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Ministry
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Ministry
officials suspect Investigations are under way to ascertain whether the string of bomb explosions in Telecom exchanges in several parts of the country was an 'inside job', Posts and Telecommunications Ministry sources said yesterday. As senior official of the Ministry said that these bomb blasts inside Telecom exchanges started after the government decided to sell a further 10 per cent of Telecom shares. Probably the idea behind the secret bombing campaign was to prevent investors coming in, he added. The Ministry has called in the Criminal Investigation Department to probe into the incidents of bombing of Telecom installations, he said. The bombing campaign is continuing in a subtle manner and those behind the 'operation' have taken care to cause no physical harm when planting the bombs. Already information is pouring in with regard to the persons behind the bombing campaign, but their identities cannot be revealed until the investigations are completed, the official said. The official estimated the damages caused to the Telecom exchanges in Kalutara, Kuliyapitiya and Nochchiyagama at over Rs. 50 million. The Ministry will put into operation a special security scheme to prevent further explosions in the Telecom centres, the official added. Bomb explodes at tea factory in Hatton A joint police and army team mounted a cordon-and-search operation in Hatton area and arrested eight suspects after a gang of unidentified armed persons exploded a bomb damaging part of the machinery at Shannon Tea factory in Hatton around 1.30 a.m. yesterday, police sources said. However, nobody was injured in the explosion. Police did not rule out LTTE hand behind the bomb blast, after there was strong suspicion that the LTTE was behind a series of blasts of power transformers and other attacks in plantation areas in the recent past, police said. The Shannon Tea Factory which is situated two and half kilometres from Hatton on the Colombo Road and managed by Watawala Plantation Company employs around 1000 persons plantation sources said. Around 1.30 a.m. yesterday four unidentified armed persons clad in black had entered the factory and demanded the keys from Assistant Factory Manager, police said. He had resisted and raised cries when some seven to eight factory hands who came running managed to grapple with one of the members of the gang who had spoken in Sinhala, when a blast occurred damaging part of machinery of the tea factory and some adjoining houses, police said. In the melee the suspect who was caught by factory hands also managed to escape, police said. The Government Analyst officials from Colombo were to visit the scene of blast yesterday to ascertain what type of bomb had been used in the blast, police said. Further investigations were continuing under directions of SSP Nuwara Eliya Division Jayasiri Udawatte, ASP II Ranjan Dissanayake, ASP Meegoda by HQI Hatton. IP Asoka Weerakkody and sleuths from SIU in NuwarA Eliya. Watawala Plantations Ltd in a news release stated that the Shannon factory was a non active tea factory. In the early hours Monday (1) unidentified persons had entered the factory and forcefully set off a small explosion to one of the air ducts causing minor damages to the withering room. However, this has not caused any interruption to the smooth functioning of all the other factories and estates of Watawala Plantations Limited. The factories are functioning to full capacity. Currently all factories of Watawala Plantations Limited have been placed on high security with additional precautions taken against such saboteurs, Troops
surround Mankulam town 'Jayasikuru' troops by mid-day yesterday completed one of their major assignments by re-capturing the Tunukkai area from the Tigers effectively wresting control of the Mulaitivu- Vellayankulam main supply route, a military official in the North said yesterday. Terrorists surrounded an army group on Sunday when Jayasikuru troops were moving towards Mankulam from Ambagamam in two groups. In this incident an army captain and 19 soldiers went missing and there had been no information about them up to yesterday noon security sources said. Jayasikuru troops who reached the town of Tunukkai and its environs have surrounded the town of Mankulam from the Western, Eastern and Southern flanks, he added. Tunukkai is located between Mallavi and Vellayankulam, west of Mankulam. The loss of Tunukkai will be a major defeat for the LTTE while the recapture of it is a major achievement in the efforts to re-capture Mankulam, he added. The Mankulam town has now been surrounded by government troops on three flanks from Kanagarayankulam in the South, Tunukkai in the West and Olumadu in the East. Jayasikuru troops who moved to Palayamurukandy junction, have taken full control of the Mallavi-Tunukkai by-road. Troops came under heavy LTTE fire when they (troops) reached Mundimuruppu and Ampeigamam. However with the troops advancing the Palayamurukandy on the Mallavi-Tunukkai by-road, terrorists in Mankulam are facing a situation where they have completely been cut off from supplies from Mullaitivu. The terrorists will have no alternative but to flee the Mankulam town, if they do not receive supplies from outside, the official said. The body of the Commandant of the Special Task Force, DIG Dharmasiri Weerakoon was found washed ashore at Alutgama around 6.00 a.m. yesterday, police said. He was drowned at sea at Moragolla, Beruwala on Sunday afternoon. Police supported by the Navy mounted a search for the body. DIG Weerakoon was drowned while on an outing with his family at Moragolla on Sunday. Special probe ordered
into STF chief's drowning Kalutara Magistrate C. V. Rajapakse ordered the police to conduct a special investigation regarding the death of Commandant of the Special Task Force, (DIG) Dharmasiri Weerakoon, who was drowned at sea at Moragalla, Beruwala on Sunday. Mr. J. Weerasena, the Inqurier into Sudden Deaths of Beruwala Totamuna, who conducted the post-mortem after recording evidence recorded a verdict of death due to drowning at sea. When Mrs. Lalitha Weerakoon, the widow of the DIG asked permission from Kalutara Magistrate to cremate the dead body of her husband the Magistrate ordered JMO, Kalutara to perform an autopsy and submit a medical report. The body of DIG which was taken from Alutgama to Colombo was turned back by Wadduwa police on orders of Magistrate on Monday and directed to Nagoda, Kalutara General Hospital. The Magistrate inspected the spot where the DIG drowned at noon. D.I.G. drowned while celebrating
daughter's B'day Ms. N. A. Weerakoon, sister of late DIG Dharmasiri Weerakoon, Commandant Special Task Force told 'The Island' yesterday that she came to know last Sunday evening that her brother had drowned at sea while on an outing at Moragolla he had gone to the sea. "What I think is that huge wave would have swept him into the ocean. The sea at that particular place was very rough. Even red flags had been put up to warn people of the danger of sea bathing. My brother wanted to celebrate the birthday of his daughter, Geethika Weerakoon on a grand scale. That was why he arranged the birthday party at Beach Villas at Moragolla, Beruwela", Ms Weerakoon said. The late DIG was the father of three children. Of them two are in Australia. The other is his 29-year-old daughter, Geethika. The funeral of veddha chieftain Uru Varige Tissahamy took place yesterday. Believed to be the decendent of the yaksha tribe that existed even before the arrival of the Aryans Tissahamy was 104 years old at the time of his demise. The remains of the Veddha chieftain were placed out in his home in Kotabikiniya situated about two miles from the village of Dambana in Mahiyanganaya. His coffin was made out of a bark of a tree according to the chieftain's wishes. "This is our birth place, Love the trees and the jungle and let not one tree be felled because of me," had been Tissahamy's last words. At the head and at the foot of the coffin two candles made with bee's wax had been deposited. When a death occurred the ancient traditional practice of these aborigines had been to inter the body at the place of death while the rest of the family moved to a another area of the jungle.However this practice had been done away with and the body was taken away and buried in a different part of the jungle while the families continued to remain in their homes. However in the case of Tissahamy this tradition has undergone a slight adjustment due to his high profile among the veddha community and the recognition he has thus gained which has resulted in crowds of people from all over Sri Lanka coming to pay their last respects.His body will be interred on a flat area about a quarter mile from his home. India boosts military spending NEW DELHI, June 1 (Reuters) - India's Hindu nationalist-led government on Monday announced big hikes in military and atomic energy spending in its 1998/99 (April-March) budget, which was presented three weeks after its controversial nuclear tests. Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha told parliament that spending on defence would go up to 412 billion rupees ($988 million) from 361 billion in 1997/98. Spending on atomic energy will rise by 68 percent to 13.91 billion rupees from 8.28 billion rupees, he said. The powerful Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU) is on the warpath again, this time with the managements of the Regional Rural Development Banks (RRDB) which come under the purview of the Central Bank. The Union has given a fourteen-day notice to the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank threatening trade union action if he did not provide speedy solutions to the contentious issues revolving around the RRDBs. These are mainly the revision of salaries and the cost of living allowance. The union has given the management a June 11 deadline to meet their demands. Failure to adhere to the deadline would result in an island-wide picketing campaign. Further trade union action will be launched after June 12, Union sources said. Union general secretary, M. R. Shah, said negotiations commenced with the management in October 1997. The original demands of the RRDB employees were that the salaries be increased by 45 per cent and that the variable cost of living allowance be enhanced to Rs. 1.50 for every point rise in the index. After several rounds of meetings, however, the union revised these demands taking into consideration the affordability of the banks and the counter proposals of the Central Bank. Final suggestions were made that the salaries of RRDB employees increased by 15 per cent with effect from January 1997 while a further increase of 15 per cent be granted after restructuring of the banks (depending on the performance of RRDBs for the first six months). The cost of living allowance was to be increased from Rs. 1 to Rs. 1.50 with effect from January 1997. Finally, it was suggested that the arrears in the loss-making banks be paid in 12 monthly instalments. No settlement, however, was arrived at despite prolonged negotiations. A letter to the Central Bank Deputy Governor notes that as no settlement was forthcoming even after the union had put forward its counter proposals, it sought the intervention of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Secretary to the Treasury. There has been no response. "However, we believe that a matter of this nature need not be taken up at the presidential level but could be conveniently dealt with and settled at Central Bank level", it says. Mr. Shah pointed out that the employees of RRDBs are poorly paid. "On average, an employee receives about Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,000," he said, "It is important that their salaries be revised and that the Central Bank authorities make an effort to expedite a solution to the ongoing dispute". Former Army Commander
charged for misuse of funds The Attorney General last Friday indicted former Army Commander Cecil Waidyaratne under the Penal Code and the Public Property Act for alleged misuse of funds amounting to Rs. 36,832,686 in contravention of the directives given by the authorities. The offences are said to have been committed during the period between February 15, 1992 and December 31, 1992. Twenty-nine persons including 17 army officers are cited as witnesses: Brig. Jaliya Nammuni, Brig. D. L. Kasthuriarachchy, Brig. S. W. Jayakody and Col. K. Aththanayake are among the 17 army officers scheduled to testify at the trial. There are 22 productions also in the case to come up before Colombo High Court Judge Raja Fernando. Pakistan forced into conducting
nuclear tests by India's action TOKYO, June 1 (Reuters) - Pakistan is ready to talk to India about mutual restraint on the use of nuclear weapons, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in an interview with a Japanese newspaper published on Monday. "Our hearts are open to the new proposal. We have not abandoned measures to improve the situation. Pakistan is ready to come to the table and talk with India," Sharif said in an interview with the daily Asahi Shimbun. Despite global calls for restraint, Pakistan went ahead with its first ever nuclear tests last week in response to India's first underground blasts in 24 years. Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said after the tests that India was willing to hold talks with other nations to formalise a new moratorium on the use of nuclear arms. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad had said earlier that Islamabad was ready to engage in "constructive talks" with other countries and India. Sharif told the Asahi that Pakistan had no immediate plans to hold more nuclear tests and reiterated that Islamabad had no intention of using nuclear weapons on other nations. "It was the Indian prime minister who said nuclear arms could be used on enemies if necessary. We have no such intention so we didn't respond to the Indian prime minister's remarks," Sharif said. Sharif reiterated that Pakistan was forced into conducting the nuclear tests by India's action, and that the Indian tests had threatened the stability and security of the region. ‘If Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Media, Mangala Samaraweera was innocent of allegations of corruption through the use of the Telecom credit card, I challenge him to get the President to activate the Commission probing Bribery and Corruption and inquire into the allegations against him,’ says UNP MP Dr. Rajitha Senaratne in a Press release. Dr. Senaratne stated that a complaint was made by him (Dr. Senaratne) to the Bribery Commission regarding the spending of Rs. 281,000 by the Minister using a Telecom credit card. He further challenged the Minister to explain to the people for what purpose, on whose behalf and what was purchased with that money using the credit card. The MP lamented that even though Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had made a request in writing to the President to activate the Bribery and Corruption Commission, early, the Opposition Leader was still awaiting a reply. General Secretary, SATU in rights plea The General Secretary of the Samurdhi Animators' Trade Union, S. A. D. Jagath Kumara of Battaramulla has filed a fundamental rights violation plea in the Supreme Court challenging the cancellation of their May Day demonstration, which was scheduled to be held at Cotta Park, Borella. The petition said that arrangements had been made to summon Samurdhi animators from all parts of the country for a demonstration at Cotta Park and subsequently to hold a meeting at the Vihara Maha Devi Park. On the afternoon of May 1, about 4,500 persons were present at the Cotta Park, when police had arrived with batons and tear gas in hand and dispersed the persons who had gathered. On the eve of May Day, an unidentified officer of the Borella police station had handed over to the petitioner, a letter signed by D. P. L. Dissa-nayake, Superintendent of Police, Colombo South. The letter had stated that the demonstration was cancelled due to security reasons. But, so many other groups had been allowed to hold May Day assemblies all over the country. The petition alleged unequal treatment and the denial of the right to peaceful assembly. The petition requested the Supreme Court to grant leave to proceed and to declare the violation of fundamental rights. JVP in contact with
'progressive' forces to contest local polls In a move to unite all leftist and other progressive forces in the run up to the forthcoming Provincial polls in August, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) held a round of consultations with several progressive factions including PA MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara and the NSSP led by Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne last week, JVP Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa said yesterday. Senior JVP members led by Secretary General Tilvin Silva held successful talks with MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara with a view to uniting all progressive factions before forthcoming polls, he said. For the talks with the NSSP, the JVP delegation was led by Mr. Weeravansa, and comprised senior politburo member M. D. Gunatilleka. The NSSP led by its leader Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne and comprised, Dr. Sunil Ratnapriya (former head of GMOA) and Politburo member Neil Wijetilleka, JVP sources said. Initially Dr. Karunaratne had explained that the NSSP would join all progressive left forces who would get together to oppose the war against the Tamil minority people, which had led to militarisation of entire society, NSSP sources said. JVP's senior politburo member Gunatilleke said that it had been the policy of his party to oppose the war against Tamil people and the sole JVP member of Parliament Nihal Gallappathy had continued to vote against the extension of emergency and all supplementary estimates of the Ministry of Defence, party sources said. Mr. Gunatilleke said that the JVP stood for equality among all communities and condemned discrimination against the minorities. It was equality among people of all languages and religions so that all progressive forces could unite to fight the capitalist forces led by UNP and PA. During the discussions it was emphasised that unity among all leftist and progressive forces was vital in the Sri Lanka political context. The lengthy informal talks had centred on the government's privatisation, repression of trade union leaders using emergency powers, and suppression of university students. Manageress charged for
misappropriation of funds The manageress of a Co-operative Credit Society at Udugampola who had allegedly misappropriated Rs. 3,796,500 belonging to the society was produced by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) before Gampaha Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge, K. A. Sumathipala who ordered the suspect to be remanded till June 11. On an application by the CID to courts, permission was granted to check the bank account of the husband of the suspect maintained with a commercial bank. CID prosecuted while attorneys Arthur Kapuru Bandara and Ananda Hettiarachchi appeared for the defence. Foodstuff distributed among refugees in
Vakarai The ICRC escorted five lorry loads of foodstuffs to the uncleared area of Vakarai in Batticaloa district on Monday afternoon, GA, Batticaloa A. K. Pathmanathan said. The five lorry loads contained dry rations for refugees in uncleared areas of Vakarai for the month of March 1998. The lorries contained 42,000 kilos of rice, 8,000 kilos of sugar and a quantity of milk food. The rations had been purchased from MPCS in Valachchenai for a Rs. 1.6 million and distributed to refugees through the respective co-operatives. Rs. 25 lakhs suit against
Sporting Star Colombo District Judge Sarath Ambepitiya hearing a twenty-five lakh rupee suit against Sporting Star is to adjudicate on the legal issue whether betting indulged in by Turf Accountants popularly known as 'Bookies' is a legal contract or otherwise. A. A. M. Mowjood is the plaintiff while Sporting Star is the defendant. The plaint filed by the plaintiff through attorney at law G. G. Arulpiragasam sought rupees twenty five lakhs as damages for an alleged breach of contract. The plaint stated that the plaintiff on July 15, 95 caused a bet at a betting parlour for Rs. 12,000/- and placed the bet on five horses. The plaint stated that all five horses whom the plaintiff backed on the day were winners. But the defendant in breach of the contract failed to pay his dues. President's Counsel S. A. Parathalingam with Fraizer Mustapa instructed by attorney at law G. G. Arulpiragasam appeared for the plaintiff. President's Counsel Romesh de Silva with Palitha Kumarasinghe instructed by E. Harischandra appeared for the defendant. Samurdhi workers picket in South and
Central areas The Samurdhi-Govi animators will stage a series of picketing campaigns in the South and the Central areas within the next fortnight. These workers claim that they were successful in their protests last week and will stage several more picketing campaigns in the Matara and Hambantota districts on the June 4th and June 8 at Kandy and Matale urging the authorities to confirm them in service. Jagath Kumara, the secretary of the organization of Samurdhi Govi workers told 'The Island" that Samurdhi workers boycotted the flag day last Sunday organised by the Samurdhi Authority to mark World No Tobacco Day creating awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco smoking. The Samurdhi animators will only stay away from extra activities as such but will perform the main duties entrusted to them, distributing Samurdhi aid and work in Samurdhi Banks, he said. Therefore no one can threaten to remove Samurdhi workers for keeping away from such activities, he said in response to warnings issued by authorities in the Pradeshiya Samurdhi offices to the protesting Samurdhi-Govi workers. Meanwhile an official of the Samurdhi Authority said that they have issued instructions to officers at provincial level to carry on sale of flags in the case of a protest by the Samurdhi animators. Millionaire businessman shot dead at Mutwal
Sports Club A millionaire businessman was found shot dead inside a reputed sports club at Mutwal last Friday. The victim was a textile businessman identified by police as Sinnathurai Sathyanathan of Mandaithivu, Jaffna. He had business dealings in Colombo and Jaffna, police said. According to initial police investigations the victim in the company of another millionaire businessman person had gone to the sports club along with another person. Suddenly two unknown gunmen had emerged and shot the businessman at point blank range and escaped on a motor cycle parked at the sports club. The owner of the getaway motorcycle had been in the sports club at that time enjoying drinks. The motorcycle has not yet been traced, police said. Police investigations had also revealed that the murdered businessman had been a teetotaller. It is believed that the victim had been accompanied to the sports club by the other businessman and his companion. Police suspicions had therefore been aroused over the action of these two persons and they are being held in police custody for questioning. Further investigations are being carried out by Mutwal police. Two
homeguards killed Two homeguards on duty at a security checkpoint in Kohila Ela village, Thennapitiya in the Maha Oya police division were killed last Sunday in a terrorist attack. The two home-guards were identified as R. B. Dharmasena and R. B. Pathmasiri. Mrs. Pabasara Niranjali Fernando aged 30 of No. 13/B, Menerigama Place, Mount Lavinia, who is suffering from chronic chycloid leukaemia needs an aclogonic bone marrow transplant operation. According to Dr. Jayantha Belewardana MD Consultant Oncologist and Radiotherapists of the Maharagama Cancer Hospital this transplant will cost around Rs. 2 million and this could only be done at the Apollo Hospital in India. She is a mother of two children aged 3 and 1 and is a member of the tutorial staff of Girls High School, Mount Lavinia. Please forward your contributions to A/C No. 207-022754-8 People's Bank, Mount Lavinia. A public meeting to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the demise of the late Imam Khomeini, the great leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is scheduled to be held on Thursday 4th June 1998 at the BMICH Cinema Hall. M. H. M. Ashraff, Minister of Ports Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction will grace the occasion as chief guest. Mr. Faisz Musthapha, PC is scheduled to deliver the commemorative speech, while His Excellency Ali Reza Mutawalli Alamuti and Dr. Ali Mohamed Helmi, the Ambassador and Director, Cultural Consulate respectively, of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, will grace the occasion as guests of honour. Arrangements have also been made for the distribution of Hijab material and books in memory of Imam Khomeini, among schools. The meeting is open to the public. |
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