Decision on Vishwaroopam soon, Minister Keheliya
A decision on lifting the ban on Kamal Haasan film Vishwaroopam will be taken in “2-3 days,” Sri Lanka Cabinet spokesperson and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has said.
Asked how Sri Lanka was planning to come to a decision given the fact that the censoring authority here too had allowed its release, Mr. Rambukwella said he was looking at India. Once India decided on the movie, Sri Lanka would take an appropriate decision.
Asked if this meant that the Sri Lankan government was following the lead of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, he said this was not the case. “Our leader is His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa. And we take orders from the government that is in power. We will not take lead from Jayalalithaa or anybody else,” he said.
On the delay in taking a decision, he said watching the movie was not a “life and death issue” for people. “There is no particular reason to fasttrack the issue.”
Mr. Rambukwella said he had watched the movie. His personal opinion was that he wanted people to watch the film and decide for themselves. Actions of politicians were judged by people. Filmmakers too were judged by people. “I am a free-minded person. My personal opinion is to release the film and get comments from people.”
A Muslim group in Sri Lanka, the Muslim Media Forum, which viewed the movie earlier this week, claimed that the movie was “totally against Muslims,” and was made to “please the United States.” A few Muslim politicians, who support the ruling combine, have also thrown their weight behind the demand to ban the film on the island. (The Hindu)
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This is totally ridiculous of KR to state virtually SL will lift ban on public release of Vishvaroopam if India lifts it. Aren’t we capable of making our own decisions independent of India? Where’s our sovereignty? We should not make ourselves the underdog of India. No wonder India treat us as such. No wonder India will once again vote with USA and the imperial noe-colonialist West against SL at UNHRC conference in Geneva. India knows SL will come wagging its tail onceagain to India even after the kicking us in the goolies.
Come on Hon President, get hold of yourself and show onceagain your mettle, as you did against the two Foreign Ministers of Britain and France at the height of Humanitarian Operation to kill the LTTE permanently!
Maybe if we ban Vishvapoornam, India will vote against the UN resolution in March.
Anyway, what is this Vishvapoornam all about? Is it abount Hindu men raping Muslim women?
Or is it the other way around? Muslim men raping the Brahmins?
We all know that Indians, hindus and muslims, are good at rape.
Can bloggers please enlighten me?
Dear Chandini,
you are Absolutely correct but you missed to add Sri Lanka n’*********.
Sri Lankan Police Record 700 Child Rape Cases in 2012.
Sri Lanka has seen a rise in the number of underage children being raped or abused this year, the police said on Thursday.
Police spokesman Ajith Rohana told Xinhua that over 700 incidents of rape or abuse of children were reported during the first six months of this year.
He said this was out of a total of around 900 complaints received by the police this year of women and children being raped or abused.
Sri Lanka’s police chief Inspector General of Police (IGP) N.K. Ilangakoon has sent a circular to all police stations, ordering to take every possible measure to curb the daily escalating incidences of child abuse and molestations in the country.
In the latest incident, a politician in the southern town of Akuressa was jailed on Wednesday over allegations he raped a 14 year old girl.
Also on Wednesday in the southern town of Tangalle, 19 people were arrested following a complaint that they had raped an underage girl over a period of time
Last year, the police recorded just over 1700 incidents of rape and abuse involving children and women of which around 1160 were child abuse and rape cases, Rohana said.
Rohana said the increase in access to computers, Internet and mobile phones has assisted in the rise of rape incidents in Sri Lanka.
He also said that there have been incidents of child rape being reported involving close relatives of the victims.
Over the past few months, the police have also been reporting incidents of underage children being molested or raped by their lovers.
Under local laws children under the age of 18 cannot get married.
The police spokesman said that the rise in the number of rape cases shows the need to amend local laws on rape offenders.
Most rape offenders manage to apply for bail and are released from prison. Child rights activists are pushing for rape to be a non-bailable offense.
Mohamed,
That’s comprehensive statistics. The moral decay in our society continues unabated. In fact, Sri Lanka is the most unsafe place for womenfolk and children with many politician protected rapists walking around freely.
There’s a complete breakdown in law and order and with the shenanigans that sacked the CJ, society has lost confidence in the legal system.
The Police, of course, had lost their credibility long time ago. They are just a waste of time and money. The IGP is the biggest joker around.
I think chadini is a victim of a indian man.