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Sinhala
Commission says by Sisira
Paranathanthri *That the provincial councils should be abolished and the thirteenth amendment to the constitution repealed. *There should be no territorial demarcations on an ethnic basis. *The best units of devolution are the districts as presently demarcated. The commission which presented its final report to the Dalada Maligawa and the Mahanayakes of the three nikayas yesterday, will present the proposals made to the nation at Colombo on Tuesday. The report says that the provincial council system has not resulted in any change in the administrative setup. All that has happened is that officialdom has increased and large sums of public money wasted. The recommendations say that dividing territory on ethnic considerations was a major threat to the country’s unitary character. Such an effort must be halted, the commission has said. The devolution of the administration should be done districtwise and not otherwise, it has said. As stated in the Kandyan Convention, while Buddhism should be protected and nurtured, the country’s administration must be conducted without breaking traditions and practices that have existed over generations, the report says. |
| IGP Stakes
on By
Srian Bulathsinhala They said the IGP's term has been extended for one month from the end of the Colombo SAARC Summit at the end of this month, but he is expected to continue till the provincial council elections are concluded. Those below the IGP in order of seniority are Senior DIGs Dharmadasa Silva (Administration), Kingley Wickramasuriya (Intelligence and Security), Gamini Gunawardene (Crimes and Criminal Intelligence) and Merrill Gunaratne (Support Services). IGP Rajaguru and DIGs Silva, Wickramasuriya and Gunawardena returned to the force from retirement after the present PA government was elected in 1994. They were installed in the ranks they would have attained had they not retired. All of them were on retirement for over five years, the sources said. DIG Dharmadasa Silva is the hot favourite in the IGP Stakes. "But nothing is final yet. The appointment is in the hands of the president,'' these sources said. They said that Rajaguru who is 62-years old has obtained several extensions of service, continuing in office due to the competition among the Senior DIGs to take the top spot. "They've been pushing their claims with the government. There's been a lot of jockeying, not all of it above board,'' the sources said. A Senior DIG said that all of them have reached their present rank because they had over 20-years service and were competent. Their job was to enforce law and order in the country rather than engage in an unseemly scramble for position. "All this intrigue has reflected in the efficiency of the police and the ascendancy of the underworld. Criminals have become so strong that they have been able to get away with even the murder of a senior policeman like ASP Shanthikumar in broad daylight,'' he said. |
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| Nothing could be sweeter for this young mother but to hold her new born baby who survived complicated heart surgery at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital correcting a coronary defect. This was the first such arterial switch operation done in Sri Lanka. (Picture by Eranga Jayawardena) |
| NGO wants president to clarify Mangala's
credit card issue Avadhi Lanka, the public interest NGO, commenting on the Mangala Samaraweera credit card issue, has called upon the president to clarify whether the minister of telecommunications has violated a treasury circular regarding the acceptance of benefits from an institution under him. They want her to say whether he has contravened the norms of public morality by accepting payment of credit card dues from a third party. "If she is unable to explain what has actually happened without ascertaining the facts, Avadhi Lanka considers that the president should recommend to the speaker of parliament the appointment of an inquiry officer as is the practice in Britain,'' the statement said. In the course of a detailed statement citing British precedent in such matters, the NGO which describes itself as an "organization for the promotion of public morality and civic accountability,'' has said that when motions of no-confidence against ministers are presented, the practice since the inception of parliament is for the government party to vote against the opposition motion which is invariably defeated. "The question then arises - how can public morality be maintained without allegations against ministers being properly investigated and the guilty punished by dismissal?'' it asks. The following is the text of the statement signed by Mr. R.M.B. Senanayake, the secretary of Avadhi Lanka. |
| Mass grave allegation NHRC to question convict Members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will this week question the convict in the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy rape and murder case who alleged that about 400 people who went missing in the north after the Jaffna peninsula was re-taken by the security forces are buried in mass graves in the Chemmani area. "We will question the convict (Lance Corporal Somaratne Rajapakse) at the Welikade Prison,'' Mr. Javed Yusuf, a member of the commission, said yesterday. "We will question him in detail to find out whether there is any truth in the allegations he made in court.'' Rajapakse and five others - five soldiers and a policeman - were convicted in the high profile case which the government says demonstrates its commitment to human rights. Tamil political leaders and human rights groups are pushing for a through investigation into the allegations made by the convicted NCO. They say that investigations must begin forthwith and the truth established. Among those who have written to President Chandrika Kumaratunga on this matter is TULF President M. Sivasithamparam. Mr. Yusuf explained that if the NHRC finds that there is substance in the allegations made by Rajapakse, they would have to seek the assistance of the Attorney General to follow it up. Asked whether there can be a cover up by the military, given that Chemmani is under the control of the forces, he said that they would have to seek the assurance of state agencies to ensure that this does not happen. "We would thereafter seek the assistance of an agency like the U.N. with experience in carrying out searches in countries like Guatemala, Brazil and Bosnia. We need people with scientific experience to do such exhumations. If they are not properly done, the evidence could be damaged. (FRS) |
| Commission apologises to Cooray Mr. Sirisena Cooray, former minister and former general secretary of the UNP, yesterday presented himself before the Special Presidential Commission to Inquire Into Malparactices in Certain Government Bodies. He appeared in response to a notice he had received before the Commission comprising Justices Priyantha Perera (chairman), Hector Yapa and Ninian Jayasuriya. The chairman asked Mr. M.D.K. Kulatunga, lawyer for Mr. Cooray, whether he was present. He then stated: A great injustice has happened to you. We are sorry. You can make your statement to the investigating officers. Justice Yapa: You should not have been called here. Mr. Cooray: I appreciate the concern Your Lordships have shown and thank Your Honour. Undue publicity has been given to this incident as if I am an accused. Justice Perera: No, no. It is only to record a statement. You can give the statement on any day convenient to you. Mr. Cooray: No, sir. I would give the statement today. |
| Postal dept. in sixes and sevens by Namini Wijedasa Meanwhile, heavy rains and a string of holidays earlier this month resulting in poor attendance has led to a small backlog of mail at the CME. Deputy Post Master General, Senadheera, said several mail-sorting officers did not report for overtime duties due to various reasons, including bad weather. He assured that the backlog will be cleared soon. "I cannot say the situation is normal or that the mail service is back to normal," claimed UPTO general secretary, N. P. Hettiarachchi yesterday. "Six trade union leaders transferred during the trade union action are yet to be reinstated. Till this is done, nothing can be normal". He said the Minister of Posts and Telecom, Mangala Samaraweera, promised to reinstate them but action on this pledge has been slow. "The department is in six and sevens," he added, "It needs to be reorganised". He alleged that casual workers taken during the UPTO trade union campaign to clear the backlog of mail are still in the CME and are taking over the work of permanent employees. "We have given notice of this to the Minister," he said. Mr. Hettiarachchi also said they have received complaints that letters posted in March and April have still not reached their destinations. He said they may have been "displaced or destroyed" when mail bags were taken out of the sorting centre during the period of overtime-boycott for sorting elsewhere. The bags were subsequently returned. Meanwhile, the report of the disciplinary inquiry into the activities of Post Master General, Soma Kotakadeniya, is due to be submitted to cabinet in the near future. Harking back to the recent dispute at the Postal Department, latest issue of 'UPTO News' has listed out the achievements of their prolonged trade union action. Among it is the undertaking by Minister Mangala Samaraweera to have regular dialogue with the UPTO before implementation of decisions pertaining to the members. |
| Less harassment of Tamils now —TULF
president by
Zacki Jabbr Mr. Seneviratne a former Supreme Court judge was responding to allegations by the Evangelism Training College — Methodist Church regarding a new procedure adop-ted by the police requiring Tamils to submit their photographs and fingerprints when registering themselves as householders. The allegations are contained in a letter by the principal of the Evangelical Training College Rohan Mendis to the OIC Mirigama Police copied among other persons to the President, Attorney General, IGP and the Chairman Human Rights Commission . Mr. Seneviratne said he has not yet received the copy of the letter addressed by Mr. Mendis to the Mirigama police but when informed of the contents of the letter said finger printing is a normal procedure. But he was hearing for the first time that Tamils have to file their photographs when establishing their identity. He pointed out that a copy of the identity card which contains a persons photograph is normally called for by the authorities when they need to establish identities. "It could be a mistake. The police may be only asking for a copy of the identity card and not separate photographs. But if in fact the police are asking Tamils to submit separate photographs it is not fair especially by the poor Tamils," he added. Mr. Seneviratne said that following TULF leader Siva-sithamparam’s complaint of Tamils being harassed he called a meeting recently of the IGP, five DIG’s and TULF parliamentarians S. Sambanthan and Neelan Thiru-chelvam. "At this meeting the IGP while expaining that the police are taking all precautions to avoid harassing Tamils, posed the question as to whom the police can question other than Tamils when trying to flush out terrorists," he said. Mr. Seneviratne said subsequent to this meeting Mr. Sivasithamparam wrote to him thanking him for the action he had initiated and acknowledging that there is now less harassment of Tamils. |
| Vital drug not available at National
Hospital by Sunil Galagama According to medical sources, under the present situation the patients are issued prescriptions by the hospital doctors to buy the drug from outside. The Medical sources also said that many other hospitals country wide have also been experiencing the shortage of drugs while some of them are reported to have run out of even ‘Paracitamol’ (Panadol) several weeks back. The cause for the shortage of Panadol is said to be the high demand experienced during the recent viral flue epidemic spread throughout the country a few months ago. Meanwhile, the SPC, the sources said, is in a financial crisis. It is reported to be indebted to drug manufacturers a large sum of money and pays Rs. 547 million yearly as interest alone. Under the present circumstances, the authorities of the Health Ministry had summoned all the pharmacists and accountants attached to government hospitals twice recently and given instructions to settle outstanding balance payments. |
| SDA
forward LOIs draft to AG's Dept The Southern Development Authority (SDA) has forwarded to the Attorney Generals’ Department for legal examination Letters of Intent (LOI) drafted for the benefit of prospective foreign investors in the mega Ruhunupura Project. An SDA source told ‘The Island’ that the documents were drafted and forwarded to the AG’s Department recently. Meanwhile, pre-feasibility studies were performed to take the project up to the LOI stage. He added that the SDA is now awaiting the response of the AG’s Department which is to check all the legal aspects of the LOI’s and return it to the SDA. The LOI’s will subsequently be handed over to the seven investors. Any feasibility studies that are done on the sub-projects entailed in the Ruhunupura project will be done at the cost of the investors. The source said the feasibility studies have already been approved for award. Various sectors have criticised the SDA for the slow progress in the Ruhunupura project which envisages the creation of a port city with a modern harbour, an international airport, high speed expressway and electrified rail system. Critics have pointed out that while a lot of publicity is given to the high-profile project, actual work has been very slow. The SDA source noted that the delay was due to "lack of co-ordination" between the nine Ministries involved. Meanwhile, Chairman of the SDA, S. Gunadheera, told ‘The Island’ he has no part to play in the Ruhunupura project. He said that former SDA chairman, Navin Gunaratne, was handling the project through the Ministry of Finance to which he is now consultant. He did not wish to comment on progress made so far as he said he was not aware of the details. The main projects of the Ruhunupura received Cabinet approval in January. The seven projects for which investment was finalised are said to add up to US $ 1915,000,000. The main projects are the Hambantota seaport, Southern airport, power generation for Ruhunupura, Menik ganga diversion, Railway, Highway and oil refinery. The investors include Canadian, Chinese, Japanese and German companies. (NW) |
| Short-armed gangster had CID type revolver A man called "Atha Kota Ravi'' because of his short arm has been arrested by the Pettah police with two sophisticated revolvers, one of a type usually issued to high ranking CID officers. "It is a mystery how Ravi got hold of the weapon,'' police sources said. "He said under interrogation that it was given to him by a drug dealer called Sri who is now in remand over a narcotics case.'' The suspect now in custody is believed linked to four murders and several robberies in the Pettah and Kotahena areas in the 1980s. Some of these cases are still pending in the courts, police said. Ravi was arrested last week in his Jampettah home. At the time of the arrest, he was in possession of the revolver. On interrogation, he revealed that another 0.38 calibre German made revolver was hidden at his home. This too was recovered. Police said that a detention order under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been served on the suspect who remains in custody. He had been remanded on several previous occasions, last in 1995 for illegally carrying a firearm. The suspect had admitted on questioning that he extorted money from small drug peddlers and addicts. He is being further probed to establish likely underworld contacts. Police said that the suspect would be produced before a Colombo Magistrate today. Further investigations are being carried out by the OIC (Crimes) of the Pettah Police, Inspector S.L.M.N. Suriyakumara with SI Gamini Ratnayake under the directions of Colombo Central SP (1) Nihal Samarakoon and SSP (Colombo Central Division) D.A. de Fonseka. (SB) |
| CMU
president assaulted by Namini Wijedasa Jayathu Bandara was allegedly abducted by four men from his residence in Ekala, Ja Ela, on the night of July 13 and assaulted. He was admitted to the Ragama hospital subsequently and remained warded for a few days. According to his complaint, he was taken blindfolded to the house of a director of Loadstar (he claims to have recognised him from his voice) prior to his assault. He claims that the director identified him for the benefit of the four men after which they took him to a separate location and beat him up. OIC of the Ja Ela police, Nimal Ratnayake, said they have no evidence to make any arrests. He said they questioned the director concerned and that the director had testified he was not at home at the time Jayathu Bandara is alleged to have been taken to his residence. However, OIC Ratnayake said, investigations are continuing. The police have also received information about the white van in which the four men had come to Bandara's house. Meanwhile, CMU president, Bala Tampoe, stressed that this incident was deplorable and that investigations must continue. This was especially true since the union believes the assault to have been connected to the formation of a trade union branch at the Loadstar Air Tyre Division (ATD) factory. The union office opened on June 19 this year and Jayathu Bandara was appointed president of its temporary committee. After the assault, the employees of the factory held a one-day token strike. Other branch unions of the CMU in major companies in the area also staged a picketing campaign but they suspended it prematurely as the police pledged to investigate and bring wrongdoers to task. The CMU has already complained to the director of the Criminal Investigation Department, the DIG Kelaniya and the Minister of Labour about what they call a 'murderous attack'. However, Mr. Tampoe said they will not take it further immediately because "the CMU did not wish to interfere with a police investigation". |
| Mystery surrounds death of wealthy widow by Srian Bulathsinhala According to the postmortem report Mrs. Fernando was strangled to death most probably on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Her nude body was in the bath tub and was found by her daughter. Police sources said that the dead woman was a well known social worker living alone in the house. Her twochildren, a son and a daughter, lived in Washington D.C. Shereceived money from her children for her expenses. Police said that, Tamara Dharmarajah, the daughter of Mrs. Fernando had come to Sri Lanka recently and had gone to her mother's house on Wednesdayaround 2.30. p.m.The gate had been padlocked and one leaf of the garage door open. She had seen the car was not in the garage and had thought that her mother was outand had gone away. Mrs. Dharmarajah had known that as a habit her mother returns home before 5.00 p m. and had gone back around that time. When she got there she had observed that the earlier settings remained the same and realised that something was wrong. She had then jumped over the gate and looked into her mother's room from the window. But Mrs. Fernando was not to be seen. Then she had looked in from the living room windows and noticed that the television set, the video player and the cassette player were missing, which alarmed her and she had broken into the house from the back. She had then found the body and called the Cinnamon Gardens Police. Police said that they have not found any clues yet. In her statement Mrs. Dharmarajah had said that her mother had a servant who had gone home to Kurunegala last month. The missing vehicle - a Lancer (Registration No. 13 Sri 7410) was found abandoned at Ratnapura town on Thursday. There too investigators have drawn a blank. Investigations are being carried out by OIC Crimes Inspector S. M. Gunaratna and Chief Inspector Palitha Panamaldeniya OIC - Cinnamon Gardens police under directions from ASP (II) Colombo South T. B. Ellepola. Police said that the body was released to the family of the deceased and the funeral was to take place yesterday. (SB) |
| Lylie Godridge Fund set up to help singer's
dialysis Lylie Godridge, the man with the golden voice who had become a legend in this country, is lying seriously ill requiring dialysis three times a week at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital. Friends and well wishers have set up the Lylie Godridge Fund, Account No. 384101010 at the Pan Asia Bank, Kollupitiya Branch, 450, Galled Road, Colombo-3, to raise the funds to pay for his treatment. Godridge, who was honoured by the State for his services to music with the title of Kalasuri some years ago, has become a legend in his lifetime. In his own quiet, dedicated way, he had promoted the art of singing as conductor of the 42-voice YMCA Male Voice Choir. In 1962, he formed the LG Singers Quartet which later expanded into the LG Singers. He is the conductor of the Philharmonic Choir and helped promote an interest in signing in many schools in Colombo and the provinces. Godridge, throughout his life never sought to commercially exploit his talent and his circumstances are modest. His fiends and admirers have got together to set up the fund to help care for him. Contributions are welcome, they said. |
| Lankan craft at Westminster House A British Coat of Arms, carved out of a single piece of wood through a period of seven months now adorns Westminster House, the residence of the British High Commissioner in Colombo. The High Commissioner, Mr. David Tatham, recently received Mr. Richard Bertie Fernando and a party from his company which had presented the carving by Mr. Sarath Fernando to the Queen. Mr. Tatham said that the Queen had asked that the carving be retained at Westminster House where it was much admired by Prince Charles during his visit here. The high commissioner took the opportunity of the visit to hand over to Mr. Fernando a photograph of Prince Charles admiring the carving, a British High Commission news release said. |
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