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Saturday, 2 January 2010

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Tragedy that is Palestine

Last week, on December 27 Palestine commemorated the first anniversary of the brutal Israeli attack on Gaza that killed 1,434 Palestinians.

One and half million Palestinians in the Gaza strip continue to be under siege for the past two and half years. For the Palestinians who are denied food, medicines, livelihood and freedom of movement every day it is a struggle to live. In fact, they are denied the right to life.

The siege is being intensified now by the construction of a bomb-proof steel wall by Egypt along the Gaza border. It is also unfortunate that Palestinians are also divided at this juncture complicating and weakening their resistance to Israeli aggression. The population of Gaza is being collectively punished for democratically electing Hamas as their representative.

The criminal blockade of Palestine continues unabated despite world opposition. It continues to hold Palestine territory and build Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It could do so only due to the protection offered to it by the United States and the western powers.

The United Nations and its Security Council ignores the non-implementation of its own resolutions and the violations of human rights by Israel as the proverbial monkey who saw no evil, heard no evil and spoke no evil.

It continues to ignore the Report of its own Fact Finding Mission on the Israeli attack on Gaza from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009. The Report of the Commission headed by Justice Richard Goldstone of the Constitutional Court of South Africa concluded that “the conduct of Israeli Armed Forces constitutes grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention in respect of wilful killings and wilfully causing great suffering to protected persons, and as such give rise to individual criminal responsibility”.

The Mission after investigating 36 specific incidents of serious human rights violations, also concluded that serious violations of International Humanitarian Law by Israeli Armed Forces fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and requested the United Nations and its Security Council to inform the Prosecutor of the ICC for action.

Though the Goldstone Report has been endorsed by the General Assembly no action has been taken so far by the UN against Israel. It exposes the selective treatment of Member States by the UN which has become a prisoner of the United States and the European Union.

In this context it is necessary to strengthen the movement of worldwide solidarity with the people of Palestine for only such a movement could force the UN to act.


Ayurveda

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has told a group of Ayurveda practitioners and students that the Government will seek the assistance of the World Health Organization in developing Ayurveda research. This is good news.

Ayurveda is a system of medicine on par with other systems like alopathy. However, it has not received sufficient recognition and attention. It is now acknowledged by the scientific community that Ayurveda and other indigenous systems of healing need to be developed and that they might provide means of treating various ailments that have so far eluded the western practitioner.

The need for Ayurvedic research was first recognized by S W R D Bandaranaike. He was instrumental in setting up the Indigenous Medicine Ministry and the Ayurveda Research Institute at Nawinna. However, the institute is cash strapped and also deficient in human resources. It is high time that this institute is provided with all means to conduct research.

This is urgent in view of various new ailments that are spreading. Perhaps, Ayurvedha would have a clue to the treatment of many such ailments. It is also necessary to provide a scientific basis for most drugs and patent them.

There is also the necessity to scientifically substantiate the therapeutic value of many medicinal herbs and ayurvedic drugs. In this the native knowledge of the country could be made good use of. Unfortunately foreigners and multinational companies make use of them and patent drugs and put them for commercial production.

It is possible to get expertise from India, China and other Asian countries in the development of the Ayurvedic system, including its research.

Fonseka’s allegation and impact on Armed Forces

A legal perspective:

THE Cabinet of Ministers, at their meeting on December 23 decided to take serious note of allegations by General Sarath Fonseka to the media. The Cabinet resolved to use all means at its disposal to prevent irreparable harm from being inflicted on the country as a result of these allegations.

Full Story

Looking ahead on foundations of success

Can you possibly entrust a country’s economy which has been nurtured into good health through tremendously difficult global uncertainties, to an unknown, unproven, inexperienced person? Can a country take such a huge risk? Can our people be subject to such uncertainty?

Full Story

The Morning Inspection

Of puppets and puppetry

Heroes can become puppets, we need to understand. People can become puppets. Presidents too. Politics is about people wanting to be puppeteers and wanting others to be puppets. There’s no need to name any names. Someone is someone’s plaything, or many people’s play thing

Full Story

Why not rein in private media too?

The case for a ‘Media Commission’:

While there is no argument about the transgressions of the State controlled media under different political dispensations, there is less appreciation of the unacceptable conduct of influential sections of the private media under the control of business interests and highly dependent on advertising patronage

Full Story

Today is the 32nd death anniversary of Sir Cyril de Zoysa:

The great Buddhist devotee

On October 26, 1896, a son blessed with luck was born to the couple, Solomon de Zoysa, Notary Public and Harriet de Zoysa who lived in the well-known Thotamune Kankanam Gedara Watta, Welithara in Balapitiya. This lucky son, who was the second child in the family, was named Cyril by the parents.

Full Story

 

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