      |
|||
Ranil's
challenge
|
|
||
Ranil's
challenge Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris announced that a special cabinet meeting will be held today to take a "political decision" on UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe's challenge to President Chandrika Kumaratunga to hold Presidential Elections in November. Addressing yesterday's Cabinet press briefing at the Peoples Bank Auditorium Minister Peiris said that the outcome of yesterday's UNP parliamentary group meeting would have a bearing on today's special cabinet meeting. He said that according to the Constitution the President can call for a Presidential election only after completing four years in office. This means that the earliest date for a proclamation to be issued would be November 11 and November 27 would be the earliest date for nominations. Prof. Peiris assured that if the government decides to hold Presidential Elections before the end of this year then Provincial Council Elections will be held shortly thereafter. "We do not intend putting off Provincial Council Elections indefinitely. Our request for a temporary postponement of the elections was on security grounds. If an election is to be held immediately it would mean pulling out thousands of troops from the war areas for election duties", he explained. Asked why the Provincial elections cannot be held on a staggered basis the Minister said that the Opposition including the UNP wants the election held on the same day. He observed that in the early days of independence, elections were held on a staggered basis but with time we need to develop into a mature democracy being able to conduct elections in one day. Asked if the government would accept Ranil Wickremasinghe's latest offer of the UNP's support to amend the Constitution to enable Presidential Elections to be held in August, he said that he doesn't want to comment on the matter until an official communication is received from the UNP. "We will go step by step. We have to await the decision of the UNP parliamentary group before going into the procedure that needs to be followed" he said. Referring to Mr. Wickremasinghe's request for two Police Constables to be posted at each polling booth during the Provincial Council elections, Prof. Peiris said that Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte had informed him that it is not possible if the elections are to be held immediately, but it could be done after August. Asked why the government had not taken steps to improve the security situation knowing very well that the Provincial Elections were due in July, he said it was not a question of preparations but the emergency situation that has arisen due to the war reaching a decisive stage. Questioned about the futility of holding a Presidential election before the end of this year if the government is committed to abolition of the Presidential System of government by July next year, Minister Peiris said that the government remains committed to abolishing the Executive Presidency. The government, he added was only responding to Ranil Wickremasinghe's call for Presidential Elections in November this year. The abolition of the Executive Presidency, he observed involves many other things such as strengthening fundamental rights, setting up of a Constitutional Council, Public Service Commission etc. which are presently being examined by the government. UNP leader maintains stance on polls UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe yesterday said that there was no change in his stand on the PC and Presidential Elections. A statement issued by Opposition Leader's office is as follows: "In Teldeniya I stated that if the government was finding it difficult to hold Provincial Elections as required by law, they should hold a Presidential Election before the end of November this year. I also stated that we would co-operate with the government and give it the required two-thirds majority to amend the constitution to enable this election to be held. There is no change in the stand taken by me. "A week earlier on 13th June 1998 at a meeting in Tangalle I stated that the government should hold either a Presidential Election or a General Election. "Regrettably there was no response to this by the President. The only indication and response was a hint by Minister G. L. Peiris during a telephone call to me while I was at Kataragama. "The President is constitutionally empowered to proclaim a Presidential Election or dissolve Parliament any time after the 10th of November 1998 without a constitutional amendment being necessary. The United National Party is ready for either eventuality." President advises judges President Chandrika Kumaratunga Thursday (25) advised judges to forget party politics and grievances they have to suffer for various reason, when they sit in judgement, be fair and independent in issuing their verdict. She said judges should forget whether they cast their vote to the "Elephant" or the "Blue" and also any grievances that they have against someone or whether their spouses worked for this party or other, when they discharge the duty of meting out justice." The President was speaking at a function in the new office building of the Attorney General's Department, Hulftsdorp, Thursday evening. Chief Justice, G. P. S. de Silva, Minister of Justice Prof. G. L. Peiris, Minister of Ports Development and Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, (East) Attorney General Sarath N. Silva, Solicitor General Upawansa Yapa, Judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, High Court Judges, District Judges, Magistrate's officers of the Attorney General's Department and special invitees, who included retired judges, and public personalities also took part in the function. President said the Attorney General was the custodian of the law of the country and that the institution is playing a crucial role in the administration of justice. She said that Sri Lanka is a country that had a judicial system that is 2000 years old and that it was a decentralised system of justice under which offenders were never dealt with arbitrarily. She said in the present context the Attorney General's Department played a key role in the administration of justice and her government believed in an Attorney General's Department which is impartial and independent. She said under her government during nearly four year rule no pressure of any kind has been brought to bear upon the Attorney General's Department. She said this was her first visit to the Hulftsdorp's judicial establishment as the Head of State. As a law student, she had visited many courts in Hulftsdorp and later as a victim of human right violations. International media those days described the violations against her as the most serious human right violations, she further said. She said that a judge is looked upon as a person above normal human being and therefore they should not allow petty things to interfere their decisions. They must not allow the personal dissatisfactions caused in the day to day life, like their wive's failure to prepare their meals, when they sit in judgement. In Sri Lanka democracy has prevailed because of the people's strong bonds to democratic traditions. Their faith in democracy, was so great that democracy survived the dark years, she said. President said she was aware of the problems of the officers of the Attorney General's Department, specially their salaries. She said, their salary problem has been partly resolved and that the B.C. Perera Commission report is now in the process of implementation. Speeches of Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, Attorney General, Sarath N. Silva and Solicitor General Upawansa Yapa will appear tomorrow (27). Fallen trees disrupt city
vehicular traffic Several trees in the Colombo city have fallen on Wednesday night following strong gusts of wind accompanied by heavy rain. The fallen trees, and in some cases branches of huge trees which crashed on to the roads in the Bambalapitiya, Kollupitiya and Cinnamon Gardens area disrupted vehicular movements and caused traffic snarls, Colombo traffic police said. Police and the Colombo Municipal Council moved in to clear the trees and reopen the affected roads for traffic SSP (City Traffic), Alfred Wijewardena told ‘The Island’ yesterday. A tree that had fallen on Sarana Mawatha behind the BMICH completely blocked the roads and halted traffic for many hours. CMC sources said that complaints about fallen trees were reported from many parts of the city and they had to despatch special "tree cutting gang" to clear them. Everything laudable by Premadasa was twisted,
his character demonized Everything that was laudable by Premadasa was twisted and his character was demonized said K. H. J. Wijedasa, former Secretary to the late President. He was speaking on Premadasa's vision on National Development at the annual Premadasa commemorative lecture to mark the late leader's 74th birth anniversary, at the BMICH. Those who licked his boots and were with him when he was all powerful, have decamped, he said. It is important to refute the false allegations or it will become gospel. Premadasa was an extraordinary man in the way he met obstacles. His strategy for national development included the sustainable use of resources and indigenous knowledge and the correct use of labour, land and water, he said. He described Premadasa's Modus Operandi as "moving towards self sufficiency by maximum utilization of the people". The plans and programmes that he had in mind were popular among the people for their practicality, he said. His national development strategy was participatory in character and harmonized and blended the capitalist and socialist infrastructure. The major contributions by Premadasa was in the areas of housing development, village awakening, poverty alleviation and environment protection. Premadasa firmly believed that human resources are the country's greatest help and that development is not a privilege but a national right, he said. According to Premadasa environmental development and economic development were interdependent and not separable, and sustainable development cannot be achieved through imported development models, but should be through popular participation and maximum utilization of minimum resources, he said. Housing development was the launching pad for Premadasa's leadership, he said. Premadasa experimented with the electoral housing programme. There was visible emphasis on self reliance and the participation of the people. However it is unfortunate that his projects should be allowed to die a natural death due to political animosity and personal hatred. Today there is no viable process for the shelter for all in 2000 project and we are back to where we started about 21 years ago, Mr. Wijedasa noted. In Premadasa's vision for poverty alleviation he wanted the elimination of hunger, malnutrition and the increase of employment opportunities. His belief was that war against poverty could be won through innovative thinking, fearless dedication and prompt action. There were mistakes and shortcomings in the strategy. The impact on urban and estate housing was minimum, the model villages failed to develop income and extraction of natural resources led to the pollution of the environment. However we see that most of the poverty alleviation schemes as 'Janasaviya' and all other housing schemes are no more, we also see most of the former schemes are continued under different names, he lamented. Attorney-at-Law Hemantha Warnakulasuriya who also spoke at the commemorative ceremony said that Premadasa was made the perpetrator of most assassinations during his time. He queried in his vigorous and marked speech, why people had stooped as low as to light firecrackers when the state media announced the assassination of Premadasa. His character was assassinated by his political opponents and the elite because he was a common man and a people's president, Mr. Warnakulasuriya said. The mysterious death of photographer Wimal S. Surendra, who allegedly photographed a powerful politician's wife was attributed to Premadasa by many, he said. Although a few people know that a carpenter who had witnessed what had happened, but could not give evidence because he was in hospital, said that the motorcycle the photographer was travelling in, had been hit by a vehicle and the journalist had fallen to the ground. His helmet was later removed and kept on a wall nearby, he said. This is a totally plausible explanation, but people were opt to believe otherwise. Even Batty Weerakoon once said that Wimal Surendra was killed by Premadasa, he claimed. The Vijaya Kumaratunga assassination was another such instance. Earlier it was popular belief that the JVP had carried out the killing and the JVP had claimed responsibility because Vijaya was involved in anti-Sinhalese activities. During the strike of Ansell Lanka Chandrika Kumaratunga had said that the JVP was behind the strike and the assassination of her husband. But later the 'Brahmins' tried to put the blame on Premadasa, he said. People also say that Premadasa would have benefited directly from the assassination of Vijaya because he was rapidly gaining public support, he said. But Vijaya's ambition was to unite the left and prevent the SLFP from winning, but he had no chance of winning the presidential election at that time, he said. Vijaya Kumaratunga's mother also believed that her son was killed by the JVP. Mr. Warnakulasuriya in his speech also called for the abolition of commissions. The Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) branch in Jaffna was shot dead on Wednesday night in front of his residence at David Road, Jaffna, police said. He was identified as S. A. Oswald (50). He had been living with his aging mother at his residence in Jaffna. On the night he was shot dead, Oswald had come to close the gates of his house at about 8.30 p.m. when an unidentified gunman had opened fire. He had run for about 50 meters after being shot before he collapsed and died, police said. Police found his body lying on the road side. Three bullets had pierced his scull. Police investigations have revealed that he had been threatened several times by the LTTE. PC polls: Security a problem says IGP IG Police W. B. Rajaguru yesterday informed the Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake that proper security cannot be provided to the scheduled PC elections in view of the heavy deployment of police in operational areas, security sources said. He was replying to questions raised by the Commissioner. Rajaguru has said that over 30,000 personnel were needed for polls related security work sources said. He has also said that if large number of personnel were pulled out of operational areas, it would affect the ongoing security forces campaign and allow LTTE to regain control of lost territory. Phones to recognised trade unions The cabinet on Wednesday decided to provide telephones to recognised trade unions with a membership of over 5000, Cabinet spokesman and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera announced yesterday. He told the Cabinet press briefing in Colombo that the cabinet had also approved an amendment to the Children and Young Persons Ordinance of 1941 with a view to providing more protection to children. Richard de Soysa murder probe They dragged Richard de Soysa and forced him in to a vehicle parked outside said the first prosecution witness E. V. Karunadasa testifying before the Colombo Additional Magistrate Anoma Wijewardene yesterday at the inquiry held into the abduction and death of journalist Richard de Soysa in 1990. Three police officers charged in the murder and abduction were also present. ASP L. Ranchagoda has left the police service. IP B. G. Devasurendra and sergeant M. Sarathchandra have been suspended. The witness who was examined by state counsel Ransiri Fernando said that on 17th July 1989 he got married to an aide working in Dr. Manori Saravanamuttu's residence at Col. Jayawardene Mawatha, Colpetty. After marriage the couple had lived at Mahindarama Road, Etul Kotte. Later Dr. Saravanamuttu had moved her residence to Welikadawatte Road, Rajagiriya. This had been a two storey house belonging to a person named Ellepola who occupied the down storey while Dr. Saravanamuttu and her son had lived upstairs. After getting married I started working at Inter Press as a mail distributor in the latter part of 1989. Then my wife and I went to live at Dr. Saravanamuttu's residence in Rajagiriya. It was a three bedroomed house.I myself and my wife occupied one room while Dr. Saravanamuttu and Richard de Soysa occupied the other two. This residence had two gates and the light in the living room and the porch were left switched on in the night out of habit. On the night of the 17th of February 1990 I went to sleep around 10.00 p.m. Dr. Saravanamuttu was at home then but Mr. de Soysa wasn’t. Somewhere between 2.00 and 3.00 p.m. that night I heard the bell ring. I looked out of the window in my bedroom and saw some people near the gate. One person was dressed in police uniform and the others in civilian clothes. I asked through the grill in the living room who they were. The man dressed in police uniform said that they were from the police and that they wanted to search the house. By then Dr. Saravanamuttu had also come in to the living room. I knew that Richard de Soysa had come home because I could see his motor cycle parked outside. When Dr. Saravanamuttu asked for their identity cards they said that they were from the police and therefore did not need any. They also said that they had searched other houses nearby. One amongst them threatened to shoot if we didn’t open the door. I went inside to tie the dogs. by the time I returned Dr. Saravanamuttu had opened the door. Five people came up the staircase, by now the lights in the bedrooms,the living room and outside were switched on. The person dressed in uniform remained near the door while the others came inside. One wore shorts with a light blue coloured T'shirt and part of his face was covered by a cap. The others wore black or grey trousers with T'shirts.All of them had weapons. They remained in the house for about half an hour during which time they searched our bed-rooms. First ours then Dr. Saravana-muttu's and last Richard de Soysa’s who had been asleep all this time. At this point the witness told the court that he recognised the three accused as those present amongst the abductors on that night. When they were going in to Mr. de Soysa’s room I tried to follow them but one of them thrust a gun at me and stopped me. They asked Dr. Saravanamuttu who he was she told them that it was her son Richard. They woke him up and bought him to the living room he was wearing only a sarong and a pair of spectacles. One of the men said we need to speak to you about a certain matter let's go downstairs. Dr. Saravanamuttu said that there was no need to go down stairs and to speak matters there itself. Mr. de Soysa too refused to go down stairs. The second accused then went downstairs and commanded the others to bring Mr. de Soysa down. The others tried to drag him down the stairs but he held on to the bannister. At one point he pulled up his sarong in a move to kick them but they dragged him downstairs and then on to the road. I followed them to the gate and heard a vehicle start it's engine. A dark green Pajero stopped about 5 feet from the gate. Richard de Soysa was pushed in to the back seat of the vehicle by force and the others got in with him. I saw the number plate and noted it down on my palm. Dr. Saravanamuttu went downstairs and informed the people there and also Warna Karunatilleka and Arjuna Ranawaka. Two or three hours later she made a complaint to the Welikada police. That morning I left for work. I met Lalith Athulathmudali in the evening. The next day I met an army official he spoke to me about the abduction. Mrs. Iranganie Serasinghe was also present. He asked me to make a trip with him. I refused because I didn’t know him. He later spoke to Mrs. Serasinghe showed his identification and took me with him. I later learnt that his name was Koradeniya. I was taken into a room with dark glasses at an army camp. During the half hour I spent there I was asked if I could identify anyone who passed before the dark glasses. People outside could not see me. However I couldn’t identify anyone. I was brought back to Rajagiriya. On the way I was shown some photographs and asked if I could identify the people in them but only one person looked similar to one of the abducteos. About two days later I was asked to identity Richard de Soysa’s body at the Welikada hospital. A few hours after the cremation Lalith Athulathmudali took me and my wife to live at his house. We stayed there for eight months. We learnt that Dr. Saravana-muttu had left the country. Evidence was led by state counsel Ransiri Fernando, while T. G. Goonasekera and President’s Counsel Daya Perera appeared for the first accused, Devasurendra Ganesh Dharmawardene and Anil Silva appeared for the second accused and K. V. Thavarasa and A. R. C. Perera for third accused. Further hearing was scheduled for July 14. Additional Solicitor General made President's Counsel The President has appointed Additional Solicitor General Saleem Marsoof as a President's Counsel with effect from June 1, 1998. Mr. Marsoof who was enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court in 1974, joined the Attorney General's Department as State Counsel in 1975. He was appointed Senior State Counsel in 1975 and was elevated to the post of Deputy Solicitor General in 1992. He was appointed as Additional Solicitor General in March 1998. He holds a degree of Master of Laws awarded by the University of Colombo for specialisation in Administrative Law as well as the Degree of Master of Laws awarded by the University of San Diego, California, USA in international trade law. He has represented Sri Lanka in many international law seminars and also led the Sri Lankan delegation at the meeting of the Afro-Asian Legal Consultative Committee held in New Delhi in April this year. Mr. Marsoof has served in several committees appointed by the government of Sri Lanka to recommend legislation and is currently also assisting the Special Presidential Commission probing into allegations of malpractices and irregularities in public institutions. He is an old boy of Arethusa College, Colombo 6, Zahira College, Colombo 10 and Royal College, Colombo 7. Today is International Day against Drug Abuse The UN declared International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is celebrated each year today (26). This year's theme is: "Youth Uniting to Prevent Drug Abuse". This International Day was declared by the UN General Assembly on 7th December 1987, following a recommendation of the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which on 26th June had adopted the Comprehensive Multi-disciplinary Outline of Future Activities in Drug Abuse Control. The aim was to express the determination of the General Assembly to strengthen action and cooperation at all levels to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. On 23rd February, 1990, the Assembly adopted a Global Programme of Action to combat illegal drugs and stated that the International Day was to be observed as part of the effort to raise public awareness about fighting drug abuse and to promote preventive measures. Next PPS will be at Hanguranketa The 5th ‘Janadipathi Podu Jana Sevaya’ will be held on July 3 and 4 at the Hanguranketa Maha Vidyalaya under the patronage of the President, Sports, Youth Affairs and Samurdi Minister S. B. Dissanayake told press conference at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. Ministry secretaries and heads of departments were also present at the news conference. Details pertaining to the event were discussed and solutions were found to the problems the secretaries were facing. The Minister further said that the ‘Podu Jana Seva’ committee decided to hold the 5th Janadhipathi Podu Jana Sevaya in Hanguranketa where 51% of the population consist of Tamils but the participation in an event of this nature is only 20% and it is very low he said. Secretary to the President K. Balapatabendi said that officers should be efficient and the maximum benefit of this service should be given to the people in and around Hanguranketa area. He requested the officers of the Department of Registration of Persons to carry out their duties with due care because the proper documentation of births regarding people applying for national identity cards are not available in most instances. He asked them to be helpful and cooperative in issuing the identity cards. He advised the secretaries to visit Hanguranketa a week ahead and identify the problems of the people so that quick solutions could be provided for them. These problems are accumulative for some time, he pointed out. The Janadhipathi Podu Jana Seva committee is responsible for organising this event and the committee comprises of Minister S. B. Dissanayake as chairman, former MP of Gampaha Saddhatissa Sakalasuriya as vice president and Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Keerthi Mawellage as joint secretaries. UNP ready for any election
anytime A senior UNP spokesman yesterday said that the party was ready to face any election at any time. This decision was taken at yesterday’s UNP Group meeting held at the Parliamentary complex. UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has explained at the Group meeting that he did not agree with the government’s move to postpone the Provincial Council Election, but he was not opposed if it is substituted with a bigger election. The group has also decided to start nominating candidates for the provincial council election whether it is held or not, accord-ing to the spokesman. He said, "the group also authorised the party leader for selection of a new Chief Opposition Whip and Mr. Wickremesinghe pointed out the need of restructuring and further strengthening the organising structure of the party". The UNP also decided to present a motion of no confidence against Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera. The group appointed MPs Tilak Karunaratne, Dr. Karunasena Kodithuwakku, W. J. M. Lokubandara, John Amaratunga and Mano Wijeratne to draft the proposed no-confidence motion against government’s unsatisfactory conduct of war. Considarable progress in
'Jayasikuru' Military spokesman Brigadier Sarath Munasinghe said yesterday that "Operation Jayasikuru" troops have made considerable progress ahead of Mankulam on both the East and West but declined to give further details due to security reasons. He told journalists at yesterday's cabinet press briefing that LTTE transmissions monitored by the security forces has revealed that 197 terrorists had been killed over the last eight days. This includes 33 Tigers who were killed during the battle to secure Vakarai north of Batticaloa. Munasinghe said that during the same period two army officers and sixty soldiers were killed while an Airforce officer and six airmen were killed in a landmine explosion in Kanagarayankulam. On wednesday 11 Tigers were killed in confrontations in the Mankulam area. Four decomposed bodies of terrorists killed by army mortar fire was also found. JSS wants govt. to act on 'porno' film
televised in Germany The Jathika Sangha Sabha (National Sangha Council) (JSS) yesterday issued a two-week ultimatum to the government to make a clear statement on what they described as the pornographic film which had been produced and telecast in Germany recently by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board and to punish all those who are responsible for this degrading act. The Sangha Sabha also vowed to launch a massive protest campaign against every kind of pornographic films and publications which are ruining the younger generation of the country. This campaign will be launched with help of the public in front of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and all over the country unless the government reacts to their request, the JSS told a press conference at Abhayaramaya in Narahenpita. The members of the Sanhga Sabha stressed that they will lead a country-wide crusade against this national menace with the assistance of people from all segments of society, denouncing it and burning pornographic publications in public places, if the government is unable to take immediate action to curb the situation. Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera president of the JSS said that the Tourist Board had got the pornographic propaganda film in question produced by an American Company at a tremendous cost to attract tourists to Sri Lanka. The one-hour film had been telecast through a German television channel on March 25,26 and on April 2 during prime hours. Sri Lanka is depicted in this film as an ideal paradise for all kinds of sexual activities. The scenes of sacred religious places and Lord Buddha's statues are mingled with nude visuals and erotic scenes. The age old Ayurvedic medicine is introduced as a method of stimulating sexual desire, he added. Ven. Sobhitha Thera said, "this is in short a disgrace to this country. First the image of our country was distorted and degraded before the entire world by LTTE terrorists but the government was too lethargic to react to that false propaganda. Then a film displaying Sri Lankans as cannibals emerged but the reaction of the authorities was the same. Now another shameful film has been telecast in Germay by our own people with the so-called aim of promoting tourism. This is nothing else but an assassination of our culture, ancient heritage and the image of the entire county and its people". "Tourists have visited this island even in ancient times and they have appreciated the scenic beauty and historical monuments. How many places of beauty and historical importance are found all over this small island? Despite all these why do they propagate those cheap things like sex entertainment drawing a disgusting picture. We are very much concerned over the fact that the Sri Lanka Tourist Board was responsible for this despicable production. We hope to bring this matter of national interest to the notice of President, the Ministers of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and other authorities concerned and urge them to initiate immediate action to correct this sad situation," Ven. Sobhitha Thera added. Ven. Brahmanawatte Seevali Thera pointed out that more than 40 pornographic papers reach the newsstands weekly in addition to innumerable pornographic video films." These papers and films are read and seen mainly by school children. This situation has given rise to a wave of sex crimes in the society at large. We are puzzled why the government turns blind eye to this threat which is as grave as that of drug and terrorism. Parents should join hands with leaders of all religions to fight this menace for the sake of their children," he said. Ven. Dodampahala Sirisuguna Thera said that the prevailing rules and regulations have to be implemented properly and further strengthened to make the fight against this menace a success. "Germay is a clever and educated nation and this is an insult to them as well. This is one of the pre-planned actions to destroy the Sri Lankan identity in the world," said Ven. Porawagama Somalankara Nayaka Thera. Ven. Thittawala Palitha, Athuraliye Rathana also spoke. JAICA AGM The Annual General Meeting of Japan International Cooperation Agency Alumni Association of Sri Lanka will be held on June 27 at the Sasakawa Cultural Centre Auditorium. Ambassador for Japan in Sri Lanka Yoji Sugiyama, will be the Chief Guest. STC Warden to retire The Warden of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, Mr. W. M. N. de Alwis is due to retire from office on June 30 after 15 years of service to his Alma Mater. A special Service of Thanksgiving will be held on Sunday, June 28 at 7.30 a.m. in the Chapel of Transfiguration. The Rt. Revd. Swithin Fernando, Emeritus Bishop of Colombo, who installed Mr. de Alwis in office in January '83 will be the Celebrant and preacher at this service. All Old Boys, parents, well wishers and friends are welcome to attend the service. Actg. Dean Dr. S. Mahalingam, Ph.D. has been appointed Acting Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the University of Peradeniya. 'Buddhism and Suicide' Mr. E. M. G. Edirisinghe, retired Deputy Commissioner of Inland revenue will deliver a talk in English on the theme 'Buddhism and Suicide' on Saturday June 27 at 5 p.m. at Maithree Hall, Lauries Rd., Bambalapitiya under the auspices of the Servants of the Buddha. The organisers welcome members of the public to attend. |
|||
 |
|||