Despite Sri Lanka’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, there has been a surreptitious move by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa to misappropriate an entire stock of blood ivory seized by the Sri Lanka Customs, the Colombo Telegraph can exclusively reveal with the documentary evidence today.
On 19th December 2012, on the orders of the President Rajapaksa, the Director General of Customs was directed by the Presidential Secretariat to hand over the entire stock of blood ivory to the Presidential Secretariat to be utilize them for a ‘magnanimous trust work’ launched by the Presidential Secretariat and the DGC Jagath Wijeweera directed the Additional Director General (Enforceemnt) to ‘attend soon’ to the President’s directive.
Any ivory seized shall be destroyed
Despite an international ban adopted in 1989, the global ivory trade seems flourishing. And according to the statistics published by the National Geographic Magazine, last year alone over 25,000 elephants have been killed mainly in Africa to satisfy the human greed for blood ivory, resulting Africa’s elephant population and range dramatically shrinking. And in 2011 poaching hit the highest levels with the greatest impact in the central Africa region.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was adopted in 1973 to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species and Sri Lanka is a party to it since 1979. This convention requires that any ivory seized shall be destroyed. This is to show the world that there is zero tolerance of illegal trade of blood ivory worldwide. And the Philippines Government in keeping with its obligation under the CITES have taken measures to destroy over 5 metric tons of blood ivory seized by the Philippine authorities, with an estimated street value of over $10million, in support of the global effort to end the illegal trade of wild life species. The ivory will be crushed using a road roller and burnt in the presence of foreign experts and anti-ivory trade advocates on 21st of June 2013.
In June 2012 Sri Lanka Customs seized 1.5 metric tons of ivory smuggled out from Kenya when the shipment was in transit in the port of Colombo destined to China via Dubai. The said seizure was made following a tip-off from the World Customs Organization’s Regional Liaison Office for Asia and Pacific Region (RILO-A/P) based in Seoul, South Korea.
Rajapaksa regime swindles the CITES
Despite its obligations under CITES, there has been a surreptitious move by the Presidential Secretariat to misappropriate the entire stock of blood ivory seized by the Customs and on 19th December 2012, on the orders of the President Rajapaksa, the Director General of Customs was directed by the Presidential Secretariat to hand over the entire stock of blood ivory to the Presidential Secretariat to be utilize them for a ‘magnanimous trust work’ launched by the Presidential Secretariat and the DGC Jagath Wijeweera directed the Additional Director General (Enforceemnt) to ‘attend soon’ to the President’s directive.
Blood ivory seized by the Customs
Blood ivory seized by the Customs
However, sensing that higher ups in the echelons of power were up to a racket to lay their hands on the entire stock of ivory seized by the Customs, some print media accused the government of violating its international obligations under CITES. This was followed by a query by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the state agency of Kenya protecting its wildlife. Based on the press reports that the ivory is to be released, the KWS queried from Government of Sri Lanka about the impending act. With these developments the government immediately backtracked from its move pretending that there was no truth in the accusations leveled against the government.
Gross denial of the government wrongdoing at CITES conference
In the meanwhile the CITES Bangkok conference was scheduled from 10th to 12th March 2013. And the topic for discussion was on Wildlife Crime with special reference to Securing Enforcement, Ensuring Justice and Upholding the Rule of Law. At this conference, the government of Sri Lanka was represented by Justice Rohini Marasinghe of the Court of Appeal (now appointed to the Supreme Court).
Justice Rohini Marasinghe
The fate of the haul of ivory seized by Sri Lanka Customs was a hot topic in the summit and international criticism was launched by Dr. Kala K Mulqeeny, the National Advisory Councilor at World Wildlife Fund (WWF – the leading international body in wildlife conservation and endangered species), against the government’s alleged move to misappropriate the entire haul of blood ivory against the laid down procedure of disposal of seized ivory regulated by the CITES. Justice Rohini Marasinghe vehemently rejected the accusation, saying that they were baseless and unfounded. When a similar accusation was leveled against the government by the Leader of Opposition on 21st of February 2013, in Parliament, the government spokesman too made similar statement that there was no attempt whatsoever, made by the Presidential Secretariat to misappropriate the blood ivory violating its international obligations under CITES.
This is just another example of Sri Lankan government’s routinely adopted deceptive policy, whenever its deplorable and untoward actions were challenged in whatever forum, whether internationally or locally of which the people of this country is tired of, but forced to keep silence in fear of repression.
At least now following the example set by the government of Philippines which announced yesterday that it would destroy 5 tons of seized ivory under international supervision, the Government of Sri Lanka should admit the wrongful attempts made to misappropriate the priceless blood ivory and to initiate immediate steps to destroy the entire stock of 1.5 metric tons of ivory under international supervision, sending at least a late message to the world community that the government of Sri Lanka too is against the illegal trade of ivory and the merciless massacre of elephants.
Sarandeebiyy / June 14, 2013
How can burning forfeited tusks be the answer to the wanton killing of elephants? By doing so, all the elephants killed for those tusks died in vain, surely? Would it not have been better to flood the market with those tusks, so that the demand would go down?
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Goraka / June 14, 2013
If we flood the market with ivory, elephant pop. will be completely wiped out. Bad idea!
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Katmai / June 17, 2013
Here’s a better question; when someone is as dumb as Sarandeebiyy, is it even any use trying to use reason and logic with them?
What is worse, insulting a pseudonym, but speaking the truth or pretending the bugger is not stupid and waste your efforts on a useless undertaking?
Later we can forget about the ivory and talk about the real issue here. Your President, Leader of Your People, the guy who you’ve chosen to represent your country, the individual who makes your life decisions, one who has the finger in the honey pot, is a lying, cheating, thief! Somehow, your people manage to miss that too, don’t they? And the “intellectuals” at CT are pulling their hair out trying to figure out what is wrong with the damned place; hah!
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Amarasiri / June 14, 2013
Distributing to Temples,
Did The Buddha want elephants to be killed legally or illegally and he tusks to be put in Buddhist Temples? NO.
What Maras and other clowns practice is not Buddhism.
It is called Maraism.
Other Mara Followers are BBS, JHU, Harakas, other Racists who hide under the enlightened Buddha.
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Suq Madique / June 14, 2013
WOuldn’t it would be sacrilegious to corrupt the premises Dalada Maligawa with this blood ivory?
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Katmai / June 17, 2013
Exactly! Instead of being jealous at the Muslims for doing what they do well, why ain’t the “true Buddhist” angry with those who are tarnishing their own religion?
This just came to mind: Once upon a time a man was searching for “true Buddhism” and after traveling to Indian and many other countries arrive in Sri Lanka…
Oh yeah. Never mind about my first thoughts; carry on as you did. There is no hope for you!
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dammi / June 15, 2013
Yes they are all insulting Buddhism
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Tsunami Hora / June 15, 2013
Where is that rogue LEELA?
The racist loser!
Is this what the rathana’s champika’s omalpe’s indrarathna’s Buddhism?
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Poosa / June 15, 2013
She is still at United Motors re-boring her hole, but this time though the tip of the tool got broken due to her “overuse” and “toughness”! She will be back soon, dangling the carrot hole!
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David Blacker / June 14, 2013
Sarandeebiyy, those elephants have died in vain anyway, regardless of what is done with the tusks. When illegal drugs such as marijuana and cocaine are seized, why are they destroyed? Illegal items must be destroyed because their existence is illegal.
If we give out the message that sized stocks may be put to use by those who do the confiscating, that will lead to absolute corruption of the system.
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Appubaba / June 14, 2013
This should have been the case- what kind of JUDGE she should be not to have studied the issue well before asking them to distribute to after all to the temples in this manner ????????????????????????
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capucine / June 15, 2013
In this world every woman who spreads her thighs go up in life
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Navin / May 26, 2015
She was prostituting her position and status to gain favour with her Lord and Master. Not because she did not study the issue.
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Appubaba / June 14, 2013
Actually, you are very right saying those marjuvana and the other drugs that have been seized should then be handed over to drug addicts and perhaps those dealers like newly set free Duminda and Waragoda murder killer -Mervin… This is the rule of law in banana republic – OMG :(
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Appubaba / June 15, 2013
What kind of academic background has the particular judge ? Yes understand – connections are above the qualifications :)
We can understand that the President has not capabilities to see beyond his power greedy mentality (this he proved many a times so far; impeachment process against CJ, Dr SB and getting passed the 18th AMD), but one would not become a judge within few months, she should have got years long experience having made decisions for similar issues.
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Namalie Rajapaksa / June 15, 2013
Mr.Blocker is talking sense for once. Strange that Mr.Blocker hasn’t realised that the system is already corrupt with his [Edited out] the Rajapaksas’ the most corrupt of them all.
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David Blacker / June 17, 2013
Ms Pukapassa is reading English for once. Strange that though Ms Pukapassa reads English, she cannot understand it.
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Aney Apochchi! / June 14, 2013
Sarandeebiyy:
You must have attended the same school as our Majesty!
You are one of the reasons that a policy against idiotic venality MUST be instituted by those controlling the content of CT.
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ahmad / June 14, 2013
Steeling is wrong and so is possession of stolen goods. Only option is to return to rightful owner.
Same principle applies here.
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Encephalitis / June 15, 2013
The orginasl owners were the poor dead elephants. Next in line the rightful owners were the African poachers. The third were the Customs officers or the World Customs Authority who tipped them.
Mmmmmmmm…. who’s next….
Gotcha….
Funeral Directors…
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Sama / June 14, 2013
In the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and other european countries, they burn millon – value pharmaceuticals, food stuffs to maintain their policies. These all they carry out to respect the laws and pacts they have signed one another.. or within EU. They could also better use them – with the increase of poverty in some EU member countries. But they stick to their principles. Consequence is rule of law is implemented. But lanken judges with the support of the political leadership in the country not to follow the the principles of developed nations is not at all acceptable, if the rulers would ever want to bring prosper to this country. Sticking to rigorous laws and pacts are mandatory, if the nation should see progress in any areas. This man is born to destruct the nation is – it is simply a curse to our nation.
Now people would slowly realize – that CBK was thousand times better than the current killing minded/pietyless leader MR.
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Pradeep / June 23, 2013
Sama says:
“..Now people would slowly realize – that CBK was thousand times better than the current killing minded/pietyless leader MR..”
CBK again! OMG! That bloody bitch who was responsible for destroying UNP government and causing this untold destruction on the country and its people, are you nuts?
The root cause for the despicable situation in the country is SLFP, Sinhala racism and Buddhism! If the people of this country want to raise their head as civilized nation they should get rid of these three detestable attachments and patronage of same.
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Jaya / June 23, 2013
I would not put it to that level accusing her for all disasters that the nation faced today.
Erosion of UNP has lot to do with them the members of that party rather than putting the ENTIRE blame on others. Even today, they would not react adequately in many issues but stay dead silent whether it be small or grave issues. No hearted enough to protest radically against any kind of rulers inappropriate actions.
Mervin, Duminda and several other ministers should have to be in jails by today – if able opposition were in the parliament.
At the time, people are divided about the recent verdicts given to the key accused of Baratha murder case – it is the responsibility of opposition to raise the question, that this kind of verdicts need reexaminiations, whether health medical reports shown to the nation were truthful. If found guilty, those lawyers and treating doctors should equally be punished for violating their approbation related laws. Latter is just an example of hundreds of worst cases. As one of the retired judge pointed out lately, it is not difficult to reinforce rule of law if the state has an able chief justice. There, he dared to say if a judge is proved to have taken bribe should be punished adequtely. Today, we have no functional minsters in Justice and defence areas. That is the root cause for all the menace that the people face today.
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Pradeep / June 23, 2013
Jaya,
Your putting it to that level or poking your finger in your manhole his not relevant here. What is relevant is that bloody bitch dissolved UNP government, destroyed all that was being done by UNP to rebuild the country and paved the way for today’s destruction perpetrated by your own Rajapakshas. After destroying the UNP government and doing all what was said, you bloody buffalo is writing chaoka baila about erosion of UNP bla bla bla. It is bloody buffalos like you who are responsible for this mess and not UNP or its members. I saw Sarath Nanda Silva, that gon haraka who legalized political frog leaping and thus was responsible for all this in a major way, preaching Buddhist bana in TNL channel-a political butcher representing and interpreting Buddha’s doctrine! Such is the pathetic swamp you are lying in.
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JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / June 15, 2013
Sarandeebiy;
WHEN YOU DIE, NOBODY WILL SAY IN VAIN .
BETTER COMIT SUISIDE LIKE INDRARATNE MONK.
[ NOT VENERABLE]
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Sumadha perera / June 16, 2013
Can you tell me something that demand have going down,today moor You give thy wont moor and moor you cannot satisfying this human race.we should burne that all ivories,
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Rod Atkins / June 19, 2013
YEs You are correct … flourish to the market straight…
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AJ / June 22, 2013
Are you serious? or just dumb?
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Memona kolamakda / June 14, 2013
The problem is Srilanka ruling party has no proper opposition. The opposition can ask the government to account for the 359 pieces of tusks.
It is very doubtful , The BIG BOYS would have sold it to the Mafia.
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A Man in a Guy Fawkes Mask / June 14, 2013
“When a similar accusation was leveled against the government by the Leader of Opposition on 21st of February 2013, in Parliament, the government spokesman too made similar statement that there was no attempt whatsoever, made by the Presidential Secretariat to misappropriate the blood ivory violating its international obligations under CITES”….the above was a direct quote taken from this very same article. Please read it carefully before making baseless allegations. The problem is not that Sri Lanka having a weak opposition, but a corrupted government !! Accept it. Stop blaming the opposition and start blaming the government. Be an example to the so called weak opposition.
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Poosa / June 15, 2013
The problem with SL is not a weak opposition but fools like Memona kolamakda who are incapable of reading through a sentence of 10 words. Their parents must have used Ganja when they were bearing these mutts in the womb, hence this stupidity!
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Jaya / June 18, 2013
If a cancer is spread all over the body to metastatic states, there will be no cure.. so the today´s political messie syndrome that we are facing is similarly to metastatic cancer states.
Improvement of a society is a long process but according to a system. We dont have systems in SL.. if one would introduce them, the other would only criticise or try all his way to go against – not adding any options. Broad based discussions are a big lack in our society. EU and other develped countries do bring all kind of reforms to their prevailing laws and orders. That is a living process in such societies. But in poor countries as ours need more time to get passed any effective amds. These kinds of gaps in our society compared to westerners are really high. So long politicians together with professionals ignore fundermental issues in our countries, nothing can change. Just introducing few more roads, or incomplete airports, parks or anything cant bring us forward, if we would not realize the real wound is somehwere else.
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Katmai / June 17, 2013
Teach propaganda to these numb-nuts at SLFP night classes must be like trying to teach turkeys to talk.
They have no idea how to throw around their talking points, do they? Imagine how dumb the rest of the people who bought into this are.
I’m telling you, there is more than one species in the group that we identify as homosapien. I’ve seen worms with more brain that this.
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Silva / June 23, 2013
“..Teach propaganda to these numb-nuts at SLFP night classes must be like trying to teach turkeys to talk.
They have no idea how to throw around their talking points, do they? Imagine how dumb the rest of the people who bought into this are.
I’m telling you, there is more than one species in the group that we identify as homosapien. I’ve seen worms with more brain that this..”
Exactly! They are more homosexual than homosapien! May be homo-asexual too! I think Sinhalese have developed a degenerative contagious conditioning in their collective consciousness. You see, this utter stupidity, bluntness, submissiveness, gullibility, retard and defeated attitudes are all indications of an adverse collective mental mutation as a nation. The stupid Sinhalese Buddhist monks are preaching all sorts of illogical lies as Buddhism and all these gullible Sinhalese are following, complying with and believing them without any question being asked. For example the monk advocates and practices all kinds of primitive tribal practices of Bodipuja, flower puja, Buduguna gayana, dansal and various loudspeaker dhamma preaching as true Buddhism. A space constrained desolated temple thoughtlessly build in the middle of a crowded village is paid a visit by a handful of so called Buddhists on a poya day while the monk starts his CD recorded digital bana in the early hours of the day even before the sun rises disturbing the peace of mind of the household and silence of the morning. The stupid monk and the stupid Buddhists who go to temple think the entirety of villagers who do not attend the temple and stay at home must listen to what the stupid monk and the temple and ignorance happy stupid Buddhists think their version of Buddhism. What connection does all that have to real religious pursuit? How does offering flowers to a pile of earth imagined to be a prototype of Buddha grants them any knowledge into what Buddha may have said on man’s emancipation from sorrow? This fundamental flow in the collective culture of the Sinhalese Buddhists is the cause of all their bizarre, foolish, funny and mongol existence infested with hate, jealousy, antagonism, corruption, racism, idiocy and vanity. This funny judge who has been professionally trained and experienced for years on judicial procedures, norms and ethics, scientific and logical judgments has betrayed all her training wisdom and self-respect and given the weakest foolish and suspicious account at an international venue purely in observance of that despicable Sinhalese stupidity and mararized corruption! Elsewhere a teacher made to kneel down in front of a whole school, threatened with assault with a club, made to beg for pardon and mercy from a discipline violating school girl, the daughter of an uncouth provincial politician aligned to the ruling family ultimately summarized the entirety of her ordeal, the assault on the education and the value system of the nation in these words which she uttered in front of the cameras and microphones of a mararized media: “..kiyana de karana, karana de kiyana Janadhipathithuma..!!!!” (the President who does what he says and who says what he does). Everybody in the whole world knows what the rogue President of Sri Lanka does and does not do, says and does not say-he practices everything corrupt in the book but what is correct, legal and moral; utters every fallacy but truth! And the slogans and placards in the subsequent protest dramas against the incident read and uttered: “..Athigaru Janadhipathi Thumagen illanne mewage mara pudgalayo deshapalanayata evanna epa kiyala, danwath meka nawattanna, apita hari amarui..” (Hon. President, please do not send this type of thugs into politics, stop this at least now, we have reached the end of the hopes now…!” This is the abysmal proportion of moral and integrity erosion the entire nation has plunged in to. The entire nation is asking for justice, recompense and punishment from the culprit himself! Hilarious!!! Rajapakshas and their familial rule are the ultimate fruition of a whole nation whose conscience has been betrayed and compromised by its very heirs and bearers. How can this situation be arrested, reversed, corrected and sanity reinstated?
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Navin / May 26, 2015
It may after all be true that half the Sinhala genes come from the animal kingdom – altho lion is king, it is still an animal.
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Ahmed / June 14, 2013
The poor elephants were killed so that their tusks can be displayed in dalada maligawa and other Buddhist temples? What a double standard!!
So the cow is the only largest animal known to these stupid morons?
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Buttress Barney / June 14, 2013
Barney Raymonds have a pair for funeral show.
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / June 14, 2013
Yes I’m sure those poachers killed those elephants with the intention of having their ivory confiscated by Sri Lanka and then sent to temples. You were calling some people morons? :-)
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JimSofty / June 14, 2013
A muslims is crying out loud for eleophants.
Muslims only allow animals to bleed to death, then they eat the dead carcass.
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Sharia Boy / June 14, 2013
With all due respect to Gauthama Buddha today’s so called Buddhist worship the carcass. tooth, hair , bones, etc..
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Ahmed / June 14, 2013
The only way to give respect to Lord Buddha is to practice what he preached.
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Jayantha / June 15, 2013
Leave alone the Tooth, and bones I don’t understand where and how they found Lord Buddha Hair from.
Did Lord Buddha grew hair during the latter part of his life and gave it to somebody to preserve it or somebody cut it before Lord Buddha was cremated….or Lord Buddha did not shave his head at all.
Now his hair is been displayed more than three countries…..and how those countries got access to his hair.
If Lord Buddha did not mention to shave his followers hair then why do present day monks shave their heads. Does it mentioned in their history books or Mahawamsa that at what moment Lord Buddha decided to shave his head and instructed his followers to do so.
If anybody could answer above will be appreciated.
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Namalie Rajapaksa / June 15, 2013
@Jayantha
Maybe it was pubic hair? Only a DNA test will reveal the truth.
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Poosa / June 15, 2013
They are displaying worshipping the hair from the nutbags of organizing monks. If you want to arrange another display of sacred hair I can arrange to supply you with some from my nutbag!
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malli / June 17, 2013
Yes- Lord Buddha’s hair is a mystery. A few years back there was a controversy about the tooth also. What is exhibited now is supposed to be a larger than the normal tooth and it is a fake one. I do not know how far this story is true. Good if someone who knows ” real Buddhism” tells us. As Buddhists it is good to know how they found the tooth and history as to how it came.
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Katmai / June 17, 2013
And don’t forget that the “so-called-Buddhists of Sri Lanka” are among the few in the world who still worship trees and stones too.
JimSofty, when you people eat meat are the animals still alive? What a hypocrite!
“Intelligent Buddhists”, who are a rare find, understand that Lord Buddha and Buddhism are a separate thing from temples and monks. Monks with their temples have perverted Buddhism so much that I am surprised Buddhists are not upset about the desecration of their religion in this way. Sri Lanka is a prime example of how the gentlest religion of them all can be used by a group of thugs to marshal people for their power trip.
They prevent anybody from saying anything disparaging about their perverted practice of the religion on TV or papers and then delude themselves into thinking that they are best religious group in the world. Ostriches only stick their heads in the sand. You people, on the other hand, have something smelly stuck on your nose.
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Rod Atkins / June 19, 2013
Budhism is a problem here, 40,000 women being sexed by Lord Buddah, then he ran away to Jungel and preached a compleate satanic verses. read the mahawansa, you will know all in detail of Satanism. very dangerous to the world, Hitler, Carl Marx, Stalin, advocated by Helena Balwasky and Henry Olcott the demon believers as they say something out and doing different inside.. Look Monks.. they do all sort of Bad things to young monks in the temple, but mothers say its a Right of Senior monks to have sex with young monks… so this Killing of Elephants also same story, as the Temple needs it rather than burning it.
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Silva / June 23, 2013
And that 40000 included your mother too!
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Pampori / June 14, 2013
Why do these justice species always wear a flipped diaper?
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Katmai / June 17, 2013
They think they look intelligent that way.
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Mahela / June 18, 2013
Also they think they could fear people. Fearmongers like Goni Billas. Infact they should carry the Sword and scale.
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Pandu / June 23, 2013
Diaper is usually worn to facilitate discrete urination or defecation especially for babies. May be after becoming judges their asses shift location!
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / June 14, 2013
Which article in CITES says seized ivory must be destroyed? The linked article quite clearly explains the Philippines is actually destroying the ivory (not all of it, I might add) to raise awareness, not because it has to in order to meet ‘international obligations’.
Unless there’s evidence to show MaRa and Co pocketed the tusks instead of distributing them to temples as they said they would this seems to be a lot of noise about nothing.
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Fair N Square / June 15, 2013
HOW ON EARTH can the Tusks be seized by the SL customs and be USED IN SL? This consignment was NOT intended for SL, it was TRANS-SHIPPED through SL… Here SL flouted maritime laws. All they should have done is warn the destination country and not flout International Shipping laws. How on earth did MR and the Ilk think that it was theirs for the taking….? Oh I remember the Tsunami funds too….
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / June 15, 2013
Yowza, not only is Sri Lanka not meeting some non existent obligation under CITES, it’s breaking phantom maritime law too!
Hopefully after ‘Fair N Square’ is done educating CT readers about maritime law, Singapore, UAE, Hong Kong and Malaysia will seek out his expertise, since they seem pretty clueless too :-)
Customs officials in Singapore have uncovered a shipment of 1.8 tonnes of ivory, with a value of around $2.5m (£1.6m).
The consignment, marked as being waste paper, had come from Africa and was reportedly passing through Singapore.
Hundreds of pieces of raw elephant ivory seized in Dubai.
And the UAE’s geographical location makes it susceptible as a hub for the illegal trade. “The UAE is situated on the route of ivory between Africa and the Far East,” “Because this is the situation, the authorities have already made lots of efforts to combat the illegal trade of ivory,” said Dr Mohamed. “For example, the Ministry of Environment and Water trained the customs. This isn’t the first case of seizing shipments of ivory, I think it may be the fourth.”
Hong Kong customs officers have seized 113 ivory tusks worth nearly $400,000 on the Chinese ivory market, officials said on Wednesday.
The smuggled ivory was seized at the airport on Tuesday in a container marked “spare parts” from Burundi which was bound for Singapore, said an official statement.
Malaysia was listed as the final destination, making this an unusual development, as in all previous large ivory seizures in Malaysian ports, Malaysia was simply a transshipment point for the smuggled ivory.
Oh, you were just making stuff up again and hoping no one picks up on it. Never mind :-)
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Katmai / June 17, 2013
When you have difficulty reading and understanding this news article I do not expect you to have the patience nor the aptitude to read and understand the legal wordings of CITES documents. So you go on believing in what ever is convenient for you, just like you’ve done all your life.
But for the rest of you who are puzzled by the ignorant ramblings of “Siva” (brown noses on Rajapaksa camp seems to have a fetish with Tamil names these days) please refer to Resolution
Conf. 9.10 (Rev. CoP13) at CITES.ORG to get an understanding.
By the way the reference of Fair N Square to the violation of maritime law may be in connection with Sri Lanka Customs breaking the seal of a container in transit.
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gonbella / June 14, 2013
Is MR gone mad or his power being so total that he does not give a damn about world opinion. How can an internationally banned animal derived trading item, illegally and brutally harvested, intercepted and illegally appropriated and utilised to adorn hallowed ahimsa Buddha temples be called MR’s ‘magnanimous trust work’? Or am I mad to ask such a question???
Deepa Liyanage at least has not jumped up to deny signing the letter dated 19 December 2012 as is customary in the governement of lies and deception.
No matter how much backtracking is done nor vehement denials made by a flipped nappy wearing justice Rohini Marasinghe the damage is done – internally as well as in the eyes of the world.
Oh Deva oh Muruga, oh Lord Buddha, what has Sri Lankans turned into?????
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Blakang / June 15, 2013
Orang Utans!
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Appubaba / June 14, 2013
This man MR would not respect The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) or any other international bodies. These actions cant be occurred without his knowledge.
This is a failure state BY all means. who thought that lankens would end up with this levels. Shame .. Shame
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Lester / June 14, 2013
Rajapakse did not harm the elephants. The tusks were to be used to adorn some temples. What is the big deal here? Some fools feel a need to write about everything. If Rajapakse used the bushes to attend to the bladder function, will they call that as environmental pollution?
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Tarzan / June 14, 2013
why the hell do the temples need elephants and tusks. Send the elephants to the jungle or let
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Koth Kerella / June 15, 2013
Bovine horns are much beloved by the votsry.
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Aney Apochchi! / June 14, 2013
Lester:
It seems you will defend ANY CRIME of your masters with some attempted sleight of hand!
You know, it might be an idea to gift the skulls found in the mass grave in Matale to some appropriate place for appropriate display in commemoration of the “culture” practiced in this country.
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Appubaba / June 14, 2013
If he want to make pork into hunted meat (URUMAS DADAMAS KORANA AYA INNE ADA MAJORITY FOLKS ATHARE – SO MR IS FROM THE IRC BACKGROUND AND HE IS THE BEST LEADER TO RESPRESENT THEM WELL), he is ready to do for the Rajapassa regime. Lester is just born to do the job. so is Leela.
The letter sent by Presidential secretariat contain no words about no means hunting should further be banned. That bothered me. He is the president. EU countries, if some items even costing billions of dollars sometimes are being destroyed in pharma industry alone, if the existence of them are seen to be threat. So, in this particular case, he could have ordered to do so to see – that the rule of law should be enforced properly. Anyway, we dont need to raise this question, while he is allowing even DIGs to kill whom them feel are anti-regime today. Guys more you can read on the todays tabloids, DIG being in the custody threatens CID officers for revenge. This kind of DIGs should be executed to safeguard the security of the general public. See, what will be the result soon, he will set free on the order of President or his moronic brother -GR. People in the country should live with life threats.
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Lester / June 15, 2013
What is the CRIME being committed here? Too bad none of the skulls are yours, I would bid the highest for it and guarantee it’s disappearance!
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Appubaba / June 15, 2013
Why Philippines burn them and why not Sri Lankans do so ?
Both countries should work in compliance with that pact or not ?
If Philippines respected the pact, why not Srilanka ?
Violation of international pact – crimes or not ?
Next time, would you agree Rajapakse distributing kgs of drugs that the national custom has found out – among their families ?
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Blajar / June 15, 2013
Already the skull owners got disappeared,”You too Brutus” a part of the White Van gang?
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mike / June 23, 2013
Your skull would fetch a good price to ensure that you disappear from these column!
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Fair N Square / June 15, 2013
best location: Ministry of defense…. OH I forgot. The current Secretary of Defense was the commanding officer in Matale…at that time.. how naive am I?
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Fair N Square / June 15, 2013
Wonder if the Sun-glass frame which MR is wearing is made from the seized Ivory….. Probably he likes Elephant hair bracelets and rings too..
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ahmad / June 14, 2013
Lester, knowing your moral compass I wouldn’t expect any better from you.
Stealing is wrong and so is possession of stolen goods. Only option is to return to rightful owner.
Same principle applies here
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Lester / June 15, 2013
This is not stealing. The tusks were acquired by rogues in Kenya after illegally butchering elephants. Rajapakse wants to put the tusks in a temple; there is no profit motive involved here.
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Walrus / June 15, 2013
No motive goster, but identical 360 white painted wooden duplicates are already waiting to adore the temples soon. One excess, the sample piece.
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Fair N Square / June 15, 2013
Profit or not is NOT the issue.. ETHICS is… SL govt cannot say it is theirs.. This shipment was sent to China, the Final Destination… SL govt flouted International Maritime law and these tusks cannot and SHOULD not be displayed at the Temples… Why does a temple have to be adorned with STOLEN and proceeds from illicit poaching?
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Lester / June 15, 2013
Do you know how many stolen artifacts from all over the world “adorn” British museums?
In any event, these tusks were not stolen by Sri Lanka. They were confiscated by Sri Lankan Customs and destined to be burned if returned to the country of origin.
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Lallo / June 15, 2013
If Rajabacksha grope around the Bushes why not a Bladder get tickled?
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Rod Atkins / June 19, 2013
Lester, this is what I called BUDHISM …. dont kill, but eat the Killed .. :) great Lord Buddha
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Randy Mathew / June 14, 2013
Another grab at money by the corrupt Rajapakses. SAD that these scoundrels are getting away with this. Voters have got the Government they deserve.
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Abdullah / June 14, 2013
How can you adore Temples with Blood Ivories?
Isn’t Temple a place of Piety and spirituality?
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Aney Apochchi! / June 14, 2013
Adbdullah:
Didn’t you know that this is an appropriate way to celebrate “Piety and spirituality” in Rajapakistan?
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Lester / June 15, 2013
Abudullah:
How can your Islamic clerics call for jihad in the mosque premises? Isn’t mosque a place of piety and spirituality? How come in your religion it’s okay to slaughter animals (blood offerings) for religious festivals?
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Andi Ambalama / June 15, 2013
Its Payyaty and Spirit cruelty.
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Raju / June 14, 2013
Writer is hell bent to disgrace the government. By burning the tusks what good will be achieved. The tusks should be used as proposed by the government to decorate temples if that can be done. Only problem is such actions should be transparent and accounted for by the relevant authorities. Why burn and waste. A tragedy cannot be overcome by another.
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Aney Apochchi! / June 14, 2013
Raju:
That is a very poor bit of “logic” in defense of the indefensible. But then what can one expect from people like you who, if they were the first at Bergen-Belsen would have wanted the skeletal remains turned into “useful” bone meal.
You probably weren’t old enough to know, either, that Hitler’s folks were very “,practical” extracting the gold from the teeth of all those they put in their gas chambers. After all, why would they have wasted “good” gold by destroying it, right?
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sarojini / June 14, 2013
At least these majestic beasts did not die in vain to make money . The idea that they were confiscated will teach these poachers and crooks a lesson . This will teach them that killing elephants to make money is not a viable option . At least by not destroying them people will be reminded the cruel way of eliminating a majestic animal that will be lost for ever if this illegal trade continues . The Maligawa should educate the public in this regard while these tusks are on display .
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Fair N Square / June 15, 2013
So, u saying that if an item is stolen and the police submit it as evidence in courts. The court should use it to adorn it’s building and premises? where does ethics come to?
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Observer / June 14, 2013
Good point but donating ill gotten ivory to temples is a way of getting the support of those in the temples to one’s cause, good or bad, and therefore amounts to a personal enrichment!
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Noble Sri Lankan / June 14, 2013
what do you expect by posting a this kind of an article when the tuskes to be meant to hand over to temples including Sri daladha Maligawa. I see that CT is hammering away to all the Supreme Court judges unreasonably. This is a multy religious country the media should be carefule when posting this kind of article which will hurt Buddhist
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Point of View / June 14, 2013
Where were you when the Buddhists were hurting the other religions in this multi religious country ?
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Aney Apochchi! / June 14, 2013
Noble Sri Lankan:
I trust no one else wants to join your clan.
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Tarzan / June 14, 2013
It only hurts “fake Buddhists” not the “followers of Buddha”
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Nath Ranasinghe / June 14, 2013
Zimbabwe is doing same wrongful thing with blood diamonds. If there is a pact that any government signed, they have to work accordingly. This move to release the ivory is setting bad example in international affairs. Sad
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JS Sloan / June 14, 2013
Siva Sankaran Sarma, my false teeth are worn and need replacing, can I rip your teeth out while you are still alive and use them to adorn my mouth. I use to have such a lovely smile :)
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Aney Apochchi! / June 14, 2013
J.S. Sloan:
You can always persuade Siva Sankaran Sarma to prevail upon his friends to get you some teeth from the Matale mass grave to which they consigned those (Sinhala Buddhist) youth.
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Pelli Babu / June 15, 2013
Siva Sunkaran Sharma is Leela’s pillow mate.
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Tsunami Hora / June 16, 2013
You mean to say that Leela is a shemale?
No wonder the way he washes dirty stinking linen
like a woman of the Orang Utan family.
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ahmad / June 14, 2013
the tusks of inhumanely butchered elephants will be adorned in temples now…. what hypocrasy by the same people who endorse the self immolation of monks due to cattle slaughter
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amila chathuranga / June 14, 2013
Sorry, the comment language is English, you can read your comment here;
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/custom-june-14-2013/
CT
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nimal / June 14, 2013
Do you say…from this report ..must we believe this????…this is not the truth…why sri lankan journalists reported like these lies…to the people..??? Is our president doing like this bad things??? never .we are not believe this….and we must remember he always doing works to bring our land in a good way..to a good position
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mike / June 20, 2013
Yes, “our President” has been bestowed with the title “Tsunamipathy”. Did you know that??
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hashini / June 14, 2013
this report contains details are false,try to publish incorrect report to read for customers and readers this.we are Buddhism country not to insult innocent animals as elephants.
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Hashish / June 15, 2013
So, in a ‘Buddhism’ country if you call an innocent Elephant an Elephant is an insult? Hashini, better you hush with your ignorance.
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Fair N Square / June 15, 2013
not… YOUR KING MR says SL is a multi ethnic and multi religious country…. stop halucinating…
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Shani / June 14, 2013
It is disgusting to read that a leader of a so called premier Buddhist Country ‘called Sri Lanka’ has got involved with an illicit and malice act like this saga! Oh who is going save this country’s integrity?
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Moon / June 14, 2013
The words used and the people involved are all material to evidence in
pending War Crimes. This keeps increasing with time. A divine hand is at
work? – a blessing in disguise.
Truth cannot be sold nor adorned on Temple walls.
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Waidyarathna / June 14, 2013
There is nothing to surprise about this unbecoming act by the Executive defended by a member of the Judiciary in ainternational forum. in short all three organs ofthe government Executive, Judiciary and Legislature, are equally corrupt. It is sad to say that Sri Lanka is a country where the judiciary has betrayed the trust place in it by the people for petty private considerations. shirani B should be held responsible for the total failure of the government business as she opened the floodgates by approving the 18th amendment to the constitution when she was in the good books of Rajapakse administration.
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justice / June 14, 2013
Justice Rohini Marasinghe has lied in an international forum.
She should be releived of her position as a supreme court judge.
She was elevated to the supreme court above the senior judge Sriskandarajah who is President of the Court of Appeal, where she served earlier.
She would have lost her job,in any other democracy.
Her husband Lakshman is a legal academic in canada,and knows that any canadian judge who did so,would have lost his job.
So too, in UK.
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Fair N Square / June 15, 2013
Some get rewarded for being lap dogs while the genuine ones get impeached.. Lets Impeach Roshini Mara…
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UPUL / June 14, 2013
Some of you jokers seriously think these tusks were to go to temples? You are a bunch of idiots. Look at the images. These are not the quality or size that are used to adorn temple premises.
The ‘official’ reason is donation to temples. The ‘unofficial’ purpose is to dispose them to some Chinese medicine supplier who distributes exotic additives like rhino horn, shark fins and the like for a good price.The new-rich in China crave for all types of cures for impotence to infertility and the medicine-men there are having a glorious time selling all kinds of concoctions. Just like the new-rich in Sri Lanka they do not know what to do with all their ill-gotten money. So if its elephants tusk this week, so be it. Tomorrow it might be endangered turtles from Australia….
And we know, the Rajapakses will sell to the highest bidder. Principles are not their forte.
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Lester / June 15, 2013
Can you prove these tusks would have been sold on the black market? Do you have solid evidence, regarding a bidder? As I said earlier, it is only robbery if there is proof of monetary profit (or the extreme likelihood of it).
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Seelawathie / June 17, 2013
Why not you ask yourself about defending the distribution of those tusks, instead of destroying them as agreed with the international pact ?
And secondly, why you guys (You leela and the bunch) would not feel, if they do it with Tusks this time, next time, it will definitely be with hard drugs that the custom would seize.
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Rod Atkins / June 19, 2013
Lester, Is Tusk is HALAL? and Islamic? is any connection with Islmist Killed this? or Buddah Said, Eat the Killed, but Dont Kill :) i think Buddah is Halal..
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Lester / June 19, 2013
Your English skills are clearly halal.
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Theja / June 20, 2013
Your English skills are “Hutaam!”, not halal
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Mahela / June 15, 2013
Maybe Kangetta will have his day pretty soon.
At least now the Swords, ancient coins and other artifacts gone missing from Museum, displaying these Ivories in the Museum could help to get more visitors.
Also at the moment atleast an Elephant die per day in Sri Lanka and they could be extinct pretty soon at today’s death rate.
Therefore preserving these tusks atleast in Colombo Museum will help our future generations.
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Mahela / June 15, 2013
Take care of our elephants from both our Respectable Local and Chinese Poachers.
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G. Pandith / June 15, 2013
This article is more on a Judge lying at an international fora than what the government did. Both are wrong. However, world expects Judges to be truthful much more than Governments and Ambassadors. If the Judge wanted to respect the morals and ethics of a Judge, and also not to go against the Government action, she should have found ways to justify the government action and not utter falsehood in front of International audiences. To keep ones dignity as a Senior Judge she should not always try to defend the un-defensible. With such people and attitude, we are automatically fall into the Third World category in social values.
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modeya / June 15, 2013
Few months ago it was gold at Temple ….. Now it is tusks at temples
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Arun Vincent / June 15, 2013
Rohini must be appointed as the chief justice of Rajapaksitan ASAP for the enormous service she did to her master. She can handle two at a time: Marasinghe and Rajapakse.
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taos / June 15, 2013
Well done king mahinda!
this is an all time low for Rajapakistan!
blood ivory in temples..wonder if the BBS monkeys will set themselves alight.. then again its not cow horns is it?
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