WHO IS SCARED OF THE PC POLLS? APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 WHERE IS KINDNESS IN VOL: 4- ISSUE 242 INDIA SUFFERS VACCINE OUR COVID-19 . 30 SHORTAGES AS VIRUS SURGES HEALTH POLICY? HOT TOPICS PAGE 05 COMMENTARY PAGE 08 VIRUS FOCUS PAGE 10

Registered in the Department of Posts of Sri Lanka under No: QD/130/News/2021 Sunlight could explain glaring differences in COVID-19 death numbers DUBLIN - Data from hard-hit countries such as Britain, Italy and the United States suggest sunnier areas "are associated with fewer deaths from COVID-19," according to scientists at the University of Edinburgh. Published in the British Journal of Dermatology, the study said "higher ambient UVA [ultraviolet A radiation] exposure" is "associated with lower COVID-19 specific mortality." The team compared deaths linked to COVID-19 in the US from January to April 2020 with UV levels for almost 2,500 US counties, before replicating the methodology for Britain and It- aly. The three countries have reported some of the world's high- est pandemic-related death numbers, both per capita and abso- lute, though fatalities dropped significantly during the summer months. Most countries in Asia and Africa have reported rela- tively low deaths per capita throughout the pandemic. Paper co-author Chris Dibben said, "The relationship be- tween COVID-19 mortality, season and latitude has been quite striking; here we offer an alternative explanation for this phe- nomenon." The researchers said they controlled for the possible impact of Vitamin D, which has been widely cited as a COVID-19 inhibitor and is called "the sunshine vitamin" due to the human body producing more of it when skin is exposed to sunlight. "Sun exposure may reduce death from COVID-19 indepen- dently of vitamin D," the team said. Other recent findings have lent weight to the theory that time spent outdoors diminishes the likelihood of Covid illness. Irish health officials said on Monday only 0.1% of all the country's coronavirus cases could be linked to outdoor activity, much of which is nonetheless banned under the current third pandemic lockdown. -dpa Myanmar actor arrested as junta hunts 120 celebrities - Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images YANGON - A leading Myanmar actor, singer and model who has backed the country's anti-coup protests was arrested on A farmer walks past apple trees that are covered have hit Italy this week following above-average are lighting bonfires overnight to warm them, at Thursday (8), his sister said, as the junta hunts more than 100 with a layer of ice, after being artificially watered temperatures just a few days earlier. Authorities some cost. Climate events including flooding and celebrities for supporting the movement. to protect them from the frost, at an orchard in La said the frost had cut agricultural production in rapid shifts between sunshine and bad weather The country has been rocked by daily protests since the Palazzetta, Italy on Thursday (8). The ice coating some areas by almost half, affecting apricots, have hit national agricultural production and military seized power on February 1, and the authorities have is supposed to protect the delicate blossoms peaches, strawberries, kiwis and some vegetables. caused structural damage, causing losses of launched a bloody crackdown on dissent, with hundreds killed from cold temperatures and spring freezes that While some farmers are freezing their crops, others some 14 billion euros over a decade and more than 2,500 arrested. Paing Takhon, 24 - a star in both Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand - has been active in the protest movement both in per- son at rallies and through his massive social media following. "Some 50 soldiers with eight military trucks," came to arrest him from his mother's home in the North Dagon area of Yangon Israel says will not cooperate with ICC early Thursday, his sister Thi Thi Lwin posted on Facebook. "As he's seriously ill, they arrested him calmly without vio- lence. We do not know where he's taken," she added. According to recent posts on his social media - where he had more than a million followers on Facebook and Instagram - Pa- war crimes probe ing Takhon has been in poor health. However, his social media pages have been taken down, though it is not clear whether he JERUSALEM - Israel on Thursday (8) have asked for a deferral. A day before the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said did this himself. The Myanmar authorities have published a list said it had formally decided not to coop- deadline, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin her investigation will cover the situation of some 120 celebrities wanted for arrest, including singers Lin erate with an International Criminal Court Netanyahu's office issued a statement say- in the blockaded Gaza Strip along with the Lin and Chit Thu Wai, actors Phway Phway, Eaindra Kyaw Zin (ICC) war crimes investigation into the ing the government had agreed "to not co- Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jeru- and Pyay Ti Oo and model May Myat Noe. The celebrities are situation in the occupied Palestinian ter- operate with the (ICC)". salem since 2014. facing accusations of spreading dissent against the military, an ritories. The statement said Israel would send a It will mainly focus on the 2014 Gaza offence that carries a three year jail term if convicted. The ICC's chief prosecutor announced on letter to the court "completely rejecting the War but also look at the deaths of Palestin- -AFP March 3 that she had opened a full inves- claim that Israel commits war crimes". ian demonstrators from 2018 onwards. tigation into the situation in the Israeli-oc- The letter will also "reiterate Israel's un- Netanyahu, a vocal critic of the ICC, has cupied territories, infuriating Israel, which equivocal position that The Hague tribunal said the decision to open the probe was the is not a member of The Hague-based court. has no authority to open an investigation "essence of anti-Semitism" and declared Biden takes initial steps to The ICC sent a deferral notice on March against it". The Palestinians, who have Israel was "under attack". 9, which gave Israel and the Palestinian been a state party to the ICC since 2015, However, Thursday's statement marked address gun violence Authority a month to tell judges whether have welcomed the investigation and said the first time Netanyahu had made it clear they are investigating crimes similar to they will not seek any deferral. Israel would not directly engage with the WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, calling gun violence those being probed by the ICC. The world's only permanent war crimes ICC. The United States has also criticized in the United States “an international embarrassment”, took Had Israel informed the court that it was tribunal, the ICC was set up in 2002 to try the ICC investigation and voiced support a set of initial steps on Thursday (8) to address the problem, in fact carrying out its own probe into al- the humanity's worst crimes where local for its ally Israel. starting with a crackdown on the proliferation of so-called ghost leged war crimes perpetrators, it could courts are unwilling or unable to step in. -AFP guns, or firearms assembled from kits. Acknowledging that more aggressive actions like banning as- sault weapons, closing background check loopholes and strip- ping gun manufacturers of their immunity from liability law- Trending News suits would have to wait for action from Congress, he said it was nonetheless vital to do what he could on his own to confront UK: Britain condemns “bullying” by the tons of salmon have fallen victim to killer Quote for Today what he called an epidemic of shootings that are killing roughly Myanmar junta after the country’s am- alga in the latest mass mortality event 100 Americans a day. bassador to London was ousted in an ex- recorded in the world’s second largest We are going to have peace even if we have “We’ve got a long way to go — it seems like we always have a traordinary diplomatic coup. producer of salmon. to fight for it. long way to go,” Biden said during an appearance in the Rose Jordan: The kingdom is set to mark Australia: Canberra joins a growing -Dwight D. Eisenhower Garden, after a spate of mass shootings, in Georgia, Colorado, 100 years of survival, as the worst pal- number of countries halting the use of Word for Today Texas and South Carolina left 24 people dead and put the ad- ace crisis in decades and the coronavirus the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for ministration under intense pressure from the left to take action. pandemic threaten to overshadow any younger people over fears it can cause se- Cupidity [kyoo-pid-i-tee] -noun- eager or While the moves the president announced fall far short of the celebrations. rious blood clots. excessive desire, especially to possess some- broad legislative changes long sought by proponents of making it harder to buy guns, especially semi-automatic weapons often Iran: Tehran releases a South Korean- Turkey/EU: Turkey and the EU blame thing; greed used in mass shootings, they addressed narrower issues also flagged tanker it seized amid a dispute each other for seating arrangements that of intense concern to many Democrats and supporters of gun over billions in frozen oil funds, and the left European Commission chief Ursula Today in History regulations. The most substantive of the steps was directing the vessel’s captain. von der Leyen without a chair during a 2003 - Baghdad falls to US forces, ending Justice Department to curb the spread of ghost guns. Kits for USA: One person was dead and several meeting with President Recep Tayyip Er- the Invasion of Iraq, but results in wide- these guns can be bought without background checks and allow in critical condition following a shooting dogan. spread looting a gun to be assembled from pieces with no serial numbers. at a business in Texas, just hours after Biden said he wanted the department to issue a regulation Ukraine: The US says it is increasingly President Joe Biden called gun violence concerned over Russian militarization Today is... within a month to require that the components in the kits have an “epidemic” and unveiled plans to serial numbers that would allow them to be traced and that the along the country’s border, as president Name Yourself Day tackle the crisis. Volodymyr Zelensky travels to the east- weapons be legally classified as firearms, with the buyers sub- A day dedicated to the ultimate form of self- jected to background checks. Chile: The country’s fisheries and aq- ern frontline -NYT uaculture service says more than 4,200 expression 2 APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS BUSINESS Govt. seeks Middle East funds to beef up BOP IMF warns more COLOMBO – Sri Lanka is in a mission Meanwhile, Governor Lakshman said opment Bank shortly. “There is a much flows, but for contingencies there had to funding needed to to the Middle East to secure funding to for upcoming bond repayments more delayed loan facility also coming from be some loans and swaps. buffer the island’s external payments, non-debt inflows are expected but there China Development Bank and there are Analysts however say FDI does not be- safeguard global Central Bank Governor W. D. Lakshman were also contingency plans including positive signals for this to be realized long to the government and in order to said, as the island’s balance of payments the US$ 1.5 billion equivalent Renminbi soon,” Lakshman said. get hold of any dollar proceeds flowing to (BOP) was pressured by money printing. swap. Central Bank officials also met Bang- parties other than the State, either they economy “The present visit is to the Middle A billion dollar Sovereign Bond is set ladesh Central Bank Governor as part have to be taxed or the government has WASHINGTON - Warning that the Eastern region and I think there would to mature in July, while a US$ 693 mil- of a delegation that accompanied Prime to sell Treasury bills to take the savings recovery from the pandemic crisis is be more positivity within the next few lion Development Bond held mostly by Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to the neig- from the banking system, pre-empting not yet over, the IMF on Thursday (8) weeks,” Governor of Central Bank Lak- domestic investors is set to mature in bouring country. private credit. called on policymakers to continue to shman told reporters in Colombo on May. “In visits like this they would not pro- But Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has spend money to shore up the global Thursday (8). In March Sri Lanka’s forex reserves vide concrete numbers but we are cur- been injecting large volumes of liquid- economy and ensure no one is left be- Sri Lanka has fixed oil fuel prices in a dropped to US$ 4.1 billion from US$ rently proceeding with the required dis- ity to push credit and has also been fi- hind. Without that aid, and additional long standing practice that hits the bal- 4.58 billion a month earlier amid liquid- cussions which will be followed up by a nancing the budget deficit with printed financing from both the fund and ance of payments with taxes being cut ity injections. visit to conclude the agreement,” he said. money ripping the balance of pay- the World Bank, developing nations to widen non-oil consumption as global Sri Lanka is expecting to finalize a U$ He said an increase in foreign direct ments apart. and the poor in many countries could prices rise. 700 million loan from the China Devel- investment would increase non-debt -economynext.com struggle to rebound from the downturn caused by COVID-19, the International Sri Lanka Monetary Fund (IMF) said at the con- US targets Myanmar gem company, seeking to clusion of its spring meeting. Continued support is needed to Forex reserves drop to US$ 4.1bn deprive funding "mitigate and heal economic scars," the capital Naypyidaw, with the ousted ruling National IMF managing director Kristalina in March 2021 MYANMAR - The United States on Thurs- League of Democracy warning businesses not to par- Georgieva told reporters. "We want to COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s fo- “Gross official reserves were day (8) slapped sanctions on Myanmar's ticipate. The State-run New Light of Myanmar reported make sure everybody has a fair shot to rex reserves dropped to US$ 4.1 estimated at US% 4.1 billion state gem company, vowing to deprive the Thursday that the emporium on its sixth day alone sold a better life." That means accelerating billion in March 2021 from US$ (excluding the swap facility military junta of a key money-maker as it close to $2.5 million worth of jade. Myanmar sold 825 access to vaccines and taking advan- 4,583 million in February, the with the PBOC), with an im- violently suppresses democracy protests. million euros ($980 million) in gems and jade through tage of the opportunity presented by Central Bank said, as liquidity port cover of 3 months, at end The Treasury Department said it would emporiums in 2017-2018, according to the Extractive the crisis to invest in green technology, injections continued. March 2021.” The statement block all assets and ban any transactions Industries Transparency Initiative, which promotes which can create good paying jobs and Sri Lanka’s external sector came as the Central Bank as with the Myanmar Gems Enterprise, which openness on natural resource exports. But 60 to 80% of address climate change. “remains resilient despite some agent to the Finance Ministry manages the mining and marketing of the gemstones from Myanmar are not declared, the initia- US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen near term challenges,” the Cen- failed to sell 48% of a Rs 45 bil- country's jade and other gemstones. tive said in a 2016 study. Myanmar suspended gem em- joined the call, urging "significant" new tral Bank said in its April mon- lion Treasuries auction. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said poriums last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The spending to ensure a solid rebound etary policy statement where During the week more liquid- the United States was determined alongside United States has already imposed targeted sanctions on from the damage inflicted by the COV- the policy corridor was kept un- ity has been injected through allies to restore democracy and promote ac- leaders of the military who seized power on February 1, ID-19 pandemic. While the economic changed at 5.5% to inject new outright bill purchases. countability in the country formerly known arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and launching outlook has "improved significantly," money overnight and 4.5% to “Meanwhile, the Central as Burma. "By imposing targeted sanctions a crackdown in which more than 500 people have died. especially due to substantial govern- withdraw excess liquidity. Bank and the government con- on this entity, we are sending a clear signal The latest action stops short of returning to a total US ment support, "the job is not yet done, The rupee has also fallen be- tinue to engage with invest- to the military that the United States will ban on the sale of Myanmar's prized jade and rubies as given high uncertainty and the risk of low 200 to the US dollar. ment and lending partners to keep increasing pressure on the regime's was in place when the military was last in power. permanent scarring," Yellen said. “Although the Sri Lankan secure foreign financing and re- revenue streams until it ceases its violence," -AFP "I urge major economies to not just rupee experienced some vola- main committed to honouring Blinken said in a statement. He said the avoid removing support too early, but tility recently, the continuation foreign currency debt service United States would turn up the heat until to strive to provide significant amounts of the existing restrictions on obligations on time,” the state- the junta "releases all those unjustly de- of new fiscal support to secure a robust non-essential imports and cer- ment said. Sri Lanka has said it tained, lifts martial law and the nationwide Pakistani dates recovery," she said. tain foreign exchange outflows, has already paid US$ 1.2 billion state of emergency, removes telecommuni- The IMF now projects global growth among others, is expected to of US$ 5.8 billion of maturing cations restrictions and restores Burma to introduced to Sri Lanka of 6% this year after the 3.3% contrac- help cushion pressures in the dollar denominated loans this the path of democracy." tion last year, and credited the $16 tril- domestic foreign exchange year. The announcement comes in the midst lion in global public spending during market,” the Central Bank said. -economynext.com of a gem emporium called by the junta in the pandemic with keeping the worst peacetime recession in a century from being three times as severe. Yellen highlighted the $1.9 trillion US aid package President Joe Biden signed last month, as well as his pro- posal announced last week to spend $2 COLOMBO – Pakistani dates were introduced to the trillion on infrastructure and jobs. local market on Thursday (8), with a promotional event Yellen said that with stimulus al- hosted by the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo. ready boosting the recovery from the A number of leading importers of dates, as well as gov- pandemic shutdowns, the US economy ernment officials from Department of Commerce and "could reach full employment as soon Export Development Board in Sri Lanka attended the as next year," but many developing event, which saw a variety of delicacies made with Pa- countries do not have similar resources kistani dates being served. The event was organized by to support their economies. the High Commission of Pakistan, in collaboration with Georgieva warned about a "danger- Ministry of Commerce and Trade Development Author- ous divergence" in low-income coun- ity of Pakistan (TDAP). tries' prospects compared to rich na- High Commissioner Maj. Gen (Retd.) Muhammad tions, which could worsen if advanced Saad Khattak, highlighted the Government of Pakistan’s economies like the United States raise policy of introducing non-traditional products such as interest rates sooner than expected. dates through a diversified marketing approach, and She also praised the IMF members urged Sri Lankan importers and business spersons to who agreed to allow the fund to issue choose Pakistan as their primary destination for sourc- $650 billion in new Special Drawing ing high-quality dates at competitive prices. Asmma Rights, an additional pool of IMF cur- Kamal, Trade & Investment Attaché, who delivered rency that will add to nations' reserves a detailed presentation on Pakistan’s dates and its ex- and boost their ability to access financ- port potential, noted that Pakistan is ranked at 6th in ing. The IMF is expected to present dates production with an annual production of around a proposal to its board in June, and 540,000 and ranked 8th for dates exports, in the world. Georgieva said the fund is working with She also highlighted the ongoing efforts for promotion rich nations to shift some of their share of Pakistani dates by TDAP and the High Commission in of those reserves to help aid develop- Colombo, which had resulted in a sharp uptick in export ing nations, which "face a crucial policy volume to Sri Lanka in 2020. transition from crisis to recovery." -ENCL The officials again stressed that end- ing the health crisis remains central to the economic recovery, and the closing Infotainment statement from the IMFC, the fund's steering committee, lamented the "un- even access to vaccines." Avurudu comfort for chic kids The committee emphasized "the Tropic of Linen (TOL), Sri need for strong international coopera- Lanka’s much loved luxury tion to accelerate vaccine production linen brand, has released its and support affordable and equitable adorable Avurudu kids’ col- distribution to all." Yellen pledged US lection, with cute ‘redde & support for vaccine rollouts, including hatte’ sets for little girls, and efforts to "make sure financing does smart sarong-shirt combos not become an obstacle for global vac- for little boys. Designed cination... and to work toward ensuring with style and comfort for robust, equitable, and transparent vac- children aged 1-8 years, this cination deployment." year’s line features vibrant The crisis offers policymakers a vehi- and whimsical themes for cle to capitalize on the need for invest- every child’s unique person- ments to accelerate green projects that ality. can provide good-paying jobs. The kids Avurudu outfits "Government efforts to support the have been created keep- recovery need to take advantage of the ing ease-of-wear and use in opportunity to accelerate the transition mind. The chic cuts of the towards a low-carbon economy and girls’ ‘hatte’ tops that feature limit the long-term threat from climate peek-a-boo heart shapes or change," said Angel Gurria, head of the crisscross backs, are com- Organization for Economic Coopera- plemented beautifully with pretty and playful ‘redde’ tion and Development. Georgieva said skirts in floral, nautical or tropical prints. These tops those investments could create jobs in have also been thoughtfully designed for life beyond the growing industries to replace those lost season, and can be worn as cute crop-tops when paired in sectors that are shrinking. with shorts, skirts, trousers, or pinafores. This versatil- "Climate risks are growing, and they ity as well as adjustable waistbands are what make this are substantial for macroeconomic and collection one of the most comfortable options available. financial stability, climate action can For the mini gentlemen, Tropic of Linen has brought generate green growth and green jobs," back their classic boys’ shirts and tunics, featuring an as- she said. The IMF and World Bank sortment of collar types and long or short sleeve options have also announced plans to intensify to choose from – perfect for pairing with the many fun the focus on green investment and cli- and dapper sarongs on offer. mate-friendly aspects of their lending Stay safe as you head out this festive season with TOL’s programs. elegant triple layer linen masks for kids and adults. -AFP WEEKEND EXPRESS APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 3 GLOCAL

Express Newspapers (Cey) Pvt. Ltd., By Imesh Ranasinghe 185, Grandpass Road, Colombo 14, Sri Lanka Telephone: 0117 322 705 (Editorial) 0117 322 731 (Advertising) 0117 322 789 (Circulation) Pandemonium in Email – [email protected]/[email protected] Epaper - http://epaper.newsexpress.lk Parliament over Facebook –News Express Sri Lanka Ranjan’s seat COLOMBO – Pandemonium reigned in Par- liament for a second day running on Thursday Reigning Mrs World released on bail over (8), as a heated exchange between Opposition MP, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, and for- mer speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, escalated to name-calling, while fellow lawmakers traded incident at Sri Lanka pageant colourful diatribes amidst a din caused by an impromptu musical rendition. COLOMBO - Reigning Mrs World Car- day (6) at a news conference, after pag- Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena sus- oline Jurie was released on bail after be- eant organizers confirmed she was not a pended proceedings for five minutes as the ing arrested earlier on Thursday (8) on divorcee and apologized to her. chaotic back-and-forth reached fever pitch, charges of using ‘criminal force’ during The official Mrs World Instagram ac- with government and opposition MPs heck- a fracas at the Mrs Sri Lanka pageant count acknowledged De Silva’s victory ling each other over Samagi Jana Balawegaya over the weekend. in a brief post with her photo on Tues- (SJB) MP Ranjan Ramanayake’s freshly and The winner of the Mrs Sri Lanka pag- day. controversially vacated seat. eant, Pushpika De Silva, filed a com- The ugly scenes unfolded at the Tensions rose as the Speaker told Parlia- plaint against Jurie, after she forcibly packed Nelum Pokuna performing arts ment Thursday morning that the Secretary removed De Silva’s crown saying she theatre and in front of a live social me- General of Parliament had acted in accordance was a divorcee and not qualified to win dia audience on Sunday (4) evening. with the Constitution when he informed the the title. The fracas broke out after chief guest National Election Commission on Wednesday Jurie was arrested when she came Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the wife of the (7) that Ramanayake’s seat had been rendered to a police station to record her state- Prime Minister, had left the venue. vacant owing to his extended absence. ment, Deputy Inspector General Ajith Jurie and Manamendra were accused Ramanayake is currently serving a four-year Rohana, said, adding that she was later of disrupting the high profile event and prison sentence over charges of contempt of released on bail. causing disrepute to Sri Lanka with court. The actor-turned-politician is accused of Jurie’s accomplice on stage, Chula what many saw as unbecoming behav- making disparaging remarks about the judici- Manamendra, named a co-accused, iour. ary at a press conference in 2017. was also arrested and released on police The winner of the Mrs Sri Lanka Last week the Court of Appeal dismissed bail. Rohana said she has been asked to contest goes on to compete in the Mrs -LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI / AFP a petition filed by the Gampaha district MP appear in court on April 19, adding that World contest. Jurie, who won that seeking a writ order preventing the annulment both Jurie and Manamendra, a self- competition in 2020 in Las Vegas, told Former Mrs. Sri Lanka 2019 and current Miss World Caroline Jurie (2L) leaves of his parliamentary seat. The court held there styled ‘super model’ had used criminal media she will speak later. Cinnamon Gardens Police Station, Colombo, after being released on bail on was no legal basis in the petition. force on de Silva while yanking her De Silva meanwhile told reporters Thursday (8) following her arrest on charges of assault over an on-stage Speaker Abeywardena, SJB parliamentar- crown and causing injuries to her scalp. outside the Cinnamon Gardens police fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the new ‘Mrs Sri Lanka’ ians have repeatedly alleged, had declined “We have released them subject to station in Colombo Thursday that she multiple requests from the party to allow Ra- personal surety bail,” Rohana said. was ready to drop charges if Jurie made manayake to attend Parliament. Jurie forced the crown out of de Silva a public apology, but she had refused. rooms where several mirrors had and sincerely regret" the behaviour Responding to the Speaker’s statement on after a stunning announcement that "I tried to end this out of court, but been smashed. Jurie has also been of Jurie. Social media calls have been Thursday, Opposition and SJB leader Sajith she was not qualified to hold the title of she has refused," de Silva said. "I can accused by organizers of bringing mounting to strip Jurie of her ‘Mrs Premadasa said Ramanayake will be challeng- Mrs. Sri Lanka 2020 because “she was forgive, but not forget." disrepute to the event. World’ title, with one meme calling ing the Court of Appeal’s decision in the Su- divorced”. De Silva had said she was Organizers said they were claiming The local franchise holder for the for her to be rebranded as ‘Mrs Un- preme Court and urged the Speaker to recog- living separately but not divorced. The compensation from Jurie for damages pageant, Chandimal Jayasinghe, der World’. nise his colleague’s right to contest the Appeal crown was returned to De Silva on Tues- to the stage and backstage dressing said they were "deeply disturbed -Agencies/economynext.com Court’s decision. “Ranjan has every right to appeal the deci- sion and until the appeal process commences Govt. in talks to acquire seven million doses of US envoy warns and an ultimate final verdict is provided by the Supreme Court, [he should retain his seat],” he said. “It is the decent thing to do, and it is the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Sri Lanka should be vigilant right thing to do, to ensure that he remains a COLOMBO – Sri Lanka plans to purchase Health Organization (WHO) approved for Member of Parliament. Why are you all in a seven million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech emergency use, the other being the Oxford- against ‘nefarious actors’ at hurry to send this letter (to the Election Com- vaccine next year, and discussions are under AstaZeneca vaccine that is currently being misson)? When we proposed a leave of ab- way with multiple manufacturers to acquire used in Sri Lanka. The country uses the Cov- China-backed Colombo Port City sence, you were very quick to point out that the more vaccines, the Minister of Health told ishield branded version of the AstraZeneca motion would be denied since a court case was Parliament on Thursday (8).. vaccine manufactured by the Serum Instate COLOMBO – Sri Lanka has to The Colombo Port City how- ongoing,” he said. Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said of- of India. be vigilant against unintended ever would not be exempt from The Speaker maintained that the opposi- ficials were engaged in discussions with Pfiz- Minister Wanniarachchi said 924,687 consequences of ‘nefarious ac- Sri Lanka’s anti-money laun- tion’s argument was baseless as the Parlia- er Inc through the US Embassy in Sri Lanka people have been vaccinated from January tors’ who may try to misuse a dering and counter-terrorism ment’s secretary general’s letter to the Elec- with a view to signing purchase agreements. 29 to April 6 and another 356,730 doses are China-backed Colombo Port financing law which was enacted tion Commission was in line with the Court of ” If the deal goes through, the vaccines will in storage to be administered as the second City easy business rules as a under Western backed UN ini- Appeal decision and was not a violation of the arrive next year,” she said. dose from April 23 to June 06. permissive money laundering tiative. Constitution. He recommended the SJB take “We are also talking to Moderna and “We need 568,000 more doses of Cov- haven and tax leaks, US Ambas- Teplitz also warned against another course of action instead. Johnson & Johnson through the embassy ishield and we hope to receive another sador Alaina Teplitz warned on the Colombo Port City becom- “Without arguing and wasting time here, and, if the companies agree, we will sign consignment of 500,000 from Serum after Thursday (8). ing a source of tax leaks, as the you should perhaps and get an injunction agreements with them as well,” she added. we restart the rollout on April 23,” she ex- Sri Lanka has unveiled draft agency running the Port City order against the Election Commission,” he The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine plained. legislation for a Colombo Port would have extensive powers to told Premadasa, who retorted, “It’s okay for a is one of the two pioneering jabs the World -economynext.com City Commission which allows exempt businesses from taxes of person who has been convicted of murder to for sweeping tax breaks, tax free up to 40 years, though it is not enter Parliament – and I do believe that that salaries and to be an offshore fi- a tax haven in the traditional member has the right to appeal, but that same nancial centre. sense. right is not afforded to Ranjan Ramanayake. India-Sri Lanka agree to work together Teplitz warned the Colombo Sri Lanka’s tax revenues have And you tell me that my argument is baseless,” Port City’s planed ease of doing plunged in 2020, she said raising adding, “If you’re interested in supporting the against terrorist entities business rules may be perceived concerns over debt and the fiscal agenda of the government, of course you can COLOMBO – India and Sri Lanka on A statement from the High Commission as a haven for money launder- path, credit downgrades and the say it is baseless.” Thursday (8) agreed to work jointly against said police chiefs, while appreciating each ing. “Any legislation relating to ability to of the government to Premadasa was referring to government MP terrorist entities including global terror- other’s ongoing action against drug traffick- port city has to be considered provide vital public services to Premalal Jayasekara, who was in death row ist groups and fugitives, wherever they are ers and other organized criminals exploiting very carefully for its economic the people, while managing loss for a murder allegedly committed in 2015 of a present and active, while emphasizing the the narrow sea route between the two coun- impact,” she told reporters in making state enterprises. United National Party (UNP) supporter, and need for sharing of real time intelligence tries, also decided to strengthen the exist- Colombo in an online discus- “I do recognize that the gov- was sworn in as an MP in the 9th Parliament and feedback. ing cooperation mechanisms, and designate sion. ernment of Sri Lanka wants to amid opposition protest. The Court of Appeal The agreement was made during the first ‘nodal points’ for timely and effective han- “It also has to be considered take advantage of the invest- issued an interim order in September last year ever delegation level virtual Police Chiefs’ dling of existing as well as emerging security very, very, carefully for un-in- ment that has already been permitting the MP to attend parliamentary sit- Dialogue between the Police Chiefs of In- challenges. tended consequences. And of made in creating the Port City tings. Responding to Premadasa, the Speaker dia and Sri Lanka, in what the Indian High It said the institution of Police Chief’s course among those un-intend- foundation,” she said, but cau- said Jayasekara had filed a writ petition before Commission in Colombo said was a cordial Dialogue, assisted by the members of other ed consequences could be creat- tioned that the legislation really the Court of Appeal asking for relief, an option and constructive environment that was “a security agencies on both the sides, will fur- ing a haven for money launder- needs to be reflected to address he said is still available to Ramanayake. hallmark of close and friendly relation be- ther enhance the existing cooperation be- ers and other sort of nefarious the challenges and to be care- “Let him go to courts and get himself tween the two countries.” tween the police forces of both the countries actors to take advantage of what ful of what it might be to open cleared,” he said. The Indian delegation was led by Direc- and assist their efforts to ensure security of was perceived as a permissive doors to bad practice and unfair “If you accept his right of appeal, why are tor, Intelligence Bureau, while Sri Lankan their people. business environment for activi- competition for the rest of the you denying his Parliament membership? You delegation was by the Inspector General of -ENCL ties that would actually be ille- country.” are denying him a human right,” charged Pre- Police. gal.” -economynext.com madsa, to which the Speaker asked him not to mislead the country. Premadasa claimed of a conspiracy within the House with the knowledge of the Speaker Temperamental weather forecast heavy rainfall amid and government MPs to get rid of Ramanay- ake, an outspoken MP known for his contro- versial speeches in Parliament. extreme heat Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka recalling his COLOMBO - The sun will con- The phenomenon occurs twice makes it difficult for board to own experience of fighting for his parliamenta- tinue to shine directly above Sri a year: in March-April and Au- continue the same level of water ry seat in 2010 claimed that then Speaker Cha- Lanka till April 14 resulting in gust-September. This means supply. mal Rajapaksa had tried to prevent him from extreme heat, even as the rest of from August 28 to September 7 People who live in higher el- entering Parliament during the eight months the island is forecast to experi- this year the sun will again move evations may experience low- he was in jail, despite filing appeals in three ence heavy rainfall, the depart- directly above Sri Lanka’s alti- pressure supply, the board separate courts. The allegation was hotly denied by Raja- ment of meteorology said. tudes. said. paksa, who counter claimed, “I was the one High temperatures were re- Sri Lankans have been expe- However, the intense heat who permitted you to come to Parliament.” corded in Bolawatta, Wedeniya, riencing extreme caution-level notwithstanding, the met de- A war of words ensued, with a visibly irate Wattarama, Ambagamuwa, Di- heat over the past several days. partment has predicted thunder- Rajapaksa seemingly inviting Fonseka to fisti- gana, Mahawala, Galgamuwa, Meanwhile, the National Wa- storms and gusty winds in the cuffs outside the chamber. Ampara and Oluvil at 12:12 p.m. ter Supply and Drainage Board days ahead. “Nikan boruwata thamuse ge haiya pen- on Thursday (8). (NWSDB) requested the public In an advisory issued on nanna enne. Booruwa thamuse, gahanawa “The sun, on its apparent to preserve water in the coming Thursday, the Department parayata, eliyata enawa pennanna,” he said. march from the southern hemi- days due to prevailing drought recommended precautionary (Loosely translated: “You’re just trying to as- sphere to the northern hemi- conditions across the country. measures to minimize damage sert your dominance. You’re the donkey. I’ll punch you. Why don’t you come out and see.”) sphere, will be directly over the NWSDB officials said the from temporary localized strong Chaos followed, with government and oppo- latitudes of Sri Lanka from April high temperatures as well as in- winds and lightning during sition MPs yelling the house down, forcing the 5 to 14,” the Met Department creased water consumption dur- thundershowers. speaker to suspend sittings for five minutes. said on its blog. ing the Avurudu festive season -economynext.com -economynext.com 4 APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS INTERVIEW

By Leo Darshan People need to know the truth in order to heal

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina B. Teplitz, in a wide ranging and candid inter- view, talks about US –Sri Lanka relations amidst growing anti-West rhetoric, why there won’t be a replacement for the cancelled MCC grant, what the UNHRC resolutions means in terms of Sri Lanka’s commitment to upholding human rights and rule of law and why Sri Lanka needs to acknowledge the truth about the disappeared to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future. – US Embassy US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz

Excerpts of the interview tended a series of US-funded trainings to investigate allegations of human laration of Human Rights (UDHR) navigation and the peaceful resolution that provided women in leadership rights violations. In the meantime, which enshrines the principle of hu- of disputes. Question: Sri Lanka seems to be roles with in-depth knowledge of Sri other human rights concerns have man rights as both inherent and inal- While ‘quad’ by definition means isolating itself from the West! Lankan laws. Sebanesarani then pe- arisen. Ultimately, as a democratic ienable. The principles articulated in ‘four’, it’s a flexible concept that wel- How does this impact the US-Sri titioned her hospital to allocate staff friend of South Asia’s oldest democra- the UDHR and Sri Lanka’s subsequent comes the engagement of like-minded Lanka relations, particularly on a shift basis and succeeded in her cy, the United States looks to Sri Lanka pledges to advance the UN Sustainable countries throughout the Indo-Pacific. from an economic perspective? advocacy. Ireshika Somapala, a moth- to uphold democratic norms of gov- Development Goals, including SDG 16, It is not an alliance or association so er of two from a village near Anurad- ernance and respect for rule of law, as which aims to “promote peaceful and there is nothing for Sri Lanka to join Answer: As we all saw with the global hapura, participated in a six-month well as to protect the rights of minor- inclusive societies and equal access in that sense. pandemic, every country is intercon- sewing and tailoring course that the ity communities. I reject the idea that to justice,” underscore our efforts to nected, and interconnected, particu- United States funded. Somapala put Geneva is about bullying Sri Lanka or ensure and advance human rights in Q: You visited the North re- larly, economically. There is no coun- her newly acquired skills to good use subjecting it to some neo-colonial am- Sri Lanka. cently. How would you describe try that can survive economically if it by sewing masks for the district’s hos- bition. Rather, the recent resolution post war developments in terms is isolated, especially if its key markets pital and her community. She now is a call to close the gap between the Q: Sri Lanka is moving closer of rights, reconciliation, the post are involved. The United States is Sri works at a women-owned business Sri Lankan government’s commitment to China than other countries, war aspirations…? Lanka’s largest export market. Ameri- depending on development at which Sinhalese and Tamil women to international human rights princi- A: The United States supports a can consumers are responsible for ap- work side by side. These are just two ples and its implementation of those projects at the cost of promoting proximately 180,000 Sri Lankan jobs. strong, sovereign, inclusive Sri Lanka stories of how the American people principles in practice. Even when democratic values. In your view, in which all inhabitants benefit from Economies depend on engagement. are helping Sri Lankans improve their the United States stepped away from For the protection of all countries, what are the perils of such a good governance, protection of hu- lives. the UNHRC for several years, we re- move, especially in terms of real man rights, and the rule of law – and the protection of sovereignty and eco- Another example of our commit- mained steadfast in our commitment nomic wellbeing, the United States development? in which no community is marginal- ment to building capacity is our multi- to advancing human rights and to help ized or discriminated against. It con- supports free and open economic op- tude of programming at our American Sri Lanka meet the commitments it set A: It’s not about choosing one coun- portunity that provides a fair oppor- try over another. It’s about the type of cerns me that there remain so many Spaces. We offer opportunities to in- for itself. issues to be addressed from the time tunity for businesses to compete and crease English language skills, expand President Biden has indicated a de- future Sri Lankans envision for them- for countries to obtain best value from selves. Is a future in which democracy of Sri Lanka’s long civil conflict, such STEM interest and abilities, and en- sire to return to membership in the as what happened to disappeared and its contracts. American companies are hance entrepreneurial interests, espe- Council. While the UN Human Rights thrives, prosperity is based on fair and not State-owned enterprises. They ex- transparent economic practices, and missing persons, fulfilment of political cially for rural women. Council is imperfect and needs reform, commitments like the 13th Amend- pect to compete for open tenders and we believe it can be a constructive nations are secure with mutual respect win contracts based on their advanced Q: Following the cancellation for sovereignty one that is desired? ment, and the full return of land to vehicle for addressing global human those who were dispossessed. I rec- technology and business practices. of the Millennium Challenge rights concerns. Moving forward, the United States Unlike some other countries, the US Corporation (MCC) development looks to work with likeminded allies ognize that each of these issues is, in fact, a challenge – one that Sri Lanka explicitly forbids American companies grant, is there any alternative Q: Families of missing persons and partners to revitalize democracy from engaging in corruption; the US must confront and overcome even if grant offer by the US? are banking on the West helping around the world. We will combat new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohib- them find out the fate of their threats aimed at our democracies, in- the process is uncomfortable. Thirty years of fighting against a terrorist its our companies from undertaking A: The proposed MCC development loved ones. Can the West, and cluding corruption. More broadly, we any shady activities. When American grant was offered in response to a organization produced tragedies for the US truly help these families? will continue to support countries in businesses come to Sri Lanka, they request from the Sri Lankan govern- defending their right to make political everyone – and now is the time to dis- bring with them the highest standard ment. Due to a lack of engagement, A: I’ve met with families of the disap- choices free from coercion or undue cover the truth about those years, deal of integrity and transparency. the proposal was withdrawn and the peared across the country – Tamil par- foreign influence. with any wrong-doing, address un- We also welcome Sri Lankan in- funds reallocated elsewhere. There ents of the disappeared in the North, When US companies come here, derlying political issues, and promote vestments in the United States. Ulti- will be no replacement for this devel- Sinhalese children of the disappeared they invest – in the people and the healing. That’s what reconciliation mately, the strongest ties between our opment grant, which sought to address in the South. Whether the victim country. With US projects, you have and accountability are all about. In- countries exist not at the government- needs in transportation and land ad- disappeared due to the action of the Sri Lankans doing the work, you have dependent institutions, such as the Of- to-government level, but among busi- ministration identified by Sri Lankan government or other forces, this is an Sri Lankans who manage the projects. fice on Missing Persons and the Office nesses and people. government ministries and academic issue that touches every community, They are not things where you might for Reparations, can help if allowed to research – a design effort that took every ethnicity, every religion. Every have imported labour that’s competing operate freely. Finalizing land returns Q: Amidst the growing anti-West several years to complete at American family deserves answers about their with the Sri Lankan worker who might is also crucial. The United States has rhetoric, what are your plans taxpayer expense. missing loved ones. Governments be – especially with the pandemic – committed over $80 million dollars moving forward, specifically in have an obligation to their citizens to looking for a job. And when US com- to support demining efforts to make terms of strengthening US ties Q: What kind of position will be help provide those answers and the panies do business abroad, they work land habitable and viable to provide with the Sri Lankan government taken by the US in Geneva about United States will continue to urge the to the highest levels of accountability, livelihoods for people in the North and and other State sectors? Sri Lanka in the future? Sri Lankan government to investigate, creating projects that are financially East, but more needs to be done to ex- A: First and foremost, the United through an independently function- and environmentally sustainable. This pedite returning land to the original A: There does seem to be an effort to ing and sufficiently resourced Office inhabitants. create misunderstanding around US States supports Sri Lanka’s efforts to is what delivers results that benefit all fulfil its international and domestic on Missing Persons and in collabora- Sri Lankans and not just a small, elite And we work with all Sri Lankans engagement with Sri Lanka. It’s un- tion with domestic and international to this end. For example, I recently fortunate and ultimately, it’s Sri Lanka human rights obligations and com- group. We value transparency and mitments. ‘Geneva’, a name that is organizations, reports of enforced dis- fairness. We eschew corrupt deals visited a project near Trincomalee that suffers from the campaign. But appearances. People need to know the funded by the United States in a mixed we are not backing away from the rela- now shorthand for the United Nations and adhere to high standards of envi- Human Rights Council (UNHRC), is truth in order to heal. Sri Lanka needs ronmental protection, innovation, and Sinhalese-Tamil community heavily tionship or our conversations with the this truth to ensure a peaceful and impacted by the civil war. Communi- government. The US-Sri Lankan rela- about ensuring people globally are clean business practices. able to exercise their rights and that prosperous future. ty members have worked together to tionship is more than 70 years old, and Q: According to local and inter- restore a critical, 5.2 km-long irriga- we understand it is a long-term com- governments protect and respect those Q: What role can the US play in national media, the US is keen tion channel. The channel, used by mitment, a long-term friendship, that rights. When there is evidence or con- the reconciliation process and in cern that rights are being violated, this to have Sri Lanka join QUAD. the entire community for year-round we are fostering. ensuring ethnic harmony in Sri farming and flood protection during One way we hope to deepen our part- becomes a subject for discussion at the Is it possible? And what are the UNHRC. Lanka? benefits for Sri Lanka? the monsoon, was severely damaged nership with Sri Lanka is to support and unused for 25 years. Members of its economic development. We work Since 2012, the United States has A: We firmly believe that a country can A: I’m glad you asked. There are lots supported resolutions calling on Sri only achieve its full potential if there’s both communities now cooperate to with the private sector and others to of misconceptions about the Quad, clear and maintain the channel, which create jobs and future growth through Lanka to address allegations of human a meaningful reconciliation process which is just a name for a group of rights violations, and we co-sponsored among its people and with that coun- has strengthened communal bonds small and medium enterprises. Two four countries – Japan, Australia, In- and helped the families increase their newly-launched USAID projects, the the resolution that was just passed on try’s past. I say this with a lot of hu- dia, and the United States – that dis- March 23. The current Government of mility: every day in the United States incomes – a great demonstration of Private Sector Development project cuss cooperation to achieve greater communities and individuals finding and the SriLanka@100 Platform, offer Sri Lanka has continued some ongo- we grapple with the legacy of our past peace, prosperity, and security in the ing reconciliation processes initiated and the hard realities of racism and common cause and working together business mentoring, access to finance, Indo-Pacific. This on-going conver- for everyone’s benefit. and other capacity-building to sustain by the previous government, including discrimination we must still overcome. sation actually started in response to existing businesses, as well as to sup- the work of the Office on Missing Per- Americans are engaged in an ongoing the devastation wrought by the De- port the entry of new companies into sons and Office for Reparations, and dialogue about how to achieve equity -Leo Darshan cember 2004 tsunami – a tragedy is an Assistant the market, especially. Those owned has announced some new measures and justice for all our citizens; we’re that underscored the need for greater by women and other marginalized in that direction, including a review of also investigating what went wrong in News Editor collaboration among Indo-Pacific na- at Virakesari populations. the PTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) the past, holding people accountable tions. The Quad evolved into a diplo- Our support for Sri Lanka’s progress and a Commission of Inquiry to review if necessary, and implementing new newspapers matic dialogue and is now a platform published by includes efforts to make communities the reports of previous domestic com- practices and laws to make our future to advance our shared commitment to stronger. For instance, Samantha Se- missions of inquiry. Previous govern- better. We also believe in countries’ ENCL. His pas- a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific. sion is defence, banesarani, an Urban Councillor ments also made commitments that responsibility to honour their inter- We’re cooperating to ensure the Indo- from Vavuniya, was concerned about had yet to be fulfilled, such as estab- national human rights commitments. diplomacy and Pacific is accessible and dynamic, gov- foreign affairs long lines and reduced pharmacy lishment of a truth and reconciliation Both Sri Lanka and the United States erned by principles such as freedom of hours at her local hospital. She at- commission or a judicial mechanism are signatories to the Universal Dec- WEEKEND EXPRESS APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 5 HOT TOPICS

By Marlowe Hood By Stephen Castle Biodiversity ‘hot spots’ As old tensions resurface devastated in Northern Ireland sees warming world spasm of violence PARIS - Unless nations dramatically im- LONDON — A bus hijacked, pelted with prove on carbon cutting pledges made stones, then set on fire. Masked youths under the 2015 Paris climate treaty, the rioting, hurling missiles and homemade planet's richest concentrations of animal bombs. A press photographer attacked on and plant life will be irreversibly ravaged the streets. by global warming, scientists warned Fri- For almost a week, scenes of violence fa- day (9). miliar from Northern Ireland’s brutal past An analysis of 8,000 published risk as- have returned in a stark warning of the fra- sessments for species showed a high dan- gility of a peace process, crafted more than ger for extinction in nearly 300 biodiver- - BHUSHAN KOYANDE / AFP two decades ago, that is under growing po- sity "hot spots", on land and in the sea, if A woman stands next to a sign reading ‘vaccine out of stock’ at a COVID-19 coronavirus litical and sectarian strain. temperatures rise three degrees Celsius vaccination centre amidst rising virus cases, in Mumbai on Thursday (8) Amid a contested fallout from Brexit, above preindustrial levels, they reported in politicians have pointed to different causes the journal Biological Conservation. for an explosion of anger from parts of the Earth's surface has heated up 1C so far, By Ammu Kannampilly Protestant, so-called Unionist or Loyalist, and the Paris Agreement enjoins nations to community that is determined to keep its cap warming at "well below" 2C, and 1.5C link to the rest of the United Kingdom. if possible. But analysts agree that six consecutive National commitments to slash green- India suffers vaccine nights of violence, during which 55 police house gas emissions - assuming they are officers have been injured and 10 arrests honoured - would still see temperatures made, mark a worrisome trend. soar well above 3C by century's end, if not “I think it’s very serious, it’s easy to see shortages as virus surges how things can escalate and hard to see sooner. how things can calm down,” said Katy Hay- So-called endemic species - plants and MUMBAI - Vaccination centres in Mumbai, the state health minister No new supplies are expected for a parts of India turned people away warned on Wednesday (7) that sup- week. ward, a professor of political sociology at animals found exclusively in a specific area Queen’s University, Belfast. - will be hit hardest in a warming world. on Thursday (8) and large parts plies would run out in three days However, federal health minister of the country reportedly ran low unless replenished. Harsh Vardhan said late Wednes- In the febrile aftermath of Brexit, she From snow leopards in the Himalayas on doses, just as infections rose at "We are having to tell people day that many states were trying to added, Unionists “feel betrayed by the and the vaquita porpoise in the Gulf of Cal- their fastest rate since the pandem- that since vaccine supplies have "distract attention from their fail- British government and feel that Northern ifornia to lemurs in Madagascar and forest ic began. not arrived, they should go home," ures and spread panic among the Ireland’s place in the union is very much elephants in central Africa, many of the A second wave has hit India with Rajesh Tope told reporters. people". under pressure as a result, so that sense of planet's most cherished creatures will wind a vengeance in recent weeks, with Major vaccination centres in Allegations of shortages in Ma- insecurity definitely raises the stakes.” up on a path to extinction unless human- a record 126,000 new infections Mumbai were running out of doses harashtra were "utterly baseless", Jonathan Caine, a Conservative Party ity stops loading the atmosphere with CO2 in the past 24 hours, more than 10 Thursday, with the huge Lokmanya he said. "Vaccine supplies are be- member of the House of Lords and former and methane, the study found. times rates seen in February. About Tilak Municipal General Hospital ing monitored on a real-time basis, adviser to six Northern Ireland secretaries, Endemic land species in biodiverse hot 1.8 million fresh cases have been stopping inoculations altogether. and state governments are being said the violence reflected dangerous ten- spots are nearly three times as likely to suf- reported since March 1. At a government-run vaccination apprised regularly about it." sions. fer losses due to climate change than more The government is desperate to centre in the Mumbai neighbour- Ajay Ghai, a senior health offi- “By historic standards it is not out of widespread flora and fauna, and 10 times avoid a new lockdown but several hood of Dharavi, India's largest cial in Uttar Pradesh, said "vaccine control, but it could be and the reason is more likely than invasive species. regions have tightened curbs, with slum, long queues formed. supplies are happening on a rolling not just the reaction to Brexit,” he said. "Climate change threatens areas over- the current epicentre Maharashtra Afrin Sultana Khan, in charge of basis and so is the replenishment. “There are deep-seated anxieties within the flowing with species that cannot be found set to enter a weekend shutdown. the facility, warned it would only be There is no shortage at all." Unionist community and a perception that anywhere else in the world," said lead au- Tamil Nadu on Thursday was the able to vaccinate another 440 peo- The head of India's Serum In- they have been left behind, that everything thor Stella Manes, a researcher at the Fed- latest state to announce restric- ple - its daily average - before shut- stitute, the world's largest vaccine is geared not to them but to the Republi- eral University of Rio de Janeiro. tions. ting shop. maker by volume, said on Tuesday cans,” he added, referring to parts of the "The risk for such species to be lost for- Prime Minister Narendra Modi "Obviously we are very worried," (6) that production capacity was Roman Catholic population who favour a ever increases more than 10-fold if we miss tweeted after receiving his second the doctor told AFP. "very stressed". united Ireland. the goals of the Paris Agreement." shot on Thursday that vaccines are Retiree Rajesh Kumar, 68, await- Poorer countries, as well as some With rioting by some as young as 13, the More and more scientists concede that "among the few ways we have to ing his second dose at one of Mum- rich nations, have relied heavily on violence has shocked politicians, prompt- capping global warming at 1.5C target is defeat the virus". He urged others bai's top private hospitals, told AFP Serum for supplies of the Astra- ing condemnation from Prime Minister probably out of reach. to follow his lead by getting vacci- his appointment was cancelled at Zeneca vaccine but last month New Boris Johnson of Britain and Northern But every tenth of a degree matters when nated. the last minute. Delhi put the brakes on exports to Ireland’s power-sharing executive, which it comes to avoiding impacts, they say. But the world's biggest vaccina- "Any sensible government would prioritize domestic needs. Thursday (8) called for calm to be restored. Some concentrations of wildlife are more tion program is reportedly expe- have rushed vaccines to Maharash- "Perhaps shortages and possibil- On Thursday, bus drivers parked outside vulnerable than others. riencing problems having admin- tra by now," he said. ity of future shortages are being City Hall to protest an incident in which In mountain regions, 84% of endemic istered 87 million shots so far in a A city official in IT hub Bangalore amplified for political reasons, but one of their colleagues had his vehicle hi- animals and plants face extinction in a 3C population of 1.3 billion people. told AFP is set to run out of vac- it is undeniable that we don't have jacked and burned. world, while on islands -- already devas- According to the Times of India, cines this weekend with a shipment as many doses as we would ide- Though tensions have risen in recent tated by invasive species -- the figure rises 10 states that are collectively home of one million doses five days late. ally want to," public health expert weeks, it was an incident dating back many to 100 percent. to more than 700 million people Sources in Andhra Pradesh state Oommen C. Kurian at the Observer months that was the catalyst for the most "By nature, these species cannot easily have stocks for only three or four told AFP has doses for only three Research Foundation told AFP. recent violence, which saw rioters burning move to more favourable environments," more days including Uttar Pradesh, more days. Two districts have al- "It is not an India problem; it is a tires and garbage in the streets. explained co-author Mark Costello, a ma- Bihar and West Bengal. In Maha- ready run out and vaccination world problem." In June 2020, despite COVID-19 rules rine ecologist from the University of Auk- rashtra, which includes megacity centres were turning people away. - Agence France-Presse banning large gatherings, police allowed land. a funeral to go ahead following the death Marine species in the Mediterranean of Bobby Storey, who was considered the head of intelligence of the Irish Republican are especially threatened because they are By Nicholas Bogel Burroughs trapped in an enclosed sea, he added. Army, an armed group dedicated to a unit- Overall, more than 90% of land-based ed Ireland that waged a violent campaign endemic species, and 95 percent of marine Expert says against British forces during the troubles. Among around 2,000 people who at- ones, will be adversely affected if Earth tended his funeral were senior members of warms another two degrees, the interna- Floyd ‘died from a low level of oxygen’ Sinn Fein, a party that mainly represents tional team of researchers found. Roman Catholic voters. The party was once In the tropics, two out of three species MINNEAPOLIS - A veteran lung for more than nine minutes and agreed that fentanyl could have seen as the political wing of the IRA but could perish due to climate change alone. doctor testified Thursday (8) that cutting off his air supply. Tobin hindered Floyd’s breathing if he now plays a prominent part of the demo- The findings may impel conservationists George Floyd’s death was caused was adamant that Chauvin’s ac- had taken the drug in the minutes cratic power-sharing system in Belfast. to rethink how to best protect endangered in part by Derek Chauvin’s knees tions had caused Floyd’s death on before police officers pushed him A decision last week not to prosecute wildlife. pressing against his neck and back, May 25. He pinpointed the exact to the ground, but the doctor said mourners for breaking COVID regulations Up to now, the main threats have been making it impossible for him to moment, in the graphic bystander Floyd had never gone into a coma, infuriated Unionists, sparking protests and habitat loss due to expanding urban areas, breathe, and that Floyd showed video of the arrest, in which he said something he said would happen prompting Northern Ireland’s first minis- mining and agriculture, on the one hand, signs of a brain injury about four Floyd had died, noting that his eyes before a person dies of a fentanyl ter, Arlene Foster, to demand the resigna- and hunting for food and body parts to sell minutes before Chauvin lifted his had opened wide and then closed overdose. Nelson also sought to tion of the police chief, Simon Byrne, over on the black market, on the other. knee from his neck. Dr. Martin J. again. At that point, Chauvin’s portray the medical care that Floyd his handling of the funeral. A key strategy in the face of this onslaught Tobin, a pulmonologist and critical knee remained on his neck. received from paramedics as lack- But tensions had also been building since has been carving out protected areas, espe- care doctor in Chicago, said in court “You can see his eyes — he’s con- ing, saying they had not inserted a Britain completed the final stages of Brexit cially around biodiversity hot spots. that the combination of Chauvin’s scious — and then you see that he tube down Floyd’s throat until nine on Jan. 1. That ended a system under which But these safe havens may be of little use pressure, the handcuffs pulling isn’t,” Tobin said. “That’s the mo- minutes after they arrived. companies in Northern Ireland shared the in the face of global warming. Floyd’s hands behind his back and ment the life goes out of his body.” In his testimony, Tobin said he same trade rules as those of Ireland, which "Unfortunately, our study shows that Floyd’s body being pressed against The doctor also rejected the de- had determined that Chauvin had remains part of the European Union. those biodiversity rich-spots will not be the street had caused him to die fence’s arguments about drugs, pressed his left knee on Floyd’s During the interminable Brexit nego- able to act as species refugia from climate “from a low level of oxygen.” saying that videos show Floyd neck for more than 90% of the time tiations, much energy was devoted to pre- change," said co-author Mariana Vale, also The testimony from Tobin on the breathing at a normal rate before that Floyd was on the ground, and venting the need for checks on goods at from Federal University. ninth day of the trial of Chauvin, the he went unconscious, meaning any that he had kept his right knee on Northern Ireland’s highly sensitive land Even before the impact of global warm- former Minneapolis police officer fentanyl in his system was “not Floyd’s back for the majority of the border with Ireland. ing has truly kicked in, scientists have as- who has been charged in Floyd’s having an effect” on his breathing. time as well. That pressure, com- Under an agreement in a protocol struck certained that Earth is at the outset of a death, signalled a shift into a new “A healthy person subjected to bined with having his hands cuffed by Johnson, Northern Ireland was given a phase in which medical testimony what Mr. Floyd was subjected to behind his back and pushed into special economic status that leaves it strad- so-called mass extinction event in which will be crucial. Chauvin’s lawyer would have died,” Tobin said. the street facedown, had cut off ox- species are disappearing at 100 to 1,000 dling the United Kingdom and the Euro- has suggested that Floyd died from Eric J. Nelson, the lawyer for ygen and caused his heart to stop, pean Union trade systems. the normal, or "background", rate. the fentanyl and methampheta- Chauvin, pushed back on Tobin’s Tobin said. There have been five previous mass ex- However, it also imposes some new mine that were found in his system, testimony during his questioning “He was being squashed between checks, particularly on goods flowing from tinctions in the last 500 million years. but prosecutors argue that Chauvin and suggested that Floyd could the two sides,” he said. -Agence France-Presse mainland Britain to Northern Ireland — had killed him by kneeling on him have died of an overdose. Tobin -New York Times something that is anathema to Unionists who want equal treatment with the rest of the United Kingdom. Despite the deal he signed, Johnson promised that there Twitter spotlights Asia democracy movements with new emoji would be no new “border in the Irish Sea” and, glossing over the looming difficulties, SYDNEY - Twitter on Thursday (8) first formed online," the tech giant's hashtag since it first appeared as a of the hashtag has again increased his government did little to prepare opin- launched an emoji to mark one year public policy account tweeted in a meme in April 2020, when it was since the February coup in Myan- ion in Northern Ireland for the changes. since the first use of the ‘Milk Tea thread on Thursday. used in response to online attacks mar. Yet on Jan. 1, when the post-Brexit trade Alliance’ meme which has grown The hashtag - originating in the by Chinese nationalists against a "During times of civil unrests or rules came into force, businesses faced new into a symbol of pro-democracy shared passion in Thailand, Hong Thai celebrity who appeared to have violent crackdowns, it is more im- paperwork and some British companies movements in Asia. Kong and Taiwan for milky tea - slighted Beijing by calling Taiwan a portant than ever for the public to stopped moving goods to Northern Ireland, "To celebrate the first anniver- emerged as a symbol of support for country. have access to the #OpenInternet causing some shortages on supermarket sary of the #MilkTeaAlliance, we democratic movements and concern Taiwan is a self-governing demo- for real-time updates, credible in- shelves. Amid rising tensions, checks on designed an emoji featuring 3 dif- over China's power in the region. cratic island off the south-east coast formation, and essential services," goods were halted temporarily after threats ferent types of milk tea colours Twitter said that more than 11 of mainland China, which claims it the social media giant tweeted. were made against customs staff. from regions where the Alliance million tweets have featured the as a breakaway province. The use -dpa -New York Times 6 APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS REALITY CHECK

By Salman Masood By Damien Cave Imran Khan links Amid harassment rape to how scandals, Australia women dress plots a ‘road map ISLAMABAD — An outcry has erupted in Pakistan after Prime Minister Imran for respect’ Khan blamed a rise in rape cases on how SYDNEY — After two months of sexual women dressed, remarks that activists harassment and assault scandals, includ- denounced as perpetuating a culture of ing a claim of a rape inside Parliament victim blaming. House, Australia’s conservative govern- Khan made the comments on a live tel- ment agreed Thursday (8) to accept a evision show earlier this week when he series of recommendations that aim to was asked what the government was do- prevent gender-based abuse and increase ing to curb an increase in sexual violence accountability for misbehaviour in the against women and children. Khan ac- workplace. knowledged the seriousness of the prob- Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveiled lem and pointed to the country’s strict what he called a “road map for respect” in laws against rape. response to the recommendations from “What is the concept of purdah?” he the country’s Sex Discrimination Com- said, using a term that refers to the prac- -Ivor Prickett/The New York Times missioner that would improve workplace tice of seclusion, veiling or concealing A man takes shelter in a soccer stadium in the north-western city of Idlib, Syria, on March 23, 2021. Millions culture in the public and private sectors. dress for women in some South Asian of people displaced during Syria’s 10-year war are impoverished, insecure and crowded into an area of the His plan includes more education in communities. “It is to stop temptation. country’s northwest controlled by a rebel group once linked to al-Qaida schools and the promise of new legislation Not every man has willpower. If you By Ben Hubbard to end exemptions for judges and mem- keep on increasing vulgarity, it will have bers of Parliament from the country’s sex consequences.” discrimination law. It would also allow The uproar was swift. In a Syrian rebel bastion victims to file complaints for up to two The Human Rights Commission of years after an attack. Pakistan, an independent group, de- Morrison’s announcement comprises manded Khan apologize for his remarks, his most comprehensive effort so far to which it called “unacceptable behaviour Millions trapped in murky, tackle a problem that has been festering on the part of a public leader.” for years in Australian politics, with wom- “Not only does this betray a baffling en mistreated, demeaned or sexually har- ignorance of where, why, and how rape assed, usually without recourse. occurs, but it also lays the blame on rape A federal review focusing on Parlia- survivors,” the group said. violent limbo ment’s workplace culture has also just be- Seeking to tamp down the anger, IDLIB — Among the millions of fields under olive trees by the side group’s front-line positions, a gun and may produce additional calls for Khan’s office issued a statement Wednes- Syrians who fled as the govern- of the road.” military spokesman who went by reform as the demand for demonstrable day (7) saying that the prime minister’s ment bombed their towns, de- Throughout the war, the rebel- the nom de guerre Abu Khalid al- change has continued to intensify. remarks had been misrepresented. stroyed their homes and killed held northwest became the des- Shami took reporters down a dirt Critics questioned whether the govern- “The prime minister spoke about the their loved ones are 150 families tination of last resort for Syrians staircase hidden in a bunker to a ment’s latest move would be enough. Not- societal responses and the need to put squatting in a soccer stadium in with nowhere else to go. The gov- long, underground tunnel leading ing that the initial report was published our efforts together to eliminate the the north-western city of Idlib, ernment bussed them here after to a network of trenches and fir- in March 2020, with much of its findings menace of rape completely,” the office sheltering in rickety tents under conquering their towns. They ing positions manned by fighters. overlooked by Morrison’s government un- said in the statement. “Unfortunately, the stands or in the rocky court- drove in with trucks piled high “The regime is that way, this til now, many women demanded more de- part of his comment, consciously or un- yard. with blankets, mattresses and way are the Russians, and the Ira- tails and a clear timeline. consciously, has been distorted to mean Work is scarce and terror grips children. Some arrived on foot, nian militias are over there,” he “It’s going to take more than just words something that he never intended.” them whenever jets buzz over- with few possession besides the said, pointing across green fields from this government to correct the im- Khan’s government has faced im- head: New airstrikes could come clothes they wore. to where the group’s foes were pression that they don’t care about these mense pressure to speed up justice for at any time. But the fear of gov- Last year, an offensive by the dug in. issues,” said Louise Chappell, a politi- rape survivors after a series of assaults ernment retribution keeps them Syrian government, backed by Since last year, a cease-fire cal science professor at the University of sparked demands for the death penalty from returning home. More than Russia and Iran, pushed nearly a between Russia and Turkey has New South Wales. “This is not going to go to be applied to such cases. In Decem- 1,300 similar camps dot Syria’s million more people into the area. stopped outright combat in Idlib, away.” Emma Husar, a former member ber, the government passed a measure last bastions under rebel control, Humanitarian organizations but on one day last month there of Parliament with the opposition Labor that said men convicted of rape could be eating up farmland, stretching working to hold back hunger and were three attacks. A shell hit Party, said the government was still deliv- sentenced to chemical castration. along irrigation canals and filling infectious diseases, including a refugee camp; an airstrike ig- ering only “the bare minimum.” There are few reliable statistics on lots next to apartment buildings COVID-19, have struggled to get nited a fuel depot on the Turk- Polls have shown that Australian wom- rape in Pakistan, but rights activists say where refugee families squat in enough aid into the area. And that ish border; and three artillery en in particular have lost trust in the gov- it is a severely underreported crime, in damaged units with no windows. effort could become more difficult shells struck a village hospital in ernment since a former Liberal staff mem- part because victims are often treated “People will stay in these places if Russia, Assad’s closest interna- Al Atarib, killing seven patients, ber said in February that she was raped in as criminals or blamed for the assaults. with all the catastrophes before tional ally, blocks a U.N. resolu- including an orphan boy who had a ministerial office in 2019. A flood of ac- Thousands of protesters took to the they go live under the regime” tion up for renewal this summer gone for a vaccination, according cusations against members of Parliament streets last year after a top police official of President Bashar Assad, said to keep one border crossing with to the Syrian American Medical and employees at every level followed, in the eastern city of Lahore said that Okba al-Rahoum, manager of the the northwest open for interna- Society, which supports the facil- along with marches for justice that drew a woman who was raped on a deserted camp in the soccer stadium. tional aid. ity. tens of thousands of women to the streets highway was partly to blame for the at- On a rare visit to Idlib province, Further complicating the in- While the area’s displaced of Australian cities. Morrison appeared tack. examples abounded of shocked ternational quandary over aiding struggle to survive, others try to Thursday to leave some wiggle room for To critics, Khan’s comments this week and impoverished people trapped Idlib is the dominant role of the provide simple pleasures. himself and his Liberal Party. He said his reinforced misogynistic attitudes that in a murky and often-violent lim- militant rebel group Hayat Tahrir In Idlib, the Disneyland res- government accepted all 55 suggestions made the problem worse for women. bo. al-Sham, or HTS. taurant entices visitors to dine laid out in the report “in whole, in part or “Victim blaming and policing women’s Stuck between a wall to pre- The group evolved from the on salads and grilled meat, and in principle,” leading his critics to ques- clothing choices both perpetuate rape vent them from fleeing across the Nusra Front, a jihadi organization to forget their woes with video tion which measures would be put in place culture,” said Laaleen Sukhera, a La- nearby border with Turkey and a that declared its allegiance to al- games, bumper cars, air hockey at the federal level, passed on to states or hore-based author and public relations hostile government that could at- Qaida early in the war and distin- and stuffed-animal claw ma- given little more than lip service. consultant. tack at any moment, they struggle guished itself by its copious use of chines. Many of the recommendations, includ- “Everyone and everything seems to be to secure basic needs in a territory suicide bombers against govern- The basement storeroom dou- ing the creation of a national sexual har- blamed except the actual perpetrators,” controlled by a militant group for- ment and civilian targets. bles as a shelter when the gov- assment research agenda and “respectful she said. merly linked to al-Qaida. Turkey, the United States and ernment shells nearby, and the relationship” training in schools, could Even Khan’s first wife, Jemima Gold- In the decade since Syria’s war the United Nations consider HTS terrace is enclosed with plastic take years to develop. And some of the smith, a wealthy British heiress, weighed began, Assad’s forces crushed a terrorist organization, even sheeting instead of glass so that it changes announced Thursday would sim- in on Twitter. “The problem is not how communities that revolted against though its leaders publicly dis- doesn’t shatter on diners if some- ply bring Australia in line with other de- women dress!” she wrote in one post. him, and millions of people fled tanced themselves from al-Qaida thing explodes nearby. veloped democracies — such as Britain, In another, she said that she hoped that to new lives of uncertainty — in in 2016 and have since played The manager, Ahmed Abu Canada and the United States — that have Khan had been misquoted because the neighbouring countries, Europe down their jihadi roots. Those Kheir, lost his job at a tourist res- passed legislation in the past few years man she knew had different opinions. and pockets of Syria outside of efforts were clear around Idlib, taurant that shut down when the tightening workplace standards for law- Before he became prime minister, Assad’s grip, including the rebel- where flags, insignia and graf- war began, he said, so he opened makers. Khan was a cricket star and A-list ce- held northwest. fiti announcing the group’s pres- a smaller place that was later de- Chappell said the exemption for mem- lebrity who cut a glamorous figure and The Syrian leader has made it ence were absent, even though stroyed by government shelling. bers of Parliament, for example — a carve- was known as a ladies’ man. He married clear that these people don’t fit residents often referred to it cau- He opened another restaurant out in the sex-discrimination law also Goldsmith in 1995 and they divorced in into his conception of victory, and tiously as “the group that controls but left it behind when the gov- given to religious organizations — seemed 2004. But he became increasingly con- few are likely to return as long as the area.” ernment seized the area last year especially outdated. She welcomed the servative in the mid-1990s after he en- he remains in power, making the Unlike the Islamic State, the and he fled to Idlib. prime minister’s promise to ensure that tered politics, and has been accused of fate of the displaced one of the terrorist group that fought both Like all of Idlib’s displaced, he lawmakers and the legal profession would being overly sympathetic to the Taliban thorniest pieces of the war’s un- rebels and the government to longed to take his family home, no longer get special treatment. in recent years. finished business. control an expanse of territory but he was glad to work in a place “With all the cases we’ve seen so far, To women’s rights activists, Khan’s “The question is: What is the straddling the Syria-Iraq border, that spread a little joy in the they have been able to act with impunity comments this week were only the lat- future for these people?” said HTS is not pushing for the im- meantime. because they are not accountable in the est example of the challenge they face Mark Cutts, United Nations dep- mediate creation of an Islamic “We are convinced that normal same way that people outside Parliament in finding support for their causes in the uty regional humanitarian co- state and does not field moral- life has to continue,” he said. “We are,” she said. “There’s been pressure to deeply conservative society. ordinator for Syria. “They can’t ity police officers to enforce strict want to live.” change that for many years.” -New York Times continue living forever in muddy social codes. During a tour of the -New York Times But the complaint process is still not clear. When Morrison was asked what the consequences would be for a sexual har- assment complaint against a lawmaker, he said that was not yet decided. Thai cave rescue, the sequel “There are many issues that we’re still going to work through as we draft this leg- Meditating monk saved from flooded cave after four days islation,” he said. Chappell said Morrison still seemed to BANGKOK - Thai rescue workers parts of the cave while he was in- side the cave on Tuesday afternoon. 11:30 a.m. we successfully rescued be struggling with how far to go with pol- have freed a meditating Buddhist side, the local rescue unit said on its They went in looking for him but Phra Manas out of the cave,” the icy and how to talk about the issue. In his monk who was trapped inside a Facebook page. had to call off the operation after unit said. news conference Thursday, he emphasized flooded cave for four days. Seventeen divers participated in about an hour due to rising water One of the rescue workers con- that to change the culture of disrespect in The monk, identified by rescuers the effort to find and free the monk levels. firmed in a phone call that the monk the workplace, all Australians needed to as 46-year-old Phra Ajarn Manas, from the spot, which could be ac- They were concerned he may be was out of the cave and receiving take responsibility, but not “in a way that was on a pilgrimage from another cessed only by divers. “exhausted or unconscious because first aid. sets Australians against each other.” province and had gone into the Phra A video posted by rescuers shows of not having food at all”. Thailand made global headlines “What does he mean here?” Chappell Sai Ngam cave in Phitsanulok on the monk fitted with a diving mask Pictures on the unit’s Facebook in 2018 with the high-profile rescue asked. “That women are being too stri- Saturday (3) to meditate. making a 12-metre swim underwa- page showed the monk on Wednes- of 12 Thai boys and their football dent? Is it possible to address sexual har- An unseasonal rainstorm struck ter. day (7) sitting inside the cave sur- coach from a flooded cave in the assment without some level of confronta- on Sunday (4) and continued The unit said local residents told rounded by rescue workers and northern town of Chiang Rai. tion? I don’t think so.” through to Tuesday (6), flooding them the monk was still trapped in- having his blood pressure taken. “At -Agencies -New York Times WEEKEND EXPRESS APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 7 RETHINKING AMERICA

By Jesse Mckinley By Bret Stephens Tight hugs and Biden should finish suggestive comments the wall The most harrowing story I’ve read in The Cuomo aide says governor New York Times in recent days was Miriam Jordan’s account of a car crash last month in groomed her for months Southern California involving a Ford Expe- before groping dition that had come from Mexico, straight through a breach in the border wall. The Ford ALBANY — A woman who has accused was crammed with 25 people when it hit a Gov. Andrew Cuomo of groping her in the tractor-trailer rig on Route 115, 110 miles east Executive Mansion gave a fuller account of San Diego. in a published report Wednesday (7), de- “Few of the survivors have been able to de- tailing how she believed the governor had scribe what happened next,” Jordan writes. groomed her for months with a series of “The crunch of metal and glass, the bodies flung dozens of feet across the pavement. tight hugs and sexually suggestive com- - Amr Alfiky/The New York Times ments. The Biden administration is trying to calibrate a policy that protects the democratic, technology- Twelve people died on the spot, a 13th at a She said in an interview with the Times rich island without inciting a disastrous armed conflict nearby hospital.” Union of Albany that Cuomo asked inva- Jordan follows the stories of the victims and sive questions about her personal life, re- By Michael Crowley survivors, and there’s a heart-breaking same- calling that at one point last year, the gov- ness to them: people who have been driven by ernor told her, “Oh, if you were single, the fear or want from their homes in Mexico and things that I would do to you.” Central America, and who are willing to take The groping incident followed later in Biden backs Taiwan, but some grave risks and pay exorbitant sums to make 2020, said the woman, an administrative it to the United States. These are not terror- assistant who still works at the Capitol and ists, gang members, lowlifes, benefit seekers who spoke on the condition of anonymity. or — except in their willingness to violate US In late November, she said the governor call for a clearer warning to China immigration laws — lawbreakers. They are summoned her to his second-floor office seekers of the American dream, worthy of our WASHINGTON — If anything Washington supports Taiwan nese use of force against Taiwan,” compassion and respect. at the Executive Mansion. The woman can tip the global power struggle with diplomatic contacts, arms Haass wrote with his colleague told the Times Union that Cuomo closed Yet those 13 people — along with others between China and the United sales, firm language and even oc- David Sacks. who have recently lost their lives in dangerous the door and reached under her blouse. States into an actual military con- casional military manoeuvres, Haass and Sacks added that “He pulled me close, and all I remember crossings — might not have met their grisly flict, many experts and adminis- there are no guarantees. No state- the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, fate if the Biden administration’s concept is seeing his hand, his big hand,” the wom- tration officials say, it is the fate ment, doctrine or security agree- may question the United States' an said in the interview. Moments later, of compassion wasn’t also an inducement to of Taiwan. ment compels the United States to willingness to defend its allianc- recklessness. the governor grasped one of her breasts Beijing has increased its mili- come to Taiwan’s rescue. A 1979 es after four years under Presi- over her bra, leaving her “so confused and And they would not have been killed if a wall tary harassment of what it con- congressional law states only that dent Donald Trump, who railed had been standing in their way. so taken aback.” siders a rogue territory, including “any effort to determine the future against “endless wars” and openly She told the Times Union that she had That’s a conclusion I’ve come to reluctantly, menacing flights by 15 Chinese of Taiwan by other than peaceful questioned US relationships and and not because I’ve abandoned my disgust told the governor, “'You’re going to get warplanes near its shores over means” would be of “grave con- security commitments. While us in trouble,'” because she didn’t know with Donald Trump. Walls are ugly things: recent days. In response, Biden cern to the United States.” more hawkish-sounding, a clearer symbols of defensive, suspicious, often closed- “what else to say.” administration officials are trying The result is known as “strate- pledge would be safer, they ar- “It was pretty much like ‘What are you minded civilizations. Walls are, invariably, to calibrate a policy that protects gic ambiguity”, a careful balance gued. permeable: Whatever else a border wall will doing?’” she said, adding, “He said, ‘I the democratic, technology-rich intended to avoid provoking Bei- “Such a policy would lower the don’t care.’” do, it will not seal off America from unwanted island without inciting an armed jing or emboldening Taiwan into chances of Chinese miscalcula- visitors or undocumented workers — roughly Several current and former employees conflict that would be disastrous a formal declaration of independ- tion, which is the likeliest cata- have lodged sexual harassment allega- half of whom arrive legally and overstay their for all. ence that could lead to a Chinese lyst for war in the Taiwan Strait,” visas. tions against Cuomo in recent months, Under a long-standing — and invasion. Haass and Sacks wrote. and other women have come forward with Walls also cannot address the root cause famously convoluted — policy Biden administration officials, In recent months, the idea has of our immigration crisis, which stems from accounts of uncomfortable interactions derived from the United States' who are formulating their China been gaining traction, including with the governor. a combination of social collapse south of the “one China” stance that supports policies, are giving special at- on Capitol Hill. border and the pull of American life north of The alleged groping in the Executive Taiwan without recognizing it tention to Taiwan and trying to Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., has in- Mansion was the most sexually aggressive it. as independent, the US provides determine whether strategic am- troduced a bill that would author- But a well-built wall should still be a cen- allegation, and it was forwarded to New political and military support for biguity is sufficient to protect the ize the president to take military York Attorney General Letitia James, who tral part of an overall immigration fix. It’s an Taiwan but does not explicitly increasingly vulnerable island action to defend Taiwan against imperfect but functional deterrent against the is overseeing an inquiry into sexual har- promise to defend it from a Chi- from Beijing’s designs. But they a Chinese attack — making US assment claims against the governor. most reckless forms of border crossing. It’s a nese attack. also realize that Americans may intentions ambiguous no more. barrier against sudden future surges of mass In a text exchange with The New York As China’s power and ambi- look unfavourably at new, fara- When Haass testified last month Times on Wednesday, the woman con- migration. tion grow, however, and Beijing way military commitments after before a House Foreign Relations It’s also a political bargaining chip to be firmed the details that she told the Times assesses Washington to be weak- two decades of bloody and costly Committee panel on Asia, he was Union, as well as the fact that she had spo- traded for a path to citizenship in a compre- ened and distracted, a debate is conflict in the Middle East. peppered with questions about hensive immigration-reform bill. And it’s a ken to investigators deputized by James. underway whether the United That is why Davidson raised how to deter the Chinese threat to She is one of several accusers who have prophylactic against the next populist revolt, States should make a more spe- eyebrows last month when he Taiwan. which is sure to overtake our politics if the been interviewed by the attorney general’s cific commitment to the island’s acknowledged under question- Although of limited value in investigators led by Joon Kim, a former Biden administration cannot competently defence, in part to reduce the risk ing, in a departure from standard territorial terms, Taiwan in re- control an elementary function of governance. acting US attorney for the Southern Dis- of a miscalculation by China that government messaging, that the cent years has gained a greater trict of New York, and Anne Clark, a well- That deterrent is needed now. US agents could lead to unwanted war. policy “should be reconsidered,” strategic importance as one of apprehended 170,000 migrants along the regarded employment discrimination The debate reflects a core for- adding, “I would look forward to the world’s leading producers of lawyer. southwest border in March, a 70% jump over eign policy challenge seizing the the conversation.” semiconductors — the high-tech February’s numbers and the highest level in 15 A separate state Assembly investigation Biden administration as it devises “I think there’s been a shift in equivalent of oil in the emerging is also underway, with a broader mandate years. Notwithstanding the administration’s its wider Asia strategy. Be it the peoples’ thinking,” said Richard supercomputing showdown be- claims to the contrary, there is a crisis, led by that also includes looking at Cuomo’s han- White House, the State Depart- Haass, a former director of pol- tween the United States and Chi- dling of the state’s nursing homes, where a massive surge in child migration spurred by ment or the Pentagon, which is icy planning at the State Depart- na, which faces microchip supply President Joe Biden’s promises of a more hu- more than 15,000 people died during the reviewing its military posture in ment under President George W. shortages. pandemic. Both investigations are sched- mane policy than his predecessor’s. Asia, officials are re-evaluating Bush and now the president of Those factors combined have Some of this surge is seasonal. And some uled to take months to complete. core tenets of American strategy the Council on Foreign Relations. led the Biden administration to Many of the state’s Democratic leaders can be dealt with by building more shelters for a new and more dangerous “What you’ve seen over the last offer displays of support for Tai- for unaccompanied minors and families, or have now asked Cuomo to resign, with phase of competition with China. year is an acceleration of concern wan that some experts call sur- some of those calls following the groping speeding up the process of finding relatives or US officials warn that China is in the United States about Tai- prisingly forceful. others who can take in unaccompanied chil- allegation. growing more capable of invading wan.” He described a sense that When China sent dozens of Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, has re- dren. But the administration would be foolish the island democracy of nearly 24 “this delicate situation that ap- warplanes over the Taiwan Strait to suppose the surge will recede on its own. peatedly denied touching anybody inap- million people, situated about 100 peared to have been successfully days after Biden’s inauguration propriately and pleaded with New Yorkers The years of relative economic prosperity in miles off the coast of mainland managed or finessed for decades, in January, the State Department Mexico that, for a time, led to a net outflow of to await the outcome of investigations into China, whose status has obsessed suddenly people woke up to the released a statement declaring his behaviour before passing judgment. Mexican migrants from the US is over, thanks Beijing since Chinese national- possibility that that era has come the United States' “rock solid” to a combination of drug cartels, a pandemic On Wednesday, his personal lawyer, Rita ists retreated and formed a gov- to an end.” commitment to the island. Biden Glavin, reiterated those points, saying and the misgovernance of its inept populist ernment there after the country’s Haass helped prompt a conver- raised the subject of Taiwan dur- president. Guatemala, Honduras, El Salva- “the people of New York know the gov- 1949 communist revolution. sation on the subject last year after ing his phone call in February ernor” and noting his “40 years in public dor and Nicaragua are failing states. A ‘Plan Last month, the military com- publishing an essay in September with Xi, and Secretary of State Colombia’-style package of security assistance service and in the public eye.” mander for the Indo-Pacific re- in Foreign Affairs magazine that Antony Blinken and national se- “The attorney general’s review of this could help. But it will cost billions and prob- gion, Adm. Philip Davidson, de- declared that strategic ambiguity curity adviser Jake Sullivan raised ably take a decade for its effects to be felt. claim and others, including evolving de- scribed what he sees as a risk that had “run its course.” their concerns about the island tails and new public statements by com- In the meantime, the United States risks a China could try to reclaim Taiwan “The time has come for the during their meeting last month version of the European migration crisis of plainants or their surrogates, must be by force within the next six years. United States to introduce a pol- in Anchorage with two top Chi- thorough, fair and provide the truth,” 2015. That’s the one that contributed heavily The United States has long icy of strategic clarity: one that nese officials. to the Brexit vote, turbocharged the rise of far- Glavin said. avoided saying how it would re- makes explicit that the United -New York Times -New York Times right parties like France’s National Front and spond to such an attack. While States would respond to any Chi- the Alternative for Germany, and paved the way to Trump’s election. There’s little ques- By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Carl Zimmer tion that our own migration crisis is a politi- cal boon for immigration restrictionists. The wonder is why a serious Democratic adminis- CDC chief says tration would aid and abet their cause. It’s also putting the interests of comprehen- sive immigration reform further out of reach. More contagious virus variant now dominant in US Congress has not passed a significant immi- WASHINGTON — A highly infec- At that point, new cases, hospi- that 52 of the agency’s 64 jurisdic- sponsibility to get vaccinated when gration bill in over three decades. Biden came tious variant of the coronavirus that talizations and deaths were at an tions — which include states, some we can.” to office with an opportunity to get a biparti- was first identified in Britain has all-time high. From that peak, the major cities and territories — are B.1.1.7, the first variant to come to san accord, but no Republican will sign on to become the most common source numbers declined until late Febru- now reporting cases of these so- widespread attention, is about 60% legislation that widens the doors to legal im- of new infections in the United ary, according to a New York Times called “variants of concern”, in- more contagious and 67% more migrants, much less one that offers some form States, the director of the Centres database. After several weeks at a cluding B.1.1.7. deadly than the original form of the of amnesty to illegal ones, without a serious for Disease Control and Prevention plateau, new cases and hospitaliza- The number of deaths, however, coronavirus, according to the most plan for border security. Nothing accomplish- said Wednesday (7). The worrisome tions are increasing again. The av- continues to decline — potentially a recent estimates. The CDC has also es that more visibly than a wall. development comes as officials and erage number of new cases in the sign that mass vaccinations are be- been tracking the spread of other For Democrats, that’s an opportunity to scientists warn of a possible fourth country has reached nearly 65,000 ginning to protect older Americans variants, such as B.1.351, first found defuse the political bomb Republicans would surge of infections. a day as of Tuesday (6), concentrat- and other highly vulnerable popula- in South Africa, and P.1, which was love to plant right under them. And it’s a jobs- Federal health officials said in ed mostly in metro areas in Michi- tions. first identified in Brazil. creating infrastructure program to boot. January that the B.1.1.7 variant, gan as well as in the New York City “These trends are pointing to two The percentage of cases caused by Will a wall solve all of our immigration which began surging in Britain in region. That is an increase of 19% clear truths,” Walensky said. “One, variants is clearly increasing. Helix, problems? Hardly. It will take years to build, December and has since slammed compared with the figure two weeks the virus still has hold on us, in- a lab testing company, has tracked and some practical, regulatory and legal hur- Europe, could become the domi- ago. fecting people and putting them in the relentless increase of B.1.1.7 dles might be hard to surmount. But for any- nant source of coronavirus infec- Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC harm’s way, and we need to remain since the beginning of the year. As one who hopes for America to remain a proud tions in the United States, leading director, who warned last week that vigilant. And two, we need to con- of April 3, it estimated that the vari- nation of immigrants, it has to be a part of the to a huge increase in cases and she felt a recurring sense of “im- tinue to accelerate our vaccination ant made up 58.9% of all new tests. solution. deaths. pending doom” said Wednesday efforts and to take the individual re- -New York Times -New York Times 8 APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS COMMENTARY

By Kassapa Will the JVP remain the third party that never made it? What ails the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)? The question needs to be asked because, fifty years after the party’s charismatic but dogmatic leader RohanaWijew- eera staged his first attempt at grabbing control of the State on April 5, 1971, the JVP is not any closer to tasting power today. Wijeweera, a medical undergraduate dropout who im- bibed more of Communism than Medicine at Moscow’s Lumumba University returned to Sri Lanka with dreams of replacing the ‘Old Left’ comprising the Lanka Samasa- maja Party (LSSP) and the Communist Party (CP), per- sonified by the likes of N. M. Perera, Colvin R. de Silva, Peter Kueneman and S.A. Wickremesinghe. Wijeweera’s first attempt at an insurrection was am- ateurish. He believed that youth armed with shotguns could wrest control of the country by overrunning doz- ens of Police stations. Predictably, the plan failed, leav- ing some 5000 youth dead and earning Wijeweera a sentence of life in prison. Then Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s kinsman and right-hand man, Felix Dias Bandaranaike, successfully thwarted a ‘coup’ for the sec- ond time. Wijeweera tasted freedom after just a few years in prison thanks to J. R. Jayewardene who operated on the principle that anyone who was Bandaranaike’s enemy was his friend. Wijeweera did run against Jayewardene at the inaugural presidential election in 1982 and fin- ished third. However, when ethnic riots engulfed the - Tharaka Basnayaka/Nur Photo/AFP nation a year later, Jayewardene quickly seized the op- portunity to ban the JVP which went underground, pav- President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa greet Buddhist monks at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya on August ing the way for the second JVP insurgency several years 9, 2020 later. If the 1971 rebellion was amateurish, the 1989 at- tempt was brutal and ruthless. By P. K. Balachandran That failed revolution cost the country an estimated 30,000 lives. Also murdered were United National Party (UNP) politicians, artistes, government officials and members of the armed forces, the latter targeted se- lectively in a singularly unwise move that alienated the Who is scared of the PC polls? masses from the JVP. It was left to Ranasinghe Premadasa and his Man Fri- day, Ranjan Wijeratne, to clean up the mess which they The SLPP mired in a mess of governance by its impetuosity, lack of planning and internal did with equal ferociousness. Wijeweera himself was al- consultation is likely to use nationalistic monks and security issues to derail the polls called for by legedly disposed of summarily without being subjected to the due processes of the law, after he was captured the UNHRC and India while posing as a planter at an estate in the cool climes of Ulapane, nestled between Gampola and Nawalapitiya. COLOMBO - While there is pressure on The monks in their open letter said: ters were to be elected, the establishment Of the Old Guard of the JVP, only SomawansaAmeras- Sri Lanka from India and the UN Human “Although the country had seen success of a Provincial Council system according to inghe survived and that too because he was related by Rights Council (UNHRC) to hold the long- in ending a war that terrorized the country the wishes of the people will become just a marriage to Sirisena Cooray, a Premadasa loyalist. delayed Provincial Council (PC) elections, after the sacrifice of the lives of many pa- pipe dream. The JVP then went underground again, emerging only there are a number of political factors pre- triotic soldiers, we were not able to live in It appears that the hasty decision taken after Chandrika Kumaratunga arrived on the political venting the Gotabaya Rajapaksa govern- peace for a long time. by the government is for the sole purpose scene. Like Kumaratunga, Amerasinghe also returned to ment from holding the polls in the foresee- The people of this country have become of obstructing and making it impossible to Sri Lanka from a self-imposed exile in Britain to revive able future. the target of other acts of terrorism along abolish the current Provincial Council sys- his old political party. To his credit, he directed the JVP Government ministers have said the polls with the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019. tem. It is apparent that the present move of in a new direction, renouncing violence and opting for could be held at the end of 2021. But that The real perpetrators of this dastard terror- the government is to satisfy requirements the ballot over the bullet. seems more and more unlikely with every ist attack that had its roots in the Eastern or conditions of external elements. We do Unfortunately, they were duped by Kumaratunga passing day. Province with the connivance of interna- not want a government that is guided and twice, first when Nihal Galappaththi withdrew from the Firstly, the de-limitation of constituen- tional Muslim terrorism are yet a mystery. dictated by foreign governments and agen- presidential election in return for a promise of abolish- cies for holding elections under the First The threats of bigoted leaders and the un- cies. ” ing the Executive Presidency, one of the many promises Past the Post System remains a highly con- earthing of bombs and weapons recently in In the Sri Lankan contest, the monks’ let- Kumaratunga never kept. tested issue. the Northern Province is an indication that ter will be enough reason not to hold the They were duped again by Kumaratunga who bought The Delimitation Commission’s report terrorist activities from among the Tamil elections now or even later. time to continue governing by offering several ministe- had been defeated in Parliament in 2018 population are not fully eradicated. The government can keep on postponing rial portfolios to JVPers. At the time, Kumaratunga said and it is unlikely another report will have “Hence, it is imperative the country the PC elections citing difficulties in for- she would do a deal “even with the devil”, a thinly veiled safe passage. The ruling Sri Lanka Podu- should bring into being a new constitution mulating a constitution which is capable of reference to the JVP, which was widely believed to have janaPeramuna (SLPP) is itself divided on that firmly establishes the unitary status of getting two thirds majority in Parliament ordered the assassination of her husband Vijaya, its recommendations. Sri Lanka. and 50% plus in the mandatory referen- The JVP’s greatest success was when they secured Of course, Parliament can resolve to use The efforts of the present government dum. Constitution making has never been nearly forty seats in government by cleverly nominating the existing district-wise Proportional Rep- to strengthen the Provincial Council sys- easy in Sri Lanka. one or two members for each district on lists led by the resentation System and hold the polls. But tem that has been forcefully and arbitrarily Postponing the PC elections will be in SLFP at the 2004 general election. Even after gaining such a foothold on the legislature, they could not how- for this, there ought to be a will to hold the shoved on the people of this country, rather the interest of the ruling SLPP, the oppo- ever translate that into lasting success. elections. The fact is, there is no will. than bringing about a new Constitution sition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJP) and If Somawansa Amerasinghe was successful in leading Centralizing and majoritarian forces led that rectifies this situation, have resulted in the United National Party (UNP). The SLPP the JVP to the democratic mainstream and sustaining by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and top much condemnation by the public. has made a mess of governance by its im- them there, he was also spectacularly unsuccessful in es- Buddhist monks, do not want Provincial “Making preparations to hold Provincial petuosity, lack of planning and internal tablishing the party as an alternative ‘third force’. Councils as they see them as being anti- Council elections in haste, similar to the consultation. Its passion for imposing bans The Old Left- the LSSP and the CP- was dead in all thetical to national unity and a singularity passing of the 20th Amendment to the Con- has made life hard for the common man. but name and had become appendages of successive Sri of national purpose. stitution, seems to be a hint that the prom- Jobs lost have not been retrieved, but prices Lanka Freedom party (SLFP) led governments. There The conduct of the erstwhile Northern ise placed before the people of the country have soared. Tourism is languishing. There was growing disaffection with the then two leading Provincial Council under the stewardship to have a new constitution is only a facade. is confusion even in procuring COVID vac- political parties, the SLFP and the UNP. Yet, the JVP, of Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran did “The recent UNHCR resolution passed cines, with the result, people are wondering which promised so much with their rhetoric, disciplined not help build confidence in devolution of in Geneva reveals the shameless attempts if they will get their mandatory second jabs campaigns and corruption free candidates have failed to power. of the Western interests to annul the Pre- at all. If the polls are held now, victory can- deliver at successive elections. The Council was mostly passing resolu- vention of Terrorism Act. In this regard, it not be assured as disillusionment is ram- The mantle of party leadership passed on to Anura tions on human rights violations and the is sad to note that there are sections within pant in the urban areas, at least. It is said Kumara Dissanayake seven years ago after Amerasinghe need for internal self-determination for the the government, the opposition and the that agriculturists have been well-served, retired. Dissanayake is more than a generation younger Tamils. NGO sector, that are hand in glove with but Sri Lankan families are only partly ru- than Amerasinghe and was barely twenty years old when Precious little was done to formulate and various groups who are hell-bent on de- ral and agricultural. Urban pressures tell on Wijeweera was killed, so his recollections of the horrors implement development plans. The Coun- stroying our country. the rural population also. committed by the JVP in 1989 would, at best, be vague. cil and its ministers were compulsively an- “The short-sighted Cabinet decision to As far as the opposition SJB is concerned, Under Dissanayake too, the JVP keeps clinging on to tagonistic to Colombo. hold elections for Provincial Councils be- it is leaderless and rudderless with a weak its ‘also ran’ tag instead of making a real impact on the A police probe into the discovery of uni- fore getting the recommendations of the leader in SajithPremadasa. The UNP has political equation. The reason for that could be the JVP’s forms belonging to the newly-established Committee appointed by this same gov- been reduced to a rump. murky past, its refusal to shift from archaic leftist ideol- environment police unit of the Jaffna Mu- ernment in regard to a new Constitution But Mangala Samraweera is likely to give ogy that makes it out of step with today’s younger gen- nicipal Council, seen as being similar to should be considered as a golden opportu- it a turbo boost if he continues in his cur- eration and a harking back to same policies and slogans the LTTE police uniform, and the arrest nity lost to rectify a wrong that is hindering rent trajectory. UNP leader Ranil Wickrem- of several decades ago. of two Muslim youth, allegedly for spread- the future path of progress of this country. esinghe has deliberately chosen to be on the While the JVP has renounced violence for the past ing Jehadist ideas through lecturers in the “If the Provincial Council elections are side-lines to watch the developments. UNP thirty years and has practiced principled politics, it is Eastern Province, give an indication of held as announced, the government will be insiders say he sees a window of opportu- also perhaps relevant that it is yet to offer its apologies the spokes that are likely to be thrown up legally bound to implement in full the 13th nity for the UNP in the coming days as the to the nation for the atrocities it committed in 1971 and against holding polls. Amendment. SLPP falters and accentuates disillusion- 1989. A significant proportion of the Lankan electorate In an open letter to the President and According to the provisions of the 13th ment in the voting public. remembers these events with great clarity and would think twice before entrusting the country’s reins of pow- the Prime Minister, 14 leading Buddhist Amendment, Provincial Councils are al- Like the SLPP, the SJB and the UNP are er to the JVP. The leadership appears oblivious to this monks recently urged the two leaders not lowed to establish Provincial Police Forces also not keen on PC elections at this junc- reality. to conduct PC elections saying it would be and hold firearms, ammunition and other ture. The party also needs to take a long hard look at the “treacherous” to do so. They asked the gov- equipment. policies it swears by. Slogans of imperialist conspiracies ernment to give the country a new constitu- Going by the past record, it is not difficult and capitalist robber barons don’t evoke the same sense tion as promised in the election manifesto. to predict how Chief Ministers will govern of hatred as they did fifty years ago. The JVP must re- The monks and majoritarian politicians the provinces. Such behaviour was clearly alize that having politicians not tainted with corruption hope that government will use its two thirds evident from the former Chief Minister of itself won’t win them votes or elections. That is the bitter majority in Parliament to foist a centralized the Northern Province C. V. Wigneswaran truth of Sri Lankan politics. And unless the JVP opts for constitution entirely devoid of devolution during his tenure as CM. Injustices were a radical reboot of its policies and acknowledges its er- to the provinces and with no trace of the meted out to the Buddhists and Buddhist rors in the failed insurrections, it is likely to remain the India-foisted 13th Constitutional Amend- religious places purely driven by communal ‘third party’ that never made it. ment. considerations. “If two such Chief Minis- - counterpoint.lk WEEKEND EXPRESS APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 9 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

By Pranshu Verma and Rick Gladstone By Max Fisher Reversing Trump Myanmar’s bloodshed Biden restores aid to reveals a world that has Palestinians changed, and hasn’t WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM — The Biden Myanmar’s rulers this week crossed a threshold few administration announced on Wednesday (7) that governments breach anymore: They have killed, by most it would restore hundreds of millions of dollars in estimates, more than 550 unarmed citizens of their own American aid to Palestinians, its strongest move country. yet to reverse President Donald Trump’s policy Such massacres by government forces have, even in on the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The a time of rising nationalism and authoritarianism, been package, which gives at least $235 million in as- declining worldwide. This is the seventh in the past dec- sistance to Palestinians, will go to humanitarian, ade, compared with 23 in the 1990s, according to data economic, development and security efforts in from Uppsala University in Sweden. the region, and is part of the administration’s at- And the violence in Myanmar was carried out by a sort tempt to rehabilitate US relations with Palestin- of government that has grown rarer still: outright mili- ians, which effectively stopped when Trump was - Saumya Khandelwal/The New York Times tary rule. in office. In a statement on Wednesday, Secretary Rabindranath Bhattacharya, once a member of Trinamool, is now running for the local Myanmar does not signify a return to an earlier era, of State Antony Blinken said the United States assembly as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in Haripal, India, March 23, 2021. experts believe, so much as an echo. Its violence hints would provide $150 million in humanitarian aid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is vying to dethrone a powerful politician in West at the ways in which the world has changed and has not. funnelled through the United Nations Relief and Bengal and even a close race could demonstrate the growing reach of his Hindu nation- Governments are more oppressive but, with a hand- Works Agency, a vast agency created 72 years ago alist movement ful of exceptions like Syria, less likely to kill their own to assist displaced Palestinians. people at scale. Dictatorships are more common but less Another $75 million would be allocated for eco- By Mujib Mashal overt. And world powers have come to shun the govern- nomic development programs in the West Bank ment crackdowns they once encouraged. and Gaza, and $10 million would be for what Myanmar is unusual partly because it is a country out Blinken described as peace-building operations of time, resembling a bygone style of autocracy, but also carried out by the US Agency for International A fierce election tests Modi’s for the ways in which it is unique. Development. “US foreign assistance for the Pal- And those traits, experts say, helped enable the Feb- estinian people serves important US interests and ruary coup led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and the values,” Blinken said. “It provides critical relief to subsequent crackdown on peaceful protesters. They also those in great need, fosters economic develop- campaign to remake India point to a long and difficult road ahead. ment, and supports Israeli-Palestinian under- standing, security coordination and stability.” NANDIGRAM — The chal- science at Ashoka University were themselves, until recently, The Atrocity Formula The restoration of aid amounted to the most lenger arrived with police vehi- who has chronicled the rise of members of her party. After dec- No two crackdowns are alike, each brought about by direct repudiation so far of Trump’s tilt toward cles, a band of drummers and the BJP. ades of heavy-handedness by events and personalities particular to its time and place. Israel in its decades-old conflict with the Pales- the backing of the country’s “They would have shown that the Communists and Banerjee, But scholars have identified a set of factors that make a tinian population in Israeli-controlled territories. powerful prime minister. The the BJP is an all-India party, Modi’s party began actively ex- government likelier to kill large numbers of its own citi- Much of the initial reaction from Israeli officials crowd joined him in full-throat- that our Hindu nationalism is panding in West Bengal only af- zens. And virtually all are present in Myanmar. revolved around Biden’s decision to resume fund- ed chants of glory to the Hindu capable of vernacular adapta- ter he became prime minister in Perhaps the most important warning sign: direct mili- ing to the relief agency, known as UNRWA, which god Ram: “Jai Shree Ram!” He tion,” Sitapati said. “And that is 2014, though its infrastructure tary rule. provides assistance to about 5.7 million people brought a warning: If Hindus a powerful symbol.” is still lacking. One joke in the Military rulers tend to be more aggressive in deploy- of Palestinian descent in those territories and in did not unite around him, even Modi has put his brand front state holds that Trinamool will ing troops to crush dissent. And unlike civilian auto- neighboring countries. In 2018, Trump ended the their most basic religious prac- and centre. He has travelled to win a third term even if the BJP crats, they have little reason to fear the troops turning aid as his administration increasingly reshaped tices would be in danger in the West Bengal about a dozen times prevails. on them, as happened when Romania’s armed forces American policy heavily in favour of Israel. face of Muslim appeasement. for packed rallies even as coro- Banerjee’s success could de- ousted the communist rulers who had ordered them to Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the In another part of town, the navirus cases rise. His face is all pend on convincing voters that open fire on protesters in 1989. United States and United Nations, denounced the incumbent took the stage in a over the place, leading one BJP her party’s bad apples now work But what most primes military rulers for violence, Biden administration’s decision to restore fund- wheelchair, the result of what worker to joke that he seems to for the BJP. The BJP’s depend- said Erica Frantz, a scholar of authoritarianism at Mich- ing to the agency, saying its activities were “anti- she said was a politically moti- be running for chief minister. ence on Trinamool defectors has igan State University, is their inexperience at ruling any Israel and anti-Semitic” in nature. vated assault. Although her in- Modi and his lieutenants also led to a revolt among local other way. The country bears another serious risk fac- “I have expressed my disappointment and ob- juries kept her from stalking the paint Banerjee as someone who Modi supporters who saw their tor: its civil war, raging against various ethnic militias jection to the decision to renew UNRWA’s fund- stage in her white sari and san- has appeased Muslims, who presence as an insult to their since the 1940s. ing without first ensuring that certain reforms, dals as usual, she still regaled make up about one-quarter of years of work in the face of in- Most militaries see themselves as protectors against including stopping the incitement and removing the audience with taunts for the the state’s population, at the ex- timidation by the same people foreign threats, with a strong taboo against committing anti-Semitic content from its educational cur- opposition. And she had a warn- pense of the Hindu majority. If now chosen to represent them. violence at home. But civil war can break that taboo, riculum, are carried out,” Erdan said in a state- ing of her own: Her defeat would she is re-elected, they say, she One defector, an 89-year-old normalizing the idea that deploying domestically is le- ment. A senior Palestinian official welcomed the be a victory for an ideology that will turn West Bengal into an- assembly member named Ra- gitimate and making it easier to see fellow citizens as move but said the Palestinian leadership, based has no place for minorities like other Bangladesh or Pakistan, bindranath Bhattacharya, said enemies. And it accustoms generals to the idea that their in Ramallah, still hoped Biden would reverse Muslims. where Hindu minorities are in- he had switched parties only be- proper place is not guarding the borders but imposing several other measures carried out by the Trump The month-long election un- creasingly persecuted. cause Banerjee did not nominate order at home. Myanmar’s military has considered this administration. “This is a positive, important and folding in the eastern Indian “If you don’t stamp on Lotus,” him to serve a fifth term. its role for decades; even when it allowed elections and constructive step in the direction of rectifying state of West Bengal is deeply Adhikari said at a recent rally, “I changed my party, but I am limited civilian government in the years before the coup, Palestinian-American relations, which the Trump personal. Mamata Banerjee, the referring to marking the logo of not changed,” Bhattacharya said it granted itself permanent seats in the Legislature. administration destroyed,” said Ahmad Majdala- state’s chief minister for the past the BJP on local ballots, “how in an interview at his house. Tri- But few factors predict future government massacres ni, the social development minister of the Pales- decade, is facing off against her will we be able to even celebrate namool flags still hung from the like past ones. And it has been less than four years since tinian Authority. “We believe it can be built upon former protégé of 20 years, Suv- the birth of Lord Ram here?” trees and gate. Myanmar conducted one of the bloodiest of the 21st cen- by dealing with some other outstanding issues.” enduAdhikari. He and dozens of Banerjee’s Trinamool Con- His candidacy moved hun- tury, targeting thousands of members of the country’s Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho and Rep. Michael Mc- other local leaders have defected gress party has tried to frame the dreds of BJP workers and sup- Rohingya minority in what the United Nations and hu- Caul of Texas, both Republicans, criticized the from her party and are now al- BJP as outsiders who do not un- porters to pressure Bhattacha- man rights groups called a genocidal campaign. move in a joint statement, saying that “resuming lied with Narendra Modi, India’s derstand her state’s rich culture rya to step aside. They went on a International outrage, though severe, did little to the assistance to the West Bank and Gaza without prime minister. But the heated and have come to sow division. hunger strike, painted over party leaders’ calculus. And much of the domestic response to concessions from the Palestinian Authority un- vote could indicate something Her campaign slogan: “Bengal signs and ransacked the home of the Rohingya killings was supportive. Social media filled dermines U.S. interests.” They added that they broader: whether anybody can chooses its own daughter.” the local BJP chief. with praise for the campaign and the military officers would scrutinize the package to ensure it did not stop Modi’s movement to re- Much of her campaign is built “We started here when no who led it. breach the Taylor Force Act, which prohibits the shape India’s secular republic on her reputation as a tart- one dared speak as a BJP mem- Once a military kills its own with impunity and even United States from providing direct economic aid into a Hindu-first nation. tongued political street fighter. ber,” said GautamModak, who feels it benefited from the bloodshed, there is very little to the Palestinian Authority until it stops pay- Modi’s campaign is growing Sympathizers with the local has worked for the BJP in the to stop it from doing so again. ments to families of Palestinians who commit beyond its base in northern In- Communist Party once even district since 2003. “He got the violence against Israelis or Americans. Ned Price, dia, bringing him national and beat her head with metal rods. party ticket three days after join- A Different World the State Department’s spokesman, said Wednes- state victories. His Bharatiya She trounced the Communists ing the BJP.” The era of armed forces rule peaked between 1960 day that the funding was “absolutely consistent” Janata Party (BJP) has reduced in elections nevertheless. Adhikari has said he defected and 1990, when dozens of countries around the world with U.S. law. He indicated that any aid going to the main opposition group, the Last month, in the midst of from Banerjee’s camp because came under full or partial military dictatorships, many the West Bank and Gaza would be done through Indian National Congress, to a a jostling crowd, a car door she and her nephew and heir- of them propped up by the United States or the Soviet “development partners” and “not through gov- shadow of its past glory, pushing slammed on Banerjee’s leg. She apparent, Abhishek Banerjee, Union. When the Cold War ended, that number col- ernments or de facto government authorities.” the country toward becoming a declared the incident a political- use other party leaders as “em- lapsed to just a handful and has been steadily declining Khaled Elgindy, the director of the Middle East one-party democracy. ly motivated attack, a contention ployees” without sharing power. ever since, according to data maintained by One Earth Institute’s program on Palestine and Israeli-Pal- West Bengal represents a test her opponents have questioned. Still, in recent rallies he has put Future, a research foundation. estinian affairs, said that the decision to restore of Modi’s Hindu nationalist Still, her party has made her cast greater emphasis on identity Government-sponsored massacres became less fre- funding to the agency was “a very positive de- reach. The state of 90 million a symbol of a leader putting her politics, ending with chants of quent too. But a wave in the 1990s were mostly in coun- velopment” and would set an example for other people remains deeply proud of body on the line for her cause. “Jai Shree Ram!” tries that, like Myanmar, had histories of civil war, weak countries as they decide whether to commit funds its Indigenous culture and tol- Banerjee’s iron grip over state Voting took place Saturday (3) institutions, high poverty rates and politically powerful to it. Despite that, Elgindy said that the move fo- erance of minorities. It is run politics looms over the vote. The in the town of Nandigram, a lush militaries: Sudan, Rwanda, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and cused on reversing a Trump policy in the region by a strong regional leader with BJP is trying to ride anti-incum- agricultural area, and both can- Congo, among others. Although they largely failed to — but did not yet appear to be part of a larger ef- the heft and profile to challenge bent sentiment fueled by her didates were there. stop those killings as they happened, world leaders and fort to advance the most difficult issues, such as Modi directly. party’s corruption scandals and At rallies, crowds energized institutions like the United Nations built systems to en- discussions about a two-state solution. Even if the BJP loses when the way its members have used by their moment of power over courage democracy and avert future atrocities. “Their goal is to undo as much of the Trump results are announced May 2, a extortion and violence to keep sometimes abusive politicians Myanmar, a pariah state that had sealed itself off from legacy as possible,” he said, “and hope that that’s strong showing would help Modi power. braved the heat to listen, cheer the world until reopening in 2011, did not much ben- enough to sort of allow the issue to stabilize and signal that his party could be But Adhikari and many of the and support. Turnout totaled efit from those efforts. The country also missed out on a not deteriorate.” nearly unstoppable, said Vinay BJP’s local candidates for the 88%. global change in how dictatorship works. - New York Times Sitapati, a professor of political state’s 294-seat local assembly -New York Times A growing number of countries have shifted toward systems where a strongman rises democratically but then consolidates power. These countries still hold elections and call themselves democracies but heavily By Patrick Kingsley and Rana F. Sweis restrict freedoms and political rivals. Think Russia, Tur- key or Venezuela. Breaking silence, Jordan’s king says royal family rift is over Only 20 years ago, 70% of protest movements de- manding democracy or systemic change succeeded. But AMMAN — King Abdullah II of official translation of the letter re- communicating with people outside he had been put under house arrest. that number has since plummeted to a historic low of Jordan broke his silence Wednesday leased by the royal palace. The king the royal family. In his statement Wednesday, the 30%, according to a study by Erica Chenoweth of Har- (7) night over the unusually pub- added, “Hamzah today is with his The news shocked Jordanians and king spoke of his personal discom- vard University. lic rift with his half-brother, Prince family, in his palace, under my care.” foreign allies alike. Jordan has his- fort at his disagreement with Prince Much of the change, Chenoweth wrote, came through Hamzah, justifying the steps he had The prince had claimed that he was torically been a pillar of stability in Hamzah. “The challenge over the something called “authoritarian learning.” taken to curb his brother’s contact under house arrest. He has not been the turbulent Middle East, and the past few days was not the most dif- New-style dictators were wary of calling in the mili- with the outside world, while assert- seen in public since the rift became ruling family has rarely aired its dis- ficult or dangerous to the stability of tary, which might turn against them. And mass violence ing that the prince's “sedition has public this past weekend. putes in public. our nation,” he wrote, “but to me, it would shatter their democratic pretensions. So they de- been nipped in the bud.” On Sunday (4), the Jordanian gov- King Abdullah’s letter constitutes was the most painful.” veloped practices to frustrate or fracture citizen move- In an open letter addressed to the ernment accused Prince Hamzah, a the first time that the monarch him- He added, “Sedition came from ments: jailing protest leaders, stirring up nationalism Jordanian people that was read by a former crown prince, of having plot- self has commented on the rift. within and without our one house, and flooding social media with disinformation. newscaster on television, King Ab- ted to undermine the security of the Prince Hamzah had previously and nothing compares to my shock, Some Myanmar experts argue that the country’s civil- dullah wrote that Prince Hamzah country. Several aides and associates distributed two videos about the pain, and anger as a brother and as ian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was pulling the govern- had committed “to put Jordan's in- of the prince were arrested, and the situation, denying any involvement the head of the Hashemite family, ment in this direction before the generals seized power terest, Constitution and laws above prince himself was ordered to refrain in a conspiracy but excoriating the and as a leader of this proud people.” for themselves. all considerations,” according to an from making public comments or Jordanian government and saying -New York Times -New York Times 10 APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS VIRUS FOCUS

By Kate Hodal Amnesty International warns Hidden human rights crises threaten post-COVID global security Neglected human rights crises around the world have the potential to undermine already precarious global security as governments con- tinue to use COVID as a cover to push authoritar- ian agendas, Amnesty International has warned. The organization said ignoring escalating hot- spots for human rights violations and allowing states to perpetrate abuses with impunity could jeopardise efforts to rebuild after the pandemic. “We’ve seen the development of new legal tools to supposedly ‘combat fake news’ but which in fact repress freedom of expression, attacks against human rights defenders – particularly - J. Sujeewakumar/ENCL environmental defenders – the world over, and The Muslim community remained and perhaps remains a recurring target of stigma, a convenient punching bag for further repression of [minority] populations who the frustrations dealt by the pandemic have fallen off the agenda altogether,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s new secretary general. “The voices and experiences of all these peo- By Shashika Bandara ple must be at the heart of our reboot post COV- ID-19. If they are not, then the crises will mul- tiply and the [current] system will perpetuate.” A number of under-reported crises were tak- ing place across the globe that warranted imme- Where is kindness in our COVID-19 diate attention, said Callamard. Amnesty’s global report for 2020–2021, pub- lished on Wednesday (7), found that “fake news” laws in the Gulf, Hungary and Singapore were Health Policy? being used to silence criticism of governments and responses to the pandemic. Towards end of March, about two months the Department of Information. Both politely give you whiplash and leave you dazed with no Singaporean authorities used the Protection into the pandemic, a TV program discussed the requested media to adhere to better reporting explanation whatsoever. A sudden curfew that from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, challenges of the pandemic response with poli- etiquette. That is it. Two letters. disappears as quickly as its issued. A threat is which forces online media platforms to carry ticians. A disturbing theme that was too promi- As fear, populist conspiracies, privilege of the issued to the public who may have had plans be- corrections or remove content the government nent to ignore was the labelling of minorities few and pseudo-science harmed people, there fore. So, you wonder: is there another outbreak? considers to be false – with penalties of up to as scapegoats for COVID-19. As a behind the was no meaningful policy action by the govern- Who is to blame? 10 years’ imprisonment or fines of up to S$1m scenes segment later showed the targeting was ment. Stigma remains a factor. Right now, we are still in the middle of the (£540,000), throughout 2020 against govern- intentional. This was perhaps the opening scene So, you stop and ask the question, where is pandemic. Vaccine inequity caused by the self- ment critics and political opponents. of a series of actions and inactions related to kindness in our health policy? ishness of high-income countries will continue Activists in Western Sahara, which has been stigma that have left a black mark on the COV- Yes, we need scientific evidence, economic to delay vaccine supply and in turn vaccination. locked in a decades-long struggle for independ- ID-19 response of Sri Lanka. calculations and social assessments for policy Pandemic fatigue has set in. Thus, our focus on ence from Morocco, faced a number of interroga- The lie that a select group of people was making but at the heart of health policy is the public health guidance and public health mes- tions and trumped-up charges for their human solely responsible for the spread of a disease is need to help those who are suffering. At the saging that inform the public, counter populist rights work, according to the report. like wildfire burning through communities. It centre of health policy is humanity. We have conspiracies and builds faith is essential. And in “Western Sahara has been living under op- is reckless, damaging and hurts us all. One ex- strayed so far from this primary goal and what this moment, it is perhaps the kindest action we pression for many decades, but [the decision by ample is anti-Asian hate due to clear political is worse is that we know that we can do better. can take from a policy perspective. Donald Trump] to recognise Morocco’s sover- scapegoating in the United States. In Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka’s public health system is considered a In the absence of kindness and care for the eignty has simply escalated the repression,” said we have seen it causing damage to many com- success in the region and among countries with vulnerable as the guiding force for our public Sahrawi activist Mohamed Elbaikam. “Activists munities. First the Muslim community, then similar gross national income levels. Our health health policy – political determinants will run are seeing their salaries cut off or frozen; they’re the members of the Navy, the garment factory system stands out because it is pro-poor, be- rampage and damage the trust built around our being followed and targeted with trumped-up workers, returnees from overseas, the fishermen cause our policies prioritize the vulnerable from public health institutions. We see results of such charges, their family members are threatened, and the list goes on. At most instances each of vaccination coverage to saving lives of moth- damage in countries like Brazil. It is time we their phones and internet connections are these communities, often vulnerable and poor, ers. Without policy leadership that cared about normalize kindness in our policies and in our ac- hacked, and some are being tortured and sent to were at the receiving end of blame and loss of the vulnerable and the dedication of healthcare tions as well. Normalize not pointing fingers and prison without trial.” privacy. The Muslim community remained and workers none of those successes would have not being angry at someone for getting sick. And The human rights situation in the Philippines, perhaps remains a recurring target of stigma, been possible. support our vulnerable communities whether it already tenuous, worsened dramatically in 2020. a convenient punching bag for the frustrations Yet, we are failing now. is prioritizing them at the vaccine line or wheth- In July 2020, the Philippines passed an anti- dealt by the pandemic. Media threw logs into Although healthcare workers remain com- er it is providing enough monetary support for terrorism bill and its broad and vague definition the fire, social media poured fuel and confusion mitted, our policies have failed us at combating those who are struggling. of terrorism has since been used to target rights set in. The government perhaps dealt the worst stigma, countering harmful misinformation on While the larger responsibility of ending stig- campaigners. The island nation is already the blow, by forcing cremations of victims affected COVID-19 related marginalization and public ma lie with the policy makers, responsibility of second deadliest country behind Colombia for by COVID-19, a decision despite overwhelm- health guidance has become less prominent. Af- ending stigma also lies with us as citizens. human rights activists, according to the advoca- ing scientific facts and remained in practice till ter every cluster there is a vicious cycle of stigma -Shashika Bandara is formerly a Policy cy group Front Line Defenders. The vast major- February 2021. A year into the pandemic. Ten that traps communities in between fear and Associate at the Centre for Policy Impact at ity of those killed in 2020 were working on en- months since the mandatory policy was enacted. seeking help. Think about it. How difficult the the Duke Global Health Institute and is cur- vironmental, land and indigenous rights, it said. The attempts at quelling stigma from govern- choice of testing for COVID-19 be if you feared rently a Ph.D. candidate focusing on global Amnesty’s report painted a grim picture of the ment officials were a letter by the then Director you would be making your family or your com- health policy at McGill University. He tweets state of human rights around the world, with General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe munity a target? Our COVID-19 related public at @ShashikaLB. This article was originally Callamard saying COVID-19 had “exposed and in April 2020, and another letter in October by health guidance is at times so sudden that it can featured on groundviews.org amplified everything that is wrong with our so- ciety”. Leaders had weaponized the pandemic by us- ing it to ramp up attacks on human rights; vul- nerable and elderly people died in their thou- By Benjamin Mueller, Monika Pronczuk and Matina Stevis Gridneff sands in care homes; gender-based and domestic violence had increased in every region of the world; and global bodies such as the internation- UK calls for AstraZeneca alternative as EU finds ‘possible link’ to clots al criminal court and UN had failed to meet the human rights challenges omnipresent in 2020, she said. A number of governments around the EU finds ‘possible link’ to clots world also used excessive violence to police the pandemic – including the Philippines, Nigeria Britain said Wednesday (7) it would offer al- European Economic Area (the European Union but sometimes fatal, blood clots reported in and Brazil, where an average of 17 people were ternatives to the AstraZeneca vaccine for adults plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein). They some recipients. killed every day by police in the first half of the younger than 30 as European regulators de- said that about 34 million people had received Those concerns led several European coun- year, Amnesty’s report claims. scribed a “possible link” with rare blood clots, the AstraZeneca vaccine in those countries, and tries to first restrict the use of AstraZeneca in A number of countries had continued crack- a setback for the world’s most widely used vac- that the clotting problems were appearing at a older age groups, then suspend it over reports of downs on freedom of expression in 2020. In cine and a blow to the more than 100 countries rate of about 1 in 100,000 recipients. The condi- blood clots, only to roll it out again last month nearly a third of all the countries Amnesty moni- relying on it to save lives amid a global surge in tion can be treated. after the European Medicines Agency issued a tored, authorities had harassed or intimidated coronavirus cases. European regulators said that as of March preliminary opinion that the benefits of the vac- health or other key workers, with many facing The European regulator, the European Medi- 22, they had carried out detailed reviews of 86 cine outweighed the risks. reprisals, including arrest and dismissal, for rais- cines Agency, stopped short of advising that use cases, 18 of which had been fatal. As doctors reported a higher incidence of se- ing concerns about safety or working conditions of the vaccine be curbed in the 27 European Un- The agency reiterated that the overall benefits rious blood clots in younger people, some coun- during the pandemic. ion countries, saying that it was up to national of the vaccine still outweighed the risks, but tries decided to stop administering the shot to The report, which covered global human authorities to decide who should receive which urged that health professionals and recipients anyone younger than 55. rights trends as well as those of 149 individual vaccine. of the shot be cautious about symptoms like Europe’s concerns over the vaccine’s side ef- countries, also highlighted a marked increase in Until the announcement, Britain had never shortness of breath, chest pain or leg swelling. fects are also likely to threaten global inocula- gender-based and domestic violence around the wavered in its use of the vaccine, making it a Many European countries have restricted use tion efforts, with much of the developing world world, with many women and LGBTQ+ people holdout in Europe even as many countries de- of the vaccine in younger people because some depending on the AstraZeneca vaccine to tackle facing barriers to protection and support due to tected unusual, sometimes fatal, blood clots in scientists believe they are at higher risk of devel- the pandemic. The shot is the cornerstone of restrictions on freedom of movement and lack of some recipients. But evidence has mounted that oping the rare blood clots. They are also at lower COVAX, a program designed to make vaccine confidential reporting mechanisms. very small numbers of Britons had also been af- risk of severe COVID-19, raising the safety bar access more equitable worldwide. Callamard said the pandemic had highlighted flicted, forcing the country to reduce the use in for any vaccine being given to younger people. The vaccine appeared to be causing an im- “the world’s inability to cooperate effectively in younger people of a vaccine that is the backbone But the regulator said that it had not conclud- mune reaction in which antibodies bind to times of dire global need”. of its world-beating inoculation program. ed that age or gender were a specific risk and platelets, activating them, German doctors “The only way out of this mess is through in- The concern over the blood clots has threat- that it would further investigate the issue. and the European Medicines Agency have said. ternational cooperation,” she said. ened the pace of vaccinations far beyond Eu- “This case clearly demonstrates one of the Those platelets, in turn, were causing the for- The report found that the world’s most mar- rope. At least 111 countries of varying income challenges posed by large-scale vaccination mation of dangerous clots in certain parts of the ginalised people, among them women and refu- levels have administered doses of AstraZeneca’s campaigns,” Emer Cooke, the agency’s head, body, including in veins that drain blood from gees, bore the brunt of the pandemic. Death, dis- shot, making it international aid groups’ most said in a news conference Wednesday. “When the brain, leading in some cases to a rare type crimination, unemployment and inequality were potent weapon in the battle to reduce deaths in millions of people receive these vaccines, very of stroke. global themes: COVID-19 killed at least 1.8 mil- the vaccine-starved global south. rare events can occur that were not identified Why the antibodies develop in these people is lion people worldwide in 2020, while 270 mil- British and European regulators both said it during the clinical trials.” not known, doctors have said. Some component lion were left facing acute food insecurity, many was possible that the clots were linked to the “The risk of mortality from COVID is much of the vaccine, or excessive immune reaction — of them in squalid camps. vaccine, but that more investigation was need- greater than the risk of mortality from the side or both — could be the cause, they said. The report also highlighted the number of ed. European regulators described the cases as effects,” Cooke added. No pre-existing conditions are known to people who had been inspired to join protests a serious but “very rare” side effect. No other vaccine has stirred as much contro- make patients more vulnerable to this clotting against regressive policies, for example the Black As of Sunday, officials said, European regu- versy as the shot made by the British-Swedish disorder after a vaccination, European regula- Lives Matter protests in the US, the #EndSARS lators had received reports of 222 cases of the company, setting off spats with the bloc over tors said. protests in Nigeria and virtual climate strikes. rare blood clotting in Britain and the 30-nation cuts in supply, its efficacy and finally over rare, -New York Times -theguardina.com WEEKEND EXPRESS APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 11 HISTORY REVISITED

By Scroll Staff How the opening of the Suez Canal transformed Mumbai – and its sex trade The city’s port boomed and Eastern European women began to work in its brothels On November 27, 1869, ten days after the Suez Canal had been inaugurated in Egypt, disaster struck the first ship head- ed to India laden with cargo. The Bombay Guardian reported mournfully that a ship called the Noel from Bordeaux had sunk in the Red Sea. “The barque came through the Suez Canal…bound for Bombay, with a cargo of wines,” the newspaper noted. But that didn’t put a crimp on opera- tions. The opening of the Suez Canal – connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea – revolutionized trade be- tween Europe and India by cutting travel time from England to the subcontinent from more than three months to four or five weeks. Before this, ships had to sail around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Shortly after, a steamer from Glasgow called The Stirling en route to Mumbai made the passage through the canal in un- der 16 hours. Since March 23, when a 400-metre-long shipping container called the Ever Given ran aground in the channel, blocking movement, the world has been reminded Royal Asiatic Society of the continuing importance of the Suez Canal. The disaster has also been the opportu- By P. K. Balachandran nity to recall the excitement that greeted the opening of the canal just over 150 years ago – and how it shaped the city of Mum- bai. Mumbai, with the most developed harbour on the west coast of the subconti- nent, became the preferred destination for Christianity in Ceylon through the ships from Europe and was transformed into the Gateway of India. An expanding network of railway lines connected the growing metropolis with the rest of the country. The canal and the establishment of the eyes of a Colonial official Indo-European telegraph two years later mean that “India’s products could move James Emerson Tennentwas Colonial Secretary extent its pageantry and decorations, its festivals The situation radically changed when the much more rapidly into consumption in Ceylon from 1846 to 1850 and Acting Gover- and its fireworks, its processions, its perfumes, Dutch replaced the Portuguese and began to overseas and they could also be bought nor in April-May 1847. Tennent was not just an its images, its exhibition of relics, its sacred vest- propagate Protestantism with State backing and and sold on the basis of closed spot and administrator, a Colonial master lording over ob- ments and its treasures of barbaric pearl and military power. Forced mass conversion was the forward contracts”, said a report of the sequious natives. His keen eye and ear caught the gold. It has its holy places and its pilgrimages order of the day and the principal targets were Bombay Chamber of Commerce and In- nuances of the communities he was administer- in prosperity and health and votive offerings in the Roman Catholics. No wonder, when the Brit- dustry. “The quicker movement of goods ing. Hisscholarship got him the Presidency of the calamity and disease. “The priests of both are ish took over from the Dutch, Protestant Chris- and the rising tempo of east-west trade Ceylon branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. devoted to celibacy and poverty, to mortification tianity virtually disappeared from the Sinhalese mean there were valuable openings for the In ‘Christianity in Ceylon’ published in 1850, and privation. population. But this posed a major challenge to ancillaries of commerce – banking, insur- Tennenttraces theencounters with,and the chal- Each worship has its prostrations and genu- British Protestant missionaries. “The natives ance and shipping.” lenges the religion faced from, entrenched faiths flections, its repetitions and invocations, in an could not be persuaded to listen to their address- As travel between the continents be- like Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and demon ancient and to the multitude, in an unintelligible es, and even after three years of discouragement, came quicker and much more comfort- worship and how it tried to overcome the odds. tongue. Both have their legends and miracles, not one Singhalese had admitted his distrust in able, among the spheres of Mumbai life He also writes on the Dutch attempt to root out their confidence in charms and in the assistance idolatry,”Tennent notes. that changed was sex work. Catholicism from Ceylon and the educational of guardian saints and protectors.” Resistance was particularly strong in the deep “Before the opening of the Suez Canal in achievements of the American missions in Jaffna. St.Francis Xavier had converted numerous South. Despite the fact that Europeans had exist- 1869, the foreign prostitute from Eastern Contrary to the general belief that the Portu- fishermen on the Tuticorin and Mannar coasts, ed in Galle and Matara for 300 years, conversions Europe was practically unknown in Bom- guese used violence to spread their religion in but he also noted large scale apostasy. This forced were few. Buddhists would attend educational in- bay, and such immorality as existed was Ceylon,Tennent says: “There is no proof that Jesuits in India to think of attuning Christianity stitutions set up by Missionaries and listen to the confined to women of Eurasian or Indian compulsion was resorted to by them for the ex- to the local culture. They saw value in external preaching, but very few would convert. Buddhist parentage,” grumbled civil servant S. M. tension of their own faith or violence employed conformity to local customs and practices “and monks would invite missionaries to their temples Edwards in his book The Bombay City Po- for the extinction of national superstitions.” By a careful avoidance of any shock to their preju- for discussions, but change of heart was rare. lice, published in 1929. ‘national superstitions’ he meant the other faiths. dices, religious and social”. Many conversions in Ceylon were nominal and But “once…the large European ship- He then goes on to say: “The probability is that Tennent notes the transition of the Jesuits did not mean total alienation from Buddhism be- ping-companies had established regular the priests and missionaries of the Portuguese was quite brazenin Tamil Nadu. The Jesuits “as- cause Buddhists did not see conversion as a radi- steamer-communication with India, and were content to pursue in Ceylon the same line of sumed the character of Brahmans of a superior cal departure from their religion, believing there Port Said [in Egypt] had become a port of policy and adopt the same expedients for conver- caste from the Western World; they took the Hin- are many paths to salvation. The Tamils, on the call and an asylum for the riff-raff of Eu- sion which had already been found successful by doo names, and conformed to the heathen cus- other hand, found it harder to convert even nom- rope”, India was included in the orbit of their fellow labourers on the opposite continent toms of this haughty and exclusive race, produc- inally, as they were under the influence of rigid the global sex trade, he said. of India.” ing in support of their pretensions, a deed forged Brahmanism, which was hostile to other faiths. “The women usually arrive unaccompa- Both in India and Ceylon, the cultural tools in ancient characters, to show that the Brahmans Apostasy was less among Roman Catholics nied and of their own choice, and they are used by the Catholic missionaries had proved to of Rome were of much older date than the Brah- as compared to the Protestants. It was “infi- well over the age of majority before they be more effective than coercion and violence. An- mans of India, and descended from an equally di- nitely smaller among the Roman Catholics than first set foot on the Bombay bandar,” Ed- other reason for the preference for cultural tools rect line from Brahma himself,” he writes. among the professors of any other Church in wards wrote. “The ‘mistress’ of the broth- was that the Portuguese missionaries in India The Jesuits wore ‘Kavi’ or the orange robe and Ceylon,”Tennent writes quoting a Wesleyan mis- el, who is herself a time-expired prostitute and Ceylon could not count on the support of the abjured animal food. They composed a Veda in sionary as saying that the Roman Catholic con- and has sometimes paid a heavy sum to Portuguese State apparatus, which was necessary which they insinuated Christian concepts in the verts, were “more detached from paganism,more her predecessor for the good-will of the to use coercive methods. phraseology of the Hindu sacred texts. They con- regular in attendance at services and their con- house, feeds and houses the women in re- “The amount of assistance from civil power, on ducted pompous Therorcart festivals with the im- duct more consistent with the moral precepts of turn for 50% of their daily earnings.” By which the Roman Catholic clergy could rely, did age of Virgin Mary and the Saviour. This method the Gospel.” Tennant attributes this quality to the end of the 19th century, Mumbai had not ordinarily extend beyond the personal influ- secured multitudes of converts in South India the cultural liberalism of the Catholic Church in the largest number of European sex work- ence of the Captains-General at Colombo,” Ten- and set the tone for Catholic missionary activity contrast to the cultural rigidity of the Protestant ers of all Indian cities, writes Ashwini nentsays, qualifying that if at all there was State in Ceylon. churches. Tambe in her book Codes of Misconduct: assistance these were “favoursand partiality ex- Tennent writes that Fr.JosephVaz’s success in The European colonists’ attempts to convert Regulating Prostitution in Late Colonial hibited by successive Governors to all who were Ceylon in defiance of Dutch power was due to the Muslims met with total failure. “The more re- Bombay. “Women as far away as Poland willing to conform to their religion.” Conversions his image of being a Hinduistic ascetic (Sanyasi) spectable Mahomadans met the offer of the tract came to work in its brothels,” she notes. were facilitated by what, in his view, was a char- clothed in rags, walking barefoot and sleeping on with a dignified refusal; the lower classes rejected Many of the European women worked acteristic disposition of the Sinhalese to be “obse- the floor. it with contempt; and to the present day, no de- in brothels in Tardeo, Grant Road and quious” and “pliant” to those in power. But when “In Jaffna, he was seen and respected as a Brah- cided conversions from Islamism have ever been Byculla, where a section of Shuklaji Street the use of power exceeded limits people resisted man mendicant (he was actually from a Brahmin made in Ceylon,” Tennent writes. However, the came to be known as ‘Safed gully’ or ‘white in a variety of ways. family in Goa). When, in 1704, Pope Benedict XV Wesleyan missionreported a solitary conversion lane’. “Preserving racial purity and pre- The might of the State did not work to the ad- banned this trend, the number of nominal con- in the Fort area of Colombo in 1814. The Moor venting miscegenation became a crucial vantage of the Dutch because what they got, in verts declined in India.” baptized was named Daniel Theophilus. political project,” Tambe writes. reality, were fake adherents who lapsed into In Ceylonthe Portuguese scored a major suc- The existence of European brothels, Buddhism or Hinduism the moment Dutch rule cess when they converted the Kings of Kotte and Tambe notes, was driven by “three distinct weakened. Tennent notes that adherence to Ro- Kandy. But these conversions were for political imperatives for colonial administrators: man Catholicism was stronger as compared to gain and not for salvation, Tennet writer, noting providing sexual recreation for British Protestantism. Sinhalese Buddhists as well as that the elite, and even commoners, converted soldiers and sailors, preventing interracial Tamil Hindus found Roman Catholic forms of following the conversion of the royals and that sex and preserving British national pres- worship similar and congenial, making transition the converts had much to gainby being on the tige”. from one to the other or dual allegiance, much side of the new rulers. Buddhist monks, who dis- She explains, “Although British admin- easier.On the contrary, the forms of worship in approved the conversions, went away to Kandy, istrators condoned brothels, they tried to the Protestant churches, marked by “stern sim- but they were not forced to leave, he notes, add- ensure that brothel workers were not Brit- plicity” were seen as being alien. ing that the Portuguese allowed regular worship ish as that could reflect badly on British He goes on to elaborate: “Buddhism, like the at the Kelani temple, which continued to attract womanhood.” ceremonial of the church of Rome, has to some pilgrims. -Scroll.in 12 APRIL 09 - 11, 2021 WEEKEND EXPRESS SPORTS

COUNTER PUNCH By The Line Judge SLC on the dock as officials likely to face indictment Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) formerly the Board tournament from 1949 to 1982. Fondly re- and Australia to grant the small island nation Gurusinha. There is a sense of urgency to of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BSSCL) membered for his association with the Tamil Test status. And not forgetting Ana Punchi- overhaul the existing structure, which was once upon a time was headed by distinguished Union Cricket and Athletic Club, which he hewa, who transformed Sri Lanka into be- successful in the past but has been afflicted by gentleman such as Paikiasothy Saravanamut- helped develop, he was president of the club coming world champions in 1996. the authorities going for quantity instead of tu, Junius Richard Jayewardene, Robert Se- from 1948 to 1951 and helped build the club's However, much water has flowed under quality in their ongoing quest to stay in power nanayake, Maj. Gen. Bertram Russell Heyn, new ground, the Colombo Oval, which was the bridge and through the hallowed portals by hook or crook, doling out charity in the Dr. N. M. Perera and Gamini Dissanayake renamed P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in 1977. of the SLC headquarters at Maitland Place as guise of development as a vote-buying tactic under whose watch Sri Lanka attained Test J.R. Jayewardene, the first Executive Presi- the premier cricketing body continues to sink especially during an election year. status. They were men of stature and integ- dent of Sri Lanka, and former finance min- deeper into the abyss with the sport governed In the most damning indictment yet on the rity who belonged to the era when cricket was ister Dr. N. M. Perera, were two prominent by officials who are neck deep in corruption. administration of SLC, the Parliamentary a gentleman’s game. As administrators they politicians who headed the BCCSL. Another It is a malaise which has affected the perfor- watchdog committee – COPE (Committee on selflessly dedicated their lives and even for- was former Army Commander Maj. Gen. B.R. mance of the national team despite having a Public Enterprises) - issued instructions to tunes for the cause of the game. Heyn, whose most famous feat was getting first class school and club system that pro- the Secretary to the Ministry of Sports, Anu- Saravanamuttu who was head of the Cey- Sir Donald Bradman out on his last appear- duced the likes Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar radhaWijekoon, to take legal action against lon Cricket Association from 1937–50 and ance in Colombo, in a one-day match between Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Muttiah- the former members of the Sri Lanka Cricket the first president of the Board of Control Australia and All-Ceylon on March 27, 1948. Muralitharan and Angelo Mathews who filled (SLC) Executive Committee and its CEO Ash- for Cricket in Ceylon (1949–50), left a last- That was before Gamini Dissanayake batted the legend sized shoes of World Cup legends ley de Silva, it has been reported. ing legacy on the sport – the P. Sara Trophy eloquently for Sri Lanka at the International Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Issuing a statement on Tuesday’s (6) COPE - which was the premier inter-club cricket Cricket Council (ICC) to convince England Jayasuriya, Roshan Mahanama and Asanka hearing, the Parliament media unit stated that the committee’s Chairman Prof. Charitha Herath had also instructed the ministry secretary to conduct an inquiry and submit its findings within three months. Prof. Herath stated that the assistance of the At- torney General could be obtained for this purpose. It was reported that there had been an outlay of Rs 60 million by SLC for the purchase of rollers for cricket clubs, which the Auditor General had highlighted as “suspi- cious”, with the distribution of the rollers to clubs possibly done with the intention of buying votes for the upcoming SLC election. The statement also notes that COPE chairman Herath had pointed out that the reason for the massive collapse of cricket in the country was not the fault of the players but the weaknesses of the cricket adminis- tration. The COPE probe was for the pur- pose of examining the Auditor Gen- eral’s report for the financial years 2017 and 2018 of SLC and its cur- rent performance. The probe found that 123 of the 162 approved cadres of SLC were on contract, which was a matter of seri- ous concern. The Committee also pointed out that the posts of Head of Finance, Legal Officer, Information Tech- nology Officer and Internal Auditor should be permanent positions. When COPE questioned the non- recovery of Rs 29 million in revenue due for sponsorship of the South Af- rica-Sri Lanka Cricket tour in 2018, the Chief Executive Officer of SLC Ashley de Silva informed the com- mittee that the CID had commenced an investigation into the matter. It was revealed that the money had been deposited in a bank account in the USA named ‘Diamond Channel’ and that the investigations were fo- cused on how it happened. It was further revealed at the meeting that Rs 30 million has been spent to take legal action against for- mer head coach of Sri Lanka Cricket, Chandika Hathurusinghe, due to the shortcomings of his agreement. Attention was drawn to the fact that Rs 132 million had been spent for the construction of a National Cricket Stadium and a Multi-Sports Complex in the Hingurakgoda area in Polonnaruwa, but that a title deed had not been obtained for the rel- evant land as yet. Ironically, several former offi- cials of the SLC ExCo were unable to attend the COPE meeting as their tenure had expired on Monday (5). Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa finally relented and named a five- member management committee headed by Prof. Arjuna de Silva to run SLC until elections are conduct- ed on May 20. Their task would be to streamline the accounts, address legal aspects and be transparent during their short tenure. It remains to be seen whether they have the teeth to ring in changes. -ENCL

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