The U.S. Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Justice, entered into a $2.1 million (265 million rupee) U.S. Government-funded Forensic Assistance Program agreement with GAD in 2011 to establish a state-of-the-art DNA crime laboratory.
Deputy Govt. Analyst Mrs. Sakunthala Tennakoon, U.S. Ambassador Michele J. Sison, and Acting Government Analyst Mr. W.D.G.S. Gunatilake tour the new Government Analyst’s Department DNA laboratory.
U.S. Ambassador Michele J. Sison visited the new laboratory complex of the Sri Lanka Ministry of Justice Government Analyst’s Department (GAD) in Battaramulla on June 6.
During her visit, Ambassador Sison said, “This grant delivered a state-of-the-art DNA crime laboratory as well as equipment to support firearms examination and drug and toxicology analysis. This project is a tangible demonstration for U.S. support to strengthen rule of law in Sri Lanka.”
“The program will provide Sri Lankan citizens with greater access to justice by enhancing legitimate prosecutions of criminals. The DNA laboratory will develop Sri Lanka’s DNA analysis capability and make a significant contribution to the technical enhancement of the country’s criminal justice system. The grant also included an $80,000 (10 million rupee) bullet recovery tank for the firearms laboratory to discharge weapons safely and easily recover the bullets and casings for forensic comparisons, and a $225,000 (28 million rupee) toxicology lab with analytical tools to assist in drug, toxicology and trace evidence analysis. The program also facilitated training in the U.S. for 6 Sri Lankan GAD scientists at Oklahoma State University, which has an internationally renowned forensics research and training program.
The laboratory will be functional for tests required for court cases by mid-August 2013 and GAD scientists will continue to receive on the job technical training from U.S. experts until December 2013.” says the US Embassy Colombo.
punchinilame / June 6, 2013
Do not be surprised at the next development – this (DNA) unit will come under the MOD and all readers know why!
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Sriyakantha / June 7, 2013
U.S. Govt should stop wasting funds on useless projects like this since Rajapassa will make sure that his DNA is protected, even at the cost of killing and burying every other Lankan citizen in unmarked graves..
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JimSofty / June 7, 2013
That is a good idea.
MOD should start doing that.
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mike / June 9, 2013
Yes, the judiciary is under Hitlerpaksha and the DNA unit will come under Nande Master (GOATa)!!
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justice / June 6, 2013
From about the sixties,post-mortem reports are hidden – it appears,even from lawyers pleading murder cases – so will DNA,firearms & finger print evidence obtained by the new lab,be allowed to be presesented in open court?
Our ‘policing system’ is a big farce and so is the ‘justice system’.
Strangely,lawyers appear unconcerned.
So is the Minister of Justice!
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justice / June 7, 2013
I hope that there will be digital cameras included in this donation.In sri lanka,crime scenes are never photographed.
Crime scene investigation is not properly carried out.
Paraffin Tests on suspected users of firearms to establish that they dischsrged same are not done – this eliminates many suspects soon after shootings.
Police dont even use special evidence bags for items found at crime scenes.
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Sri Bronxa / June 10, 2013
..and remove the catchy term ‘suspected of murder’ on reprehensible killers caught red handed who go on the spree in broad daylight.
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Safa / June 6, 2013
This lab should come under the private sector if it is to have any lasting impact. Otherwise it will be politicised to coverup all the crimes and end up in the Trash can. US better think twice.
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JimSofty / June 6, 2013
Probably, they will transfer lot of DATA back to the financier.
Think about what good information will be there – for pharmaceuticals, new techniques…
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Native Vedda / June 7, 2013
JimSofty
“Think about what good information will be there – for pharmaceuticals, new techniques…”
If it leads to finding cure for excessive stupidity of you, your Sinhala/Buddhists and your Tamil brethren, I am all for it.
I doubt there will ever be a medicine that have the properties to cure your irredeemable stupidity.
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JimSofty / June 7, 2013
Native Vedda:
Only thing is, your comment exposed you.
Listen. DNA sequencing data, when given to USA, can be used to study population Dynamics and other factors related to physiological conditions and who knows what.
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Native Vedda / June 7, 2013
JimSofty
” can be used to study population Dynamics and other factors related to physiological condition”
If this could cure “pe**s envy” among Sinhala/Tamil men I am all for it.
This is the root cause of all ills in this island.
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gamini / June 6, 2013
The Americans are trying to teach their brief carriers, the Rajapaksas how to hoodwink the masses to earn their confidence and continue governance. The Americans have perfected this art of deceit and have successfully carried out the 9/11 and the Boston Bombing to name just two incidents. The American public confidence have been won, showing how the American authorities have swooped on the perpetrators of crime in no time, arresting them. With the establishment of this DNA centre it will enable the Rajapaksa govt. to fix whomever they want to solve any crime. There will be no escape then, just like what has happened to the Boston suspects. It is not for nothing that the US sought VP’s help to elect MR as President, only to eliminate VP and to retain MR to do their bidding. MR will survive till the Americans need him.
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punchinilame / June 6, 2013
Is the proposed Code of Ethics meant to curb this kind of free comment
one wonders?
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Native Vedda / June 7, 2013
gamini
“MR will survive till the Americans need him”
Would the Sri Lankans need DNA Crime Lab to identify skeletons if MR’s services are no longer needed?
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Siri / June 11, 2013
Not MR and the co. but anyone stand against him – increasing majority in the country today will employ the tool.
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Malith / June 7, 2013
US will manipulate this country through Rajapaksha kallathonies according to their geo-political, strategic, power balancing and swaying plans. The region, in particular India will have a great problem in the future if this rogue regime continues and therefore they must help liquidate this regime and assist in the creation of a democratic state. India is the key factor here who must thwart US secret agenda and establish peace in the region! India must get out of the 3rd world under-developed mentality and move towards human rights and democracy upholding measures casting aside the tribal outlooks and assuming the global outlook of that of the Great Buddha and Dharmashoka. Dharmashoka was the great king of India who was responsible for disseminating the great spiritual religion throughout the countries of the world but after him the countries have gradually gone back to their mundane religions created by superstitious people. What will definitely enable peoples of the world to live into a future that holds promise and peace is Buddhism in the original meaning as preached by Buddha and not any of the ago-centric mundane man fabricated fake religions that are essentially divisive and destructive. Good governance is a measure advocated by Buddha for the mundane man and all that goes against good governance ultimately result in spreading fake religions, destroying man and his civilization including Buddhism itself. Given the destruction caused by the Rajapakshas to the country, its people and collective consciousness, the values and good governance, criminalization of the law and order, creation and emergence of BBS Buddhist pigs devouring traditional Buddhism and the emergence of a new Madamoolanized Buddhism with racist, nationalistic, hegemonic, corruption and criminal flavors in place of the traditional Buddhism massively patronized by the despicable Buddhists and Buddhist monk brats who maintain a blaring silence, glaring blindness and a deaf ear and on to the bargain their mararized and regime happy pathetic vegetating existence, in a few more years of time under this despot Buddhist religion in this country would have transmogrified into a true thalibanized religion coined by future historians as Machabagoism which may be identified as state religious terrorism.
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srilal / June 7, 2013
Honestly i can’t figure out the game plan of Americans, some time they play good cop some time bad cop !
issuing the entry visas to that hora ganayas ( BBS ), not taking any actions on their own citizens (sri lankan) , turning a blind eye and ignoring monumental human right violations in SL etc are a few come to mind .
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Native Vedda / June 9, 2013
srilal
“Honestly i can’t figure out the game plan of Americans, some time they play good cop some time bad cop !”
All because you are either a stupid Sinhalese or a stupid Tamil.
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srilal / June 9, 2013
NV
Tell me about it !
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Native Vedda / June 9, 2013
srilal
Where do you want me to start?
From Gunboat diplomacy,
America’s backyard concept or sphere of influence,
Military Industrial Complex,
Commie bashing,
filling the war planes gap, missiles gap, to brain gap,
Domino theory,
Washington Consensus,
360 degrees of full spectrum security,
Pivot to Asia or Re balancing US interest,…………….
The US defines the following:
Our interest in your country
Your oil is our oil
Your natural resources
If you are not with us you are against us
We support dictators because they are our dictators
We support bastards because they are our bastards
We support terrorist because they are our terrorists.
We determine your present and your future not because we have long stick but because you are stupid, if you are already not one then we will make you one.
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srilal / June 10, 2013
NV ,
i would have easily agreed with you if the American administration were under Bush/Dick/Rumsfeld troika or Regan or senior bush! Since Obama’s inception things have been changed and continue to be so , often people tend to bash Yankees based on their own understanding , wait for the red dragon to fully raise her head , then we could see who the real devil is , NV?
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Native Vedda / June 10, 2013
srilal
“wait for the red dragon to fully raise her head , then we could see who the real devil is , NV?”
All imperial powers aspiring as well as existing are evil. It does not matter which one raising or waning.
For my people it didn’t matter who colonised our ancestral land, what matters now is ownership and occupation of my ancestral land by kallathonies.
There is no such thing as benevolent land grabbing Tamil Kallathoni nor another set of benevolent Sinhala/Buddhists kallathonies.
Similar to our plight the world should not chose between two evil imperial powers.
Is there a good imperialism over bad imperialism? I shouldn’t think so.
Even if China occupies Sri Lanka its not our problem its India’s and we should not worry too much about it.
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Hoaxed Lanka / June 10, 2013
Profusely propounded. NattyVed, Your profound explanation of the Dandyland protocols is wisely promulgated, emphatically.
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Native Vedda / June 10, 2013
srilal
“Since Obama’s inception things have been changed and continue to be so”
How has it changed?
According to my elders nothing has changed, in fact under Obama drone attacked has intensified.
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srilal / June 10, 2013
NV ,
Your only yard stick seems to be the no of Drone attacks ,is it ? if you can’t see the difference between Bush junior and Obama administration, there must be some thing some where wrong ?
Are we naive enough to expect another Jimmy cater after 9/11 ? i don’t think so . i recon this is the best among the worst ,NV !!!
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Native Vedda / June 10, 2013
srilal
You wrote:
“Since Obama’s inception things have been changed and continue to be so”
I asked you:
How has it changed?
I am yet to read your thesis.
From “Guantanamo Bay detention camp” to official secret hacking Obama has been continuing US establishment’s objectives. He couldn’t even counter gun lobby leave alone challenging the military industrial complex.
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srilal / June 11, 2013
NV ,
as of my understanding , you are a very matured , British educated scholar! often you play fool with CT readers and continue pulling its commenter’s legs ,well I’m afraid i have no time for that sort of stuff , but if you are sincere , I’m ready to engage in a healthy discussion.
answering to your specific queries,” Guantanamo Bay detention camp” . Well soon after the first inauguration, Obama attempted to close the torture centre , as you know according to US constitution there are only limited powers that the president can hold , most of the power vested in congress , all republicans and some of Democrats refused to toe the line with the Guantanamo Bay detention camp issue , fearing it would be a potential national security threat . Nevertheless Obama succeeded banning Bush junior’s infamous water boarding and other inhumane torture methods.
“official secret hacking ” well the investigation is being carried out , i guess it is bit premature to comment on the issue yet , so will have to wait and see for the out come .
“He couldn’t even counter gun lobby leave alone challenging the military industrial complex.”
NRA is an extremely powerful and an influential organization, they demand for their constitutional right ( 2nd amendment )to bear arms, unlike in Sri Lanka Obama can’t go unilaterally changing the constitution by bribing and intimidating the congress , despite gun lobbyist vehement objection on gun controlling , I personally believe , Obama will introduce some sort of gun control mechanism before the end of his term in office.
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Native Vedda / June 11, 2013
srilal
Obama is only a president, don’t expect too much from him.
He might have had brilliant ideas and values, but the country as such he would have only a very limited success at the end of his term in Washington. Then he would retire and continue writing his biography and declare open a presidential library in his name.
No doubt he had success being the first black president.
Put it another way he is the first half black president or half white president.
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Naughty Data / June 11, 2013
A slice of Muslim, a slice of Christian peppered with a bit of Mongoloidism served in an African platter.
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Dennis / June 11, 2013
I think OAdm (Obama Administration) has made significant progress in terms of foreign policy than his predecessors. Earlier it was like entire Europe hated the Amies. Bush Junior^s foreign policies were more or less comparable to those of Rajapaksha Admin. In contrary to Rajapakshes, CBK s foreign policy brought lot to the country though the current rulers robed the credit earned by her then. Rajapakshe had no foreign policy at all- this was made clear by DJ lately. Anyway, OAdm has unfortunately failed creating promised new jobs for the unemployed masses. Unemployment problem has been handled by Angela Merkel`s in Germany, than any other leaders of the G8 so far.
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srilal / June 11, 2013
NV ,
There you have it , you have put it succulently , “obama is only a president ” NV, i have no illusions about obama , he has and will do certain things within his reach.
ex. health care system , rejuvenating the economy ,closing the white house door for selected dictators etc .
However there are a few off limit issues for him i.e Israel , Saudi ,Bahrain come to my mind.
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Native Vedda / June 11, 2013
srilal
“as of my understanding , you are a very matured , British educated scholar!”
My elders believe that I am nothing but bit thick. I agree with them.
“often you play fool with CT readers and continue pulling its commenter’s legs”
Have I been playing fools with CT commentators? It was not intentional but an outcome of my misunderstanding of issues discussed.
My apologies for my short comings.
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Sama / June 11, 2013
Cool :) I COULD NOT help but laughing.
To my knowledge, Vaddas are not thick ? You may mean you are thick-skinned.. Lol.
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Native Vedda / June 11, 2013
Sama
“To my knowledge, Vaddas are not thick ?”
I didn’t say Veddahs are thick. However I know for sure I am bit thick.
“You may mean you are thick-skinned.. Lol.”
Am I?
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Senaka / June 10, 2013
Re 9/11 attack Americas own experts, thousands of them, say US government has a foul hand on it-surely Obama must know the full details. And the people who are independently investigating into 9/11 say the very US government including Obama has been hijacked by powerful business cartels based on several rich countries including US. So then, Obama surely is a puppet manipulated by a powerful few behind the scene.
Humanity is doomed for destruction as long as they remain ignorant, stupid and unquestioning, subjugate and succumb to corruption and corrupt power, lack humane qualities and principles.
One thing I can say for sure. More than 2500 years ago a single human being awakened himself into the spiritual and extra-mundane realm of human existence and created a universal religion called Buddhism. That sacred and beautiful religion has now been adulterated, misinterpreted, mal-conceptualized, ignored and neglected by the people on the earth and they have created their own religions according to their worldly pursuits. Only a revisit and rediscovery of that universal truth discovered by Buddha holds the key to man’s future survival on this planet. With the present growing stock of vast technological, scientific, nuclear, chemical, biological and warfare knowledge and with the absence of humane touch to man, his hear and mind man is in for his own destruction. Man’s stupidity, I feel sorry for other lives on earth!
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Native Vedda / June 10, 2013
Senaka
“Only a revisit and rediscovery of that universal truth discovered by Buddha holds the key to man’s future survival on this planet”
“Man’s stupidity, I feel sorry for other lives on earth!”
You sound like a born again Buddhist. Is this Sinhala/Buddhist version of “Wake Up” call?
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Alibi Dozed / June 11, 2013
The universal truth, ‘Nirvaana’, the way to oblivion?
He meant sorry for the other lives, could it be the beloved bullocks?
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Senaka / June 10, 2013
In reality, there are no Sinhala, Hindu, Tamil, English, Buddhist, Christian etc. people on earth. Those are just labels people have pasted on their abstract ego. There is only one entity, the man, the humanity. And wherever man lives, irrespective of his artificially assumed caste, creed, nationality and status is the same-same human structure and anatomy, same mind, same aspirations and desires, same needs, same sorrow, same ignorance, same despair and same death; I believe in something, in some god or savior and you do the same in a different god or savior, may be I am an atheist and you may do the same-but essentially we are all same, the same mind, same movement. So all these nationalities and religions have only identification and label value for the sake of ease of communication. But man through his ignorance has identified himself with the nation, with the tribe, with the religion and therefore with the label and are making a big noise over a label.
NV,
What Buddha discovered was the religious mind; and it cannot be understood by Sinhala Buddhist Wake Up calls. People respond to wakeup calls from BBS, MR, Tiger threat, Electricity Board, the monk from the temple or from a spiritual man-but they never want to wake up from their self hypnosis.
You wake up when you question your monk, your religion, your government, your authority, your immoral society and values, your most hallowed beliefs, why do you live the way you live, why do you contribute to this vast corrupt immoral civilization, and can there be any movement against the current. To wake up you have to stand alone, be not part of the blind social current. You wake up when you want to discover for yourself, reject other’s authority and be alone in this vast human arena. Be a light unto yourself was the Buddha’s advise. What Buddha has discovered has no value to any of us until we discover and live same in us. No amount of labels, rituals, volumes and volumes of knowledge about Buddhism would wake us up!
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Mervyn / June 11, 2013
A DNA Crime Lab?$%&?! What the hell is this demented move by US? Even the broad daylight murder of a presidential advisor by a parliamentarian with hundreds of on the spot eye witnesses which can convict the criminal without any forensic evidence goes uninvestigated; a gang rape of a British girl and murder of her boy fried by a president’s goon has been swept under the carpet; a top ranked police office engages in contract killings, killings on the orders of presidential sibling GR and involves in extortions of money from businessmen amounting to millions of rupees-all are swept under the carpet and no arrest, investigation, legal proceedings and punishment is carried out. And into such a country US is funding a DNA crime lab! Is US mad or are we mad? US knows very well this so called DNA Crime Lab will be used to exculpate and whitewash Rajapakshas and their criminalities. You send the crime artifacts to the “lab” and get a “clean paper”! Criminality centralized! Impunity centralized! Accountability and criminal responsibility loop-holed! Clearly this is part of US’s efforts to deflect the attention and provide an escape path for Rajapakshas! Had the US was serious what they would have done was to send in a special team of international observers/investigators and establish a permanent office here to unravel and report the actual ground situation here.
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Siri / June 11, 2013
Prima facie evidence about the murders how they shot at Bharatha for example was available; BUT NONE THEM WERE HELD IMPORTANT THEM BECAUSE THE KILLER WAS PRESIDENTS CLOSE COMPANION (if want, there are more than enough evidence) – but now – telling the world and the nation – that we are going to even USE DNA labs for crime investigations is THE BIGGEST JOKE ABOUT THIS LOOTERS. These can help them, but others can only LAUGH.
It is just to paint the nice picture to the world that we are even better today – with availability of sophisticated DNA labs facilitating crime investigations to the world standards. Just red herrings to fool the same gullible masses in the country – but not considering that IC ^s spy eye is on on lanken matters since the LTTER terror is eliminated. This govt is not capable of seeing all these with wisdom – no vision at all – alone the impeachment process against CJ Dr. SB, and how they handle the heinous crimes like the murder of Bharata (one of so called confidants to President) made clear the skills of the RULING president.
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Dennis / June 11, 2013
This regime s activities have now become laughing stocks to the entire world communities today. Current rulers are a disaster to many of us CT readers – but for NORTH KOREANS LIVING ON SOUTHERN RURAL AREAS (naive masses = VOTE base) MR and thugs are the magic makers.
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Dennis / June 11, 2013
THIS WILL NOT BE A BIG THING FOR THEM – THEY FRAUDULENTLY COVERED THE ELECTION RESULTS – IN 2010 FOOLING THE NATION. NATION FAILED TO GO AGAINST THEM. FORMER EC IS YET TO BE INTERVIEWED TO GET THE FACTS DIRECTLY FROM HIM.
SO HOW THEY WOULD GET ON WITH DNA ANALYSIS – MANIPULATING ALL CHROMATOGRAMS OR THE RELATED DATA WILL NOT BE BIG THINGS FOR THEM. THE COUNTRY IS UNDER THUGS TODAY… THUG ACTIVITIES HAVE NO LIMITS. THIS THEY PROVED IN THE LAST 7 YEARS – BACK AND FORTH. WONDER IS PEOPLE SEEM TO BE NOT TAKING ANYTHING SERIOUS TODAY.
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