Facts to Warsaw Conference
United Nations Conference on Anti-corruption Measures,
Good Governance and Human Rights
The Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) officially accredited to participate in the
United Nations Conference on Anti-corruption Measures, Good Governance and Human Rights in Warsaw, Poland
8-9 November 2006
ConfŽrence des Nations Unies sur les Mesures Anti-Corruption,
la Bonne Gouvernance et les Droits de lÕHomme
Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Medidas Anticorrupci—n,
Buen Gobierno y Derechos Humanos
Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR
Centre Tamoul pour les droits de l'Homme - CTDH
Centro Tamil para los Derechos Humanos
(Established in 1990)
Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR
Centre Tamoul pour les droits de l'Homme - CTDH
Centro Tamil para los Derechos Humanos
(Established in 1990)
Website : www.tchr.net
TCHR participation in United Nations World conferences and other meetings
* The Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) officially accredited to participate in the United Nations Conference on Anti-corruption Measures, Good Governance and Human Rrights, in Warsaw, Poland 8–9 November 2006.
* A meeting was held on 7 March 2006, in the European Parliament – titled "EU contribution to the peace process in Sri Lanka". This was jointly organised by TCHR and Mr. Robert Evans, a member of European Parliament of Labour Party in UK.
* Accredited by the United Nations to participate in the World Summit on the Information Society – WSIS in Tunisia, 16 – 18 November 2005.
* Officially participated in the NGO forum of the UN World Conference Against Racism – WCAR in Durban, South Africa, from 28 August to 1 September 2001. TCHR held an information stall including an exhibition at the forum. The TCHR representatives also attended the main WCAR conference held in Durban, 31 August to 7 September 2001.
* A meeting was held on 14 October 1998, in the European Parliament – titled "Press censorship in Sri Lanka". This was jointly organised by the Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) and Ms. Anita Pollack, a member of European Parliament of Labour Party in UK.
* In 1993, held an information stall and a photo exhibition on human rights violations, in the United Nations 2nd World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna, Austria, from 14-25 June.
* TCHR participates in meetings of Treaty bodies and submits reports to the same.
Fact finding missions to the North East of the Island of Sri Lanka
* May 2003 (http://www.tchr.net/report_studymission_2003.htm)
* December 2003 – addendum report (http://www.tchr.net/report_studymission_2003add.htm)
* July-August 2004 (http://www.tchr.net/reports_visite_2004.htm)
Head Office
9, rue des Peupliers
95140 - Garges les Gonesse
FRANCE
Email : tchrgs@hotmail.com
tchrdip@hotmail.com
Fax : + 33 - 1 – 42 67 54 36
Branches
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom
Contents
Page
Appeal 02
Introduction
Corruption, the bane of Sri Lanka 05
SRI LANKA- Anti-Corruption NGO Fears Misuse of Funds 06
Large scale corruption in state institutions 07
Bribery and Corruption Commission
Significant increase registered in bribery cases during 2004 08
2004 Tsunami Crisis – Impact on Sri Lanka 09
Corruption
Post Tsunami relief and reconstruction - on who did what, where, at what cost?
Millions of Tsunami funds embezzled- Bribery Commission 11
Q & A: Corruption and aid
Bribery
Dossier on fraudulent deals handed over to President`s Secretary 13
Policeman in bribery net
Human Rights
Stastistics on violations (1956-2006) 17
Human rights and Humanitarian situation in the NorthEast
Amparai 18 Batticaloa
Trincomalee 19
Mullaitivu
Mannar
Vavuniya 20
Kilinochchi
Jaffna
Internally Displaced Persons
Mutur East 21
Verugal/Eachilampattu Mutur West
Morawewa – Pankulam, Shanthipuram, Nochchikulam
Muttur South 22
Trincomalee village and environments
Tsunami disaster in the island of Sri Lanka 23
08 November 2006
The Chairperson
UN Conference on Anti-Corruption Measures,
Good Governance & Human Rights
Warsaw
Republic of Poland
Your Excellency and Distinguished Delegates,
Respect for Human Rights and a Corruption-free society are the mirrors of good governance. Corruption misuses the public interest for individual benefits. The use of influence and patronage to accomplish certain tasks, eventually ends up with institutionalised bribery. Here the rule of law is ignored by law enforcement authorities due to political influence which leads to financial and material gain, and well organised dishonesty in bureaucracy. Behind the scene of corruption, lie many illegal activities including money laundering, drug trafficiking, sex industries and so forth. There are states that permit the practice of corruption in politics and in civil administration, with impunity.
Many politicians from developing countries choose politics as a career to gain financial benefits. They also need huge amounts of money for their political campaigns. Corrupt businessmen fund these politicians in return for long term personal benefits. This creates confusion in society, which eventually leads to widespread dishonesty and corruption in many countries.
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life, liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.
Corruption and the violation of human rights cannot produce good governance. The word "democracy" tripping glibly from politicians' tongues does not mean good governance. In reality, good governance requires that society be free of both corruption and violations. Failure of all these fundamental principles in the rule of law is a failure to govern well.
Our organisation, established in 1990 is concerned with human rights violations in countries all over the world, but presently our focus is on Sri Lanka, due to the deteriorating human rights situation there.
The island of Sri Lanka (Ceylon), colonised by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British became independent in 1948. This was when corruption and the violation of human rights began, resulting in Sri LankaÕs stark and well-known absence of good governanace.
Some details of corruption are given in the English, Tamil and Singhalese media in Sri Lanka. Several government officials – civil servants, members of law enforcement agencies, politicians – Ministers and Parliamentarians have been involved in corruption and bribery scandals. Members of successive governments since independence have been involved in misusing state funds for their personal use. They have also diverted development funds donated by foreign governments and institutions to purchase arms and amunitions to suppress the struggle for the right to self-determination of the Tamil Nation.
* Last year, even the funds donated soon after the Tsunami disaster, by foreign governments and institutions have not reached the actual victims. There is ample evidence that this money has been used for the benefits of the ruling government politicians.
* Since independence, ruling governments have used the Òstate of emergencyÓ for more than thirty-five years, as one of their weapons. The draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) introduced in 1979 gives unlimited powers to the security forces, who have consistently violated human rights with impunity.
* Soon after independence, racist policies were implemented on citizenship, language, education, land and other areas, discriminating severely against the Tamil people in the island.
* As far as the right to self-determination of the people in the North East is concerned, the very basics of good governance have been absent for more than half a century. Furthermore, the Sri Lanka government continues to refuse to accept the democratic mandate of the people clearly voiced in the general election results of 1977 and 2004. This is the disastrous history.
* For many years, reports on Sri Lanka by UN Special rapporteurs and treaty bodies have recorded massive and chilling human rights violations committed by the Sri Lankan state.
* In 1998, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances stated that, "Sri Lanka had the second highest number of disappearances in the world".
* Due to Sri Lankan state terrorism : over 79,000 Tamil people have been killed or ÒdisappearedÓ; more than 12,500 women raped and killed; more than 2500 buildings religious places of worship (Churches and Temples) have been destroyed in aerial bombings and artillery shelling and billions of rupees worth of material damage has been caused.
* As a result of well planned ethnic cleansing by the Sinhala State over many decades, nearly 800,000 people have been internally displaced in the North East and more than 500,000 Tamils have sought political asylum in Europe and other countries.
* Within the last ten months, nearly 1250 Tamils including humanitarian workers, journalists, parliamentarian, academics and others have been abducted and killed in the North East and the other parts of the Island. There is an economic embargo to the North East and the people in those areas, especially in Jaffna are on the verge of starvation and death and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
In the second session of the UN Human Rights Council on 18 September 2006, Ms Louise Arbour, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her introductory speech to the Council said, "ÉÉÉAt present, several cases of killings and disappearances are reported each day in the Jaffna area. Since April 2006, some 240,000 people have been newly displaced from their homes, in addition to the hundreds of thousands who were forced to flee during earlier stages of the conflict as well as by the tsunami. Restrictions on humanitarian access have been imposed by both sides, worsening the vulnerability of these populations. ÉÉÉ.The Government's public commitment to investigate these crimes, including the killings of 17 humanitarian workers of Action Contre la Faim, is welcome. In too many cases, however, investigations have failed to produce results and victims have been denied justice and redress."
On 20 October 2006, in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, Prof Philip Alston, the Special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings said, "Today the alarm is sounding for Sri Lanka. It is on the brink of a crisis of major proportions. Sadly, the world seems to think that the dramatic attacks of recent days and the spiraling number of extrajudicial executions are just one more episode in a long-running saga. There is a perception that Sri Lanka is not so much on the brink of a new crisis but, instead, only in the midst of an interminable and intractable crisis that has already exhausted its fair share of international attentionÉÉÉÉÉ The issue was placed squarely before the Human Rights Council last month, but the signals are that any action the Council might take in November will do very little to make a difference as this tragic situation swells and threatens to reach bursting point. What can and should be done? "
Sri Lanka has enjoyed long years of an entrenched Òculture of impunityÓ. This has been clearly indicated in UN reports and recently also by the High Commissioner for Human rights. In the recent past, Sri LankaÕs attitude towards the United Nations, its Secretary Generals and some International NGOs has been disturbing. Sri Lanka adamantly refuses to accept any scrutiny by the United Nations.
On 7th January 2005, the UN Secretary General made a humanitarian visit to Sri Lanka to see the Tsunami affected areas. When Kofi Annan requested to visit the North East, the area most affected by the tsunami, the Sri Lankan authorities deliberately prevented him from making a humanitarian visit there. This is a serious violation of the UN Charter, Chapter XV Article 100. Refusing the visit by the Secretary General, reveals a blatantly antagonistic method of hiding the truth from the International Community.
With such a record, how could one possibly consider that good governance exists in Sri Lanka?
For there to be good governance in a country, first of all the people should at least have their basic needs met - water, food, shelter and fundamental political rights.
While we write this appeal, on 2 November, a hospital in Kilinochchi in the North was bombed by the Sri Lankan Air Force Kfir jets. In this aerial bombing, six people were killed and many injured. Also hundreds of patients warded in the hospital were forced to evacuate the buildings.
Mr. Chairperson, in Sri Lanka, there is an urgent need to pay attention to the humanitarian needs of the people, especially in the North East, an it is imperative that international law be adhered to.
We are well aware that this conference does not have the mandate to take any decision against any state where corruption and violations of human rights are rife. But the participants of this conference – you as Chairperson and members of state delegations could raise the alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka in the other UN forums. It is especially pertinent to do so at this time when the UN Special Rapporteur rang the alarm bell with regard to Sri Lanka, in the UN General Assembly just over two weeks ago.
This conference could contribute to the raising of awareness of those states who are reluctant to acknowledge, and take action, on the serious humanitarian and human rights disaster in Sri Lanka.
Thank you.
Yours truly
S. V. Kirubaharan
General Secretary - TCHR
Corruption, the bane of Sri Lanka
Thursday,
17 February 2005
Causing much worry amongst concerned people, Dagens Nyheter, the Swedish daily published from Stockholm, Sweden, carried, on Friday 11 February 2005, an unusually lengthy front page article (it covered much of pages 1, 18 and 19) titled `Corruption that gobbles up foreign aid` which dealt with corruption in Sri Lanka.
The article discussed the endemic problem of corruption in Sri Lanka. It says
that corruption has become so widespread that it renders consequences for every
individual of the country. But it says that corruption affects the poor more
than any other group of society. The rich and the powerful, on the other hand,
are the one`s who benefit from it. Therefore, it says that `corruption and
poverty are two ends of the same stick` and that `corruption constitutes the
poverty trap of the country`.
Sri Lanka has, according to the article, the world`s largest government with
`about ninety ministers`, some of whom have become millionaires, only months
after assuming office. Then, it says, `It does not matter whom the people elect
to political office, the party in power buys off the MPs and other political
heavyweights from other parties, offering them ministerial or other top posts
within the government` This, the journalists say, accounts for the
watered down democracy of Sri Lanka. Thus, they argue that the public
sector of Sri Lanka is corrupt all the way from the top down.
The article further says that it is not only the people who hold top notch
posts in the government who are corrupt. `Much of the administration and the
bureaucracy are corrupt as well,`. Then it says that corruption has become so
endemic that over 75% of the people seem to believe that bribery is the normal
way of doing things in Sri Lanka.
It is not just the journalists who point out the need to uproot corruption from
the land. Even University academics (in particular, the social scientists) are
pointing out the need to give this issue serious consideration. They argue that
corruption is one major precursor of economic retardation and social
underdevelopment of Sri Lanka.
According to a study conducted by Transparency International, Sri Lanka
ranks amongst the countries in the bottom half (together with Bangladesh and
Zaire), as a nation that suffers from corruption.
According to some studies, the police force of Sri Lanka is the most corrupt.
Almost 40% of the respondents of the studies have maintained that the officers
of the law and order are the most corrupt in the land. The irony of the
situation is that the people who have as their occupation to maintain the law
and order in the land are the ones who are most corrupt.
It has been reported that a man who went to a police station to lodge a
complaint against a certain small-town bureaucrat who had asked him for a bribe
had, in order to lodge the complaint and retrieve a copy of it, to pay the
police officer a handsome bribe. It has also been reported that a policeman of
a small town was paid by a businessman with the understanding that the
policeman would beat up and chase out of the town a rival of the businessman.
Thus, corruption is not only a commercial transaction: it also tangents on
criminality.
According to the findings, the public health sector is another one that is
highly corrupt. Most minor functionaries in hospitals and dispensaries take
bribes when treating patients and/or dispensing medicine.
Another sector that is corrupt is the education sector. It is widely known in
Sri Lanka that most principals, vice principals and other key functionaries of
prestigious schools take bribes when admitting students to their schools.
Corruption seems to be prevalent even at classroom levels. Sri Lanka needs to
emerge from a watered down democracy, where law and order have not been upheld
and the officers responsible for maintaining law and order are prone to taking
bribes from the downtrodden masses of the nation, including the tsunami
victims.
Every politician who fattens him/herself and/or secures his/her party-political
position with the funds that have been allocated for the poor (including those
that have been allocated for the tsunami victims) must be made accountable for
his/her actions. Sri Lanka needs to redeem itself from corruption.
(Excerpt - http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2005/2/653.html)
SRI LANKA- Anti-Corruption NGO Fears Misuse of Funds
by Clive Freeman
BERLIN, Apr 12 (IPS) - Transparency International (TI), a global non-governmental organisation battling world-wide corruption, has spoken of the risks of large-scale donor funds for Sri Lankan reconstruction being misallocated.
The Berlin-based TI says, unless ÓsafeguardsÓ are built into tender procedures, there is a danger of money ending up in the pockets of dishonest politicians and regional power-brokers.
Eigen, who heads TI's International Secretariat in Berlin, said the manner in which funds for Sri Lanka's reconstruction are to be managed must conform to best practices in terms of good governance and transparency.
ÓThe international community has a particular obligation to be fully transparent in its aid procedures,Ó he continued, adding that the government of Sri Lanka must ensure that funds received go to Óreducing poverty, and improving health, education and vital infrastructure projects.Ó
ÓOtherwise, the intended effect of this aid will not be met and the Sri Lankan people will be the losers, because they will have to pay back the loans,Ó he said.
Eigen's warnings are poignant, for they come at a moment when international controversy has been fuelled over reports that Washington has begun negotiating with companies in countries ÓloyalÓ to the U.S.-British war effort in Iraq, regarding huge reconstruction projects in that region.
Gopa Krishnan, TI's Berlin-based Asian department director, says they also come in the wake of recent disclosures in Sri Lanka, suggesting that 70 per cent of foreign aid received in that country since independence Óhas never reached the intended beneficiariesÓ.
TI, he says, is urging the government of Sri Lanka to establish clear lines of accountability for use of funds received, and also to establish transparent procedures.
TI calls on western governments and the international financial institutions to:
- Ensure that funding and lending policies are fully transparent and made public; - Include a requirement for accountability and transparency in funds or loans and obtain a statement from all parties that corruption will not be tolerated; - Make immediate plans to prepare monitoring mechanisms - where possible by citizens' groups in the country such as Transparency International Sri Lanka - to ensure that aid and investment reaches targeted projects, such as schools, hospitals and housing.
An estimated two billion dollars in grants and loans is thought to have been earmarked so far for reconstruction projects. More than 60,000 people have been killed during the 20 year conflict. (Excerpt - http://ipsnews.net/srilanka/note_0414.shtml)
Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka - 07/03/2006
Some 68% of
those in the government service appear to be involved in bribery and
corruption, a top official said in a shocking disclosure.
Piyasena Ranasinghe, Director General of the Commission probing bribery or corruption told a seminar that if the increasing trend of bribery and corruption continued, it might also spark more terrorism in the country.
The three-day workshop and seminar was organized by the UNDP and the Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Ministry in Kandy from Saturday.
The workshop was held at the Mahaveli Reach Hotel to discuss the tasks of those
responsible for Justice in the country.
Mr. Ranasinghe also said it was so tragic that people today were of the
impression that hardly anything could be done in the government sector without
offering bribes to public servants. He charged that some school principals and
top police officials received bribes through third parties, and the general
public hardly complained against such acts.
He said the people should be educated about the gravity of giving or accepting
bribes and warned the countryÕs economy would be seriously affected if this
trend continued.
Mr. Ranasinghe called upon the people to join hands with the media, the
judiciary and civil societies to eradicate bribery and corruption from the
country.
Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Secretary Malkanthi
Wickremasinghe and several others also addressed the seminar.
Large scale corruption in state institutions
- Auditor General`s powers to be strengthened
Thursday,
9 March 2006
The Government yesterday pledged to strengthen the powers of the Auditor General (AG) to counter increasing corruption and funds mismanagement in the country.
The government assurance was made to Parliament yesterday by Leader of the
House and senior Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva when the issue of corruption
in government institutions was taken up for debate.
The AG recently released a report on large scale corruption in government
institutions, the contents of which were carried in The Sunday Times newspaper
on 5 March, prompting UNP MP John Amaratunga to call for an adjournment debate
on the matter. The government responded with a strong pledge to strengthen the
powers of the AG. MP Amaratunga said he was pleased that the AG was openly
talking about corruption in the country. He said as Parliament was the supreme
body responsible for public funds it had a responsibility by the people to
investigate corruption and take appropriate action.
MP Amaratunga called the report a shameful indictment of the Public Service and
quoting the report said that corruption was like a fast spreading cancer which
plagued the highest office of the President down to the lowest office. (Excerpt
- http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2006/3/5926.html)
Bribery and Corruption Commission
Appeal for greater co-operation from public
(Excerpt - The Sunday Observer, Colombo, Sri Lanka – 29 June 2003)
In an interview with the Sunday Observer the Director-General discusses the problems faced by the Commission, the shortage of staff to carry out the pending investigations and the complaints lodged by the public.
Q: I understand that due to inadequate resource personnel the Commission is unable to carry out investigations and hold inquiries into complaints made by the public. How far is it true?
A: The Commission comprises two retired judges and an expert in criminal investigations. Due to the death of one retired judge, the Commission stopped functioning and still the vacancy has not been filled. Until that vacancy is filled we can neither produce cases to both Magistrate and High Courts nor commence investigations into the cases in hand.
Q: Soliciting bribes of Senior public officials is a common trend today. Has the Commission been able to nab these senior officials and prosecute?
A: Yes. At the moment we have around 1,211 pending investigations unsolved, because the Commission does not function. Most cases are corruption-related and a number of senior government officers, senior police officers, divisional secretaries, chairmen of some institutions and even some politicians are involved.
Everyday we receive a number of complaints against government officials soliciting bribes from the public to discharge their duties but we are unable to conduct raids or direct our staff to go as decoys to nab those people because of the non-functioning of the Commission.
Q: What sort of complaints do you receive against government officials and senior police officers?
A: Usually, the complaints against police officers and politicians are of having disproportionate accumulation of incomes in a short span of time. Out of 1,211 pending investigations 663 cases are complaints of having disproportionate incomes and such type of complaints are on the rise. Likewise we have also received complaints against senior police officers of releasing suspects from the custody and soliciting bribes. Out of 1,211 cases 271 cases are bribery allegations.
Q: What sort of complaints has the Commission received against politicians and has the Commission instituted legal proceedings against them?
A: In 2001 we received 23 complaints, in the year 2002 it was 38 and in 2003 up to this month only 2. In the previous years in accordance with the law they were produced before the courts and due punishment was meted out. Accumulation of disproportionate money seems to be a growing problem and we also found that some complaints on bribery and corruption were based on personal animosity.
Q: Who are the others involved in bribery and corruption charges?
A: Officials of different professions such as income-tax assessors, technical officers, police sergeants, inspectors of work in highway construction, fiscal officers, court clerks are also involved and in the previous year some were nabbed, produced before the courts and some were sentenced to 1 to 12 years rigorous imprisonment.
Q: Political interference to State institutions has become the order of the day. Do political influence and threats affect the Bribery Commission?
A: So far we are not affected by politics because this is meant to be the place devoid of political influences and set examples to all the other both public and private sector organisations to eliminate bribery and corruption.
Significant increase registered in bribery cases during 2004
Saturday, 8 October 2005
Complaints of bribery and corruption
against officers in the Public sector registered a significant leap in 2004,
with 4626 such complaints being filed at the Bribery Commission, official
statistics have revealed.
The Annual Performance Report of the Bribery Commission for 2004, presented to
Parliament this week revealed that compared to 2003 jumped 26.7 percent, with
the total number of complaints standing at 4626. Of these 1878 were referred
for investigation and 787 sent to the record room while 1961 were not subject
to investigation the reports states.
A total of 122 officers from 28 Government institutions and Ministries
including the Police Department, Armed Forces, Divisional Secretariats and
Justice Ministry were arrested and produced before Courts by the Bribery
Commission in 2004. Of these 48 were police officers, which is the highest
number from a single department.
However investigations were concluded in only 34 cases, with 1 conviction and
11 acquittals. 291 cases were still pending in 2004. 80 cases were pending at
the Magistrate`s Court, 186 at the High Court and 25 at the Court of Appeal,
the report states.
http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2005/10/3902.html
2004 Tsunami Crisis – Impact on Sri Lanka
Other than Indonesia, Sri Lanka was the second hardest hit area by the tsunami. More than 30,000 people have been killed, thousands more remain missing, and almost a million people have been made homeless mainly in the southern and eastern coastal regions of the country. The worst affected districts are Jaffna, Kuchaveli, Mullativu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Hambantota, Matara and Galle.
Sri Lanka faces a hefty reconstruction bill estimated to be in the range of $1.5 Billion, since its damaged infrastructure was more developed than in many affected areas. Sri LankaÕs tourism industry, which accounts for about 10% of the nationÕs GDP, was particularly hard hit. About one-fifth of hotels in the region have been put out of action.
Sri Lanka's economy was becoming more and more stable before the tsunami struck, buoyed by optimism surrounding the peace process after a 20-year civil war. Now, officials predict that their grown will be inhibited by the disaster. Nevertheless, Sri LankaÕs currency has not suffered thanks to large sums of foreign aid donations.
Here are some of the tsunami-related stories coming out of Sri Lanka:
- The main story that everybody has kept their eye on is the developing tensions between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels after a ceasefire about three years ago ended a bitter and bloody civil dispute – the dispute was mainly ethnic in origin between the Tamil people and the Singalese, who make up the bulk of Sri LankaÕs population. This tension has been hampering aid distributions to the Tamil Tiger-controlled north east region of the country. It was hoped that the disaster would bridge the two sides together, but it now appears that it is making them worse. One of the problem lies in the control of aid donations, where the Tamil Tigers felt that their region was not receiving enough aid, and have asked for donations to go directly to them, citing the long history of corruption in Sri LankaÕs government. The Tamil Tigers were also infuriated when the government asked United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, not to visit Tamil-controlled areas citing security issues.
- Child trafficking has emerged as a major problem in the wake of the tsunami that have left many children orphaned. As a result, Sri Lankan authorities have banned the adoption of children affected by the tsunami until further notice. (Excerpt - http://www.ringsurf.com/info/News/Tsunami/Sri_Lanka/)
Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka - 06/02/2006
Vital
information on who did what and where on the post tsunami relief and
reconstruction is likely to be made public by the Government shortly.
Since the December 26, 2004 tsunami devastation, millions of dollars and other
currencies (totalling to billions of rupees) have poured into the country but
to date there is no accurate or proper data base of what has been done, how
much money spent, by whom and where.
There is also no official data compiled on the total funds received in relation
to post tsunami specific activities. The Central Bank last week disclosed that
Rs. 25.48 billion was received as at December 31, 2005 by the Government,
non-Governmental Organizations and others in Sri Lanka as private foreign and
local donations through banking channels towards tsunami disaster relief. This
figure includes Rs. 3.35 billion received by the Government mainly through the
Central Bank of Sri Lanka and two state commercial banks. Various multilateral
donor agencies as well as countries have made official contributions, pledges
and commitments too.
Tsunami tidal waves killed nearly 40,000 people and directly affected more than
800,000 people apart from destroying nearly 100,000 houses, damaging other
socio-economic infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, roads etc in 12
coastal districts of Sri Lanka. The medium term post tsunami reconstruction and
rehabilitation plan envisaged a cost of US$ 3 billion.
Secretary to the Treasury Dr. P.B. Jayasundera noted that a fair amount of work
has been done post tsunami however there is no clear indication of how much
money has been spent.
ÒAt present there are over 500 tsunami related projects on going. At the
regular donor coordination meetings the issue of how much spent and how much
work has been completed are discussed. We are in the process of putting
together all the available information and should have a clear idea in the next
few weeks,Ó he said.
Dr. Jayasundera said that donors to various tsunami related projects are also
keen to find out whether their contributions are properly utilized while
agencies are also under pressure for accountability from their financiers.
The Government has been largely focusing on the national and district level
infrastructure rehabilitation as well as cash payments with donor assistance.
The bulk of the immediate post tsunami relief and reconstruction work has been
undertaken by private sector, local and international NGOs. However there is
consensus that most of the tsunami survivors are still languishing and the overall
speed of rehabilitation and reconstruction is slow due to various reasons.
Last a week an expert panel commissioned by the UN Commission on Human Rights
painted a bleak picture for Asian tsunami survivors one year after.
ÒNinety per cent of the people are still living in sub-standard housing,Ó said
Miloon Kothari, the CommissionÕs Special Rapporteur on adequate housing,
referring to the 1.8 million to 2.5 million people displaced when the tsunami
hit on 26 December 2004.
He said many people still did not have access to basic services such as water
and sanitation. Mr. Kothari wrote a forward to the 64-page report, titled
ÒTsunami Response: A Human Rights Assessment,Ó that was sent to the
Secretary-General Kofi AnnanÕs Special Envoy for Tsunami-affected Countries,
former United States President Bill Clinton.
The Parliament late last year was told that the Government spent Rs. 8.3
billion on health and funeral expenses, provision of basic needs as well as
start up allowance of Rs. 5,000 per month post tsunami. Several millions had
been spent on restoring basic infrastructure as well.
The donor funded housing program is estimated to cost Rs. 13 billion. Over Rs.
4 billion had been disbursed to tsunami hit SMEs as well through banks.
WB, ADB to update today
Two of the biggest financiers of the post tsunami reconstruction, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank will today make public their assessment on the current status of tsunami and post conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Daily News, Colombo, Sri Lanka - 02/03/2006
The
Commission to Investigate Allegations on Bribery and Corruption will expedite
the hearing of complaints from tsunami affected people in Batticaloa and Ampara
districts against corrupt Government officers.
Director Investigations of the Bribery Commission SP Neville Guruge told the
Daily News that Commission officials headed by its Chairman Justice Ameer
Ismail and Secretary P.A. Abeysinghe toured the Tsunami hit Batticaloa and
Ampara districts from February 26.
Two investigation teams from the Commission who visited the area will
investigate complaints received from residents.
"We received 10 to 12 complaints from tsunami-hit people in Kalmunai
during our visit on February 27 and six to eight complaints Akkaraipattu
residents," SP Guruge said.
Most complaints were against Gramasevaka officers and Fisheries officials who
had solicited money from tsunami affected people to provide them with the
Government approved subsidies.
"We also received complaints about officers who had taken bribes to
provide subsidies for those not affected by the tsunami," he said.
"We will investigate these complaints and bring corrupt officers to
book," SP Guruge said.
In December 2005, bribery sleuths arrested one Fisheries Inspector in Pottuvil
who had solicited Rs.50,000 from a tsunami affected person to provide with him
a boat.
(Excerpt - http://www.inblogs.net/servesrilanka/2006_03_05_servesrilanka_archive.html)
Lanka-e-news, Sri Lanka - 25/02/2006
Numerous complaints have been made to the Bribery and Corruption Commission
regarding embezzlement and misappropriation of local and foreign aid amounting
to millions of rupees received for tsunami recovery efforts, Investigating
Director of the Commission, Superintendent of Police Neville Guruge said.
He divulged this at a media briefing held in Colombo this morning and added
many complaints have been received from the Northern, Eastern and the Southern
provinces.
He claimed that the majority of these complaints were against Grama Niladharis
and officials attached to the Divisional Secretariats.
There have been numerous occasions where Grama Niladharis had distributed
tsunami aid among their associates instead of those genuinely affected by the
disaster and legal action has already been constituted against 10 such Grama
Niladharis, SP Guruge said.
The Legal Aid Commission has appointed legal officers to probe misappropriation
of tsunami funds but they should really have been appointed a year ago in 2005,
Mr. Guruge noted. However he welcomed the move as a positive sign even at this
late stage.
The Investigations Director of the Bribery Commission said on the basis of
information received by the Commission, action would be taken to bring the
accused to the book.
Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga recently stated that the Tsunami Fund
has 23 billion rupees and requested President Rajapaksa to place before the
people how these funds were spent. She also requested him to clear his name
regarding the Helping Hambantota account.
Q & A: Corruption and aid
09 Nov 2005 - AlertNet - Emma Batha