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TULF's branch vice-president murdered in Jaffna By
Franklin.R. Satyapalan Namasivayam, who was also secretary of the Jaffna District Traders' Association, had cycled to his home at Ottumadam for lunch when a group of assailants who had been lying in wait attacked him with cutting instruments. Death had been almost instantaneous. In his capacity of secretary of the traders' association, Namasivayam had frequent dealing with the military. He had also closed his shop as a mark of respect to former Mayor Sarojini Yogeswaran who was also murdered, northern residents said. The Tigers are widely believed to be the killers. Threats and attacks on TULF loyalists in Jaffna are taking a heavy toll. Two more Jaffna MMCs belonging to the party, Phillip Anthonypillai and Gowri Sudan have sent in their resignations, the TULF confirmed in Colombo. The party's vice-president, Ananda Sangari said that some councilors had been getting threatening letters demanding their resignations. He, however, did not believe that the LTTE was behind these threats. "I do not believe this to be the work of the LTTE or the affiliated Sangilian force. It was someone else,'' he said. Ananda Sangari and ex-MP Mavai Senathirajah, the TULF treasurer, were seeking military clearance to fly to Jaffna for Namasivayam's funeral. Last week the TULF deputy mayor of Jaffna, D. Thirunavakarasu and MMC (Mrs.) Donata Derial resigned from the municipal council. As many as 103 EPDP members elected to 10 local bodies in the north have not yet taken their oaths. 13 TELO members too have not been sworn. Rs. 42 million has been allocated by state agencies for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the north by local bodies. These funds remain unutilised. Many elected local councilors in the war areas fear for their lives. Recently, Batticaloa Mayor Chellian Perinpanayagam appealed to the president to restore security previously provided to members of local bodies in the northeast. |
Tamil - Muslim understanding pre-condition to meeting UNP - Ashraff SLMC Leader M.H.M. Ashraff is strongly of the view that Tamil and Muslim parties should not meet the UNP before they come to an understanding among themselves. "A joint delegation of Tamil and Muslim parties meeting the UNP is putting the cart before the horse,'' Minister Ashraff said urging that they should first reach agreement themselves. "The SLMC will not join a delegation of Tamil parties to meet the UNP.'' He said that there had been reports in the Tamil and English press that a joint delegation from the Tamil and Muslim parties would meet UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and senior UNPers to seek their co-operation to resolve the ethnic crisis. "We do appreciate that the co-operation of the UNP is vital to a solution, but we think that going in delegation with the Tamil parties is yet premature,'' he said. "We have so far come to some degree of understanding only with the TULF.'' He said that PLOTE Leader D. Siddharthan had always viewed the special problems of Muslims sympathetically. But unfortunately, the EPDP with 9 MPs had not yet taken a firm position on Muslim concerns. Their efforts to reach an understanding with EPDP Leader Douglas Devananda had not yet succeeded. (FRS) |
Poson illuminations at Situlpahuwa The Upali Group of Companies continues the tradition of providing Poson illuminations at the Situlpahuwa Raja Maha Viharaya from June 8 - 10. Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva will switch on the lights on the Poson Poya (June 9) night. The Poson pinkamas at historic Situlpahuwa include seela, bhavana, bana, dhamma discussions, Buddha poojas, Bodhi poojas and other rituals under the guidance and patronage of Ven. Keerthi Sri Gunaratana Wattehene Ratnasara Nayake Thero, the incumbent of the Raja Maha Vihara. About 10,000 devotees are expected to observe sil on this occasion with an equal number visiting the vihara for religious observances. Arrangements have been made to provide basic facilities including health, water and sanitation for the pilgrims. Special bus services will be provided from Tissamaharama to Situlpahuwa for the Poson pinkamas. Volunteer organisations and NGOs will offer dana to devotees observing sil. |
Widespread protests about censorship The Foreign Correspondent's Association of Sri Lanka (FCA) yesterday said that the censorship on war reporting "is highly regrettable and runs contrary to government's commitment to a free media'' and appealed for the immediate lifting of the restrictions. The FCA statements said that foreign correspondents here have always shown a high sense of responsibility in reporting events in the country. Expressing the belief that an unfettered press is a fundamental requirement for any democratic society, it declared: "Suppression of news is counter-productive and can lead to a situation in which news gives way to rumours, falsehoods replace facts and information is supplanted by indoctrination.'' Mr. R. Sampanthan, MP, secretary-general of the TULF, said his party was against censorship because it blacked out truth. "Truth is the first casualty of war and censorship can only kill the truth. For the war to be brought to an end, it is absolutely essential that the country should know the truth,'' he said. Former TELO MP N. Sri Kantha said it was not surprising to find the government re-imposing censorship on military news as it urgently needed to prosecute its hidden agenda on the resolution of the national question. "Coming for a government claiming to be committed to the concept of transparency, censorship is imposed under the state of Emergency. It is high time that the Tamil MPs who have been piously supporting the periodical extension of the Emergency reconsider their stand in the light of the fact that all news from the war front is being denied to the people.'' He said that not only the EPDP but the CWC and UPF should come forward to oppose the Emergency. Prajathanthra, which describes itself as a foundation for free expression, voicing "grave concern''. said that the far-reaching nature of the censorship will mainly result in keeping the people of Sri Lanka unaware of the actual situation of civilians in areas of military clashes. The statement said that they appreciated that certain sensitive information needed to be kept secret. But there have been previous instances when not only military news but other news had also been censored. This is particular true of news of the condition of civilians in the areas of conflict. Prajathanthra which called for the lifting of the censorship with the least delay said: "The worst affected will be the general public of Sri Lanka who will be kept in the dark about the military operations. It will also lead to the spread of rumour, which could be much Monroe dangerous in the current situation in Sri Lanka.'' |
| Colombo Port 22nd top container port The Port of Colombo has now been ranked 22nd of Worlds top container ports. This has been announced by World's Container Ports Traffic League, port sources said. Meanwhile the Port of Colombo and the Port of Kochi in Japan have agreed to establish a sister-port relationship to develop friendship trade and port enterprises between both countries. |
Wijayapala still an open question By
Shamindra Ferdinando The reading yesterday was that the UNP was inclined to the view that disciplining the MP, if such action was necessary, was a matter for the party. While the Party was seen as tilting in that direction, Mendis was expected to go to court to stall any such moves in the short term. If the UNP does not support the resolution to deprive not only Mendis, but two former public officials, R. Pskaralingam and Ackiel Mohamed of their civic rights, it cannot be carried with the necessary two thirds majority. Some other groups who generally vote with the government are also not expected to support the resolution. Wijayapala Mendis is not without support in the UNP working committee. Several senior members there argue that what should go is the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry Act under which the civic disability has been recommended. Meanwhile some UNP MPs are eyeing Mendis' job of chief opposition whip although the subject has not been openly discussed, UNP sources said. They said that if Mr. Mendis goes - and no final decision on his fate has yet been taken although he had a 2-hour meeting on Wednesday with the committee examining the matter - the parliamentary group would decide on a successor. "He's got two deputies (Nanda Mathew and Dharmadasa Banda) and three assistants (A.H.M. Azwer, Piyasoma Upali and Ravi Samaraweera). Perhaps one of them might get the job to which Wijayapala was unanimously elected in 1994,'' the sources said. Two UNP committees, one headed by Party Secretary Gamini Atukorale and the other by Tyronne Fernando are due to submit their reports to the party's working committee later this week. The Atukorale Committee has been examining the Wijayapala Mendis issue while the Fernando Committee has been going into the UNP's stand on the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry Act. Party sources expected the Atukorale Committee to recommend disciplinary action against Mendis who has vigorously defended himself in a 12-page letter sent to Siri Kotha. In this letter, he had questioned the legality of the probe committee. They expect the Fernando Committee to recommend the abolition of the SPC Act. Some UNP sources were confident that the party could successfully field the Karu Jayasuriya-led Western Province Slate at the coming provincial council elections even without Mendis. While conceding his muscle in the Gampaha district, they feel that other heavyweights like Anura Bandaranaike, Joseph Michael Perera, John Amaratunga and Jayalath Jayawardene could take in the slack. Others disagree. They insist that the absence of a 50-year veteran like Mendis will be badly felt especially with his chief rival, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, leading the PAs Gampaha district campaign. The reading yesterday was that the UNP would decide on the Wijayapala Mendis matter one way or another before the debate on the expulsion motion resumes in parliament on June 23. |
| Indian market opens up for more Sri Lankan
exports India recently took further steps to promote bilateral trade with Sri Lanka. The Indian Ministry of Commerce has announced through a notification that 106 products have been brought under the Open General License (OGL). This would mean that Sri Lanka and other SAARC countries can export these items to India, without any licensing restrictions or other Non-Tariff Barriers, the Indian High Commission Colombo said. "India's policy, is specially in response to Sri Lanka's requests for a liberalised trade regime. Through this policy, India has fulfilled its commitment to Sri Lanka made during the third Session of the Indo-Lanka Joint Commission in January 1997, to open its market for Sri Lankan exports and thus address the concerns about the balance of trade," a High Commissioner news release said. The list indicates that most of the items are of prime export interest to Sri Lanka. They cover cloves, cinnamon, cassia, all varieties of pepper, desiccated coconut, areca nut, nutmeg and mace, all of which are traditional exports from Sri Lanka to India. Other items of export interest to Sri Lanka are: ceramic and table ware, bone china goods, stuffed toys, electric plugs and sockets, rubber tubes for bicycle, rubber slippers, artificial flowers, decorative plants, articles made from coconut fibre like brooms and brushes, which are non-traditional exports. This recent policy announcement is expected to enable the Sri Lankan exporters to access the huge domestic market of India. With some items like cloves having OGL, the Sri Lankan exports would now enjoy an additional benefit of 20% to 25% over the general imports from other countries. According to the provisions of the SAPTA, the import of these items are subject to the fulfilment of criteria of rules of origin as notified in December 95. Sri Lanka may specifically benefit from this provision compared to some other countries in SAARC, as they do not manufacture most of these items Sri Lanka's well-established production base in these products should help its exports to India grow substantially, the news release said. |
Decisions on telecasting House debates this week? The parliamentary select committee on law and media is expected to meet this week to discuss a policy on telecasting parliamentary proceedings, parliamentary sources said. Since the last telecast of the Air Lanka debate different opinions on whether such telecasts should continue or not have been expressed both by MPs as well as the public. There has been widespread criticism of the rowdy behaviour on national display. Parliament is due to meet on June 10 to debate the extension of the Emergency. On this date the select committee on law and media is expected to receive representations from the Civil Rights Movement which will be represented by its chairman, Mr. R.K.W. Gunasekera and Secretary, Ms. Suriya Wickramasinghe. The same week, the committee is expected to finalise its position on telecasting parliamentary proceedings. It has already received a report on the financial implications and studied the British Commons' practice on live telecasts. Indian Information Minister Sashma Swaraj who was here recently told Lankan MP that Lok Sabha proceedings were now being telecast and that New Delhi was considering a special channel for parliamentary proceedings. "All this is of great interest to us,'' one MP said. The select committee comprises Messrs. Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, A.C.S. Hameed, Manglala Samaraweera and Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam. Parliament is expected to discuss supplementary estimates on June 11 and devote the next day to condolence motions. (FRS) |
Brigadier Gamini Jayasundera, Brigade Commander Mannar with several other army officers participated in a Hindu religious ceremony held recently at the historic Tirikethisvaram Kovil, Mannar. The Kovil building which was damaged during the war was repaired by the Government. Army personnel serving in the area also participated on the repair work. |
| South Asian cracks widen after nuclear tests By Amal Jayasinghe President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who is Chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), indefinitely postponed his four-day tour that was to begin on Tuesday. "There is a growing feeling that the nuclear tests are actually hurting the smaller SAARC countries", a diplomat said. "Gayoom’s move serves to send a message to both India and Pakistan." Sri Lanka’s stock exchange was badly hit following the Indian tests on May 11 and 13. The slide was accelerated when Pakistan followed suit two weeks later. "When investors pull out of South Asia because of nuclear tensions, it is the smaller markets in the region which take a bigger beating," a broker at the Colombo Stock Exchange said as prices continued to fall after losing 14 percent last month. At the last summit in the Maldivian capital of Male on May 11, 1997, SAARC had agreed on the need to defuse India-Pakistan tensions and speed up regional trade. Ironically, the first round of Indian testing on May 11 came on the first anniversary of the ground-breaking meeting between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his then Indian counterpart Inder Kumar Gujral. Both men, together with leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka agreed to a 72-point declaration calling for among other things nuclear disarmament. "They recognised the need to start negotiations through the Conference on Disarmament and to establish a phased program for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons within a specified framework of time, including a Nuclear Weapons Convention," the SAARC Male declaration said. Instead, a year later the two biggest members of SAARC are locked in a nuclear arms race. Gayoom called on the two nations Monday to immediately open "informal" talks and reduce tensions. "I call upon the parties to begin he process of informal political consultations agreed at the ninth summit (in the Maldives last year) in order to create a climate of confidence and trust," Gayoom said. He noted that in May 1997 SAARC leaders agreed to thrash out thorny issues through informal talks although the group’s charter did not allow discussion of bilateral matters. "Therefore in view of the momentum and hope generated by that summit for the acceleration of the SAARC process, it is unfortunate that recent developments in the subcontinent have led to increased tensions," Gayoom said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed of Bangladesh has offered to visit the two new nuclear powers in the region to defuse tensions. "Nuclear weapons do not enhance a country’s security in the post-cold war era," Sheikh Hasina said Monday in her first comments on the tests. Nepal has called for an end to testing and voiced concern at deteriorating security in South Asia home to 1.1 billion people and regarded as one of the poorest areas of the world. Colombo had earlier said it understood the security concerns of others and did not oppose either India or Pakistan becoming nuclear powers. Diplomats have expressed concern that heightened tension may affect the holding of the summit which was expected to focus on economic issues. "There is no change of any agreement on trade if we can’t put an end to the squabbling between India and Pakistan," an exasperated Asian diplomat said. "This is really disgusting the way they fight and we get crushed." However, some officials believe that with India and Pakistan restoring nuclear parity, neither will actually use the weapons and that they could now move towards talks. The 10th summit scheduled in Colombo, if held as planned, will be the first opportunity for the Indian and Pakistani leaders to meet face to face since the tests. |
Undergrads finger printed photographed and bailed The 105 Colombo University undergrads taken to police custody after locking up the Dean of Arts and several others on the campus have been released on police bail on Friday, Colombo South SP D.P.L. Dissanayake said yesterday. A few lecturers and senior students furnished bail on behalf of the suspects, police said. They were photographed and finger printed before being released. At an emergency general meeting on Friday, the University of Colombo Teachers' Association (UCTA) condemned the students' action. They also demanded that the vice-chancellor acts to have those responsible identified and punished within a fortnight. They also asked the vice-chancellor that the university does not soft-pedal this incident and let the law take its normal course. "We will resort to trade union action if the authorities do not act against the culprits,'' UCTA Secretary J.R. David said. |
A Workshop on 'Male Participation in Reproductive Health’ was jointly organised by the NGO Secretariat of the Ministry of Social Services and the United Nations Population Fund was held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute on Thursday (4). The workshop was inaugurated by the Secretary Ministry of Social Services Amara Hewamadduma. Seen in the picture are Dr. Ms. Suneeta Mukherjee, UNFPA Representative in Sri Lanka lighting the traditional oil lamp. Also in the picture are Dr. Regiee Perera, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine, Ms. Kamala Wickremasinghe, Secretary Ministry of Women's Affairs and Mr. Bradman Weerakoon, UNFPA Consultant. |
 YMMA convention The 48th Annual Convention of the All Ceylon YMMA Conference will be held at 9.30 a.m. on June 7 at the Auditorium, National Headquarters in Colombo. The convention will be presided over by the National President, T. M. Kamaldeen. Galle Sanghamitta BV Poya programme The annual Poson Poya programme of the Sangamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Galle will be held on June 9 at school premises. The program will be held under the auspices of the Chief Incumbent Adhikarana Sanga Nayake Rev. Nauyana Ariyadarma Nayake Thera. (Galle Corr.) ‘Servants of Buddha’ poson programme A poson programme organised by the Servants of The Buddha Society will be held on June 9 at Maithree Hall, Lauries Road, Bambalapitiya. The programme which starts at 6.30 a.m. will include several lectures on Buddhism, observance of "Ata Sil", offering of alms, meditation, Buddha pooja and pirith. Lecture on Punjab violence A public lecture on ‘Collective Violence During the Partition of the Punjab’ by Prof. Ayesha Jalal will be held on June 12 at 5.30 p.m. at the Auditorium of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES). Prof. Jalal, Associate Professor of History, Colombia University, New York will attend a workshop on ‘Aspects of South Asian Historiography: A Critique of the Subaltern Approach’ on June 13 at 9.30 a.m. at the ICES. Musical Mix "Musical Mix" a concert to introduce professional Dutch singer and teacher of music, Jan-Ate Stobbe, will be held at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on June 13. The concert will also feature the Merry An Singers in a combination of classical and modern music, including Gospel song and spirituals. Proceeds will go to the Lionel Wendt Theatre. Poster/arts competition and exhibition "Seeing Disasters Differently", a poster/art competition and exhibition organised by the Duryog Nivaran Secretariat will be held at the Art Gallery from June 24-28. Concert to commemorate Muththusamy A concert will be held in commemoration of music director, R. Muththusamy at the Elphineston Theatre at 6.30 p.m. on June 27. Passed MA exam Mr. Rodney Perera, First Secretary in the Sri Lankan Mission to the United Nations has passed the Master of Arts examination at the Colombia University . He is the youngest son of Mr. E. P. Paul Perera, President Counsel and former Minister of Lands and Mrs.. Kulaseeli Perera, member of the Western Provincial council. Jayaweera elected president, PSA, Bandaranaike MMV Mr. Siripala Jayaweera, Secretary to Minister of Agriculture and Lands has been elected President of the Past Students’ Association of Bandaranaike M. M. V. Veyangoda (National School). |
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