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Maneka Gandhi requests GoSL to drop ‘pro-butcher bill’
‘Learn from mistakes made by India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960)’
World-renowned animal rights activist and environmentalist, Maneka Gandhi, has appealed to the government of Sri Lanka not to pass a supposed Animal Welfare Bill, which, she says, is in reality ‘a pro-butcher, anti-animal bill’. “I can understand this happening in any other country but Sri Lanka, which is gentle and so close to nature?” she has said.
Maneka, who is also a member of the Indian Parliament says, “This Bill should be one of the finest in the world because you could learn from the mistakes made by the Indian Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960. However, in the last six decades we have done much to improve it by bringing in additional acts.
“Instead, you are bringing in an Act which will increase the suffering of animals and make the Animal Welfare Movement which is growing fast, much weaker.
“None of the Amendments to the Act of 2022 are going to help animals. They are clearly going to help the lobbies that exploit animals cruelly.
“The Act exempts animals slaughtered for food from being in its ambit of protection. Anyone who has seen the way slaughterhouses treat animals, the way pigs are stabbed repeatedly after being kept in miserable conditions and have their hair pulled out manually to be sold for paintbrushes before killing them, the way chickens are carried upside down and have their throats slit while their heads are squeezed under feet, to see calves crowded into trucks and repeatedly hammered to death, to see cows being injected daily by a drug called oxytocin so that they go into labour pains twice a day and their milk gushes out …. It is useless to make an Act protecting dogs and cats and guinea pigs when 90% of the violence on animals is on farm animals. This is utterly retrograde.
“In India, all experiments on animals are forbidden in school and college teaching centres and the CPCSEA is a body that regulates any research that involves animals. Most experiments are now through computers. Your Act exempts live animals in experiments from protection, allowing them to be used in teaching or any experiment without any regulation or thought of their wellbeing. There are international guidelines for accepting any research and unless Sri Lanka adopts the three ‘R’s – Replacement, Reduction and Refinement – and switches to alternatives, most of your research will not be accepted as science anywhere in the world.
“India has banned the use of animals in cosmetics. We have even stopped cosmetics from being sold that have been experimented on abroad. But now you have, in this new Act, allowed the use of live animals in experiments on cosmetics. Are you going back 30 years? Do you want Sri Lankan monkeys to eat 50 lipsticks at a time till they die? Or rabbits to have hairspray put into their eyes in the Draize test till they break their neck struggling against the pain.
“I am told that the use of animals for cultural events has also been allowed. Cultural events in India mean whipping cows to death to make them run like horses, through rivers of water, it means animal sacrifices in temples, it means cock fighting, it means feeding animals alcohol and then jumping on them as they run crazed through the streets. Is this what you will allow? It also includes eating animals like dogs for food in Nagaland and cats by tribals in Chennai. Does any of this fit into a humane culture?
“Basically, this is an Act that allows and condemns animals to permanent suffering without legal address while pretending to do the opposite. Ultimately it is meant for people who bring in foreign dogs and cats and are sometimes mean to them.
“Any right-thinking government that represents the culture of this beautiful island will not do this. It will bring a huge backlash internationally.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
