      |
|||
 |
|||
President postpones Provincial Council
polls The government yesterday announced the postponement of the Provincial Councils poll, consequent to a regulation made by President Chandrika Kumaratunga under the Public Security Ordinance. In terms of a gazette notification issued in this connection on Tuesday,holding of elections on August 28, 1998 to Uva, Central, North Central, Sabaragamuwa and Western Provincial Councils stand postponed. However, no fresh date for the poll has been announced. Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Alavi Mowlana told ‘The Island’ yesterday that the government will evaluate the security situation and go in for a PC election within two or three months time. The government cannot afford to take any chances on the question of security for an election at this point of time. The Minister explained that it was not only a question of providing security on election day, but also ensuring the safety of candidates and protecting election rallies. Even to hold the election on a staggered basis, providing adequate security will pose a problem. ‘It’s not that we are frightened to face an election. In this case, we are positive of emerging victorious in at least four of the five provinces’, he said. The Opposition has to admit that there is an escalation of terrorist activities even in the provinces outside the North-East. Under these circumstances, the government cannot take any chances with security, he pointed out. The postponement of the PC poll will come into effect with the extension of the state of emergency islandwide, Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said yesterday. The election can be put off indefinitely with the extension of the state of emergency by Parliament every month. Parliament yesterday approved by a majority of 32 votes, government resolution declaring a state of Emergency in the whole island, for a period of one month, from 12.00 mid-night August 4, 1998. It received 116 votes in favour and 84 against. The UNP, the TULF and the single member of the SLPF voted against the resolution. The EPDP, the EPRLF and the CWC voted with the government. In the morning PA’s Ratnapura district MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara walked out of Parliament as a mark of protest against the postponement of PC elections scheduled for August 28. When the vote was taken in the evening LSSP’s General Secretary Batty Weerakoon was absent. However Deputy Minister Athauda Seneviratne, also a member of the LSSP, was present and voted for the motion. Asoka Weerasinghe de Silva of the LSSP too was absent at the time of voting. Postponement of polls, only temporary measure Power and Irrigation Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence General Anuruddha Ratwatte presenting the motion to extend the state of emergency islandwide told Parliament yesterday that the government is anxious to conduct the PC polls at the earliest opportunity. No sooner the exigencies of the war effort abate, and the general security situation improves to an acceptable degree the government assures the people that the polls will be conducted in an environment of safety and security. ‘It must be stressed that the postponement of the polls is only a temporary measure that will be subject to constant review,’ he added. He further said: the islandwide Emergency, declare at midnight on August 4 was necessitated by several factors. Primarily, in light of the several disruptive acts perpetrated in several areas in the South outside the theatre of conflict, i.e. the North and East, decisive action is necessary to forestall any extensive damage to vital sectors of the economy. The attacks on electricity transformers, the targeting of telephone transmission towers, several incidents in the hill-country and threats to banking and financial institutions are cause for concern. In view of the wholehearted commitment of the security forces to the conflict in the North and East, the resources available to the Government to stem disruptive and terrorist acts in the South are severely restricted. A all-encompassing "blanket" security cover, therefore, is necessary in the rest of the country for the Government to respond effectively to such acts outside the North and East. The only means whereby this could be achieved is to declare a State of Emergency in the rest of the island. Given the above serious situation that exists and if the Government were to conduct elections disregarding the legitimate security concerns and ignoring the potential for disruptive or terrorist acts the consequences of such a decision should be carefully weighed. One direct consequence that must be given serious consideration is that political leaders, both of the Government and Opposition, would be placed in a situation in which they would be extremely vulnerable as they would necessarily have to participate in campaign meetings and other election-related activity. Political leaders would therefore, be drawn out of a relatively secure environment and placed at an immediate risk and the LTTE would be given a golden opportunity to realize their aims of destabilization of the State through assassination of the leadership. The Government is of the firm view that polls are desirable and are, indeed, essential. Accordingly the Government decided to initiate the electoral process and to carry such process forward as far as possible. The Government, ideally, would have preferred to achieve both ends, i.e. he conduct of the polls and the prosecution of the war. In a situation such as the present, however, when both cannot be achieved with a guarantee of safety and security to the people and the leadership and candidates of political organizations, a choice will have to be made after a clear identification of priorities. A decision, based on the identification of those priorities, will have to be made as to whether the conduct of the poll, with its attendant demands on security and manpower can be justified when it may place at risk the advances gained - at such cost - in the battlefield. The withdrawal of large numbers of personnel in and around operational areas is essential for the conduct of the elections to protect, not only the public and the political leadership, but also to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. The Government regards the provision of security to each and every citizen as a fundamental obligation. In the exercise of its powers and functions the Government feels that ensuring the safety and security of the citizenry as its pre-eminent duty and, accordingly, in the manner of conducting elections, as in carrying out military operations, and providing general security to the rest of the country, this obligation is of principal significance. There have been suggestion that, so overcome the threat posed by the present situation, the elections should be held on a staggered basis. This suggestion seemingly does not take into account one very important factor. The larger part of the problem is not the provision of security personnel on the day of the polls. The provision of security during the period leading up to the elections with extensive campaign being conducted by all political parties in 5 Provinces will require substantial deployment of security personnel. Although the polls may be held on separate days, the actual campaigns may overlap and stretch the available resources to an extent that places not only the general public but also the war effort in jeopardy. Attempts to smuggle $17500 foiled A Lebanese woman who attempted to smuggle out US$ 17,500 was taken into custody by airport security early yesterday. The foreign currency was found concealed in her possession when searched by a woman security officer at the airport. The currency notes were confiscated on the orders of the Deputy Director of Customs. Ratnapura district doctors threaten to strike
over assault case The GMOA yesterday (5) warned of a three-day trade union action at all government hospitals in Ratnapura district from Monday (10) if the Opanayaka police failed to take the other ten suspects into custody in connection with the assault of the Medical Officer In-Charge of the Hunuwala Rural Hospital Dr. D. P. Atapattu last Thursday. Doctors attached to the government hospital in Ratnapura District on Tuesday launched a token strike bringing work to a standstill. They were protesting against what they called ‘unsatisfactory conduct’ of the police but it had not generated a response from the health authorities. The GMOA also demanded disciplinary action against the OIC of the Opanayaka Police for his alleged refusal to record the complaint of Dr. Druween Atapattu the victim of assault. According to the GMOA, Dr. Atapattu had been assaulted by a group of 11 people within the premises of the Opanayaka Divisional Secretariat office while he was returning from that office after a co-ordinating meeting. They also alleged that the OIC of the Opanayaka Police Station and a PA politician of the area had been at the scene when the incident took place. The reason behind the assault, according to the spokesman, was a protest made by Dr. Atapattu against illicit gem mining in the premises of the hospital where he works. Dr. Atapattu was quoted by the spokesman, as saying that five to six people some armed with guns including the suspected Samur-dhi Niyamakas often come in to the hospital garden at night with two or three tractors, fill their trailers with soil and leave. "This removal of soil has resulted in a number of pits in the hospital garden. Once when Dr. Atapattu had protested the men had threatened him with death at gun point", he alleged. The GMOA also alleged that the OIC of the Opanayaka Police and the politician in question were involved in this illicit gem mining. It was also claimed that the OIC had refused to record the complaint of the doctor both at the scene and at the police station. It was only after he had reported the incident to a senior police official in the province, Dr. Ata-pattu’s complaint had been recorded. "The Police did not take action with regard to the incident till last Sunday and only on Monday they arrested one of the 11 suspects. The apprehended suspect is a Samurdhi Animator but he is not the main suspect" the spokesman said. "We will give time for the authorities till Friday to arrest the other ten suspects now at large and if they fail to do so we will go ahead with our trade union action," he said. Asgiriya Anunayake thera's cremation on Sunday KANDY: The cremation of the late Anunayake thera of Asgiriya Chapter Ven. Yatawara Sri Sangharakkhitha Thero takes place at the Wimalananda Tennakoon Maha Vidyalaya playground Napana, Amunugama on Sunday at 2.30 p.m. The cremation is to be held with state assistance. The remains of the late prelate lies for public respect at Sri Priyadharshanaramaya at Napana. Prelate's cremation arrangement was announced by Ven. Urulewatte Dhammarakkhita Nayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter on behalf of the cremation organising committee, yesterday. Press
raided by police Police yesterday raided a press in Colombo which had been allegedly printing forged permits issued by the police to persons leaving for Colombo from Vauniya. Police took the owner of the press into custody. The press had been sealed by the police. Police are also after several others who had helped printing of these forged permits police said. Police investigations had revealed that at least 50 of these forged permits had reached the hands of the terrorists a few months back. Meanwhile police and the army acting on intelligence information that plans were afoot for Tiger terrorists to infiltrate Colombo city had mounted joint search operations yesterday (05) and arrested over 200 suspects for questioning. IN THE GALLERY Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera won the no faith motion against him in Parliament on Tuesday by a thumping majority of 41 votes. Mr. Samaraweera agreed with his colleague from the South, Mahinda Rajapakse that he (Mr. Samaraweera) still owe the Bank of Ceylon a sum of Rs. 277,852.41 which he had used through the credit card afforded to him, reportedly by the Chief Executive Officer of the Sri Lanka Telecom, Hideki Kamitsuma. Tamil political party leaders, Messrs. R. Sampanthan, S. Sidharthan and S. Sivathasan were full of praise of Minister Samaraweera for his attempts to resolve the ethnic problem and alleged that the motion was brought to sling mud on a minister who was genuinely bent to resolve the ethnic problem identifying the grievances of the Tamils. They heaped on much praise stating that Samaraweera was a man from the deep South who knew the grievances of the minority community. EPDP leader Douglas Devananda entered the Chamber for the first time after the brutal assault on him by LTTE suspects held at the Kalutara Prison. Mr. Devananda who voted in favour of the motion did not speak. He was seen holding his hand on the forehead all the time. UNP’s Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, while moving the no confidence motion said that the minister’s credit card payment was tantamount to an act of bribery. Dr. Senaratne argued that Mangala was the only minister in the present government who enjoyed credit card facilities defying the financial regulations issued by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Minister Samaraweera argued that the facility afforded by the Sri Lanka Telecom to the Minister and his deputy was not a new thing but had been in existence from 1992. He said, ‘Your former ministers enjoyed that facility through traveller’s cheques because credit cards were not in existence at that time’. The UNP left out their former telecom ministers,, A. M. S. Adhikari and Alick Aluvihare from the opposition speakers list. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle asked Mr. Adhikari as to why he was left out from the list. Mr. Adhikari smiled instead of replying the minister. Mr. Fernandopulle alleged that Mr.Adhikari’s wife had obtained 4,000 US dollars from the Telecom Department at that time for expenses abroad. This allegation was not countered by Mr. Adhikari. Mr. Alick Aluvihare, a veteran UNPer and a former Telecom Minister challenged the government to prove that he had spent Telecom money for his family members. Mr. Fernandopulle replied, ‘We know that you are an honest man and we have nothing against you’. UNP speakers directed their arguments in attempts to aprove that Mr. Samaraweera had viewed obscene material on the Internet. Mervyn Silva from the UNP took the floor to say that the present government had a minister for women’s affairs and very soon Mangala will be appointed as minister for men’s affairs. Mr. Samaraweera retorted spontaneously to say, ‘I don’t want to marry a woman only to be present at weddings and I challenge you to prove which blue film I saw on the Internet’. The UNP speakers did not say which film the minister had viewed. The challenge of Samaraweera was never countered throughout the debate. Dr. Rajitha Senaratne told the minister that he had access to all the material that the minister possessed and tabled the confidential letter the minister had written to the Bank of Ceylon accusing the bank of divulging confidential secrets on his transaction regarding the credit card issue. Mr. Samaraweera hit back to say, ‘I know the woman in the bank who gave you that letter’. Dr. Senaratne fired back, ‘I got your speech you are making today five days ago’. Mr. Samaraweera replied,’ I know that I have enemies with me but they do not know I treat them as friends. Minister Samaraweera proved during the debate that all his cabinet colleagues had confidence in him. Unlike the no faith motion on Minister Ashraff, all frontline ministers in the cabinet were present in the House to defend Mangala Samaraweera. It was Minister Kingsley Wickremeratne who defended Mangala first to say that the motion was a ‘loose motion. Deputy Defence Minister Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte who figures prominently mostly in Emergency debates yesterday defended colleague Mangala. Gen. Ratwatte noted that Mangala was a honest son of a honest father who survived two no faith motions in the previous parliaments. Mr. Samaraweera’s colleague Minister S. B. Dissanayake claimed that there was no fraud in the credit card issue and Mangala still owed the bank the money he had spent. Both Mahinda Rajapakse and Dissanayake took the position that Mangala was confident of paying back the money to the bank. When Dr. Senaratne, the mover of the motion rose to wind up he was constantly disturbed by the government benches. Then the situation when out of control, Speaker K. B. Ratnayake warned that he would bring the proceedings to an abrupt end. Then Mr. Samaraweera personally walked to the members who were disturbing to bring the situation under control. The vote was taken by name and Mangala won the motion by a comfortable 41 votes. United Kingdom Buddhist Day at Kingsbury World Buddhist Foundation at the Sri Saddhatissa International Buddhist Centre, Kingsbury, London has organised a packed programme on Saturday, 1 August 1998, to commemorate the introduction of Buddhism in the United Kingdom. The establishment of the first Buddhist mission in the UK took place on 16 July 1908, with the arrival of an Englishman Charles Henry Bennett, who was ordained in Burma, under the name of Ananda Metteyya. The other great Sri Lankan Buddhist Missionary Anagarika Dhammapala arrived in the UK twenty-three years later. Appropriate to the occasion, the day begins with the ordination of an English lady to the Buddhist Order, followed by commemorative lectures and speeches, ending the day with All-Night Pirith Chanting. Converted to Buddhism five years ago Lynda Christina Hale has renounced everything she had and enters religious life. The ordination ceremony, adhering to all Buddhist rituals will be performed by Ven. Galayaye Piyadassi Maha Thera of the Kingsbury Vihara from 7.30 a.m. on Saturday and assisted by Buddhist nuns from the Vietnamese Temple in London. Lynda Hale says that although she was born to Christian parents, she was never baptised nor was she forced to follow Christianity. Her father allowed her to make her own choice despite her mother’s strong Christian learning. A trained nurse with lot of professional qualifications, she has worked in Belfast City Hospital and in many intensive care units in London hospitals. Once ordained she hopes to become a caring nun when she goes to Sri Lanka. She does not regret leaving her job, selling her worldly belongings to enter monastic life because according to her ‘all her personal duties and responsibilities are left behind with worldly life.’ The death of her mother one year ago and her father several years ago. Now she can follow the path. Saturday’s ordination is the first step to becoming a Bhikkhuni or Buddhist nun, she will be a ten-preceptor or Dasasilmatha. The Lord Buddha established the Bhikkhuni order in the 6th BC. Arahat Mahinda and Sanghamitta Theri (King Dharmasoka’s son and daughter) brought Bhikkhuni Sasana to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. On Saturday afternoon, representatives from various Buddhist traditions, mayors, diplomats and members of Parliament are billed to speak at the celebrations. Dr. Elizabeth J. Harris will deliver a talk on ‘The Power of Compassion: A study of the life and thought of the Venerable Ananda Metteyya.’ The third session of Founding Day Celebrations begin with All-Night Chanting at 8.00 p.m. Over twenty-five monks from Europe, America, UK and Sri Lanka are due to participate in Pirith Chanting invoking blessings which will end on Sunday morning with Buddhapuja and alms-giving. Jesudasan John Atputharajah, retired after 37-year of teacher service Mr. Atputharajah a dedicated teacher retired on 28/10/97 after 37-years of service. After his education at St. John’s College, Jaffna, he completed his Arts degree at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1960 and the Post Graduate Diploma in Education in 1973. He took to Teaching at Hartley College, Point Pedro and served that institution with great devotion. Over the years, he has been serving at several educational institutions like Manipay Hindu College, Sulaimania Maha Vidyalaya, Chavakachcheri Hindu College and Jaffna Central College. Later he blossomed as a lecturer at Kopay Training College and Palaly Training College, Tirunelvely. It is in the sphere of Teacher Education that he made his greatest contribution. He was earlier attached to the Teacher Correspondence Unit of the Ministry of Education. As a Master Teacher supervising teaching practices of Graduate Teachers following the Diploma in Education through correspondence. Subsequently he worked as a Lecturer attached to the NIB/PGDE Course at Jaffna Hindu College. He taught the Sociological basis of Education and English skills with great success. Being a versatile Arts Graduate he played a dominant role in training of Teachers both at Teacher’s Colleges and with the National Institute of Education. He was recently successful in the competitive Examination held by the Ministry of Education for promotion to Class I of the Teacher’s Service. He was more loved and respected by his students and colleagues. He was accorded a farewell by the Teacher Education Institution of Jaffna on his retirement. This is a humble tribute to a great man who continues to serve the fellow countrymen, not allured by attraction abroad. Francis St. Roche |
|||
 |
|||