.

Interrogation of suspects reveal strategy
LTTE plans more suicide attacks

by Shamindra Ferdinando
Amidst ongoing Norwegian initiated efforts to bring the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE back to the negotiating table, the Tigers appear to have made plans to intensify operations including suicide attacks both in and outside the North and the East region, security officials said yesterday.

They said that interrogation of suspects taken to custody during operations in the recent past had revealed that terrorists were going ahead with their plans to cause more death and destruction in the south. "We are not talking about leaving small explosive devices in buses but big blasts," a police officer said adding that the recent success in smashing an LTTE network operating out of Vavuniya had derailed their plans.

Acting on information provided by captured terrorists, the authorities conducted a series of operations west of Vavuniya in the past four weeks resulting in the recovery of approximately 80 kgs of explosives and five explosives packed jackets used by suicide bombers, a senior army officer said. The first raid mounted on January 15 ended in tragedy when a group of soldiers returning to their base after the recovery of one suicide jacket with 500 grams of explosives, 85 electrical detonators, ten timing devices, three kgs of high explosives and two kgs of TNT were caught up in a powerful landmine blast at Nochikulam. The blast killed a dozen men and a civilian informant.

The officer said that the Vavuniya raids helped them to find claymore mines and a number of other devices and equipment in LTTE’s arsenal. The recovered explosives and the jackets were probably to be smuggled in to Colombo, he said adding that seven suspects too had been taken for questioning in this regard.

He said that the ongoing Vavuniya operation is one of the most successful in the past few years.

Senior officials pointed out that there was no truth in claims that almost all explosives, infiltrators and their equipment for operations in Colombo move in from Batticaloa. Vavuniya remains perhaps the most important transit point for LTTE operatives heading for Colombo and suburbs.

Meanwhile, in a related development a terrorist suspect arrested in the Vavuniya area last week led authorities to a small kovil near the Bloemendhal fuel depot used as a safe house. The middle aged priest at the kovil was taken into custody and later police found a parcel containing one pistol and ammunition buried in the kovil compound. Police said that two hand grenades and some cyanide capsules had been also found hidden in his room. Police later detained the terrorist’s wife also from Jaffna.

The kovil had been closed and a police guard placed.

CWC Colombo district MP R. Yogarajan yesterday said that the following the raid on the Bloemendhal road kovil, some other kovils were searched at Grandpass. "Two priests were briefly detained," he said adding that he has requested police to re-open the kovil in the Kotahena police area.

The authorities believe that the priest had been engaged in LTTE activity for some time and a key player in the covert activities in Colombo.

Agreement reached says TamilNet
State lands excluding plantations, farms and national parks for RCs?

The government has agreed to vest all state lands excluding tea, rubber, coconut and teak plantations, to the respective regions according to a TamilNet report published on the Internet last week.

This report which quoted Tamil political party sources said that research farms and national parks would be excluded from state lands to be vested in the regional councils.

Governmental sources are tight lipped about the substance of areas agreed on during the ongoing consultations on the new constitutional proposals. Consultations among the PA constituents have been completed and talks with the Tamil parties began last week.

TamilNet said that the Tamil parties had pushed for power for the regional councils to borrow directly from foreign countries. According to the previous constitution tabled at the talks, regional councils were authorised to obtain loans from abroad through the Central Finance Minister.

TamilNet said that the Tamil parties "vehemently objected’’ to this and the government had later agreed to permit regional councils to obtain loans for development of their regions directly from foreign countries and international monetary institutions.

According to the TamilNet , Tamil parties have also requested that appointments to the higher positions in the judiciary be made on an ethnic ratio and this be included in the draft constitution. President Kumaratunga had said that there was no need to include this in the draft constitution but she would ensure the implementation of the proposal via a cabinet decision. The Tamil parties had agreed to that suggestion, TamilNet said.

Leaders of the TULF, EPDP, PLOTE and TELO attended the February 10 talks. Two MPs Messrs. Joseph Pararajasingham and Mavai Senathirajah were added to the TULF delegation led by the party’s Secretary General R. Sampanthan.

Messrs. Douglas Devananda, D. Siddharthan and V. Addiakalanathan led the EPDP, PLOTE and TELO delegations respectively.

Cops nab cop turned thief

Police on Friday recovered almost Rs. 600,000 stolen from the safe at the police post at the Parliament on the previous day, a senior police officer said yesterday adding that a police sub inspector had been interdicted for his alleged involvement in the theft. The sub inspector who was in charge of the cash kept under lock and key had taken the lot before handing over the safe’s key to the officer taking over the police post as he was due to go on transfer the next day.

DIG Western Province [South] Jayantha Wickremeratne yesterday told The Sunday Island that the missing money was found hidden in a waste dump behind the quarters of the Sub-Inspectors based at the parliament.

"The suspect was due to go on transfer to the Galle division", Wickremeratne said adding that some police personnel had observed this particular officer acting in a highly suspicious manner on the night of the theft. He said that money was intended to be paid to police officers attached to the unit based at the parliament as an allowance.

Wickremeratne said that as soon as the theft was reported, they knew it could not have been any outsider and also the thief had no time to take the money out of the parliament complex. Groups of policemen had searched the complex and found the money hidden in the waste dump behind the police quarters, he said.

Police headquarters on Thursday had sent Rs. 600,000 to the police post to pay personnel. However, less than Rs. 50,000 had been paid on Thursday and the rest was to be paid on Friday.

Wickremeratne said that the suspect had been interdicted and decision has been taken to take court action against him. [SF]

Island Capers
Who’s spreading alarm?

International news agency reports on the LTTE bus bombs getting play abroad is bothering the leisure industry and a leading businessman broached the subject with a Colombo based foreign correspondent recently.

He said that news agency reports had been highlighted by Singapore’s Straits Times. It had been suggested to the business leader that Lankan journalists filing these reports could be ‘unpatriotic.’

That was firmly rejected by the journalist concerned. And as luck would have it he was able to demonstrate how the government itself was publicising these events. Reproduced below is Friday’s report on the website of government’s PRIU, directly under the presidential secretariat. The agency reporters in Colombo ignored that incident since it was a pus vedilla (damp squib).

Headlined ‘Bomb squad prevents shopping centre tragedy,’ the report read:

‘A large bomb left outside one of Colombo’s busiest shopping centres was defused by security forces early this afternoon.

‘The bomb had been left in an unmarked box near the entrance to Liberty Plaza in the important commercial center of Kollupitiya, just south of the capital.

‘Security forces located and safely detonated the bomb shortly before the shopping centre’s busy lunch hour rush.

‘Thousands of tourists and local residents visit Liberty Plaza and the nearby Kollupitiya markets every day.

‘Liberty Plaza is situated at the outskirts of the special security zone surrounding President Kumaratunga’s official residence and office, Temple Trees.’’

So who’s spreading alarms about the security situation in this tourist paradise?

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No pay hike for parliamentarians?

By Chittaranjan de Silva
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle yesterday said that there is no truth in published reports that a substantial salary increase to Members of Parliament is in the offing.

Minister Fernandopulle however admitted that the structure of remuneration of Parliamentarians is revised, but denied reports which claimed that a motion to this effect would be tabled in Parliament in the foreseeable future.

A salary anomaly which now exists has placed a Minister’s salary lower than that of a High Court judge, the Minister said, explaining that there is need for the re-adjusting of salaries of MPs to correct the shortfall.

He said that there is no move as such to grant a substantial pay hike, increase allowances, allow them to import a duty free vehicle and also give salary arrears to MPs, as reported in some newspapers.

The Deputy Secretary General of Parliament, Mrs. P. Wijesekera yesterday said that the motion referred to in news reports about a salary increase to MPs is not scheduled to be taken up in the House in the near future.

According to news reports substantial salary increases and allowances to Members of Parliament were to be effected from March 1, 2000. The MPs will also receive more than two years of salary arrears, a Rs. 1 million insurance policy and a permit to obtain a duty free vehicle, the news reports claimed.

Minister Fernadopulle also dismissed claims that party leaders who met last week in Parliament had discussed this matter extensively.

``I was present during the party leaders meeting held last week but the issue of salary increases to MPs was not discussed during that occasion," Minister Fernandopulle said.

Cabinet approval has been granted for the pay hike a year ago, he said but added that there are no plans to table a motion in Parliament to effect the increases in the near future.

LTTE tilts at Gujaral over Neelan lecture

The LTTE mouthpiece in Europe, Eelamurasu, has in its latest issue accused former Indian Prime Minister I. K. Gujaral of performing ‘’Sinhala service" by coming to Colombo for the recent Neelan Tiruchelvam commemoration.

It said that Gujaral, who held the Indian prime ministry for some months after the Dewa Gowda government was defeated, has been rejected by the voters and now lives in retirement.

Eelamurasu went on to say in its prominently displayed articles that Gujaral, like Tiruchelvam, ‘’enjoyed power through the backdoor" and has demeaned himself to the status of a joker by describing President Kumaratunga as a distinguished leader of South Asia.

The attention of the Colombo foreign office has been drawn to this report.

Ronnie de Mel warns of extended presidency under transitional powers

Mr. Ronnie de Mel, a long serving former finance minister and senior UNPer warned his party’s parliamentary group last week that there may be efforts to prolong the executive presidency, which he said had grown into a Frankenstein monster, via the transitional provisions of the new constitution.

"We must guard against it,’’ he told his party colleagues. If the present presidency, which the incumbent would be loath to give up, continues the length of President Kumaratunga’s present term, she could thereafter attempt to win the office of prime minister and head of government under a new order without the executive presidency.

The present constitution does not permit any president, who is both head of government and head of state, to serve more than two terms. But it would be possible for somebody who had served two terms as president to thereafter seek the prime ministry.

De Mel expands his thoughts on this subject below:

"Magnanimity in politics is not seldom the truest wisdom. Great issues and little minds go ill together" - Edmund Burke.

Burke made these remarks in the British Commons in a very similar situation to which we are facing in the North and East just before the American colonists commenced their war against British rule.

I don’t think this is the time for quibbling on manner of words and phrases. Sri Lanka is facing one of the greatest crises in its recent history. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the UNP has offered to support the constitutional proposals of the PA government if these proposals would bring about peace in our land.

It is the duty of the government to introduce the Constitutional Bill in parliament which satisfies the needs and aspirations of all sections of our people in Sri Lanka and also ensures parliamentary democracy, human freedom and liberty.

What was presented at the end of the Select Committee process was a sessional paper which contained the proposals of the government along with riders from the UNP and certain other parties.

Now we have to aim at a consensus to bring in the LTTE also into the process and then present a constitutional bill in its final shape to parliament as soon as possible.

This is a very difficult task in the time frame stipulated by the PA government but I hope that they will succeed in order to bring about peace which all desire. Without peace, there is no hope whatsoever for Sri Lanka.

I have also strongly advocated the abolition of the executive presidency which I consider is the root cause of our present ills. It was instituted in 1978 by President J. R. Jayewardene with a good intention as he felt that an executive presidential system would be more conducive to the quick economic development of a poor third world country like Sri Lanka. But the executive presidency which we created in Sri Lanka has become almost a Frankenstein monster.

We must remember that constitutions in a democratic country are made to protect people against the rulers, not to protect rulers against their people or to preserve their power for ever.

Article 35A of our present constitution gives our president complete legal immunity in a way no other constitution gives. The president is above the law, above the courts and is not subject to the rule of law. He can kill, steal, sell everything in the country for a song, commit rape, rig any election and the people have no remedy whatsoever.

He can take over all ministries including finance. These are powers not given to the president even in France or the USA where presidents do not hold any cabinet portfolios whatsoever.

Parliamentary control of finance is the bedrock of parliamentary government and parliamentary democracy. The finance minister must be in parliament, must be responsible to parliament and be answerable to parliament and present the budget to parliament. Our minister of finance both under President D. B. Wijetunge and even today controls all the finances of the country from Temple Trees and is not answerable to parliament. The president controls all elections, elections commissioner, elections officials, all government officials, all state media, all state money and all state departments.

How can you have free and fair elections, how can you have parliamentary democracy, how can you have human freedom with this type of executive presidency?

Setting up four independent commissions for elections, police, public servants and the judiciary and bringing in a new media freedom bill alone will not solve our problems as long as the present executive presidency remains.

The constitutional council as proposed by the government will also not solve our problems. It is dominated by the nominees of the government. A constitutional council to serve any purpose will have to be totally independent of the government or any single party. Such a council can be constituted if we have the will to do it.

In short, constitutions are made for man and not man for constitutions. This was so of the Magna Carter, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Rights in the American constitution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man in the French constitution and in the Indian constitution framed by Dr. Ambedkar.

Any constitution which serves the political interests of one section of the people will fail. Our constitutions of 1972 and 1978 have been failures. Let us not formulate another constitution which will fail and which will last only for the term of one government.

Don’t keep presidency under transitional powers - TELO

By Franklin. R. Satyapalan
TELO has strongly objected to the incumbent President maintaining her present powers under transitional provisions in the new constitution which will abolish the presidency.

This emerged during last week’s consultations between the PA and the Tamil parties at three meetings chaired by President Kumaratunga.

TELO leader N. Sri Kanthan, MP, asked whether the executive presidency that was to be abolished was to be preserved in some other form. He urged that this office should be abolished once and for all and said that the present president can become the prime minister under the new order.

Prof. G. L. Peiris urged that a strong centre was essential to maintain constitutional continuity at a time the country faced a crisis situation. Minister Ashraff and CWC MP R. Yogarajan said that the people had given the president a mandate for six more years and this mandate must be respected. Prof. Peiris said that it was only two months ago that this mandate was given.

A Communist Party delegate said that this move may be seen as a strategy of retaining the executive presidency through the backdoor.

The EPDP and some other Tamil parties including the CWC failed to get majority support for the direct election by the people of the prime minister. TELO urged that the prime minister commanding majority parliamentary support be appointed.

Further consultations between the PA and the Tamil parties will take place on Tuesday.

TELO urged that secularism be guaranteed by the constitution and Sri Lanka should be named the United States of Sri Lanka. This was totally rejected by the PA government.

TELO’s request that Buddhism be not given the special status enjoyed under the existing constitution in the new constitution was also rejected.

Tamil party sources said that the consultations demonstrated disunity among Tamil parties in parliament with the EPDP, PLOTE and the CWC supporting the government proposals while the TULF opposed some. TELO which has a single MP had taken adversarial position, Tamil sources said. EPDP and PLOTE had almost identical views.

Tamil parties from the North and East have totally rejected any referendum on a merger of the North and East. The SLMC which demanded a South Eastern Muslim area has been keeping a low profile in the consultations so far.

TATA gets lion’s share
Fowzie dismisses LATEC protests, intends to continue with bus imports

by Shamindra Ferdinando
Amidst a row over continuing bus imports from India, Transport and Highways Minister A. H. M. Fowzie has rejected calls for immediate cancellation of a multi-million rupee deal to import 500 buses from India’s TATA company this year, authoritative officials said on Friday.

A couple of hundred employees of LATEC bus company last Tuesday [8] demonstrated opposite the Lipton circus calling on the government to call off the deal with the Indian manufacturer. The workers claimed that they would lose employment if the government goes ahead with the deal.

However, Fowzie next day told a public meeting held at Thummodara to mark the opening of a new bus service between Thummodara to Maharagama via Dambora and Padukka that the government would go ahead with the purchase of TATA buses, ministry sources said. Quoting the minister, the sources said that a TATA costs Rs 1.8 million while a bus assembled by LATEC costs Rs 2.2 million.

The government recently awarded the tender for 500 buses of a total of 1000 buses to TATA. Of the remaining buses, only 300 had been awarded to LATEC and the rest to an assembly line owned by Mr. Lalith Kotelawela. Locals claim that the Indian have been given the lion’s share and they have been ignored.

The Managing Director of LATEC Ravi Wettasinghe, a close associate of many ruling party bigwigs had made repeated representations in a bid to scrap the Indian deal. However, despite his many connections and contributions to the ruling party, Wettasinghe appeared to have failed to persuade an end to Indian bus imports.

Transport and Highways Ministry sources said that these 500 buses are purchased under a special loan scheme. The sources said that of the 500 Indian buses ordered last year, 300 had been delivered. The remaining buses were expected to be delivered by April this year.

These sources said that Kotelawala’s group given the contract to supply 200 buses has agreed to sell a bus for Rs 1,835,000, just Rs 35,000 higher than a TATA. The sources said that despite LATEC charging approximately Rs 400,000 more than TATA for each bus, the company was given the contract to assemble 300 buses.

Political sources said that some PA politicians have been sharply divided over the Indian bus imports. The sources said that there are many influential people both for and against bus imports.

The ‘Sunday Island’ learns that TATA, LATEC and Kotelawala’s company had played hard to secure the entire deal or at least a major part of it.

Musical torture

Residents of a once peaceful neighbourhood in Borella wince at the memory of February 3 - the night before the Independence anniversary. That’s when they last had their eardrums blasted by the sounds emanating from the home of a millionaire who’s gained notoriety for super lavish entertaining.

The neighbours could sleep when the parties were at the five-stars. But now he’s built facilities in-house, so to speak, complete with a pavilion serving as a bandstand. The racket is horrendous and it goes on well into the wee hours making sleep impossible in the neighbourhood.

"It’s so loud that even the dead will wake up at Kanatte," said one bitter neighbour. "If we have timely warning of the celebrations, we’d know when to go away."

But the host doesn’t seem to care a damn and the torture continues. He was once reported to have claimed that he’s got good friends in politics, "the best that money can buy."

Private hospital with a difference

A new private hospital, which boasts new facilities at competitive prices was declared open by Health Minister, Nimal Siripala De Silva and Justice Minister, Professor G. L. Peiris yesterday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. De Silva said that the government had an enormous burden in providing free health care, and that medical facilities to the people had to be shared between the public and private sectors. He said that Sri Lanka has a shortage of medical specialists and expressed regret that about 54 such consultants had made use of government-sponsored foreign scholarships and had not returned after completing their education. He welcomed the international concept in health care adopted by the hospital where for instance the doctors would perform nurses duties if the need arose unlike other hospitals where there were several job categories created.

The 206-bed Oasis Hospital, located at Kirimandala Mawatha was the brainchild of Dr. D. M. S. Edirisinghe. Dr. Edirisinghe said that Oasis would bring on a "new concept in health care." "Oasis intends to charge much less and offer more in terms of patient care and facilities," he said, adding that the hospital charges would be significantly less than the other competitors.

The hospital has several departments including obstetrics and gynaecology, critical care and anaesthesiology, mental health, paediatrics and oncology units. According to Dr. Edirisinghe, the medical oncology unit is the first such unit in a private hospital, in addition to an anti-cancer drug dispensing unit.

Other facilities at the hospital include a neo-natal intensive care unit, spiral CT scan and mammography facilities. (DB)

Rights violation plea by Brigadier
SC grants leave to proceed

by Chitra Weerarathne
The Supreme Court yesterday granted leave to proceed with the Fundamental Rights Violation plea filed by Brigadier Neville Fernando, challenging his termination of services from January 31.

The Supreme Court stated that, in terms of Army Pensions and Gratuities Code, it seems prima facie, that a decision, to extend the services of an officer, is that of the Secretary Defence, although the opinion of the President is a pre-condition.

In these circumstances, the Secretary’s recommendation, and his decision, appear to be open to review.

Therefore leave to proceed, in respect of the alleged infringement of Article 12 (11) by the refusal of an extension of service and the inadequacy of notice, is granted. The first respondent in this petition is the Secretary Defence.

Ikram Mohammad P.C. with M. S. A. Wadood and M. S.M. Muneer appeared for Brigadier Fernando.

Senior State Counsel, S. Rajaratnam appeared for the Secretary Defence. Mr. Rajaratnam conceded that on the question of the adequacy or otherwise of the notice of termination, leave to proceed should be granted in view of the judgement of this court in S.C. 412/97.

The Bench comprised, Justice Mark Fernando, Justice S. W. B. Wadugodapitiya and Justice A. S. Wijetunga.

SC dismisses rights plea of Liverpool Navigation (Pvt.) Ltd

By Chitra Weerarathne
The Supreme Court recently dismissed the Fundamental Rights violation plea filed by Liverpool Navigation (Pvt.) Limited, challenging a decision of the Secretary Defence, not to grant security clearance for the petitioner’s vessel to sail to the North of Sri Lanka.

The judgement explained that "considering the security situation that prevails in this country, more particularly in the North and the East, it goes without saying that the national security is a predominant factor in the determination of this matter. From the point of view of the authorities concerned, the paramount consideration in granting security clearance is whether it would in anyway, undermine the security of the state, more so, as the transport of certain classified items to the North and the East is prohibited for security reasons, on account of the ongoing war between the government and the LTTE."

In view of the aforesaid situation, the court said that the Secretary Defence and the connected respondent officials, have not acted in an arbitrary, illegal, unreasonable or mala fide manner, in deciding not to grant clearance to vessel owned by the petitioner company, to sail to the North.

The respondents have not violated the petitioner’s Right to equality, as enshrined in Article 12 (1) of the ‚onstitution of Sri Lanka, the court held.

The petition was dismissed, but without costs.

Faiz Mustapha P.C. with Manohara de Silva and Saliya Peiris, appeared for the petitioner.

Rienzie Arsecularatne, Additional Solicitor General, P.C. with State Counsel Gihan Kulatunga, appeared for the first respondent Secretary Defence and other respondent, state officials.

The judgement dated January 28, 2000, was by Justice A. S. Wijetunga with Justice R. N. M. Dheeraratne and Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake agreeing.

Cops raid cop’s home, seize gang involved in underworld slayings

Police said that a gang of men allegedly behind the November 9, 1999 gunning down of the president of the Airport Taxi Service Titus Peiris and the subsequent killings of his associates apart from number of other incidents had been taken into custody in the home of a policeman belonging to the Presidential Security Division [PSD].

Peiris, a former soldier allegedly responsible for a spate of violent attacks including political violence and two of his associates were shot dead in the Negombo area in three separate incidents but the local police did not succeed in catching the suspects.

They were among seven persons taken in for questioning by the Special Investigation Unit of the Western Province [North] Range during an unexpected raid on the policeman’s home at Kotte on February 2 evening leading to serious differences over handling of this particular case.

"Four persons had been kept under detention orders," a senior police officer said adding that the rest had been released as they appeared to have no connection with the underworld.

The four suspects could be held upto 90 days without being produced before a magistrate.

The sources admitted that some influential people appeared to have been at each other’s throats over the ongoing investigation.

The sources said that President Chandrika Kumaratunga herself had insisted in meetings with the police top brass last year that the underworld should be crushed at any cost and had asked them to bring to her notice if her ministers or anyone connected with the government interfered in investigations.

Peliyagoda police is expected to question the policeman who gave refuge to the underworld gang. "We want to record his statement," a police officer said adding that the policeman concerned will be asked to make himself available shortly as the police party which conducted the February 2 raid had said that he had tried to secure the release of the underworld gang.

Police believe that the Kotte home of the policeman had been used as a safe house by wanted men. However, an armed police party went into action a few hours after another wanted gangster arrested in the same area revealed the existence of the safehouse.

Police said that the gang in custody appeared to have maintained contacts with notorious underworld figures involved in a series of killings, extortion, rape and other shady activities. [SF]

PA MP’s statement recorded over twin killings

Wellampitiya police investigating the February 3 killing of reserve police constable P. B. Susantha and Lieutenant Wickrema Indika Dinesh de Silva near a filling station at Kotikawatte last week recorded the statement of PA MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra.

Premachandra said that the constable, one of the two personnel provided by police for guard duty at his Wellampitiya residence had not been the target of the Thursday’s attack. "He was killed because he was with de Silva," Premachandra said adding that the policeman had got into the double cab numbered 54-8840 driven by the army officer after handing over his weapon to the Wellampitiya police station.

He said that the police appeared to have made some headway into the killing. "I hope they somehow catch the killers," he told The Sunday Island.

The vehicle carrying the army officer and the policeman had come under pistol fire near the filling station. The victims had made an abortive bid to get out of the vehicle and flee. But gunmen believed to be armed with 9 m.m. pistols had fired at them at point blank range killing both on the spot. [SF]

Ceremony at SL mission in London to mark Independence Day

From Sujeeva Nivunhella - Our London Corr.
A simple ceremony was held at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London to mark the 52nd Anniversary of Independence last Friday. Religious leaders representing Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and a selected group of invitees attended the ceremony.

Sri Lankan High Commissioner Dr. Lal Jayawardane in his speech said, "We are celebrating today the 52nd Anniversary of our independence for the first time in the New Millennium. It is therefore an appropriate occasion for taking stock of what we have achieved as a nation in the economic sphere in the past half a century, and for taking a forward look at the economic challenge that lies ahead of us in the next quarter of a century or so, by which time both our population and labour force will have stabilised at not much above today’s levels."

"Our principal economic achievement has been amply documented. This has been to achieve a relatively high quality of life, on a modest per capita income - a life expectancy of 73 years, an adult literacy rate of 91%, and an infant mortality rate of 17 per 1000, the lowest in the low income developing world."

He said, Sri Lanka’s most spectacular failure, has been to translate the social sector achievement into rapid enough economic growth. The disparity in income growth between East Asia and Sri Lanka has a straight forward explanation.We were consistently saving and investing much less than East Asia.

He further said, If we have peace, a remarkable economic opportunity beckons against the background of diminishing global export prospects for Sri Lanka, stemming in part from intensified competition from East Asia, as their economies begin to recover from the recent recession. This is the magnet for attracting foreign investment in the required amounts provided by the duty free access to the Indian market available under the Bilateral Free Trade Agreement with India signed at the end of 1998.

LTTE says 13,603 cadres killed since 1982 to Dec. 31, 98

by Shamindra Ferdinando
The LTTE has admitted that the controversial combined security forces offensive Jayasikurui which was called off mid way after failing to achieve its objective of restoring the Vavuniya-Jaffna Main Supply Route [MSR] had claimed the lives of 2,146 cadres, the largest number killed in any single operation. Jayasikurui launched on May 13, 1996 was called off in the first week of December, 1998.

Sooriyappudalvargal [Sons of Sun], a special magazine issued by LTTE’s London Secretariat to mark last year’s Heroes Day, has revealed that Jayasikurui and 1997 had been the bloodiest battle and the bloodiest year, respectively.

The 42 - page magazine which carries articles on huge sacrifices made by the organisation during the ongoing 19 year old conflict has revealed that 1997’s military action had killed 2,099 cadres. They were among 13,311 cadres killed since 1982 to December 31, 1998. The dead comprise 11,071 male and 2,240 female cadres.

Apart from them, 292 human bombs, Black Tigers, Black Sea Tigers and Black Land Tigers had been killed in suicide attacks. They comprise 218 men and 74 women. The majority of them were Black Tigers [109 in number] believed to be responsible for human bomb attacks that claimed the lives of scores of politicians and security forces top brass.

However, the magazine released at the end of last year does not make any mention of cadres killed during 1999 or thousands of disabled and hundreds if not thousands in security forces custody.

The armed forces had lost 14,263 officers and men upto the first week of December, 1998. Of them, 2,400 personnel had been placed missing in action. The defence ministry had not released figures for the last year.

The Defence Ministry had placed the number of LTTE cadres killed upto December, 1998 at 16,018; 2,415 more than the number admitted by the LTTE.

The LTTE, perhaps for the first time has given a clear breakdown of cadres killed in major battles in the conflict and deaths suffered from 1982 to 1998. Only one cadre had been killed in 1982. It had been followed by five deaths in 1983, 36 in 1984, 123 in 1985 and 258 in the following year.

Then 451 cadres had been killed in 1987. Some of them had been killed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force [IPKF] which launched operations against the LTTE in early October, 1987.

In the next two years, the LTTE had lost 735 cadres. All of them had been killed in IPKF action as the Sri Lankan armed forces were not allowed to conduct operations under the Indo-Lanka accord.

1990 saw the LTTE losing 960 cadres, almost all of them in the Eelam war two triggered off by the massacre of policemen in the Ampara-Batticaloa sector in June.

1991 had been the bloodiest year for the LTTE under the UNP administration. According to ‘Sooriyappudalvargal’, 1,613 cadres were killed during the year. Of them, 604 were killed during the month long abortive bid to smash the Elephant Pass base.

The following year, 788 cadres had been killed. It was followed by 925 cadres in 1993 and 374 in 1994.

The next year, LTTE losses had soared when forces launched the then biggest ever combined security forces operation to bring Jaffna under their control. The LTTE had lost 1,502 cadres in 1995, 1,374 in 1996, 2,099 in 1997 and 1791 the next year.

Although no mention has been made of last year’s losses, hundreds died particularly during their abortive bid to take the Elephant Pass base in December. The military believes that at least 600 terrorists were killed in the attack named operation "Unceasing Waves 3"

The LTTE publication has detailed deaths among cadres in some big battles in the conflict. Apart from losing 2,146 cadres in the hands of Jayasikurui troops, the LTTE said that 604 were killed at Elephant Pass, 233 at Welioya, 460 at Pooneryn-Nagathevanthurai, 175 at Kokkuthuduwai, 181 at Atchuveli [operation Thunder Strike], 438 Jaffna peninsula [Riviresa], 315 at Mullaithivu [Unceasing Waves one], 100 in Sathjaya 2 operation, 133 in Sathjaya 3 operation, 193 at Paranthan-Elephant Pass, 300 at Kilinochchi-Paranthan and 405 in Unceasing Waves 2 operation.

The military believes that the at least 10,000 LTTE cadres had been disabled in action.

SLT directories by Feb. 21

By Lishanthi Siriwardena
Delays in the printing and transportation of Sri Lanka Telecom directories from Malaysia forced SLT to postpone plans of directory distribution in January but SLT officials assured that directories will be available from February 21. SLT officials said that directories will be available from the 21st as a shipment has already arrived. The customers will now have to submit the paid receipt of the January bill instead of the December receipt and obtain their copies at any SLT sales counter or Teleshop, they said.

In January SLT said that their customers could collect the year 2000 directory when they submit the paid receipt of the December telephone bill. But plans of providing telephone directories in January had to be delayed as the directories were not available due to supplies delays, SLT officials said.

Several customers complained about SLT distribution method which they said were imposing conditions on their customers to obtain their copies of directories while influencing them to pay their bills. SLT officials said that now customers have to pay their bills in two months or they receive red notices while the bill will be convenient to identify the customer when giving the directories. Despite protests from many customers against the new method of distributing telephone directories, SLT officials said that their customers are not inconvenienced as 70 to 80 percent of their customers pay their bills at Teleshops. SLT has continually emphasised the convenience of Teleshops and encouraged their customers to pay their bills at a convenient Teleshops.

The directories will be in the same format as last year with separate directories for residential and business customers while the order issued by the Telecommunications Regulatory commission in 1999 will be adhered to by SLT this time as well. Under the order issued by TRC last year the residential customers can request for a free business supplementary directory when they collect their residential directories, SLT officials said. Business and residential are entitled for a free supplementary directory this year as well but they have to request for it, SLT officials said.

Death toll in road accidents reach frightening proportions

by Suresh Perera
The growing threat of death on the country’s chaotic highways remain a frightening reality as a shocking 2,059 people were killed last year in road mishaps.

Equally startling was the number of accidents themselves, which reached an all time high of 53,531, of which 1,913 were fatal. The latest statistics released by the City Traffic Police indicate a disturbing upward trend in comparison with the total number of people killed in road accidents in 1997 and 1998, which stood at 48,198 and 50,274, respectively. The number of people killed in mishaps on the highways in 1999 had also surpassed the figures of the two previous years, 1,835 and 2,023, respectively.

‘Most of these accidents were caused due to negligence’, says City Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent of Police, Alfred Wijewardena.

In the year under review, the highest number of fatal accidents was 152, with 160 people killed, reported from Kelaniya where 5,228 road accidents had taken place. This was followed by Gampaha and Chilaw where 124 and 120 fatal accidents were reported with 134 and 130 people killed, respectively. The number of road accidents reported in these two district were 2,334 and 964 each, according to the City Traffic police.

‘It has been revealed that the failure on the part of motorists to signal when turning had led to most of these accidents’, SSP Wijewardena said.

Some of the other areas where accident rate last year was alarmingly high were, Nugegoda (6,033), Mt. Lavinia (3,267), Kandy (3,007), Kegalle (2,444), Negombo (1,673), Kurunegala (1,633), Ratnapura (1,562), Kalutara (1,337), Panadura (1,177), Anuradhapura (1,078), Galle (1,059) and Matale (999).

The number of police vehicles involved in road mishaps was 100.

The Traffic Police had also filed legal action against 39,137 private inter-city buses and 50,084 three-wheelers during 1999.

Despite police claims of ‘keeping an eye’ on these air-conditioned, inter-city buses which increased their fares by 25% in September last year, commuters complain that over-loading is still continuing unabated. This is happening under the nose of policemen, particularly on the Galle Road during peak hours, they said.

The heavily tinted windows and the curtains in these so-called luxury buses offer an effective shield against police intervention for over-loading, passengers pointed out.

‘The traffic police are not too keen to bring these errant bus operators to book’, they claimed.

‘We are tough on them’, insisted the Officer-in-Charge, City Traffic, Inspector N. K. Seneviratne.

He said last week one such inter-city operator who carried passengers in excess was fined Rs. 10,250/- by courts.

‘The minimum fine in this connection is Rs. 10,000/-. Of course, some of these busmen capitalise on the congestion during peak hours to over-load as they know that the police find it difficult to flag them down without adding to the traffic snarls’, IP Seneviratne said.

Responding to allegations that certain traffic policemen were being paid a gratification of Rs. 1000 by some inter-city operators for ‘conveniently turning a blind eye to over-loading’, IP Seneviratne said that although there were stories to that effect, he was unaware of any specific cases.

Commuters charge that some policemen are not too keen to take action against errant busmen because of this ‘understanding’.

Asked whether it’s not an offence for these inter-city buses to use tinted glass, SSP Wijewardena said it is permissible for vehicles with a seating capacity exceeding thirty.

During last year, 3,734 tinted vehicles were brought to book. While 462 drivers were detected under the influence of liquor, the highest number of 49,556 offences was for ignoring traffic signal lights, City Traffic said.

People’s Bank files appeal against defamation case verdict

The People’s Bank said in a statement that it has filed a petition of appeal against the judgement in which the bank was ordered by the District Judge of Hambantota to pay Rs. 2.5 million to Mr. Gamini Fonseka in a defamation suit.

Mr. Fonseka had instituted legal action claiming Rs. 300 million from the People’s Bank for defamation caused to him on account of a news item published in the ‘Ravaya’ newspaper with regard to certain transactions he had with the Tissamaharama branch of the People’s Bank, the statement said.

Senasuma Holiday Resorts Limited, of which Mr. Fonseka is a director, had also filed another action in the Hambantota District Court claiming Rs. 100 million from the People’s Bank as compensation for defamation caused to the company by the same news item in the ‘Ravaya’ newspaper. With the consent of both parties, the District Judge heard one action instead of holding a trial in both cases and pronounced the judgement on December 13, 1999 ordering the People’s Bank to pay Rs. 2.5 million in addition to costs of action in respect of both cases, the statement added.

Perturbed over threats to UNP MP

The Rt. Hon. the Lord McCluskey in a letter to President Chandrika Kumar-atunga says that ‘many of us, both in the House of Lords and in other bodies concerned with human rights, are worried about the threats to UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, especially in the light of the recent assassination of another prominent human rights worker.

Noting that he continued to receive expressions of alarm and fear from others, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union, of which he is a member, and the International Com-mission of Jurists, Lord McCluskey has stated that unfortunately he has been unable to obtain any reassurance in relation to Dr. Jayawardena from anyone in a position of authority in Sri Lanka.

‘I wonder if I might respectfully ask Your Excellency to consider this matter further and to see what can be done to provide Dr. Jayawardena with safety of the kind that a Member of Parliament should enjoy in a democracy’, the letter added.

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