shedding light on past cases a spatial environment,” Gaume said. the English Channel. off access to freight shipments to Fishing rights have long pro- of violence against children. Several wine connoisseurs conducted a The naval deployments escalated and from Britain to prevent a fast- voked acute tensions between A damning book titled “Committed to Silence: taste test earlier this year at the Univer- a dispute that has simmered for spreading variant of the virus that Britain and its neighbours. From Experiences with SOS Children’s Villages” was weeks, after French fishing crews originated in Britain from leaping the 1950s to the 1970s, Britain was published two years later. sity of Bordeaux’s Institute of Vine and - Agence France-Presse Wine Science to compare the space wines accused local authorities in Jersey across the English Channel. The embroiled in a confrontation with to control samples, the wine website De- of imposing burdensome new re- British tabloids pounced. Iceland that became known as the canter reported. quirements to allow them to con- “Kick in the Baubles,” said a “cod wars.” At its peak, 37 Royal Jane Anson, Decanter’s Bordeaux cor- tinue to fish in Jersey’s coastal wa- headline in the Sun, suggesting Naval vessels were mobilized to Sweden passes one respondent, gave both the space-aged ters, following Britain’s split with that France was conspiring to ruin protect British trawlers in disputed and terrestrial versions of the Pétrus from the European Union in January. the Christmas holiday for people waters. 2000 scores of 98. ‘‘From previous expe- Jersey, the largest of the Channel in Britain. “Monsieur Roadblock While these clashes have not million cases as virus rience of this wine, this particular bottle Islands, is not part of the United Gives Way,” said a headline in the mutated into broader military con- seems more evolved than I would expect Kingdom but is a crown depend- Daily Mail after Macron agreed to flicts, analyst and diplomats said spread tops EU ency, a special status that gives it lift the ban, subject to a virus test- there was always a risk of acciden- from a 21-year-old bottle of Petrus 2000,” STOCKHOLM - Sweden on Thursday (6) an- Anson said of the wine that was brought self-governing rights, including its ing program for truck drivers. tal escalation. Others said it served own legislative assembly, as well as Fishing was one of the thorni- to show the loose ends left by the nounced it had recorded over one million cases back from space. ‘‘It is beautiful and nu- of COVID-19, nearly a tenth of the population, anced, with fine tannins and a sense of fiscal and legal systems. est issues when Britain negotiated Brexit process. Dozens of French fishing boats its new trade agreement with the “This is the kind of old-fashioned as the Nordic nation struggles to rein in a third energy, but has a clear difference in ex- wave of the virus. pression.” A seven-figure sale for a single have massed near the port of St. European Union, which came into dispute that the European Union Helier, the capital of Jersey, threat- force in January. The deal ended was created to prevent,” said Si- “In Sweden we now have among the highest bottle of wine could enter a new frontier. number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Eu- In 2018, a bottle of a bottle of Domaine ening to block access to it. A French decades during which Britain’s mon Fraser, the former top civil government official warned earlier fishing fleet was under the same servant in Britain’s Foreign Office. rope,” Karin TegmarkWisell, head of microbi- de la Romanée-Conti from 1945 sold for ology at Sweden’s Public Health Agency, told a $558,000, setting a record at the time, this week that France could cut off system as France, with their catch- “When you leave the European Un- the power supply to Jersey, which es negotiated regularly among the ion, you risk reopening them.” press conference. Wine Spectator reported. TegmarkWisell noted however that there had That same year, a rare bottle of Macal- is delivered through underwater member countries. “It’s also an extraordinarily ret- cables from France. Many in Britain’s fishing indus- rogressive thing to be fighting over been a downward trend in recent weeks. lan whisky hand-painted by Irish artist With 1,002,121 cases of the novel coronavirus Michael Dillon sold for 1.2 million pounds The dispute, which flared un- try supported Brexit because they fish in the English Channel, at a expectedly on the eve of regional believed that for decades, they had time when we’re hosting the G-7 recorded since the start of the pandemic, 9.85 (about $1.7 million in current U.S. dol- percent of the population have contracted the vi- lars), Christie’s said. Earlier in 2018, two elections in Britain, presented been forced to share too much of summit and trying to talk about a Johnson with a tailor-made op- the fish caught in Britain’s coastal new global role for Britain,” Fraser rus, according to official data compiled by AFP. other rare bottles of whisky each sold for The Public Health Agency published a series $1 million. portunity to flex British military waters with continental crews. But said. muscles in defense of British fish- the agreement sealed by Johnson -New York Times of projections, with the most likely scenario -New York Times showing the virus spread starting to subside in mid-May before reaching “very low levels” in July and August. The Scandinavian country has famously never By Anthony Deutsch and Elias Biryabarema imposed the type of lockdown seen elsewhere in Europe, controversially relying on mostly non- coercive measures. It has however gradually tightened restric- Former Ugandan rebel commander Ongwen sentenced to 25 years in prison tions since November, including a ban on alco- AMSTERDAM - The International his early 40s, sat in court in a grey abducted when he was young, they suffering upon his victims, however, hol sales after 8:00 pm and on public gatherings Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday suit and red tie looking impassive as should have been kind and fair to also a perpetrator who himself has of more than eight people. (6) sentenced a former Ugandan the decision was read. him. They should have given him like previously endured extreme suf- Since March, cafes, bars and restaurants have child soldier who became a com- He is appealing his conviction. ten years,” Lakor told Reuters from fering at the hands of the group of also been required to shut their doors by 8:30 mander of the rebel Lord’s Resist- Led by fugitive warlord Joseph the town of Gulu in north Uganda. which he later became a prominent p.m. ance Army (LRA) to 25 years in Kony, the LRA terrorized Ugandans He said LRA rebels had also killed member and leader,” Judge Schmitt Despite being in the midst of a third wave of prison for crimes including rape, for nearly 20 years as it battled the his parents, raped and killed a sister said. cases, the rise in deaths has been much slower in sexual enslavement, child abduction, government of President Yoweri and forced him to kill another sister. Prosecutors had demanded he recent weeks, with 156 deaths in the last seven torture and murder. Museveni from bases in northern “When you’re with the LRA they get at least 20 years in prison, while days, which authorities say is the result of the Dominic Ongwen, who was taken Uganda and neighbouring countries. force you to do what they want ... his defence argued he should get no rollout of vaccines among vulnerable groups. into ICC custody in 2015, was con- It has now largely been wiped out. they train you to kill,” he added. The more than a 10-year sentence be- The total number of deaths associated with victed in February of 61 out of 70 Ongwen was abducted as a 9-year- judges, however, said Ongwen had cause he was traumatized as a child COVID-19 since the start of pandemic reached alleged crimes. In many, the victims old and forced into a life of violence not been under duress, and himself soldier 14,158 on Thursday, putting Sweden in the mid- were women and children. after the group killed his parents. gave orders as an adult to commit But the crimes were so grave, in- dle of the pack in Europe, although well ahead Presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt A fellow former child soldier, Lou- heinous crimes independently from cluding “instances where murder of its Nordic neighbours Finland, Norway and said the panel had considered sen- is Lakor, who was kidnapped by the LRA leader Kony. was committed by burning people Denmark, tencing Ongwen to life imprison- LRA when he was seven but escaped He did not leave the LRA when he alive in houses and the harsh treat- European mortality statistics however also ment, the court’s harshest punish- after eight months, said the court had the opportunity to do so, they ment of children,” that a longer sen- show that Sweden had a lower than average ex- ment, but decided against it due to ruling was too harsh. “Dominic said. Ongwen was “a perpetrator tence was fitting, the court found. cess mortality in 2020, compared to the rest of Europe. his own suffering. Ongwen, who is in was following orders. Dominic was who wilfully brought tremendous -Reuters -Agence France-Presse 6 MAY 07 - 09, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS REALITY CHECK

By Choe Sang Hun They were promised a socialist paradise and ended up in ‘hell’ SEOUL — On a bright August morning in 1960, after two days of sailing from Japan, hundreds of passen- gers rushed on deck as someone shouted, “I see the fatherland!” The ship pulled into Chongjin, a port city in North Korea, where a crowd of people waved paper flow- ers and sang welcome songs. But Lee Tae-kyung felt something dreadfully amiss in the “paradise” he had been promised. “The people gathered were expressionless,” Lee re- called. “I was only a child of 8, but I knew we were in the wrong place.” Lee and his family were among 93,000 people who migrated from Japan to North Korea from 1959 to 1984 under a repatriation program sponsored by both governments and their Red Cross societies. When they arrived, they saw destitute villages and people living in poverty but were forced to stay. Some ended up in prison camps. “We were told we were going to a ‘paradise on earth,’” said Lee, 68. “Instead, we were taken to a hell and denied a most basic human right: the freedom to –theguardian.com leave.” From Left - Subra Somayajula, Paramjit Khare, Vishal Dhanda, Shruthi Parepalli, Vamshi Parepalli, and Ramana Akula are all Aus- Lee eventually fled North Korea after 46 years, tralia citizens who are stranded in India due to the Morrison government’s travel ban. Many say Christmas Island detention reaching South Korea in 2009. He has since cam- centre should be used as a quarantine facility to accept arrivals from India immediately paigned tirelessly to share the story of those 93,000 migrants, giving lectures, speaking at news confer- ences and writing a memoir about a painful, mostly By Elias Visontay and Naaman Zhou forgotten chapter of history between Japan and Korea. His work comes at a time of renewed interest in North Korean human rights violations, and when leaders in Japan and South Korea remain particularly sensitive about opening old wounds between the two ‘Rejected and betrayed’ countries. “It was my mother who urged my father to take our family to the North,” Lee said. “And it was her endless Australians stranded in India speak of heartbreak source of regret until she died at age 74.” The Lees were among 2 million Koreans who moved into Australia, and now it looks like it really 46-year-old has been vaccinated while in to Japan during Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to The backlash has been fierce in the days 1945. Some went there looking for work, others were since the Australian government moved to was just a dream.” India with the locally produced AstraZen- taken for forced labor in Japan’s World War II effort. make it a criminal offence for its citizens to eca vaccine. But she knows this brings her Ramana Akula – stranded in Lacking citizenship and financial opportunities, most return from COVID-ravaged India. no closer to returning home. returned to Korea after the Japanese surrender. Members of the Morrison government Chennai Subra Somayajula – stranded in But hundreds of thousands, among them Lee’s fami- have denounced their own policy, while Businessman Ramana Akula flew to ly, remained as the Korean Peninsula was plunged into medical experts and international human Chennai four months ago, in January, for Hyderabad war. Lee was born in Japan in 1952. The family ran rights groups, including the United Na- an urgent work issue, when the COVID sit- Subra Somayajula travelled to India this a charcoal-grill restaurant in Shimonoseki, the port tions, have called for an immediate reversal uation in India was very different. year to care for his mother – his only sur- closest to Korea — a reminder that they would return of the Biosecurity Act determination. Akula, an Australian citizen who has lived viving parent. home. On Wednesday (5), one citizen chal- in Australia for 30 years, said he planned to “I travelled to India at the end of March As the Korean War came to an end, the Japanese lenged the law in the federal court. stay for three months – and that this was in 2021 with the approval of the Australian government was eager to get rid of the throngs of Ko- However more than 9,000 Australians fact a requirement that the Australian gov- government to see and care for my mom reans living in slums. For its part, hoping to use them remain stuck in India in a situation that ernment gave him when he applied for an who is at the end of her life. to help rebuild its war-torn economy, North Korea Australia’s chief health officer has acknowl- exemption to leave the country. “My mum was diagnosed with stage 4 launched a propaganda blitz, touting itself as a “para- edged could kill them. He said when he first heard that he could breast cancer in 2014 and her health deteri- dise” with jobs for everyone, free education and medi- Here are some of their stories. cal services. be criminally charged if he returned, he orated immensely in the past three months Lee’s primary school in Japan, he said, screened thought “it must be a prank or something”. – to the point that she is bed-ridden and propaganda newsreels from North Korea showing Shruthi and Vamshi Parepalli – He said he was frustrated, because he requiring constant care. She also tested stranded in Hyderabad bumper crops and workers building “a house every 10 had spent years telling Indian people that it COVID-positive recently.” minutes.” Marches were organized calling for repa- Melbourne man Vamshi Parepalli had was a “misconstrued perception” that Aus- Somayujula’s wife, Narita Nagin, who triation. A pro-North Korea group in Japan even en- been desperately trying to get an exemp- tralians were racist. is in Australia, has written previously that couraged students to be recruited as “birthday gifts” tion to allow his mother, who is not an Aus- “I want to be the guy that says, ‘Austral- India does not allow for dual citizenship – for Kim Il Sung, the country’s founder, according to tralian citizen or permanent resident, to ia is the best place to live’,” he said. “Now meaning that he gave up his Indian citizen- a recent report from the Citizens’ Alliance for North enter Australia during the pandemic to be they’re like, ‘What the hell are you talking ship to become an Australian citizen. Korean Human Rights. with him and his wife Shruthi. about? You can’t even go back home.’” “What if India demands non-citizens Most of the migrants were ethnic Koreans, but they After repeated applications were turned leave the country or threatens them with also included 1,800 Japanese women married to Ko- down, Vamshi and Shruthi applied for exit Paramjit Khare – stranded in prison sentences like the Australian gov- rean men and thousands of biracial children. Among exemptions instead, which were granted by northern Punjab ernment just did for its own citizens?” she them was a young woman named Ko Yong Hee, who the Australian Border Force, so they could Paramjit Khare, who lives in Penrith in wrote. would later become a dancer and give birth to Kim travel to care for his mother in Hyderabad. Sydney’s west, flew to India to be with her Somayujula himself said he felt “be- Jong Un, the leader of North Korea and grandson of They arrived in December, before the parents on March 1. As an only child, she trayed” by the travel ban. its founder. current outbreak, but Vamshi is furious “I feel rejected and betrayed, that my When Lee’s family boarded the ship in 1960, his needed to travel to help her elderly parents parents thought Korea would soon be reunited. Lee’s that the information he provided about with a range of medical issues that had aris- contribution to the community, my life and his mother’s condition was enough for his Australian citizenship isn’t worth much,” mother gave him and his four siblings cash and told en recently. them to enjoy their last days in Japan. Lee bought exit exemption but not enough for her to be Khare is scathing of the government’s de- he said. “This uncertainty caused by the a mini pinball-game machine. His younger sister allowed to travel to Australia to stay with termination to make it a criminal offence to Australian government’s decision is wors- brought home a baby doll that closed its eyes when it them. return from India. ening anxiety and contributing to poor lay on the bed. “I am fighting an avoidable war. I would “I know the government’s concern is for mental health, not just for me but for those “It was the last freedom we would taste,” he said. have been happily living in Australia amidst their citizens, but it’s heartbreaking, we I am close to.” He realized his family had been duped, he said, when this second wave in India if my mother was are also citizens. If someone needs to come he saw the people at Chongjin, who “all looked poor given exemption,” Vamshi said. home you can’t make them feel like a crimi- Vishal Dhanda – stranded in and ashen.” In the rural North Korean county where Now the three of them are stuck in the nal.” Yamuna Nagar his family was ordered to resettle, they were shocked middle of India’s devastating outbreak. She was granted an exit exemption by the Dhanda’s father, Satinder Pal, fell ill in to see people go without shoes or umbrellas in the rain. Vamshi, 32, fears for his family’s safety if Australian Border Force after submitting September last year, but it took months for In 1960 alone, 49,000 people migrated from Japan they contract COVID. His in-laws and one medical documents from her 79-year-old him to get an exemption to visit him. to North Korea, but the number sharply declined as of his uncles has contracted coronavirus, mother’s doctor about her worsening neu- “I was hoping he would get better and I word spread of the true conditions in the country. De- and his aunt died from the virus recently. rological condition. didn’t need to come,” he said. “But in last spite the watchful eye of censors, families devised ways Now Vamshi, who is worried he will lose She was planning to return this week, few months, every single time I got a phone to warn their relatives. One man wrote a message on his job if the ban is extended, is running out but now has no clue when she will return call from home I knew it was bad news.” the back of a postage stamp: of money and is trying desperately to get to her husband and 10-year-old son. Her To survive, the migrants often relied on cash and After multiple applications were rejected, packages sent by relatives in Japan. In school, Lee his mother vaccinated to protect her from prolonged absence is also wreaking havoc he was finally approved to leave Australia the outbreak. said, children called him “ban-jjokbari,” an insulting on the restaurant she runs. when his father was “on his death bed”. term for Koreans from Japan. Everyone lived under “I’m just breathing heavily through my “Every day my son asks me when I will On April 11, he travelled to Yamuna Na- constant fear of being called disloyal and banished to mask, which now covers both my face and be coming back and I have no answer for gar, 200km from Dehli. His father died just prison camps. my future.” him.” three hours later. “For North Korea, they served as hostages held for Vamshi moved to Australia in recent While she understands public health ad- “I didn’t just do all of these things with ransom,” said Kim So-hee, co-author of the report. years and has permanent residency, but vice backed up the move, she believes there closed eyes,” he said. “But I didn’t come “Families in Japan were asked to pay for the release of after the Australian government’s deter- would have been less restrictive methods here for a holiday. I didn’t come here by their relatives from prison camps.” mination to make returning to Australia available to minimize the risk from India choice. My father was dying. Lee became a doctor, one of the best jobs available a criminal offence, he is reconsidering his – something the Biosecurity Act requires “I applied for my exemption through all to migrants from Japan who were denied government feelings about his adopted homeland. government to strive for – had the com- the right channels. Now you’re telling me, jobs. He said his medical experience allowed him to “It’s like your mother denying your exist- monwealth built quarantine facilities when ‘Why did you go?’” witness the collapse of the public health system in the ence. I have bought a house, put all my sav- they were first called for last year. Dhanda says he too feels abandoned by wake of the famine in the 1990s, when doctors in North ings and built my life there. She is now in favour of quarantine for the Australian government, as it allowed Korea were forced to use beer bottles to construct IVs. “The government needs to know the pain Indian arrivals being set up anywhere, in- tennis players and celebrities back into the He fled to China in 2006 as part of a stream of refu- we are in.” cluding on Christmas Island, or in tempo- country earlier in the year. He says his wife gees, spending 2 1/2 years in prison in Myanmar when The couple want the government to es- rary camp-like accommodation. She would and son, who are still in Melbourne, have he and his smuggler were detained for human traffick- tablish both a long-term quarantine facil- even be willing to pay more money to quar- no idea when he will return. ing. After arriving in Seoul in 2009, Lee helped smug- gle his wife and daughter out of North Korea. But he ity, as well as a short-term quarantine site, antine if there were added costs. “I don’t want to put anyone [at] risk, but possibly Christmas Island, to accept arriv- still has relatives, including a son, stuck in the country, “They can provide more quarantine fa- at the same time I’m at risk as well. This he said. als from India immediately. cilities, we are going to pay for them, if it’s whole situation makes me feel that we are His wife died in 2013, and now Lee lives alone in a “How can it be criminal to return to our going to be an extra burden we could pay nothing.” small rented apartment in Seoul. “But I have freedom,” home? To be honest, I feel like it was a more.” While Khare is concerned about -This article was originally featured on he said. “I would have sacrificed everything else for it.” dream when I got my residency and stepped the deteriorating situation around her, the theguardian.com -New York Times WEEKEND EXPRESS MAY 07 - 09, 2021 7 RETHINKING AMERICA

By Nicholas Fandos and By Nick Corasaniti and Shane Goldmacher Catie Edmondson Facebook ban hits Turning on Cheney Trump where it hurts: GOP bows to Trump messaging and money and lies about election SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook’s decision WASHINGTON — Top Republicans moved Wednesday (5) to keep former President Don- swiftly on Wednesday (5) to purge Rep. Liz ald Trump off its platform could have significant Cheney of Wyoming from their leadership consequences for his political operation as he ranks for vocally rejecting Donald Trump’s tries to remain the leader of the Republican Par- election lies, laying the groundwork to install ty, thwarting his ability to amplify his message to a replacement who has embraced his false tens of millions of followers and hampering his claims of voting fraud. fundraising ability. The move to push out Cheney as the No. 3 Facebook has increasingly become one of the House Republican in favour of Rep. Elise Ste- most vital weapons in a political campaign’s ar- fanik of New York, a Trump loyalist who voted senal, with its ability to juice small-dollar online- to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in fundraising numbers into the millions, expand key states, reflected how thoroughly the par- -Doug Mills/The New York Times and acquire contact information, help build out ty’s orthodoxy has come to be defined by fe- data on a campaign’s voter file and provide the President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington, on Wednesday (5). The Biden ad- most sophisticated advertising platform avail- alty to the former president and a tolerance for ministration, siding with some world leaders over the US pharmaceutical industry, came out in misinformation, rather than policy principles. able. Few campaigns had tapped into Face- “The Republican Party is at a turning point, favor of waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines book’s potential for advertising and fundraising and Republicans must decide whether we are as aggressively as Trump’s. His successful 2016 going to choose truth and fidelity to the Con- By Thomas Kaplan, Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Rebecca Robbins campaign said its prolific use of Facebook had stitution,” Cheney wrote in a searing opinion allowed it to send millions of different, hyper- piece published in The Washington Post on targeted political ads to small slices of the popu- Wednesday evening. She framed her fate as a Taking ‘extraordinary measures,’ Biden lation. referendum on the party’s future and warned “Facebook was the method,” Brad Parscale, that Republicans must “steer away from the Trump’s campaign manager in 2020 and digital dangerous and anti-democratic Trump cult of director in 2016, told ‘60 Minutes’ in 2017. “It personality.” backs suspending patents on vaccines was the highway which his car drove on.” Cheney, 54, is a conservative who rarely de- That continued in 2020, as his re-election fected from Trump’s policy positions in Con- WASHINGTON — The Biden ad- cines,” he said in a statement, add- tical industry argued that waiving operation devoted a nine-figure budget to Face- gress, but she has refused to absolve him or ministration came out on Wednes- ing that the move would have the intellectual property rights would book advertising. And much as he did with his the party of their roles in fomenting the Jan. 6 day (5) in support of waiving in- effect of “handing over American not speed up vaccine production, Twitter account, Trump often turned to Face- assault on the Capitol with groundless claims tellectual property protections for innovations to countries looking to pointing to other barriers like access book’s advertising platform in times of political of fraud in the 2020 election. Stefanik, 36, is coronavirus vaccines, siding with undermine our leadership in bio- to raw materials and distribution is- crisis. more moderate and has more often parted international efforts to bolster pro- medical discovery.” The pharma- sues. Pfizer has said the company’s During Trump’s first impeachment trial, in ways with Republicans over her years in Con- duction amid concerns about vac- ceutical industry has argued that vaccine requires 280 components September 2019, his campaign began flooding gress, but she has emerged recently as one of cine access in developing nations. a suspension of patent protections from 86 suppliers in 19 countries, Facebook with ads criticizing the impeachment Trump’s most vociferous defenders, willing to The United States had been a would undermine risk-taking and as well as highly specialized equip- as a hoax and subversive effort by far-left Demo- indulge and even amplify those claims. major holdout at the World Trade innovation. ment and personnel. “Handing crats. After days of quiet discussions about oust- Organization (WTO) over a pro- “Who will make the vaccine next needy countries a recipe book with- Although Trump is out of office and living ing Cheney, the effort erupted into open Re- posal to suspend some of the world time?” Brent Saunders, the former out the ingredients, safeguards and at his resort in Florida, he retains broad influ- publican warfare on Wednesday morning. economic body’s intellectual prop- chief executive of Allergan, which sizable workforce needed will not ence over the Republican Party. But his platform Party leaders and Trump himself publicly erty protections, which could allow is now part of Abb Vie, wrote on help people waiting for the vaccine,” for reaching Americans has diminished greatly boosted Stefanik, both women issued defiant drug-makers across the globe access Twitter. Global health activists, who Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, the without access to big social media sites such as statements about their intentions and duel- to the closely guarded trade secrets have been pressing for the waiver, president and chief executive of the Facebook and Twitter, which has permanently ling factions in the party competed to frame an of how the viable vaccines have been praised the administration’s de- Biotechnology Innovation Organi- suspended him. Some Trump aides think that episode with broad implications for the 2022 made. But President Joe Biden had cision. It is “a truly historic step, zation, said in a statement. “Hand- the absence of Facebook, which was crucial to midterm elections and beyond. come under increasing pressure to which shows that President Biden ing them the blueprint to construct his success in 2016, will hinder him if he decides By day’s end, even President Joe Biden had throw his support behind the pro- is committed to being not just an a kitchen that — in optimal condi- to run again in 2024, which he has told several weighed in on what he called a “mini-rebel- posal, drafted by India and South American leader, but a global one,” tions — can take a year to build will advisers is his plan. lion” in the Republican ranks, arguing that Africa and backed by many congres- said Priti Krishtel, an executive not help us stop the emergence of Facebook’s ruling was delivered by an over- the party was plagued by an inability to define sional Democrats. director of the Initiative for Medi- dangerous new COVID variants.” sight board, which also said the company’s in- itself. Katherine Tai, the United States cines, Access & Knowledge. Shares of the pharmaceutical definite suspension was “not appropriate’’ and The turmoil illustrated how heavily Trump trade representative, announced But the activists said a waiv- companies BioNTech, Moderna and gave Facebook six months to come up with a still looms over the Republican Party, where a the administration’s position on er alone would not increase the Novavax dropped on Wednesday af- final decision on whether Trump would regain pilgrimage to pay homage to the former presi- Wednesday afternoon, as the pan- world’s vaccine supply. It must be ternoon as news broke of the Biden access. His Facebook ads proved a useful tool dent at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, demic continues to spiral in India accompanied by a process known administration’s decision. to draw big crowds to his signature rallies. Days Florida, has become a required stop for elected and South America. as “tech transfer,” in which patent Moderna, which partnered with before the president was scheduled to arrive in leaders and efforts to restrict voting — in the “This is a global health crisis, and holders supply technical know-how the National Institute of Allergy a given city, Facebook users around the region name of his claims of a stolen election — are the extraordinary circumstances and personnel. Activists are also and Infectious Diseases to develop would begin seeing ads about the rally, with a proliferating around the country. of the COVID-19 pandemic call for demanding that Biden use his lever- its vaccine using new mRNA tech- link to sign up for a free ticket. What was clear on Wednesday was that extraordinary measures,” she said age to ensure that manufacturing is nology, announced in October that The decision by Facebook does not immedi- House Republicans were headed for a con- in a statement. “The administra- scaled up around the globe, and not it would “not enforce our COVID- ately hamper Trump’s fundraising ability — he frontation, as soon as next week, that now ap- tion believes strongly in intellectual just by the pharmaceutical compa- 19-related patents against those still maintains control of a large number of sup- pears likely to result in Cheney’s firing from property protections, but in service nies that now hold the patents. making vaccines intended to com- porter email addresses and phone numbers. But her leadership post. Rep. Steve Scalise of of ending this pandemic, supports “No USTR has made a pronounce- bat the pandemic,” and it was will- fundraising lists must be continually refreshed, Louisiana, the No. 2 Republican, became the the waiver of those protections for ment like this,” said Asia Russell, ing to license its intellectual prop- and Facebook has proved a crucial place for highest-ranking figure to call for her removal, COVID-19 vaccines.” the executive director of Health erty for post-pandemic use. Critics Trump to do so. endorsing Stefanik as Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Support from the White House is GAP, a global AIDS treatment advo- of the waiver proposal worry that “He has the best fundraising list, but that de- California, the minority leader, lobbied behind not a guarantee that a waiver will be cacy group, using the abbreviation eliminating patent protections af- cays over time if you’re not adding back into it,” the scenes on the New Yorker’s behalf. adopted. The European Union has for the trade representative. “And ter the development and approval said Eric Wilson, a Republican digital strategist. Support from McCarthy, in particular, had also been standing in the way, and now the actions have to match the of the vaccines might discourage “So because they don’t have the ability to run ads helped save Cheney from a similar challenge in changes to international intellectual words.” pharmaceutical companies from on Facebook, they’re losing out on petitions to February after her vote to impeach Trump. But property rules require unanimous The United States’ announce- investing in cures for future pub- grow their email list, surveys, things like that — the top leader, like rank-and-file Republicans, agreement. Tai said the United ment is only one step toward a po- lic health crises. “Sadly, this action the tactics that every campaign has to be doing had grown increasingly frustrated in recent States would participate in negotia- tential international agreement on won’t help get more vaccines avail- 365 to really maintain their fundraising.” weeks as Cheney continued to call out Trump tions at the World Trade Organiza- suspending intellectual property able to the world,” Dr. Luciana Bo- Throughout 2020, the Trump campaign in media interviews and took shots at her own tion over the matter, but that they rights. Negotiating the fine print of rio, who oversaw public health pre- would run ads asking users to “take this SO- party for tolerating his falsehoods, including would “take time given the consen- an agreement that satisfies coun- paredness for the National Security CIALISM poll” or “Wish Melania a Happy Birth- during a party retreat in Orlando last week. By sus-based nature of the institution tries around the world is a tall or- Council under Trump and was the day”, which would help keep lists current and Wednesday, as it became clear that McCarthy and the complexity of the issues in- der. If an agreement can be reached acting chief scientist at the Food occasionally expand or add new names to their had turned on her, Cheney was hitting back at volved.” Standing against her will be at the World Trade Organization, it and Drug Administration under lists — or even spur a direct donation. him personally, noting that while the leader the pharmaceutical industry, which is far from clear what would happen President Barack Obama, wrote on In recent days, Trump’s operation has begun had initially condemned Trump for failing to responded angrily to the extraordi- next. Twitter, suggesting that the United to more aggressively solicit supporters for cash call off his supporters during the Jan. 6 riot, nary decision. Stephen J. Ubl, the The debate over whether to re- States donate vaccine doses instead. via text message, including one reacting to the “he has since changed his story.” president and chief executive of the lax intellectual property rules has “There is no reason to celebrate. We Facebook decision on Wednesday. Trump, who had been furious at McCarthy Pharmaceutical Research and Man- stretched on for months. India and wouldn’t have our amazing vaccines On Tuesday (4), Trump’s team announced he and others for backing Cheney earlier this year, ufacturers of America, called the South Africa proposed the waiver without US innovative companies. would begin posting his thoughts on political de- sought to drive a nail in her political coffin on announcement “an unprecedented last fall, seeking to suspend por- These vaccines are hard to develop velopments to his own website, trying to brand it Wednesday. In a statement, he derided her as step that will undermine our global tions of an international intellec- and manufacture, and our compa- as the “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump.” But a “warmongering fool” and endorsed Stefanik, response to the pandemic and com- tual property agreement dealing nies do that most efficiently.” the power of Trump’s pronouncements on social whom he called “a far superior choice.” promise safety.” with issues like patents, copyrights Supporters of the proposal cast media had been their ability to ricochet quickly “We want leaders who believe in the Make “This decision will sow confu- and trade secrets. Under President it as a moral imperative that would across the web and into the streams of his sup- America Great Again movement, and prior- sion between public and private Donald Trump, the United States allow for increased vaccine produc- porters — something far harder to achieve while itize the values of America First,” he wrote. partners, further weaken already opposed the effort. Other oppo- tion and help get shots to countries being de-platformed. “Elise is a tough and smart communicator!” strained supply chains and foster nents have included Britain and the where supplies are urgently needed. But even without Facebook, some Republican -New York Times the proliferation of counterfeit vac- European Union. The pharmaceu- -New York Times strategists note that Trump still has one of the largest megaphones in the world, simply be- cause of the public interest in his plans, which By Michael S. Schmidt might lessen the impact of Facebook’s ban. “I compare it to somebody who has a sprained ankle,” said Tim Cameron, a Republican digital Judge says Barr misled on how his Justice Dept. viewed trump’s actions strategist. “It’s kind of hobbling for a little bit, WASHINGTON - A federal judge The department had argued that allowed Trump to claim he had been A spokesperson for Barr did not and he’s not going to be at the strength that he in Washington accused the Justice the memo was exempt from public exonerated. return an email seeking comment. A would be with the ability to reach people on Fa- Department under Attorney General records laws because it consisted of “The attorney general’s characteri- Justice Department spokesperson de- cebook and other social platforms, but it’s cer- William Barr of misleading her and private advice from lawyers whom zation of what he’d hardly had time clined to comment. tainly not something that’s going to stop him.” Congress about advice he had re- Barr had relied on to make the call on to skim, much less study closely, Jackson said that the government Even with the Facebook spigot turned off since ceived from top department officials prosecuting Trump. prompted an immediate reaction, as had until May 17 to decide whether January, Trump began the spring with more on whether former President Donald But Jackson, who was appointed politicians and pundits took to their it planned to appeal her ruling, a de- than $85 million in his various political com- Trump should have been charged by President Barack Obama in 2011, microphones and Twitter feeds to de- cision that will be made by a Justice mittees, according to an adviser, after banking with obstructing the Russia investiga- ruled that the memo contained strate- cry what they feared was an attempt Department run by Biden appoin- tens of millions of dollars that he raised after the tion and ordered that a related memo gic advice, and that Barr and his aides to hide the ball,” Jackson wrote. tees. election. But perhaps most immediately, the ban be released. already understood what his decision Her rebuke shed new light on Barr’s The ruling came in a lawsuit by a against running any political ads hampers one of Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the would be. decision not to prosecute Trump. She government watchdog group, Citi- Trump’s most current prized roles: Republican US District Court in Washington said “The fact that he would not be pros- also wrote that although the depart- zens for Responsibility and Ethics in primary kingmaker. in a ruling late Monday (3) that the ecuted was a given,” Jackson wrote of ment portrayed the advice memo as a Washington, asking that the Justice “He’s really committed to settling scores and Justice Department’s obfuscation ap- Trump. legal document protected by attorney- Department be ordered to turn over making sure his allies get boosted,” Wilson said. peared to be part of a pattern in which She also singled out Barr for how he client privilege, it was done in concert a range of documents related to how “They won’t have access to Facebook to help the top officials like Barr were untruthful had spun the investigation’s findings with Barr’s publicly released summa- top law enforcement officials cleared candidates he wants to support in the primaries to Congress and the public about the in a letter summarizing the 448-page ry, “written by the very same people at Trump of wrongdoing. in 2022.” investigation. report before it was released, which the very same time.” -New York Times -New York Times 8 MAY 07 - 09, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS COMMENTARY

By Kassapa Vaccines are not cocktails The die is cast. Sri Lanka and its government have spectacularly bungled its COVID-19 management in the past few months, leading to a catastrophic ‘third wave’. In the words of a leading physician, it can only get worse before it can get better. The nation must, whether we like it or not, now prepare itself for thou- sands of corona virus infections and hundreds of deaths. The unfortunate reality of this ‘third wave’ is that it could have been prevented, if only the government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa heeded the warnings from health experts and imposed a ‘lock- down’ prior to the New Year rush. It was apparent to many in the health sector that a spike in the number of infections was coming. They informed the relevant authorities through their re- spective pathways. They advised that strict restric- tions- in effect, a ‘lockdown’- was required to keep the numbers down and prevent disaster. - AP They were politely told that the advice was be- By Basil Fernando ing weighed against the possible economic cost. Ap- parently, a decision had already been taken at the highest levels of government not to ‘lockdown’, no matter what. All this was well before the mind numb- Making of a ‘free crime’ zone ingly tragic pictures and videos began emerging from neighbouring India. Social reformers in some countries have spoken murder, rape and other individual crimes. With the reason very often given was political interfer- In fact, the similarities are eerily similar. India is led about crime free zones. This meant putting special the incidents that took place in 1971, where the ence. by Narendra Modi, a politician elected on a nationalist effort to experiment with the possibility of making JVP attacked some police stations, a new situa- The fear that doing a proper investigation could platform who prides on promoting his religion at the a particular area within a country crime free. The tion emerged. And instead of trying to find a solu- lead to serious consequences for the investigators expense of others, because he knows that will win him purpose of such efforts is to create a model which tion to the new problem within the existing legal have become a major factor undermining the en- a majority of voters and get him elected comfortably. would gradually spread to the whole country, lead- framework that guarantees the right to a fair trial, tire process of investigations. It has become the Modi also ignored calls for restrictions and went ing to crimes being reduced or eliminated gradu- the very idea of the fair trial was abandoned. That near accepted norm that even crimes of very se- ahead with religious rituals, the Indian Premier ally. paved the way to the collapse of the criminal jus- rious nature affecting the lives of many people do League and election rallies. He thought that as long as This same idea is embedded in the making of tice system because once the foundation of the in- not lead to proper investigations ending in pros- he led his country, it would remain COVID-free. Now criminal justice systems. The idea of controlling frastructure is damaged, then gradually the whole ecutions. The Easter Sunday massacre of 2019 and we know it is not, but it is too late for the thousands a crime through proper criminal investigations structure that stands on it is bound to collapse. the aftermath itself is an illustration of the extent perishing in funeral pyres every day. by competent and confident officers, through im- Even before that, by gazette notifications under to which the system has collapsed. The bungling in Sri Lanka, brought about by a sense partial prosecution systems and a judiciary that the emergency laws, disposal of dead bodies was Added to this, there are the entrenched prob- of complacency due its successful management of the will uphold the basic principles of fair trial are all allowed without following the proper legal process lems of delays in justice, which most of the time fa- first wave, and to a lesser extent, the second wave has meant to reduce crime drastically if not eliminate of having post-mortems and reports. This was a vour the accused. The delays, according to a Parlia- now proved to be an unmitigated disaster. There was them altogether. deliberate move to prepare the ground for politi- mentary Select Committee, could go up to 17 years a misplaced sense of ‘nothing can go wrong while I am As against the crime-free zones, what has been cal assassinations. Similar provisions have been or more. How could any system of criminal justice in charge’ attitude that led to the discarding of medical happening within Sri Lanka is the deterioration repeated later from time to time. On each of those survive with those kinds of delays? advice recommending a lockdown. into a ‘free crime’ zone encompassing the whole occasions, large-scale killings have taken place in With all that, if some elementary system sur- There were already indicators that matters were not country. This has happened in many ways with the hands of the security personnel and these kill- vived, that too has now been challenged by the being dealt with in quite the correct way. The ‘holy the basic system that was established during the ings have taken place mostly after persons were use of the presidential power for pardoning crimes water’ saga involving the Minister of Health, the State colonial time to control crime undermined to an arrested. without following any guidelines acceptable within patronage extended to the ‘magic potion’ devised by a exceptional level. The most basic and the sacred rule relating to a rule of law framework. It is against the backdrop charlatan, the invitation extended to Ukrainian tour- However, what is proposed through the political the right to life and the right to due process under of all these developments that the recommenda- ists were all signs that opportunism- and not sound victimization commission, by recommending with- the law is the protection given to persons who are tions of the political victimization commission medical advice- was driving government decision drawal of criminal indictments filed in courts, is to under arrest as they are in the custody of the State. have now arrived. making. make Sri Lanka even more of a free crime zone. If This basic provision has been repeatedly violated. The virtual demise of a criminal justice system There were also no concerted efforts being made any commission or even the highest authority in Since the first killing of prisoners in 1983, there is a disaster of the greatest proportions that could to obtain the vaccine. Even developed countries were the country has the power to order criminal in- have been several instances in which prisoners ever happen to any society. Life, liberty, the right fighting to get their hands on sufficient stocks of the dictment files in a court be withdrawn, it amounts have been killed inside the prisons. to property and right for the use of public space vaccine because, at least in the early stages, the man- to declaring the crimes against which the indict- Also, prisoners being subjected to extrajudicial by way of free speech, right to free association and ufacturers could only produce so much which was ments have been filed are not crimes at all. If that killings at the police station, after being arrested assembly, all can be protected only to the extent not enough for the billions of people throughout the could be done once, then it could be done again. for normal crimes are occurrences that happen that the country’s criminal justice system works. world. With that, the entirety of the system substantially many times during each year. Again, none of these However, even more serious is the fact that the Sri Lanka meanwhile happily ignored the vaccine changes. The facade of the system can remain but crimes have led to proper investigations or pros- country’s economic system is almost entirely de- race, being content to accept what came their way in once the substance is removed, the result will be ecutions. pendent of the existence of a functional and credi- the form of handouts from India, Russia and China- a something that only the criminals could celebrate. Later, with the development of organized crime, ble criminal justice system that is capable of main- few hundred thousand vaccines from each of them. Therefore, the situation has reached a final situations developed where either due to political taining the respect for legal rules and respect for When the vaccine was rolled out in the country, critical moment. The journey to that moment influences or by way of other corruption and brib- the obligations under contract intact. Without an there was no orderly distribution according to the was made over a long period of time, and series ery, crimes went unnoticed or got hushed up. effective criminal justice system, daylight robbery vulnerability of population groups. Only health sector of measures that has brought us to this moment Then various methodologies were developed, is possible at all levels. personnel were vaccinated in a systematic manner. If can be briefly mentioned as follows: Five judges of particularly by the use of national security laws What we are witnessing now is a catastrophe of you were not in that category, you needed to ‘know the Supreme Court and an Attorney General, who and anti-terrorism laws, to keep people in pro- great magnitude. There does not seem to be suf- someone who knew someone’ to become vaccinated also later became a Supreme Court judge, agreed longed detention without trial. Often there was the ficient public awareness of the danger with which because only a limited stock was available for distri- in 1972 to act outside the normal law of the country complaint that many of these people, who were de- society is faced. Or it may well be that there is such bution to the entire country. in deciding on the innocence or the guilt of per- tained in such a manner, were so detained due to a level of despair within society about the inabil- The bungling on the vaccine issue has become so sons without granting fair trial to the accused, as political reasons or due to the influence of power- ity to do anything about the kind of problem we absurd that more than half the number of the Astra is required by the system of law prevailing in the ful persons. are faced with. Whatever be the reason, this lack Zeneca vaccines available were administered as a first country. All these developments affected the machinery of awareness will not lessen the catastrophe, only dose. That means that there is a shortage of 600,000 Till then, the judiciary mostly adjusted cases of criminal justice leading to the rapid disintegra- add to it. vaccines for the second dose. involving ordinary crimes such as theft, robbery, tion of the quality of criminal investigations. And - AHRC Now, the government is saying it would consider vaccinating those who required the second dose with another vaccine. They must be thinking that vaccines By Ayudhya Gajanayake are like cocktails, which you can mix and match as you please! The latest line from the government is that this ‘cocktail’ will be administered once the ‘research’ on Why states must not be left to their own devices such ‘mixing and matching’ of vaccines is completed. It is a curious thing to imagine the state of hu- mittee to examine human rights violations in Sri saheena. Shakthika wrote a short story about ho- It is no co-incidence that a similar ‘research’ conducted man rights around the world if national leaders Lanka. However, accession meant nothing with- mosexuality and child abuse in a Buddhist temple. on the ‘magic potion’ concocted by a charlatan, which were simply left to their own devices. Fortunately, out a local law that enabled the same. It was the It was a work of fiction and an expression of crea- the Minister of Health gulped down gleefully has now a minimal standard of legal obligations to protect Supreme Court verdict that until such a law was tivity. Should Game of Thrones have been banned been found ineffective against the corona virus! human rights exists in the form of international enacted, provisions of the ICCPR remained un- and its writer arrested for religious hatred, incite- It was not only the political leadership at the high- covenants, many of which Sri Lanka is a signatory constitutional. To delay enactment was to delay ment to violence or the prorogation of war? Abdul est levels that was acting irresponsibly. Even junior to. Sri Lanka’s commitment to the International enforceable justice. Masaheena simply wore a dress depicting a ship’s ministers were taking matters into their own hands. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) When the ICCPR was eventually ratified in wheel which was deemed to look like the Bud- A state minister from Rajarata, a first timer in Par- however, displays a stark disparity between ‘tex- 2007, only four main rights were included in the dhist symbol. Her clothing it appears, threatened liament and a member of the so-called ‘Viyathmaga’ tual enactment’ and meaningful implementation. Act. These were the right to be recognized before national security or sparked religious hatred. It is sacked medical experts from the National Medicines It is a glaring example of why international legal the law, legal entitlements of alleged offenders, difficult to determine which drastic impact it had Regulatory Authority (NMRA) when they refused to obligations are essential and are often insufficient. rights of the child and the right to access State ben- that called for her arrest. In 2020 Ramzy Razik approve the Sinopharm vaccine without sufficient It proves, if left to their own devices, that national efits. The government declared that all other rights was arrested for a Facebook post which claimed to data. Now, the government wants to impose this vac- leaders may not merely overlook violations but de- were protected through the Constitution and the have violated the ICCPR. He was denied adequate cine on Sri Lankans for obvious reasons. liberately defend them. Supreme Court backed this claim. But to believe healthcare despite his failing health conditions. Even at this late stage, the lessons are not being The ICCPR compels governments to protect civil that existing laws help citizens fully realize their These are few of many such absurd persecutions learnt and the political leadership is carrying on re- and political rights. These are basic rights such freedoms would be a stretch of the imagination. made under the ICCPR Act. gardless, ignoring the disaster that is about to unfold as the right to liberty, equality before the law, the The Constitution itself provides conditions upon The policy of compulsory cremation that and acting as if nothing is wrong in the way in which right to a fair trial, freedom of expression and free- which fundamental rights are restricted. It even al- sparked extreme controversy and then came to the pandemic has been managed. dom from torture. Sri Lanka acceded to the ICCPR lows other existing laws such as Criminal Law, to convenient halt is a useful example. The policy was Just last week, it was still accepting people fleeing in 1980 but did not incorporate the covenant into override the fundamental rights chapter. based on discrimination amounting to persecution India for ‘quarantine’ in Sri Lanka for a mere US$ 690, domestic law until 2007. As a result, there was no These limitations clash with the purpose of the of Muslims. Under the ICCPR, the right to religion while medical experts here are saying that every effort legal obligation to protect civil and political rights ICCPR which recognize that some rights are ‘non- cannot be derogated under any circumstances and should be made to prevent the deadly triple mutated within the country. derogable’, meaning they cannot be restricted un- the government policy (which was not based on Indian strain of the virus from entering the island. The A quote by Chief Justice Sharvananda in 1987 der any circumstances. In Sri Lanka however, they scientific evidence and which contradicted global Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority professed during the Joseph Perera v. Attorney-General case can. practice) was a blatant violation of the covenant. ignorance about this but the thinking is if there is a captures the danger of restricting certain civil and In any case, civil and political rights within Sri Despite the signing and ratifying of the ICCPR profit to be made, it had to be done, regardless of what political rights and why state regulation must be Lankan law do not fulfil the ICCPR’s standards of and the formulation of an ICCPR Act in Sri Lanka, it would do to the health of the nation! exercised with caution. protection. Simply put, the constitution as it is, citizen’s rights continue to be violated and most The medical community is bracing themselves “Laws that trench on the area of speech and ex- fails to protect the rights of Sri Lankans. tragically, by the state that is tasked with protect- for a pandemic that is likely to extract a humongous pression must be narrowly and precisely drawn to The ICCPR Act in Sri Lanka is intended to pro- ing them. death toll from the population. Infections propagated deal with precise ends. Overbreadth in the area has tect communities from violence and discrimina- While states may commit to international cove- through the season of merrymaking during the New a peculiar evil, the evil of creating chilling effects tion. For this, it contains provisions against the nants and even incorporate them within local laws, Year are now silently incubating in thousands. Their which deter the exercise of that freedom.” propagation of war, racial or religious hatred, and this does not guarantee the protection of human symptoms are only just appearing. The dreaded com- The statement is a word of warning. Had the incitement to violence. Yet time and again, most rights. If, even with international legal obligations plications and the deaths will take a few weeks to ICCPR been effectively enforced within local law, prevalently in the recent past, the Act has been in place, states can manipulate laws and use them emerge. it is possible that the ‘chilling effects’ referred to misconstrued and used to target and restrain eth- as a weapon against their own citizens, it is best Sri Lanka is now staring at its worst medical dis- by Chief Justice Sharvananda may have been nic-minorities. national leaders are not left to their own devices. aster since the malaria epidemic in the 1930s killed minimized, allowing Sri Lankans to enjoy greater Some unreasoned arrests made under the IC- The ICCPR in Sri Lanka is an example for this. 80,000 persons. The rest, as they, will become his- freedoms. By 2006, Sri Lanka had acceded to the CPR Act in 2019 were the detainment of Shakthika -This article was originally featured on tory- and the government must be held accountable. ICCPR which permitted the Human Rights Com- Sathkumara and the arrest of Abdul Raheen Ma- groundviews.org - counterpoint.lk WEEKEND EXPRESS MAY 07 - 09, 2021 9 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

By Mark Landler UK vote likely to back Johnson, and an The Central Vista independent Scotland project is proceed- LONDON — For an ordinary politician, heading ing at full speed de- into midterm elections on an unsavoury plume of spite the pandemic scandal over cell phone contacts with billionaires and a suspiciously funded apartment makeover might seem like the recipe for a thumping. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain is not an ordinary politician. As voters in the country went to the polls Thurs- day (6) for regional and local elections that had been swollen by races postponed from last year because of the pandemic, Johnson’s Conservative Party stood to make gains against a Labour Party that has struggled to make the ethical accusations - Twitter against him stick. Far from humbling a wayward prime minister, the elections could extend a re- By Gautam Bhatia alignment in British politics that began in 2019 when the Conservative Party won a landslide gen- On display in Delhi now eral election victory. That would put the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, on the back foot and ratify Johnson’s status as a kind of political unicorn. “No politician in the democratic West can es- A central vista to criminal negligence cape the consequences of political gravity forever, but Boris Johnson has shown a greater capacity A World Health Organization (WHO) numbers, the official count reached with 5,000 deaths. Soon after, the coun- to defeat the virus. At Davos, the Prime to do it than most,” said Tony Travers, a profes- report in early January 2020 confirmed 11,000 in early March. Delhi recorded a try began its Unlock phase. Minister even claimed that India had sor of politics at the London School of Economics. that a cluster of people in Wuhan, China doubling of confirmed infections, with By July 1, in the second phase of Un- solved its own problems and helped the “People see his behaviour as evidence of his au- had the respiratory illness called COV- the government making a point to link lock India, the infected number crossed world fight the pandemic. And before thenticity.” Yet there is peril as well as promise for iD-19. By month end, the first case had many of them to the TablighiJamaat con- 600,000 with 18,000 deaths. Ground- long, the country plunged into what it Johnson in the elections, which will decide thou- also appeared in India. gregation. Nizamuddin was declared a breaking ceremonies for the BJP’s Ram does best: elections, religious festivals, sands of seats, including that of London’s mayor, At the time, the formal proposal for COVID-19 containment zone just when a Mandir project in Ayodhya took place the political rallies and weddings – events and which the British press has perhaps inevitably the Rs 20,000-crore (one crore equally public petition against the Union of India following month. The Prime Minister led that invite big crowds in contained plac- nicknamed ‘Super Thursday’. 10 million) Central Vista project and was filed in the Delhi high court catalogu- the bhoomipujan ceremony, thus mark- es. Millions of pilgrims were exhorted to In Scotland, the Scottish National Party could the new Parliament building was being ing violations of land use norms pertain- ing the formal start of construction for attend the KumbhMela in Haridwar; ral- win a clear majority in Scotland’s Parliament pushed through its bureaucratic hurdles, ing to the Central Vista project. the Rs 1,100-crore complex. lies were mounted in the multi-phased that the nationalists would brandish as a power- so the government’s attention was on With infections growing, the prime At the time, the government also issued Bengal elections. Clubs, markets, restau- ful mandate to demand another referendum on other things. minister announced on March 24 a com- instructions for the building of 150 new rants and malls opened. independence from the United Kingdom after an By early February, however, more cas- plete countrywide lockdown for three medical oxygen generation plants, and Then on April 5, a sudden spike of earlier one was defeated in 2014. es began to appear in Kerala, Maharash- weeks. The COVID-19 spread was so seri- upgrades for ICU beds in public hospitals 100,000 new infections hit the country. In the English elections, the big prize is Hartle- tra and elsewhere. ous it needed draconian measures. How- across the country. No great ceremonies Case numbers increased every day, rising pool, a struggling northern port city and Labour But at the time, preparations were on ever, within this lockdown period the were held, no VVIPs were wheeled out. four days later to one million. Hospitals bastion where a new poll suggests the Conserva- to receive US President Donald Trump new Parliament building was granted en- This was also the time the Rs 12,000 went into overdrive. Still, there was no tives could win a bellwether seat in a parliamen- for a three-hour, Rs 100 crore ‘Namaste vironmental clearance, and a tender for crore Char Dham highway proceeded sign of the new oxygen plants; except for tary by-election. The Tories could make further India’ reception in Ahmedabad’s newest its construction awarded. All this, while into the final phase of construction of the Maharashtra and Karnataka, no state had inroads in other Labour cities and towns in the and largest cricket stadium. Decorative hungry and distressed migrants were ex- 700-km roadway connecting Kedarnath, upgraded its public health facilities. industrial Midlands and North, where they picked palms were being planted and roads re- iting cities on foot. Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamanotri. Ten days into the lockdown in Delhi, off dozens of seats in 2019, running on Johnson’s surfaced for an additional Rs 500 crore. With cities physically closed, the Re- In October, the government an- when all outdoor construction activ- promise to “Get Brexit Done.” The prime minister In late February, COVID-19 cases be- serve Bank of India forecast a grim pic- nounced that according to its mathemati- ity was banned, the Central Vista project did get Brexit done, as of January. Yet while the gan to rise. Travellers from Italy and Sau- ture for the economy, stating that the cal model, the pandemic had peaked and proceeded as an essential service. The split with the European Union brought predicted di Arabia infected small groups of Indi- lockdown’s impact would be felt on in- should now steadily decline. Just when a CPWD invited bids for three ministry chaos in shipments of British seafood and higher ans, and the first official COVID-19 death dustry, businesses and employment for a new mutant variant was detected in In- buildings at Rs 3,408 crore the day India customs fees on European goods, its effects have appeared in the papers. By then the novel long time. In another TV broadcast, the dia, barricades were being set up all along recorded the highest surge of infections been eclipsed by the pandemic — a twist that end- coronavirus was already recognized as a Prime Minister proposed a national can- India Gate for the start of construction of in the world. ed up working to the government’s benefit. public health problem in Europe. India dle light vigil on the evening of April 5. the Central Vista buildings. In December, On May 5, the figure reached 21 mil- Although the pandemic began as a negative too was in its sights. But in New Delhi, a All across India, people appeared on bal- the Agra Metro construction was also in- lion, with 230,000 deaths. Reports from story for Johnson, with a dilatory response to the crucial project was underway. Land-use conies, lit diyas and burst crackers. Coro- augurated. crematoriums across India suggest the first wave of infections that left Britain with the and zoning changes for the Central Vista navirus cases jumped two weeks later to Early this year, the WHO warned of a real number could be five times that. highest death toll in Europe, it turned around with buildings were being rushed through the a new high of 18,000. By the time of the second wave. But with numbers begin- -Gautam Bhatia is a Delhi-based the nation’s rapid rollout of vaccines. clearing process to hasten the construc- third official lockdown in May, the num- ning to fall, the government announced architect and sculptor and this article As new cases, hospitalizations and deaths have tion timeline. With rising COVID-19 ber of infections had reached 100,000, that India had successfully managed was originally featured on thewire.in plunged, voters have rediscovered their affection for Johnson. His poll numbers rebounded from their lows last fall and show little damage from the By P. K. Balachandran charges and counter charges about his conduct, even though those have riveted London’s politi- cal circles. More important, Johnson’s message of Lessons learned and put to good use “levelling up” the economically blighted Midlands and North with the more prosperous south still seems to resonate with people, including many How China used its SARS experience to bring a COVID-19 pandemic under control who traditionally voted for Labour. And the gov- As on May 6, the internationally accept- Though it was caught off guard when days. Farm lands were commandeered, latest book, India and Asian Geopolitics, ernment’s free-spending response to the pandem- ed pandemic figures were as follows: the COVID-19 broke out in December 2019, and within hours, owners of construction China has consistently spent more on do- ic has pulled the Conservative Party even further US, 32.6 million infections and 579,000 the government quickly mobilized its companies and factories were given or- mestic surveillance and security than on from its roots as the party of fiscal austerity. deaths; India, 20.7 million infections and resources to bring the epidemic almost ders and funds came quickly. Sinopharm, external defence. Indeed, there was sup- “The party of Margaret Thatcher is becoming 226,000 deaths; and China, 90,721 infec- to a halt inside its borders within three a State-owned pharmaceutical company, pression of speech and dissent, so much the party of a big state and higher taxes, which can tions and 4636 deaths. The contrast is months, the US expert noted, observing got government funding in three and a so that the doctor who first reported the quite easily become the party of economic nation- clear. The main reason: China had greatly that the methods China adopted to fight half days according to New York Times. virus in Wuhan was arrested. Subse- alism and ‘Buy British,’” said Travers, the London improved its public health infrastructure, COVID-19 had their origin in the way it Contact tracing and testing was aggres- quently he succumbed to COVID trigger- School of Economics professor. For Starmer, the the US downgraded it and India neglected tackled the SARS epidemic, including sive. The Hindu reported that in Qingdao, ing world-wide outrage. However, most Labour leader, this shape shifting has been con- it. mask wearing, widespread testing, con- the entire city of 10.92 million was tested Chinese would argue that unimpaired cir- founding. A disciplined former prosecutor who In an article in The Conversation dat- tact tracing and isolation. The only dif- in five days. culation of information could have ham- lacks Johnson’s raffish manner, he has found it ed November 3, 2020, ElanahUretsky, ference was in the intensity of the control The State quickly mobilized its huge pered virus containment. difficult to attack the government on its pandemic a Brandeis University Professor and an measures, many of which came under flak bureaucracy. More than 4,000 medi- Though China recovered almost fully in response, particularly the vaccine rollout, which expert on public health in China, said the in Western democracies for their sever- cal workers were sent to ground zero in 2020, it continues to be extremely vigilant is the largest peacetime mobilization in British control of the COVID-19 virus in China ity. But they worked. Within a year of the Hubei. And the vast Communist Party about the resurgence of the pandemic. history. Instead, Starmer has grilled Johnson in “was not the result of authoritarian poli- outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, people network right down to the hamlet level There are still about 15,050 cases to be Parliament weekly about who picked up the ini- cy, but of a national prioritization of the in China were able to “travel, eat in res- was harnessed to good effect. cured. Recently, there had been ‘import- tial bill for the upgrade of his apartment and why health sector after the SARS pandemic.” taurants and go into theatres, and kids go The indigenously-developed Chinese ed’ cases due to which, a Chinese State- he was texting the billionaire James Dyson about SARS, which struck the world in 2002- to school without much concern for their vaccine might have been produced and owned airline Sichuan, suddenly stopped the tax status of his employees, when the two were 03, had infected over 8,000 people world- health,” Uretsky noted. used without following the set interna- vital cargo flights to India, putting Indian discussing a plan for Dyson’s company to manu- wide and killed about 800, 65% of which There is a general opinion in the West tional procedure, but the government vaccine manufacturers in a spot. Howev- facture ventilators. But there is little evidence that were in China and Hong Kong. that Chinese official statistics are suspect gambled by using it on millions in China er, later, due to the dire situation in India, voters are particularly surprised or concerned that “SARS exposed serious weaknesses in and there could be under reporting of in- and making it available to subsequently to the airlines and the Chinese government Johnson does not play by the rules. As political China’s public health system and prompt- convenient facts. But Ananth Krishnan, 80 countries and international organiza- expedited relief supplies. commentators have taken to saying this week, the ed its government to reinvent its public Beijing correspondent of the Indian daily tions. There were reports that the Chinese During the height of the pandemic, the prime minister’s behaviour is “priced in.” health system,” Uretsky wrote, noting The Hindu and author of India’s China vaccines were less effective than Western Chinese economy did plummet like other The same is not true of Scottish independence. specifically that the government “im- Challenge: A Journey through China’s makes. But overall, the vaccines have economies in the world, but China got on Analysts say Johnson’s government is not pre- proved training of public health profes- Rise refutes this contention as regards worked with little or no issues. to the road to recovery faster. Even West- pared for the wall of pressure it will face if the sionals and developed one of the most so- COVID-19 “There is no evidence to sug- Besides efficiency there were other ern media reports acknowledged that dur- Scottish National Party wins a majority. The last phisticated disease surveillance systems gest there are currently thousands of contributory factors. A major advantage ing the 76-day lockdown in Wuhan, ma- time the party achieved that, in 2011, Britain’s in the world.” cases or hidden outbreaks. This is backed that China had (and still has) is that the jor industries were allowed to function. then-prime minister, David Cameron, yielded to In contrast, the Trump administra- up by, among other things, the return to average Chinese citizen is habitually ac- Innovative measures were taken to keep demands for a referendum. In 2014, Scots voted tion in the US had made major cuts to normalcy, opening of schools, the boom quiescent, following orders instinctively. economic activity going, albeit with the against leaving Britain by 55% to 44%. the budgets of the National Institutes of in domestic travel, the current situation in This enabled large-scale mobilization most stringent safeguards. Few contracts Polls now put the split at roughly 50-50, after Health and Centres for Disease Control hospitals, and not to mention, independ- with a mere bark of an order or the crack were cancelled. Few workers were laid off. a stretch in which the pro-independence vote was and Prevention. The budget submitted ent accounts from foreign reporters based of a whip. In contrast to democracies, the Government gave loans and waived taxes solidly above 50%. Analysts attribute the slight by the Trump administration in Febru- in China,” he wrote a year after the out- Chinese State is unabashedly intrusive. As to stimulate continued activity. Those in softening of support to both the vaccine rollout, ary 2020, as the pandemic was beginning, break. Initially, Beijing suppressed news the New York Times put it: “The top lead- quarantine and under lockdowns were which showed the merits of staying in the union, had called for an additional reduction of of the emergence of an unknown killer in ers have levers to reach down from the very well served by commandeered but as well as an ugly political dispute within Scottish US$ 693 million to the CDC budget. Wuhan in the Hubei province in Decem- corridors of central power, to every street, highly trained personnel. New ways of nationalist ranks. Johnson holds a trump card In the case of the government of India, ber 2019. Over 80,000 were infected and and even apartment building!” functioning under lockdown were discov- of sorts. To be legally binding, an independence the health budget has always been low. By 30,000 had died there. But the govern- Breaches of virus containment rules ered and implemented. referendum would almost certainly have to gain the last count it was 0.34% of the GDP, ment came out of hiding in January 2020 were deemed anti-national and punished. With the wheels of the economy kept the assent of the British government, so the prime while it should be 2.5% as per the 2017 to declare a lockdown in that province A New York Times report mentioned a vil- moving, China grew by 4% while the other minister can simply say no and hope the problem National Health Plan. between January 23 and April 16. Fifty lager near Shijiazhuang who was tied to a economies fell by 43%, according to UNC- goes away. But that strategy can work for only so Knowing that there were no safe or million people in the Hubei province were tree because he tried to flout quarantine TAD. long before becoming untenable. proven treatments or an effective vaccine, quarantined. Some other provinces were restrictions to go out to buy cigarettes. “I don’t see any way in the world that Boris China relied on time-honoured non-phar- also locked down for various periods. The More than 5,000 local party and govern- Johnson turns around the day after the election maceutical interventions to conquer the lockdowns were exceptionally stringent. ment officials were sacked in 2020 for and says, ‘OK, you can have a referendum,’” said epidemic. “First and foremost was con- The government made good use of the failure to deliver, the paper reported. Nicola McEwen, a professor of politics at the Uni- taining the virus through controlling the lockdown to plan and execute a plethora The security or surveillance system put versity of Edinburgh. And yet the calls could only sources of infection and blocking trans- of control measures. New York Times re- in place initially to identify, track, inter- grow. “If they manage to peel off a single-party mission. This was accomplished through ported that the government had ordered cept and punish political dissenters, came majority,” she said, “it does put pressure on the early detection (testing), isolation, treat- the erection of entire towns of prefab- in handy in COVID-19 infection contact UK to answer the question, ‘If a democratic vote ment and tracing the close contacts of any ricated buildings to serve as quarantine tracing. India’s former National Security isn’t a mandate for independence, then what is?’” infected individual,” she pointed out. centres. Hospitals came up in a matter of Advisor Shivshankar Menon says in his -New York Times 10 MAY 07 - 09, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

By Meenakshi Ganguly The latest assault on religious freedom A blow for Muslim Women Muslims in Sri Lanka already faced a growing list of discrimina- tory government policies before the cabinet approved plans on April 27 to ban women’s face coverings. If approved by Parliament, the measure will outlaw garments worn by some Muslim women such as the niqab or burqa, increasing their social marginalization. After a similar ban was temporarily imposed following the East- er Sunday bombings in 2019, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka documented numerous cases of Muslim women, including those legally wearing a hijab – a head covering that does not cover the face – being abused in public and denied access to public build- ings such as schools, hospitals, and universities. This latest ban was proposed by the public security minister, Adm. (rtd.) Sarath Weerasekara, who called face veils “a sign of re- ligious extremism” and who claims the ban is justified on “national security” grounds. However, he has said “there will be no prohibi-

-Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP tion to wear face masks to prevent the COVID-19 virus.” This is only the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s latest assault on religious freedom. For almost a year, until Febru- A burqa clad Sri Lankan Muslim woman can be seen walking along a street in Colombo on April 27, 2021. The Sri ary, the government banned the burial of people who had died with Lankan Cabinet has agreed a ban on wearing burqas and other full face veils in public, which is almost certain to COVID-19, falsely claiming this was necessary for public health. In be approved by Parliament effect, the ban prevented Muslims from performing funeral rites, causing intense distress to families. On March 9, new regulations relating to the draconian Preven- tion of Terrorism Act (PTA) gave officials the power to confine By Savitri Hensman anyone for up to two years for “rehabilitation” on vaguely defined grounds of causing “religious, racial, or communal disharmony.” The Rajapaksa administration has repeatedly used the PTA to target minorities, especially Muslims and Tamils, while taking no action against those inciting violence and discrimination against A dangerous distraction these groups. Human Rights Watch has long opposed bans on Islamic face coverings because there is no evidence that the face coverings pose any kind of threat that would justify this restriction on freedom of The burqa ban and the undermining of national security and human rights religion. We also oppose policies forcing women and girls to wear religious garments as a violation of religious freedom and privacy The Sri Lankan Cabinet has agreed a ban er for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, had use force against those who fail to obey, is rights under international law. on wearing burqas and other full face veils produced a report which drew attention to far from liberating. And the practical effect Parliament should reject this senseless and divisive ban on face in public, which is almost certain to be ap- the worsening rights situation in Sri Lanka, of refusing to let some women wear clothes coverings, and the government should stop looking for excuses to proved by Parliament. This follows other including victimization of minorities, as well in which they feel comfortable to go out and abuse Sri Lanka’s marginalized minorities. measures targeting Muslims and other mi- as failure to probe past violations, commit- about is to isolate them and deepen any -Meenakshi Ganguly is the South Asia Director of norities. ted by both the armed forces and the Tigers. disadvantage they face. While no woman Human Rights Watch Many in Sri Lanka and internationally Yet in other ways, the government was should be pressured to wear a burqa and condemned this as a breach of human rights. hardening its stance. On March 9 a regula- people of all faiths and none should be free The United Nations Special Rapporteur tion was passed allowing people to be de- to debate the pros and cons of specific prac- on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Ahmed tained for two years without trial if accused tices, women’s rights are best protected in Statement Shaheed, tweeted that burqa bans are in- of causing “religious, racial, or communal settings of equality and justice for all. compatible with international law guaran- disharmony.” This was an expansion of the tees of the right to manifest one’s religion or already harsh Prevention of Terrorism Act Damaging national security Shrinking civil space belief and of freedom of expression. (PTA), allowing the state to hold people in Far from increasing national security, a Minister of Public Security Sarath- “reintegration centres” without proof of burqa ban, by alienating Muslims still fur- And growing victimization of writers, Weerasekara had earlier claimed that the wrongdoing. This drew international con- ther and promoting an approach to politics burqa affects “national security” and is a demnation. based on division and abuse of power, is activists and journalists “sign of religious extremism”. Yet the ban “The Sri Lankan government has added a almost certain to bolster violent extremism People’s Rights Group (PRG), arights based advocacy and lobby- is likely to damage, rather than improve, new weapon to its arsenal of abusive laws, under the guise of Islam. Such a move would ing group based in the UK particularly dealing with human rights national security and is a dangerous distrac- putting religious and racial minorities at result in constant flashpoints on the streets, violations in Sri Lanka, notes with extreme concern the gradual tion from attempts to tackle the coronavirus greater risk of torture and prolonged deten- deeper isolation of women and a sense of hu- shrinking of civic space, particularly for the exercise of the right pandemic. Indeed it undermines the build- tion without trial,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, miliation even among those who would not to free expression in Sri Lanka. In the broader context, in recent ing of trust, which would help the nation to South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. dream of wearing burqas. This would weak- times, censorship, imposition of restrictive laws, criminal defama- unite to counter the rise in infection, as well The PTA had already been used to target en yet more the position of Muslims seeking tion, harassment and detention of activists appears to be prime as other hazards. Muslims who were far from terrorists, such a peaceful, multicultural Sri Lanka. means adopted specially by South Asian States to deal with dissent as Ahnaf Jazeem, a young poet who wrote a Researchers studying countries in Europe Targeting minorities, and opposition. book of verse promoting peace and spiritual- which had put restrictions on wearing veils Journalists, human rights defenders and political opponents are undermining human rights ity. in public spaces found, in 2019, that far from being intimidated, attacked, detained, criminalized, deprived of The background to the ban includes a Then the Minister of Public Security an- reducing extremism, these restrictions were right to dissent and communication facilities. Peaceful expression gradually worsening situation for Muslims nounced plans to ban the burqa, as well strongly and positively correlated with an is basically being made a criminal offence. Human right defenders other minorities and dissidents in Sri Lanka as shutting down over a thousand Islamic increase in terrorist activity. The research are increasingly being vilified as ‘traitors’ in both mainstream and which, as in the past, has paved the way for schools. Again this was widely criticized, in team, Stuti Manchanda and Nilay Saiya social media. The civic space is increasingly under threat due to a wider erosion of human rights and democ- Sri Lanka and overseas, while a minority from Nanyang Technological University in deepening risks of reprisals against civil society actors who speak racy. This has included harassment and at- was left feeling increasingly marginalized Singapore, checked that it was not the case out against these undemocratic developments. tacks by hate groups misusing Buddhism and unsafe. that greater violence had led to tighter laws Worryingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has also been exploited by to gain power, shielded by the regime, and It was perhaps unsurprising when, on on face coverings but rather the opposite. the government to impose restrictions, with growing militariza- attempts to blame the entire community March 23, the UNHRC passed a strong This should perhaps not come as a sur- tion of its machinery. This dangerous trend goes against the values for the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019, resolution calling for greater accountability prise to Sri Lankans, given the events of the that underlies democracy and is already opening the floodgates for although many Muslims had previously by the government for its treatment of the late 1970s and early 1980s. In a 1983 report authoritarianism. pleaded with the authorities to act against people of Sri Lanka. The announcement that by the ICJ, Ethnic Conflict and Violence in PRG notes with alarming concern that there is also a systemic the ringleaders and Indian intelligence had ministers are pressing ahead with the burqa Sri Lanka, Professor Virginia Leary found witch hunt and victimization of political opponents and activists provided specific warnings not long before ban was a further sign of defiance of human in 1981 that the Prevention of Terrorism belonging to the minority communities, specially the Muslims, the attacks. rights norms, meaning that all Sri Lankans Act appeared to have promoted rather than who have been subjected to a well-orchestrated demonization In previous years, among some Sri Lankan outside the president’s inner circle are ulti- prevented terrorism. “Since 1979, when the campaign in the post- Easter tragedy period. Many Muslim organ- Muslims, social conservatism had grown in mately at risk from misuse of state power. Act was adopted, terrorism has not declined izations have been banned purportedly on arbitrary grounds in the but rather increased in the northern Tamil influence (as had occurred in various faith Violating human rights recent past, while a well-known Muslim scholar in the calibre of communities across the world), with an im- area. Increased police and army surveillance Rasheed Hajjul Akbar, a senior lawyer and minority and human pact on how women dressed. A small number As the International Commission of Ju- of the population have not curtailed the rights activist, Hejaaz Hizbullah, and minority community politi- now wore the burqa, which would have been rists (ICJ) pointed out freedom of religion violence but seemingly stimulated it. This cians such as Azath Salley, V. Manivannan, and Rishad Bathiu- very rare a few decades ago. Most religious and belief is guaranteed under Article 18 of experience is similar to that of some other deen were arrested and detained on suspicion of offences under conservatives were far from politically radi- the International Covenant on Civil and Po- countries which have attempted to control draconian laws which suppresses democratic and human rights cal and tended to comply with the authori- litical Rights (ICCPR), of which Sri Lanka is terrorism by armed force rather than dealing enshrined in the country’s Constitution. A social media activist ties but there were a tiny handful attracted a signatory. Any limitation on freedom of re- with the fundamental factors contributing to Ramzy Razeek, was also arrested and later released, who was de- by the ideology of groups such as ISIS. ligion must be non-discriminatory and must the recourse to violence.” crying religious discrimination in a social media post. After the bombings, there was a temporary be necessary and proportionate to protect In a supplement in 1983, ICJ staff con- Muslim poet/writer Ahnaf Jazeeem was also arrested under the ban on face coverings in public that might public safety, order, health, morals or the firmed this: “Many observers have com- Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in 2020 for allegedly publish- make it harder to know someone’s identity, fundamental rights and freedoms of others. mented that the harassment and violence ing a book of poetry in Tamil titled ‘Navarasam’, allegedly based supposedly on national security grounds. According to the UN Human Rights Com- by the army and police have contributed to on the charges that it inter-alia was inciting violence and hatred However, this offered little real advantage, mittee, under the ICCPR “the observance growing support for the Tigers.” The suffer- in some of the poems”. However, many literary experts have de- since female security officers could anyway and practice of religion or belief may include ing which resulted is hard to forget. bunked these charges as baseless, nonsensical and ludicrous, and conduct checks in spaces offering privacy not only ceremonial acts, but also such cus- The president and his close associates say that his poems grapple with a range of themes that are of socio- where women could unveil if needed, and toms as…the wearing of distinctive clothing may hope that by stoking conflict, he might cultural and political significance” and ‘mostly concerned religious added to the stigma faced by Muslims. or head coverings.” As ICJ Legal and Policy again cast himself as the saviour of Sinhalese morality, humanism, love and a peaceful life’. The fundamental Victimization and harassment continued Director Ian Seiderman pointed out, “The Buddhists, even if a fair number of them are rights petition filed recently in the Supreme Courts also alarming- after the ban was lifted while repression Sri Lankan Government’s justification for harmed or killed, along with members of mi- ly refers to a reported attempt by the investigators to force him to more generally got worse and human rights banning face coverings rings hollow during norities. The wellbeing and even survival of confess that Jamiah Naleemiah, a leading seat of Islamic leaning and democracy were eroded. This took a a time when it has quite sensibly made the ordinary Sri Lankans may not be a high pri- where he graduates from, preaches extremism. fresh turn during the pandemic. wearing of face masks in public mandatory ority to those whose wealth and connections PRG is of the considered view that Ahnaf’s writings have less to Cruelly, grieving relatives of Muslims who to address the COVID-19 pandemic.” protect them to some extent. do with his detention, and is largely the consequence of a broken had died of COVID-19 were denied the op- Freedom to have or adopt a religion or be- But this is a dangerous game to play, es- and incompetent system and delays and inefficiencies in the judi- portunity to bury the dead as is required by lief of one’s choice is also guaranteed by Arti- pecially amidst a pandemic, when trust and cial process. their faith while the government insisted on cle 10 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Under mutual care may be vital in reining in the It also believes his arrest was yet another serious manifestation cremation instead on spurious grounds of Article 12, all persons are equal before the destructive spread of the virus. If those in of the violent and repressive policy of ethno-religious hegemony public health. Elsewhere in the world, buri- law and no citizen should be discriminated charge will not act humanely and respon- facing minority communities, and yet another attempt to use the als had gone ahead, since these presented no against on the grounds of race, religion, lan- sibly at this time, it may fall to others to draconian anti-terrorism laws against minorities and free expres- threat to the public. In early 2021, the rul- guage, caste, sex, political opinion or place of do what they can to combat human rights sion. ers finally gave way but initially chose, as birth. Article 14 (1) (e) ensures the freedom abuses of all kinds, including failure to pro- PRG reiterates that durable peace needs to be built in a political a site, a Northern island which would have to manifest one’s religion or belief in wor- vide for basic economic needs or protect climate in which every Sri Lankan feels, and is treated as equal, been highly unsuitable. After protests, the ship, observance, practice and teaching. the health of those on low incomes. Acts of and has the ability to realize his or her potential in an open and location was shifted, although burying loved In some parts of the world, there has concern and solidarity which build bridges free manner. As a long-standing democracy, Sri Lanka should be ones still involve long journeys for many. been support for banning the burqa on the across communities may make a major dif- able to tolerate diverse and dissenting views in the society, which This concession was part of a drive to win grounds that it reflects beliefs oppressive ference in the long term, however grim the ultimately safeguards both security and freedom. PRG calls upon support from Muslim-majority states in the of women. Yet even if people reject those current situation may seem. the Government of Sri Lanka to duly protect the people’s rights run up to a United Nations Human Rights strands within major religions which have - Savitri Hensman is an activist and particularly specified in Articles 10, 12(1) to 12(4), 14, and 27(6) Council (UNHRC) gathering at which a reso- more restrictive attitudes on gender, giving writer based in the United Kingdom and entrenched in the Constitution and forthwith stop the victimiza- lution critical of Sri Lanka’s political leaders male politicians or police officers the power this article was originally featured on tion of activists and writers under cover of draconian laws and the was to be discussed. The High Commission- to dictate how women should dress, and to groundviews.org COVID pandemic. WEEKEND EXPRESS MAY 07 - 09, 2021 11 LITERARY LIVES

Alexandre Dumas – 1802 -1870 RIP By Anita Gates The productive profligate This chaotic, contradictory, loving mess Sir Christopher Ondaatje takes a peek into the fascinating life of the French writer who penned Olympia Dukakis, Oscar winner swashbuckling adventure novels like The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, the for ‘Moonstruck,’ dies at 89 latter a revenge fantasy written on behalf of his father, a Black general who fought in the French Olympia Dukakis, the self-assured, raspy-voiced actress who often played world-weary and worldly Revolution and was ultimately betrayed by Napoleon wise characters, and who won an Academy Award for her role as just such a woman in ‘Moonstruck’, died Saturday (May 1) at her home in New York City. She was 89. Her death was announced by her brother, actor Apollo Dukakis, who said she had been in hospice care. Dukakis was 56 and an East Coast stage veteran of three decades when she starred in John Patrick Shanley’s ‘Moonstruck’ (1987), a romantic com- edy about a young Italian American widow, Loretta (played by Cher), whose life is turned upside down when she falls in love with her fiancé’s brother (Nico- las Cage). Dukakis stole scene after scene as Rose,

- Google Loretta’s sardonic mother, who saw the world clearly and advised accordingly. Google replaced their usual homepage logo with an ani- “Do you love him, Loretta?” she asks her daughter, mated slideshow Doodle honouring Alexandre Dumas in referring to the dull fiancé. When Loretta says no, August 28 - 2020 Rose replies: “Good. When you love them, they drive you crazy, because they know they can.” The role won Dukakis the Oscar for best supporting actress (Cher also won) and a host of other prizes in 1988 — the same year her cousin Michael Dukakis won the Democratic presidential nomination. The award led to more film roles. She played a catty Southern wid- ow in the mostly female ensemble cast of ‘Steel Mag- nolias’ (1989); the mother of Kirstie Alley’s character in the three ‘Look Who’s Talking’ movies (1989-93); the pot-growing transgender San Francisco landlord Anna Madrigal, from 1993 to 2019, in the four tel- evision miniseries made from Armistead Maupin’s ‘Tales of the City’ stories; and Frank Sinatra’s moth- er, Dolly, in the 1992 television movie ‘Sinatra’. Those were far from her first mature roles. At 40 she had played 36-year-old Joseph Bologna’s mother in ‘Made for Each Other’ (1971), and at 38 she was 32-year-old Dustin Hoffman’s mother in ‘John and Mary’ (1969). “I always played older,” she told The New York Times in 2004. “I think it was the voice.” -Wikipedia She played various ages onstage, where her career began. And in a way, she owed it all to Nora Ephron. Alexandre Dumas in 1855 Ephron saw Dukakis in Christopher Durang’s off- Broadway play ‘The Marriage of Bette and Boo’ and decided she wanted Dukakis in Mike Nichols’ 1986 “My father was a mulatto, my grandfather was direction, editing, and choosing various editions. film ‘Heartburn’, based on Ephron’s roman à clef. a Negro, and my great-grandfather a monkey. He was thirty-six years old and made more money Nichols then cast Dukakis in his next Broadway pro- You see, Sir, my family starts where yours ends.” that he had ever dreamed of making. ject, ‘Social Security’. Norman Jewison saw ‘Social -Alexandre Dumas Security’ and cast Dukakis in a film he was about “There are some situations which men under- to direct: ‘Moonstruck’. Despite the awards and Alexandre Dumas was born Dumas Davy de la stand by instinct, by which reason is powerless to her other screen successes, Dukakis never gave up Pailleterie in 1802 in Villers-Cotterȇts in the de- explain; in such cases the greatest poet is he who theatre work. In 2011 she starred in an off-Broadway partment of Aisne, in Picardy, France. He had two gives utterance to the most natural and vehement production of Tennessee Williams’ ‘The Milk Train older sisters, Marie-Alexandrine (born 1794) and outburst of sorrow. Those who hear the bitter cry Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore’. Charles Isherwood, Louise-Alexandrine (born 1796). Their parents are as much impressed as if they listened to an reviewing her performance in The Times, called her were Marie-Louise Élisabeth Labouret, an inn- entire poem, and when the sufferer is sincere they “macabre, hilarious and weirdly touching”, with a keeper’s daughter, and Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. are right in regarding his outburst as sublime.” “bullying bravado that commands attention”. The -Alexandre Dumas 1846 he built a grand country house outside Par- next year she played Prospero (Prospera, actually) in Dumas’ father, Thomas-Alexandre, was born is at Le Port-Marly – the enormous Château de ‘The Tempest’ for Shakespeare & Company in Mas- in the French colony of Saint-Dominique (now From 1839 to 1841 Dumas, with the assistance Monte-Cristo – with an additional structure for sachusetts. Haiti), the mixed-race natural son of the Marquis of several friends and accomplices, compiled Cel- his writing and literary productions. The château Olympia Dukakis was born on June 20, 1931, in Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie, a French ebrated Crimes, an eight-volume collection of es- was usually filled with friends and strangers who Lowell, Massachusetts, the older of two children of nobleman and general commissaire in the colonial says on famous criminals and crimes from Euro- sponged off his generosity. Only two years after Constantine and Alexandra (Christos) Dukakis, both artillery, and Marie-Cessette Dumas, an enslaved pean history that featured Beatrice Cenci, Martin he built his magnificent building, faced with fi- Greek immigrants. Her father worked in various set- woman of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. Guerre, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, as well as more nancial ruin, he was forced to sell the property. tings, including a munitions factory, a printing busi- recent events and criminals, including the alleged ness and the quality control department of Lever Dumas was brought to France and legally freed murderers Karl Ludwig Sand and Antoine François Alexandre Dumas was a productive writer and Bros. He also founded an amateur theatre company. by his father who had adopted the name ‘Dumas’ Desrues, who were executed. Dumas also collabo- travelled widely creating travel books about his Olympia Dukakis graduated from Boston Univer- from his slave mother after a rift with his father. rated with Augustin Grisier, his fencing teacher, in journeys – to Spain, Italy, Germany, the Brit- sity with a degree in physical therapy and practiced Dumas was promoted to the rank of General when his 1840 novel The Fencing Master. The story is in ish Isles and French Algeria. When King Louis that occupation, travelling to West Virginia, Minne- he was thirty-one years old – the first soldier of Af- fact Grisier’s accurate account of how he came to - Philippe was ousted in a revolt in 1851, Louis sota and Texas during the worst days of the mid-cen- ro-Antilles origin to reach that rank in the French witness the events of the Decembrist revolt in Rus- -Napoléon Bonaparte was elected President. He tury polio epidemic. Eventually she earned enough army. sia – when Russian army officers on December 26, disapproved of Dumas, causing the author to flee money to return to BU to study theatre. 1828 led about three thousand soldiers in a protest to Brussels, Belgium, as much to avoid political Even before she received her MFA, she threw her- “Youth is the flower of which love is the fruit; again Nicholas I’s assumption of the throne after unpopularity as to escape his creditors. Two self into her new career, making her stage debut in a Happy the gatherer who picks it after watching it his brother Constantine removed himself from the years later, in 1859, he moved to Russia where 1956 summer stock production of ‘Outward Bound’ slowly mature.” line of succession. The novel was banned in Rus- French was the second language, and where he in Maine. She moved to New York in 1959 and made -Alexandre Dumas sia by Czar Nicholas I, and Dumas was prohibited was popular. He left in 1861 to go to Italy where her New York stage debut the next year in ‘The from visiting the country until after the Czar’s Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed King. Breaking Wall’ at St. Mark’s Playhouse. Dumas’ father’s aristocratic rank helped his son death. Dumas refers to Grisier with great respect There, for three years, he befriended Garibaldi Her first screen appearance came in 1962, on the get work with Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, in his memoirs, as well as in The Count of Monte in the movement for Italian unification before television series ‘Dr. Kildare’. Her first movie role then as a writer, a career which spawned early suc- Cristo and The Corsican Brothers. Dumas used returning to Paris in 1864, six years before he was an un-credited one as a psychiatric patient in cess. As his father had done before him, he used many assistants and collaborators in churning out died. He was buried at his birthplace of Villers- ‘Lilith’ (1964). She received an Obie Award in 1963 his slave grandmother’s surname of Dumas. He his increasingly popular novels, of whom Auguste Cotterȇts in the department of Aisne. for her role as Widow Begbick, the canteen owner, in began writing articles for magazines and plays Maquet was the best known. Maquet took Dumas Bertolt Brecht’s drama ‘A Man’s a Man’ and another, for the theatre. His first play Henry III and His to court for using his written material in order to get “There are two ways of seeing: with the body 22 years later, for playing the grandmother of Du- Courts was produced in 1829 when young Dumas recognition and more money for his unrecognized and with the soul. The body’s sight can some- rang’s character in ‘The Marriage of Bette and Boo’. was twenty-seven years old. It achieved surprising work. Dumas subsequently agreed to the increased times forget, but the soul remembers forever.” Along the way she married Louis Zorich, a fellow instant acclaim. His second play Christine was just payment – but not to authorial recognition. -Alexandre Dumas actor who had appeared with her in a production of as popular and allowed Dumas sufficient income ‘Medea’ in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Together to write full-time. In 1830 Dumas participated in “What I’ve loved most after you, is myself; that Dumas’ death was overshadowed by the Fran- they helped found the Whole Theatre Company in the revolution that ousted Charles X and replaced is, my dignity and that strength which made me co-Prussian war. Changing literary fashions also 1973 in Montclair, New Jersey, where they lived him with the Duke of Orléans – Dumas’ former superior to other men. That strength was my life.” decreased his popularity. However, in the late while bringing up their children. The company pro- employer, who ruled France as Louis-Philippe, the -Alexandre Dumas twentieth century scholars have caused a critical duced the likes of Chekhov, Coward and Williams Citizen King. France remained unsettled until the and new appreciation of his works. His former for almost two decades. Dukakis also taught acting mid 1830s – when life slowly returned to normal. Dumas married actress Ida Ferrier in 1840, but country home, the Château de Monte-Cristo, at New York University. Zorich died in 2018. In ad- The improving economy and the end of press cen- continued to have many affairs with other women has been restored and opened to the public as dition to her brother, she is survived by their three sorship were extremely rewarding for Alexandre and is known to have fathered at least four children a museum. Researchers have discovered Du- children, Christina, Peter and Stefan Zorich; and Dumas’ literary skills. out of wedlock. This was in addition to the three mas works in obscure archives, and in 2002, four grandchildren. In recent years she played recur- natural children he had with his long-suffering the bicentenary of Dumas’ birth, French Presi- ring characters on several television series, includ- “The King! I thought he was a philosopher wife. Many years later, in 1866, he had an affair dent Jacques Chirac held a ceremony honour- ing ‘Bored to Death’, in which her character had a enough to allow no murder in politics. In politics with the well-known American actress Adah Isaacs ing the author by having his ashes re-interred at torrid affair with Zach Galifianakis’. In her last film, ... there are no men – but ideas – no feeling, but Menken who was at the peak of her success in Les the Mausoleum of the Panthéon of Paris, where ‘Not to Forget’, scheduled to open this year, she interests; in politics we do not kill a man, we only Pirates de La Savanne in Paris. many of the greatest French luminaries are bur- plays a judge who sentences a millennial to care for remove an obstacle, that is all.” ied. Dumas is enshrined alongside two other his grandmother. When The Toronto Sun asked her -Alexandre Dumas “Pure love and suspicion cannot dwell together: great French authors, Victor Hugo and Émile in 2003 whether she was planning to retire, she an- at the door where the latter enters, the former Zola. swered: “From what? I love this chaotic, contradic- Dumas was a very organized and ambitious makes its exit.” tory, loving mess that has been my life.” young man. After writing several successful plays, -Alexandre Dumas She reflected on her success in a 2001 interview he switched to writing novels. Although involving with the London newspaper The Guardian. himself in an extravagant lifestyle and spending a Dumas’ novels were incredibly popular and “Maybe good fortune comes to you for the same lot more than he earned, he had taught himself to were translated into English and other languages. reason as bad,” she said. “It’s all about understand- be an astute marketer. Newspapers then were pub- His writing and his book productions earned him ing more: You learn a lot of things when you’re strug- lishing serial novels, so he wrote one of his plays Le untold riches, but he was frequently insolvent. He gling, and other things when you’re what the world Capitaine Paul in 1838 as his first serial novel. He was a profligate and spent lavishly on women and calls successful. Or perhaps it’s just something that founded a production studio, staffed with writers good living. It is said that he had no less than forty happens. Some days it’s cold, and some days it’s hot.” who turned out hundreds of stories, all under his mistresses and had the stamina to handle them. In -New York Times 12 MAY 07 - 09, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS SPORTS

COUNTER PUNCH Aussie IPL cricketers By The Line Judge flee India for Maldives but top Kiwis remain SYDNEY - Australian cricketers fled COVID-ravaged India for the Maldives End of an era as Sri Lanka cricket Thursday (6), but New Zealand’s top stars are stuck in Delhi until May 11, the earli- est they can secure exemptions to enter England where they are due to play a Test series. bank on young guns Cricket authorities have been rushing to evacuate players and support staff af- ter the lucrative Indian Premier League Sri Lanka cricket always had a seamless transi- of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) administration being ya who claimed 10 wickets in a losing cause against was abandoned this week. India reported tion of leadership thanks to the prudent policies of challenged resulting in Sports Minister Namal England in Galle, the selectors are now moving to 3,980 deaths and more than 412,000 new national selectors in the past despite the inevita- Rajapaksa appointing a management committee appoint Kusal Janith Perera as limited over cap- coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. ble departure of icons of the game threatening to to govern cricket until elections are held on May tain with Kusal Mendis as vice-captain, with an eye While most overseas-based players leave a void which would be difficult to fill. When 20. When the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 2023 World Cup, relieving Karunaratne of the headed home, the Australians, including the legendary World Cup duo of Arjuna Ranatunga sanctioned SLC and penalized Pallekele Interna- ODI captaincy. DasunShanaka who led Sri Lanka Steve Smith, David Warner and Pat Cum- and Aravinda de Silva called it a day, Sanath Jayas- tional Cricket Stadium in Kandy for producing a to victory in Pakistan is to be appointed T20 cap- mins, are unable to do so after Canberra uriya virtually singlehandedly emerged as Sri Lan- “below average” pitch for the first Test between Sri tain. slammed shut its borders and threatened ka’s talisman after taking over the leadership role Lanka and Bangladesh, which yielded 1,289 runs It has sent a clear signal to seniors like Angelo anyone entering from India with jail time. from another southpaw Hashan Tillakaratne. for the loss of just 17 wickets over five days of play, Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Thisara Perera They must wait until at least May 15, Opener Marvan Atapattu led from the front be- it seemed Sri Lanka was re-enacting Shakespeare’s that they no longer fit into the future plans of Sri when the travel ban will be reviewed. fore the legendary duo of Mahela Jayawardene and dramatic tragi-comedy Macbeth and sinking fur- Lanka cricket. Sri Lanka’s over dependence on In the meantime, the 37 players, coach- Kumar Sangakkara reigned supreme during a pe- ther into the abyss of no return. Mathews who has been plagued by injuries of late es, officials and TV commentators left riod when Tillakaratne Dilshan invented the ‘Dils- However, in a dramatic turn of fortunes a is portrayed by the fact that he was considered to for the Maldives, reportedly on a charter coop’, leading Sri Lanka to a historic win in South 22-year-old left arm spinner Praveen Jayawick- lead the team for the one-day series in the Carib- flight arranged and paid for by the Board Africa. There followed another period of stability rama unleashed his magical wand to provide the bean when Shanaka’s trip was delayed because of of Control for Cricket in India. under Sri Lanka’s youngest Test captain Angelo silver lining amid the chaos with a fairy-tale de- visa wrangles. The trio plus Karunaratne are likely “Cricket Australia and the Austral- Mathews who led the team in all three formats. but. The first bowler to take twin five-wicket hauls to be left out for the Bangladesh tour for the ODI ian Cricketers’ Association can confirm Legendary left arm spinner Rangana Herath (6/92 and 5/86) on Test debut in 33 years after In- series. Sri Lanka are also due to travel to England Australian players, coaches, match offi- wore the captain’s armband briefly while Dinesh dia’s Narendra Hirwani, Jayawickrama is also the next month to play three ODIs and three T20 cials and commentators have been safely Chandimal held the reins for four years but suf- 16th Test cricketer to take 10 wickets or more on matches. transported from India and are en route fered from a decline in form and confidence. debut but only the second this century after Aus- Former Sri Lanka ODI captain Thisara Perera to the Maldives,” CA said in a statement. Veteran paceman Suranga Lakmal also led the tralia’s Jason Krejza, who took 12 wickets against pre-empted this move by announcing his retire- “The Australians will remain in the country in five Tests before Dimuth Karunaratne India at Nagpur in 2008. He also set a Sri Lankan ment from international cricket on Monday (3). Maldives until the conclusion of the travel was thrust into the role of captain replacing Chan- record for a Test debutant, surpassing Akila Dan- SLC said in a statement that Perera “feels the time pause pertaining to flights from India to dimal. He lead Sri Lanka to an epoch Test series anjaya’s haul of 8-44 against the same opposition is right for him to step aside and pave the way for Australia.” over South Africa in 2019, thanks to a monumental in Dhaka in 2018. Jayawickrama’s 11-178, also the younger and more talented players” to take his They are likely to be chartered back to knock from Kusal Janith Perera. tenth best figures by a player on debut in the his- place. Australia once the ban has been lifted, Former chairman of selectors, Ashantha de Mel, tory of Test cricket, helped seal a 209-run victory “I take pride in the fact that I was able to repre- again with the help of the BCCI. also kept faith in Karunaratne, handing him the over Bangladesh. If ninth-placed Bangladesh had sent Sri Lanka in seven cricket world cups and be a But Chennai Super Kings batting coach captaincy for the last World Cup held in England forced a draw or won this match, Sri Lanka would contributing member of the 2014 T20 World Cup Mike Hussey was not among the travel- amid much criticism. After a series of below par have fallen from seventh to eighth in the ICC Test win against India in Bangladesh,” said 32-year-old ling party, forced to remain in isolation performances, including four successive Test de- rankings. Perera who failed to live up to his potential. after testing positive to the virus. feats at the hands of South Africa and England, Chief selector Wickremasinghe is now being Last year, Perera led Jaffna Stallions to win the CA said he was “experiencing mild before salvaging a Test series draw in Caribbean hailed as a Messiah after his gamble to have faith inaugural Lanka Premier League and in March symptoms” and would remain in the care where they won only one T20 match, there has in youngsters is paying dividends. First it was mid- this year he became the first Sri Lankan to hit six of the Super Kings until it was safe for been a cry for change and infusion of new blood dle order batsman Pathum Nissanka making a cen- sixes in an over in any form of professional cricket him to return to Australia. in the team. tury on debut against West Indies. against Bloomfield in a SLC Limited-Over Club New Zealand are due to play a Test De Mel’s head was sacrificed at the altar during After turning to spin for the second Test against Tournament. series with England next month before the home series against England but another for- Bangladesh, the selectors’ decision to include un- His departure signals the end of an era as Sri contesting the World Test Championship mer fast bowler Pramodaya Wickremasinghe was capped Jayawickrema for the injured LasithEm- Lanka looks to young guns to take over the baton against India. confirmed as chairman of a new six-member selec- buldeniya to pair with his Moors SC teammate off from veterans Mathews, Chandimal and Thisara to Their IPL-based Test stars - Kane Wil- tion panel just before the Bangladesh tour. The un- spinner Ramesh Mendis was vindicated. Embold- regain their past glory. liamson, Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell certain situation was also a result of the legitimacy ened by the success of young guns like Embuldeni- -ENCL Santner, as well as physio Tommy Simsek - can only depart India for Britain on May 11, the earliest an exemption could be ob- tained. Fellow Test regular Trent Boult has Hosting IPL not a mistake, insists India cricket chief opted to return home to see family be- fore reconnecting with the squad in early NEW DELHI - India’s cricket chief SouravGan- to hold the IPL in India, Ganguly said: “When we Delhi Capitals tested positive this week. Press re- June, potentially in time for the second guly has defended the attempt to hold the Indian decided, the number was not even close to this. We ports said Bangalore’s Varun Chakravarthy may Test. The first Test is due to start in Lon- Premier League (IPL) during the country’s corona- did the England tour successfully.” have been infected while undergoing tests in a hos- don on June 2. virus emergency, insisting it was not a mistake. Some fans were allowed into the Ahmedabad pital. Ganguly said it was “very difficult to say” how The rest of New Zealand’s IPL contin- The IPL was only called off because the number stadium for the final two games of England’s four- the coronavirus entered the team bubble. gent will leave Delhi for Auckland on Fri- of cases “has just gone through the roof”, the Board Test series in March. He added that “professional hands” had been day (7) on one of two charter flights. of Control for Cricket in India president told the The BCCI considered holding the IPL in the managing the bio-bubble, but no sport could be “We’ve worked closely with the BCCI Indian Express in an interview released Thursday United Arab Emirates, as it did last year, but stuck pandemic-proof. and the IPL franchises on the various (6). with India because the cases were “nothing”, Gan- Ganguly highlighted how there had been cases in departure strategies and we’re very ap- The BCCI suspended the world’s richest cricket guly said. the English Premier League football when Britain preciative of their support during what tournament on Tuesday (4) after several players “It has just gone through the roof in the last was suffering a major surge late last year. is, clearly, a very challenging time,” said became infected. India is reporting nearly 4,000 three weeks. We discussed about the UAE but then “Manchester City, Arsenal players got infected. NZC chief executive David White. deaths and more than 400,000 new cases a day. decided to do it in India,” he was quoted as saying. Matches got rescheduled. Because their season is The IPL started in early April. The deci- Nearly all the foreign stars have since left and In- More than 10 players and back-up staff have six months long they can do it,” he said. sion to go ahead in the face of a deepen- dia’s caseload has gone from 13 million to 21 mil- tested positive since the eight teams started gath- “But our season is tight. Since we have to (re- ing health crisis prompted criticism from lion since the tournament started on April 9, with ering for the tournament in bio-bubbles. lease) players to their respective countries, re- some observers, while others defended it record numbers of cases and deaths now being re- It was called off after four players from Royal scheduling was difficult.” as a welcome distraction. ported each day. Asked whether it was a mistake Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and -AFP -AFP

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