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First Lady Michelle Obama, a lawyer and administrator, is an advocate for working parents, military families and national service. Speaking at a London girlsrsquo; school, Michelle Obama makes a passionate, personal case for each student to take education seriously. It is this new, brilliant generation, she says, that will close the gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be.

Now a days, when people are not satisfied with what they want or when they donrsquo;t get what they want the easiest thing they do is getting a weapon in to their hands and threaten someone to get it and these type of people live not only in Sri Lanka, but also in different parts of the world. However it is only us who knows what they are actually capable of doing. Most of the people are under the impression that a weapon can bring about peace or serve justice, but the question is whether it is an ever lasting peace; a justice fair by all concern or whether it is just a temporary solution.

However, the person taking a weapon in to his/ her hand will never understand the seriousness of it and the damage it can do to the society. Even though that person understands that, what that person have done is wrong it is too late to correct the mistakes of the past. Despite all that this person will have pleasure using the weapon. However taking a weapon in to their hands and threaten someone to get what you need and feeling proud about is the most dumbest feeling one can have, but the problem is that, when will this person understand this?

People use weapons; and not use weapons will end up, being killed by the use of a weapon!

තමාට අවශ්‍ය ‍දේ නොලැබුනු විට අවිය අතට ගෙන අනෙකුන් හට තර්ජනය කොට තමන් මහා වීරයෙක් යැයි සිතීම අප රටේ පමනක් නොව ලොව අනෙකුත් රටවලද හොදින් දැක ගත හැකිය. කෙසේ නමුත් ඔවුන්ගේ කෙරැවාව දන්නේ අපිම බව නිසැකය. අවියක් භාවිතයෙන් සාමයත් යුක්තියත් ලගා කරගත හැකි බවත් එසේ කල පසු එය අවිය මගින්ම පවත්වා ගත හැකි බවත් බොහෝදෙනා විශ්වාස කරයි. නමුත් ගැටථව වන්නේ එය තිරසාර සාමයක්ද සාධාරණ යුක්තියක්ද එසේත් නැතිනම් තාවකාලික එකක්ද යන්නයි.

කෙසේ කීවත් අවියක් අතට ගත් ඕනෑම අයෙක් එහි බරපතල කමත් සමාජයට එයින් වෙන හානියත් කිසිසේත්ම දකින්නේ නැත. ඒ බව දැන ගත්තත් ප‍්‍රමාද වැඩි අතරම එය නිවැරදි කිරීමටත් නොහැකි බව අපි දනිමු. ඒ කේසේ වෙතත් ආවුධය අතට ගත් පුද්ගලයට එය ඔහුගේ සෙම්නසට කාරණ‍ාවක් වේ. නමුත් තමාට අවශ්‍ය ‍දේ නොලැබුනු විට අවිය අතට ගෙන අනෙකුන් හට තර්ජනය කොට තමන් මහා වීරයෙක් යැයි සිතීම මහත් අනුවන ර්‍ක්‍රයාවක් වන නමුත් මෙවන් අය ඒ බව තේරැම් ගන්නේ කවදාද?

අවි ගත්තෝද; නොගත්තෝද අවියෙන්ම නැසෙති

ReachOut is the disaster relief project of the Rotaract Club of Colombo and now, ReachOut meets a new need to serve, this time to help those internally displaced, rebuild their lives.

Remember those who lost their lives, Remember those who are still living. Remember that, they still need Our Help!

Visit the blog and make a donation today

Most of you guys are aware that the International Congress on AIDS in Asia amp; Pacific (ICAAP 9) is schedule to be held from the 9 to the 13 August in Bali, Indonesia under the theme “Empowering People – Strengthening Networks”.

The Bali Youth Force (BYF) launched their site recently and this is a regional youth team working in making the youth programme of ICAAP 9 a success. Please do join the BYF and ensure your participation as a youth at ICAAP 9.

According to the closing remarks of the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in his statement made today (19 May) when he declared that the war is officially over he said that, either you are with us or you are with the terrorist. Anyone who will criticize what the government is doing; what the president and his handful of ministers doing; etc. will be labeled as non-patriots.

According to the true spirit of democracy, if a state declares that they follow the true spirit of democracy, in that system the first condition is that the government, the president, the ministers and all the processes of that system can be criticize by the opposition, public and by the media.

So does this mean either we do not have democracy or we are non-patriots or both? Therefore, I claim myself to be a non-patriot!

I am a non-patriot!

The military victory declared by the President of the Democratic, Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka today (18) May is not the end of this war. Well, I personally think that this is just the beginning of the scene and if the government does not keep up to their promises this situation would be worse. Hundred years of grievances cannot be solved in less than a year and it is a fact.

Now that the terrorist are gone there is a greater responsibility to the government of Sri Lanka to look back to the reason why the LTTE was formed. It was the mistakes our leaders made long time back and continued to grow on the mistakes repeated over and over again. I would be happy if the leaders of today rectify this mistake and bring in a solution, which is universally accepted and until then I will not celebrate this military victory.

Even though I do not believe in ‘karma’, I believe that all the lives we have lost, was the cost we had to pay for the mistakes we have done in the past. We need to honor all those lives and the only way to honor them is by bring peace to this war torn country and establishing true democracy. I have never lived in a Sri Lanka without the war and I do not know Sri Lanka as a country without war, how it feels to live in peace, how it feels to celebrate, but I hope this will end hear and the next generation will not experience the same.

The war might be over, but the war of corruption; injustice; inequity; are wars yet to be fought! And it is not over yet!

It is not over yet!

photo credits: indi.ca

In this hilariously lively performance, actress Sarah Jones channels an opinionated elderly Jewish woman, a fast-talking Dominican college student and more, giving TED2009 just a sample of her spectacular character range.

I personally got a chance to experience a live performance, when I was in Hiroshima – Japan at the GNRC Third Forum and I must say, it was a priceless opportunity.

Tony Award-winning monologist, UNICEF ambassador, firebrand and FCC-fighting poet Sarah Jones assumes as many roles offstage as on.

On the 19 March, around 5.30 p.m. in the evening, my mobile rang. It was a number I hadn’t saved in my phone. I was at office, but was not busy at all and was playing around with Face Book on the internet, I answered the call. It was a surprise and it was no other than President Shameema on the line. She had never called me from a land line and just as Shameema said hello, I knew that there was something irregular in the call.

‘The CPP has proposed your name for next President of the club and I know that you can take it up, what do you have to say? Are you ready to accept it?’

It was a very sudden surprise to me and I said ‘what?’ and the conversation went on. In the beginning I said no, but towards the latter part of the conversation I gave her permission for the CPP to consider me as a nominee, just because I knew that there was a much more qualified person, who would accept it. However, later I got to know, that she had refused to take it up. Then on the 21 March, during the Holi Hai Festival, which was held at the Sindhi Club, Husna the current DRR amp; one of our own Past Presidents announced that, I am the President Elect for 2009/10. On the 23 March, I see an email sent to the RCC group by Shameema congratulating me, for being selected as the President. Subsequently on the 17 April I get a call from President Shameema, officially wishing me for being Elected as the President (Well she was out of the country from the 19 March to the 16 April). For whom, who is wondering what the CPP is, it stands for the College of Past Presidents of the Rotaract Club of Colombo.

However, now that I was Elected as President of RCC and later I accepted the same, I will assume office from the 1 July 2009 and be Installed somewhere in early July this year as the Fortieth President of the Rotaract Club of Colombo. One thing I clearly know is that, looking at the standards set by current President Shameema and her team and the current status and the ranking RCC has, being the President of RCC is not a very easy job to do. Having being to coordinate a bunch of really busy and high profile professionals, a bunch of busy members at RCC and leading the club towards greater heights is indeed challenging and sometimes it even make me think, it is something impossible for me to do. Top of everything being Elected three months before assuming office brings you more pressure than ever. I am still in the process of getting-rid of the pressure and trying to finalize my team and to kick starting the planning process for my year in office.

Being Elected as the President, I am indeed privileged and proud to lead the pioneer Rotaract Club in the Rotary International District 3220, Sri Lanka in the up-coming Rotaract year. Well, to be honest, one day I wanted to be the President of RCC, but I never wanted it to happen so soon. Being relatively new and young to the club, I had only taken the responsibility of being the current Secretary. Well, I did co-chair the District Assembly on the 6 July held at Hotel Galadhari, where our own Past President Husna was installed as the District Rotaract Representative and also chaired few other small projects and one long term project (Back to School).

Ultimately what I wanted to say in this post was that, leadership is something everyone (at least the people who have the capability) should take, whenever and wherever you can, if you really believe and look forward to make things changed. However it will not come to you, unless you plan for it. Most of the youth activists and change makers I, meet are quite reluctant to take leadership. They think it is a burden and that’s not what they want to do, but I would say, if you want to see and make the change, then obviously you need to take leadership at every level you can, because ultimately people look up to great leaders and will not look up to the followers. At the end of the day the only thing this country needs is, nothing but great leaders.

‘Noah Feldman makes a searing case that both politics and religion, whatever their differences, are similar technologies, designed to efficiently connect and manage any group of people.’

As Islam becomes a more powerful cultural force throughout the world, Noah Feldman studies the ways that Islamic law intersects with Western-style democracy. A law professor at Harvard and a contributing editor at the New York Times Magazine, Feldman recently wrote a much-discussed think piece about how Shariah law might be made to work within the British court system. His nuanced argument lays out the rigorous roots of Shariah justice, and his conclusions have drawn admiration and criticism. But hersquo;s never less than fearlessly honest, as in another piece for the Times Magazine, where he exposes a troubling strain of anti-Muslim sentiment, both outspoken and implied, in modern Europe.

There is a blog set up to coordinate the relief sent to the Vanni and to post any information about Vanni or any other efforts to collect relief items to be distributed in the Vanni, please email; savevanni@gmail.com

Its election time again. This ticket has the power to send someone to the Provincial Council, but does it have to power to remove him/ her, if that person is not suitable is the question. It also happens if you think there is no one, who deserves to be elected to the council and it’s our general perception that just one vote doesn’t count at all. We think it is best not to vote and rather not even waste time going to the polling station to cancel your vote.

This is a completely wrong perception according to my view. If you say no to me, then answer my list of question; do you like the current state of affairs? Do you agree with whatever the current regime says? Do you believe in war? Are you following the war in the Northern part of Sri Lanka? Do you know that the so called ‘terrorist’ are also human fighting for their own cause? Do you know that how many people die of the war? Do you know that whoever dies of the war are human beings? Do you know that most of the media institutes are puppets? Do you know how many ministers (cabinet and non-cabinet) we have? Do you know that the government spends more than 1 million per minister per day? Do you know that there are people who live one day with just one dollar or less? Do you know that some people do not even have a roof to spend the night? Do you think there is justice in this country or the world for that matter? Do you know that you just have everything others do not have? Do you know that you are privileged? Do you know that, it’s always the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer?

So then why? Why? You just let people do what they want? You just let the regime do what they do? If you do not take the leadership to change things, your own children (the future) are at risk! Do you know that? I do not mean that everyone should go to the parliament to find solutions. No not all! But we need to make sure that we send the right people to the right place! Make sure that we run the country the way we want, but not the way the regime wants!

To do this you need to take every opportunity, every chance, and channel the right energy to the right place at the right time. Today I have a vote, but yet I do not know whom to vote! But that doesn’t mean that I should just stay at home thinking that, no point even going to the polling station to cancel it and not give it to any! Remember if you do not go, your vote might be cheated by someone else! We shall not let that happen and the only way to prevent it is to use your vote! Use your vote to elect the right guy! Just do not vote for someone just because someone else say, because your parents vote, because your girl/ boy friend say!

So my only message to everyone, to go to the polling station, use your vote to send the right person to the Provincial Council!

A view of the Bolgoda Lake Captured in Moratuwa on the 19 April during a personal get togther

The Fishing Industry in the Bolgoda Lake in the Moratuwa area captured on the 19 April

A young fisherman setting his boat out to the nets in the evening on the 19 April

]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:04:00 EDT http://icapyout.tigblog.org/post/644495 http://icapyout.tigblog.org/post/627877

Rotaractors of RI District 3220 gathers every month on the Poya holiday, at the Preethipura Home for people with disabilities to spend the evening with them. Different clubs take turns every month in organizing on behalf of the District Rotaract Organization.

Rotaractors spend time, speaking, having different fun sessions with songs and then joining them for tea. Between 50-70 Rotaractors participates in this project. This home located in Handela houses close to hundred individuals of ages between 5-60 and one of the few organizations in doing so.

Rotaractors thought that this would be a wonderful opportunity to organizing such visits once a month despite the contributions this organization gets from different local and international donors is mainly because small things like this matter a lot in changing lives of Rotaractors and the individuals in these institutions.

Picture depicts, two Rotaractors bringing an individual to the area where the others assemble.

You must be wondering, what the hell happened to me for the last three months not being able to write anything nor been able to comment on any social issue concerning Sri Lanka. Loads of reasons have led to this situation, but certainly it is not because that I fear the other parties who does not like people writing and expressing about the way things are done, but merely due to my personal commitments including regular travelling for official work, projects and assignments of IPM and the Open University and Beyond Borders and Rotaract work, which has not left any free time for me. Despite all those I am also maintaining another photo blog of the Rotaract Club of Colombo.

I am actually going through a whole cycle of change during these days and mostly because my current job as a CBR Liaison Officer for the Queens University Project in Sri Lanka ‘Governance of Social Care Centers in Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka Project’ funded by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and implemented by Queen’s University of Canada in close collaboration with the Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare (MSSSW) is coming to an end on the 31 March. So I am basically wrapping up the whole thing and travelling a quite a lot, drafting reports, getting things sorted, printing stuff, etc.

Despite all that I have decided to quit the sector for a million of reasons. I mean, I am planning to end my career in the Development sector. I know, lots of my close friends are almost shouting at me for doing so. However, I have a very strong justification why, I want to quit and now I have made the final decision today (15 March), but that does not mean that if I get an opportunity to join an organization type I am expecting, I will not join. I offered my services back to Sarvodaya and also the Foundation for Co-existence (FCE) and so far they have not said anything and I thought I will just move on.

When I made this decision in January one of my close friends called me and made a personal request to be in the sector and not quit. So I agreed with him under the condition that, if I do find an organization before the 15 March, I would agree to work with (considering its principles of existence), I would quit if that’s not the case.

So finally I am looking forward to work with the corporate sector starting the 1 April this year, and well the thing is that, I still don’t have a job as yet, but I am mainly looking at a Human Resource Background, Secretariat work or Administrative work. So far I have applied for about ten to fifteen potential organizations, but if you know a better place you would recommend please email me and tell me about it. However, all these changes in life does not mean that, I will quit the sector completely, but the only difference would be that I will not pursue the development sector as my career anymore, but will remain to be the same person, blogging, talking, acting and creating change in what I believe in and what I am passionate doing. The whole youth development and activism part will remain in me until I expire as a youth and even after.

I wish all the very best to Sri Lanka and let all the bloodshed, war, communal violence, state terror, media suppression, misguiding society and people, economic down turn, stock market crash, ever rising inflation, in-equity, inequality, unjust and all other issues move out and may prosperity bring about joy, happiness and hope back to this blessed nation.

- all the way from Bangkok

One of the most important and key issue for a variety of social and development issues and a killer factor in addressing these social and development issues such as HIV/ AIDS, disability, STDs, climate change, etc.

I have been thing of this for a long time and realized that different “change makers” and so called activists are trying to tackle these issues independently. If you take any issue like HIV/ AIDS, Climate Change, ethnic conflict or any other issue for that matter you could notice that we are fighting; with the governments to change policies; with people to change the way they think, express and act or visa-versa and most importantly those are common actions no matter what the issue is.

So the fact is that, if we are tackling the same issues, taking similar steps in bringing about change no matter what we are talking about, why can’t we do it all together? Mainstream? Crosscut? Or simply focus all energy through one direction? Won’t it work rather than trying to do things alone?

I am at the moment sitting in a conference on Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) and Disability in Bangkok and continue to hear that the speakers are emphasizing the importance of addressing the need for change in attitudes of people in terms of recognizing every one of them as a part of our community and giving equal opportunities in community.

Why aren’t we understanding the need of working together? Or is it all a setting by the multi-nationals and other Non Governmental and International Non Governmental and or the UN and its bodies working on different issues and not letting this happen? Or I am the culprit here and don’t understand what is happening around?

Most of us are privileged people. We have access to all most all the resources we need; safe food; safe water; clothing; health facilities; financial security, etc. we have all sorts of comforts we need. Is that why we don’t see and understand what others don’t have and they need? Or is it that we know that they don’t have and they need them like we do, but we don’t care for them?

I remember one of my colleagues telling me of what he heard from a friend of his; “none of the persons with visual impairments in Colombo have met with a single road accident”. Well it is a fact! So all the people who meet with accidents are just people like you and me, who are not people with disabilities. Anyways any of us can become disabled any moment, anywhere and anytime.

It’s all up to you guys; every one lobbying for different social and development issues; if we don’t work together and stand up together neither of us will be able to achieve what we intend to or change the attitudes of the people nor we will be able to change the situations in the larger picture we are talking about. So let’s act now before it’s too late.

“now more than ever”

Editorial by Lasantha Wickrematunge – written by him to be published after his death (published on the Sunday Leader on the 11 January)

No other profession calls on its practitioners to lay down their lives for their art save the armed forces and, in Sri Lanka, journalism. In the course of the past few years, the independent media have increasingly come under attack. Electronic and print-media institutions have been burnt, bombed, sealed and coerced. Countless journalists have been harassed, threatened and killed. It has been my honour to belong to all those categories and now especially the last.

I have been in the business of journalism a good long time. Indeed, 2009 will be The Sunday Leaderrsquo;s 15th year. Many things have changed in Sri Lanka during that time, and it does not need me to tell you that the greater part of that change has been for the worse. We find ourselves in the midst of a civil war ruthlessly prosecuted by protagonists whose bloodlust knows no bounds. Terror, whether perpetrated by terrorists or the state, has become the order of the day. Indeed, murder has become the primary tool whereby the state seeks to control the organs of liberty. Today it is the journalists, tomorrow it will be the judges. For neither group have the risks ever been higher or the stakes lower.

Why then do we do it? I often wonder that. After all, I too am a husband, and the father of three wonderful children. I too have responsibilities and obligations that transcend my profession, be it the law or journalism. Is it worth the risk? Many people tell me it is not. Friends tell me to revert to the bar, and goodness knows it offers a better and safer livelihood. Others, including political leaders on both sides, have at various times sought to induce me to take to politics, going so far as to offer me ministries of my choice. Diplomats, recognising the risk journalists face in Sri Lanka, have offered me safe passage and the right of residence in their countries. Whatever else I may have been stuck for, I have not been stuck for choice.

But there is a calling that is yet above high office, fame, lucre and security. It is the call of conscience.

The Sunday Leader has been a controversial newspaper because we say it like we see it: whether it be a spade, a thief or a murderer, we call it by that name. We do not hide behind euphemism. The investigative articles we print are supported by documentary evidence thanks to the public-spiritedness of citizens who at great risk to themselves pass on this material to us. We have exposed scandal after scandal, and never once in these 15 years has anyone proved us wrong or successfully prosecuted us.

The free media serve as a mirror in which the public can see itself sans mascara and styling gel. From us you learn the state of your nation, and especially its management by the people you elected to give your children a better future. Sometimes the image you see in that mirror is not a pleasant one. But while you may grumble in the privacy of your armchair, the journalists who hold the mirror up to you do so publicly and at great risk to themselves. That is our calling, and we do not shirk it.

Every newspaper has its angle, and we do not hide the fact that we have ours. Our commitment is to see Sri Lanka as a transparent, secular, liberal democracy. Think about those words, for they each has profound meaning. Transparent because government must be openly accountable to the people and never abuse their trust. Secular because in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society such as ours, secularism offers the only common ground by which we might all be united. Liberal because we recognise that all human beings are created different, and we need to accept others for what they are and not what we would like them to be. And democratichellip; well, if you need me to explain why that is important, yoursquo;d best stop buying this paper.

The Sunday Leader has never sought safety by unquestioningly articulating the majority view. Letrsquo;s face it that is the way to sell newspapers. On the contrary, as our opinion pieces over the years amply demonstrate, we often voice ideas that many people find distasteful. For example, we have consistently espoused the view that while separatist terrorism must be eradicated, it is more important to address the root causes of terrorism, and urged government to view Sri Lankarsquo;s ethnic strife in the context of history and not through the telescope of terrorism. We have also agitated against state terrorism in the so-called war against terror, and made no secret of our horror that Sri Lanka is the only country in the world routinely to bomb its own citizens. For these views we have been labeled traitors, and if this be treachery, we wear that label proudly.

Many people suspect that The Sunday Leader has a political agenda: it does not. If we appear more critical of the government than of the opposition it is only because we believe that - pray excuse cricketing argot - there is no point in bowling to the fielding side. Remember that for the few years of our existence in which the UNP was in office, we proved to be the biggest thorn in its flesh, exposing excess and corruption wherever it occurred. Indeed, the steady stream of embarrassing exposrsquo;s we published may well have served to precipitate the downfall of that government.

Neither should our distaste for the war be interpreted to mean that we support the Tigers. The LTTE are among the most ruthless and bloodthirsty organisations ever to have infested the planet. There is no gainsaying that it must be eradicated. But to do so by violating the rights of Tamil citizens, bombing and shooting them mercilessly, is not only wrong but shames the Sinhalese, whose claim to be custodians of the dhamma is forever called into question by this savagery, much of which is unknown to the public because of censorship.

What is more, a military occupation of the countryrsquo;s north and east will require the Tamil people of those regions to live eternally as second-class citizens, deprived of all self respect. Do not imagine that you can placate them by showering ldquo;developmentrdquo; and ldquo;reconstructionrdquo; on them in the post-war era. The wounds of war will scar them forever, and you will also have an even more bitter and hateful Diaspora to contend with. A problem amenable to a political solution will thus become a festering wound that will yield strife for all eternity. If I seem angry and frustrated, it is only because most of my countrymen - and all of the government - cannot see this writing so plainly on the wall.

It is well known that I was on two occasions brutally assaulted, while on another my house was sprayed with machine-gun fire. Despite the governmentrsquo;s sanctimonious assurances, there was never a serious police inquiry into the perpetrators of these attacks, and the attackers were never apprehended. In all these cases, I have reason to believe the attacks were inspired by the government. When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me.

The irony in this is that, unknown to most of the public, Mahinda and I have been friends for more than a quarter century. Indeed, I suspect that I am one of the few people remaining who routinely addresses him by his first name and uses the familiar Sinhala address “oya” when talking to him. Although I do not attend the meetings he periodically holds for newspaper editors, hardly a month passes when we do not meet, privately or with a few close friends present, late at night at Presidentrsquo;s House. There we swap yarns, discuss politics and joke about the good old days. A few remarks to him would therefore be in order here.

Mahinda, when you finally fought your way to the SLFP presidential nomination in 2005, nowhere were you welcomed more warmly than in this column. Indeed, we broke with a decade of tradition by referring to you throughout by your first name. So well known were your commitments to human rights and liberal values that we ushered you in like a breath of fresh air. Then, through an act of folly, you got yourself involved in the Helping Hambantota scandal. It was after a lot of soul-searching that we broke the story, at the same time urging you to return the money. By the time you did so several weeks later, a great blow had been struck to your reputation. It is one you are still trying to live down.

You have told me yourself that you were not greedy for the presidency. You did not have to hanker after it: it fell into your lap. You have told me that your sons are your greatest joy, and that you love spending time with them, leaving your brothers to operate the machinery of state. Now, it is clear to all who will see that that machinery has operated so well that my sons and daughter do not themselves have a father.

In the wake of my death I know you will make all the usual sanctimonious noises and call upon the police to hold a swift and thorough inquiry. But like all the inquiries you have ordered in the past, nothing will come of this one, too. For truth be told, we both know who will be behind my death, but dare not call his name. Not just my life, but yours too, depends on it.

Sadly, for all the dreams you had for our country in your younger days, in just three years you have reduced it to rubble. In the name of patriotism you have trampled on human rights, nurtured unbridled corruption and squandered public money like no other President before you. Indeed, your conduct has been like a small child suddenly let loose in a toyshop. That analogy is perhaps inapt because no child could have caused so much blood to be spilled on this land as you have, or trampled on the rights of its citizens as you do. Although you are now so drunk with power that you cannot see it, you will come to regret your sons having so rich an inheritance of blood. It can only bring tragedy. As for me, it is with a clear conscience that I go to meet my Maker. I wish, when your time finally comes, you could do the same. I wish.

As for me, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I walked tall and bowed to no man. And I have not travelled this journey alone. Fellow journalists in other branches of the media walked with me: most of them are now dead, imprisoned without trial or exiled in far-off lands. Others walk in the shadow of death that your Presidency has cast on the freedoms for which you once fought so hard. You will never be allowed to forget that my death took place under your watch. As anguished as I know you will be, I also know that you will have no choice but to protect my killers: you will see to it that the guilty one is never convicted. You have no choice. I feel sorry for you, and Shiranthi will have a long time to spend on her knees when next she goes for Confession for it is not just her owns sins which she must confess, but those of her extended family that keeps you in office.

As for the readers of The Sunday Leader, what can I say but Thank You for supporting our mission. We have espoused unpopular causes, stood up for those too feeble to stand up for themselves, locked horns with the high and mighty so swollen with power that they have forgotten their roots, exposed corruption and the waste of your hard-earned tax rupees, and made sure that whatever the propaganda of the day, you were allowed to hear a contrary view. For this I - and my family - have now paid the price that I have long known I will one day have to pay. I am - and have always been - ready for that. I have done nothing to prevent this outcome: no security, no precautions. I want my murderer to know that I am not a coward like he is, hiding behind human shields while condemning thousands of innocents to death. What am I among so many? It has long been written that my life would be taken, and by whom. All that remains to be written is when.

That The Sunday Leader will continue fighting the good fight, too, is written. For I did not fight this fight alone. Many more of us have to be - and will be - killed before The Leader is laid to rest. I hope my assassination will be seen not as a defeat of freedom but an inspiration for those who survive to step up their efforts. Indeed, I hope that it will help galvanise forces that will usher in a new era of human liberty in our beloved motherland. I also hope it will open the eyes of your President to the fact that however many are slaughtered in the name of patriotism, the human spirit will endure and flourish. Not all the Rajapakses combined can kill that.

People often ask me why I take such risks and tell me it is a matter of time before I am bumped off. Of course I know that: it is inevitable. But if we do not speak out now, there will be no one left to speak for those who cannot, whether they be ethnic minorities, the disadvantaged or the persecuted. An example that has inspired me throughout my career in journalism has been that of the German theologian, Martin Niemrdquo;ller. In his youth he was an anti-Semite and an admirer of Hitler. As Nazism took hold in Germany, however, he saw Nazism for what it was: it was not just the Jews Hitler sought to extirpate, it was just about anyone with an alternate point of view. Niemrdquo;ller spoke out, and for his trouble was incarcerated in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps from 1937 to 1945, and very nearly executed. While incarcerated, Niemrdquo;ller wrote a poem that, from the first time I read it in my teenage years, stuck hauntingly in my mind:

First they came for the Jews;

and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists;

and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists;

and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me;

and there was no one left to speak out for me.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: The Leader is there for you, be you Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, low-caste, homosexual, dissident or disabled. Its staff will fight on, unbowed and unafraid, with the courage to which you have become accustomed. Do not take that commitment for granted. Let there be no doubt that whatever sacrifices we journalists make, they are not made for our own glory or enrichment: they are made for you. Whether you deserve their sacrifice is another matter. As for me, God knows I tried. 

- Lasantha Wickrematunge

===============

9th ICAAP Invitation

===============

On behalf of the local organizing committee and our Indonesian and international partners, we would like to invite you to join us for the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP 9), to be held in Bali, Indonesia from 9-13 August 2009.

The Congress Theme is Empowering People, Strengthening Networks. It wishes to bring people from various backgrounds in Asia and the Pacific region to meet and share knowledge, skills, ideas, research findings related to HIV and AIDS. This is also be an opportunity for people to provide mutual support and make stronger commitments in their fight towards the epidemic.

For more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP website

============

REGISTRATION

We encourage online registration through the congress website  

Deadline for Early Bird Registration: Saturday, 28 February 2009

Deadline for Regular Registration: Sunday, 31 May 2009

Late Registration Charge applies: 1 June 2009

Deadline for Media Registration: Tuesday, 30 June 2009

For online registration and more information, please visit the 9^th ICAAP website

============

CALL FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

We encourage online submission through the congress website

Deadline for Online Abstract Submission: Sunday, 15 March 2009

Late breaker Abstract Submission: Monday, 1 June 2009 – Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Congress Tracks (Scientific-Studies/ Experience-based)

Track A: Understanding the Epidemic and Strengthening Prevention Efforts

Track B: Strengthening Partnership for Treatment, Care, and Support

Track C: AIDS in Context: Understanding and Addressing Socio-Cultural,

Economic and Political Determinants

Track D: Leadership and Broadening the Response

For online submission and more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP website

============

CALL FOR SKILLS BUILDING PROPOSAL

We encourage online submission through the congress website

Deadline for Online Proposal Submission: Sunday, 15 March 2009

Skills Building tracks:

 1. Leadership skills.

 2. Organizational development and management.

 3. Empowering infected and affected people to improve their quality of life.

 4. Strategy and education skills on HIV prevention, care and supports.

 5. Resource mobilisations skills.

For online submission and more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP website

============

CALL FOR CULTURAL PERFORMANCE PROPOSAL

We encourage online submission through the congress website

Deadline for Online Proposal Submission: Sunday, 15 March 2009

For online submission and more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP website

============

CALL FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

We encourage online submission through the congress website

Deadline for Scholarship Application: Thursday, 30 April 2009

Scholarship Category:

1. Community Scholarships

2. Scientific Scholarships (for healthcare professionals, researchers, and/or graduate students)

3. Media Scholarships

4. Youth Scholarships

For online submission and more information, please visit the 9th ICAAP website

============

SEE YOU IN BALI!

9th ICAAP Secretariat:

Menara Eksekutif 8th Floor

Jalan MH Thamrin Kav. 9, Jakarta 10330

INDONESIA

Phone: +62 21 39838845/46

Fax: +62 21 39838847

Website: http://www.icaap9.org

Email. secretariat@icaap9.org