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Following US strikes in Afghanistan,
Sudan The Sri Lankan government, commenting on the August 20 US missile strikes on targets in Afghanistan and Sudan, has declared that no terrorist or terrorist group should be afforded safe haven anywhere. In a statement issued yesterday, seven days after the US strikes, Sri Lanka while calling on restraint has pointed out that "no terrorist or terrorist group should be afforded safe haven anywhere," "Sri Lanka also believes that the struggle against terrorism would be most effective when carried out in pursuance of the collective will of the international community, not by unilateral action but in full conformity with international law, the principles of the UN Charter and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States," the statement added. The US on the day of the attacks told the UN Security Council it had exercised its legal right to self-defence under the UN Charter in attacking targets in Afghanistan and Sudan linked to Saudi Arabian born dissident Osama bin Laden blamed for bloody attacks on US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam early this month. Reuters has placed the number of dead at 263 including 12 Americans and 5000 wounded. Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has backed US efforts to punish those involved in attacks on US targets in Kenya and Tanzania. In a message to US Secretary of State Ms. Madeleine Albright, Kadirgamar has said that Sri Lanka fully support US efforts to bring perpetrators of attacks on US targets in Kenya and Tanzania to justice. Sri Lanka yesterday reminded that she has already severely condemned the violence against US embassies in Africa which brought death and serious injury to hundreds of innocent civilians. "The government and the people of Sri Lanka extend their deepest sympathies to the innocent people of Afghanistan and Sudan who have been affected by loss of life, and the injuries caused , in consequence of the recent attacks, as well as to members of the Muslem community and others in Sri Lanka who no less keenly share the suffering of those in the countries concerned," the statement said. Officials said that the seven nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation [SAARC] has been divided over their response to what they describe as US revenge attacks. Following the attacks, security to US embassies and other installations have been increased. Officials said that police has been alerted to prevent any unruly incidents outside the US embassy, Colombo during planned demonstrations today [28]. "We have information that groups of Muslims and some supporters were planning to demonstrate outside the US embassy after Friday prayers," a senior police official said adding that action will be taken to avoid unwanted incidents. In the past few years, US has stepped up anti-terrorist assistance to Sri Lanka. US has included Sri Lanka in her Expanded Relations Programme [ERP]. Under this programme US military provides training for Sri Lankan forces. Apart from that Sri Lankan police has been helped to enhance its capability to protect civilians and vital installations like hydro power projects under Anti-Terrorist Assistance Programme of the Department of State. Twenty four Sri Lankan police officials responsible for the defence of Colombo and vital installations in Colombo and province returned this week from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glencoe, Georgia. Fifteen others were taking part in a special course designed to combat the threat posed by various types of explosive devices including suicide bombers. They are expected to return later next month from Louisiana State Police Academy. (SF) Assault on attendant brings Mental Hospital
to a standstill GALLE: Staff at Unawatuna Mental Hospital in Galle staged a token strike yesterday demanding that action be taken by the police against six persons wanted in connection with the assault of an attendant. Vice President of Public Services Health Employees Union D. Boralessa said that they would resort to an all out strike in all government hospitals in Galle district if the suspects wanted in connection with assault were not arrested within 24 hours of the token launch of their strike yesterday. The reason for this strike action was attributed to six persons living in the vicinity of Unawatuna Mental hospital assaulting attendant Sirisumana Dhanapala of Akmeemana on August 25. AirLanka to fully exploit existing agreements AirLanka has drawn up a plan to re-negotiate and exploit more extensively the large number of bilateral agreements existing between Sri Lanka and other countries to increase the national carrier’s business. An AirLanka source told ‘The Island’ yesterday that the International Affairs division of AirLanka (in collaboration with the relevant government agencies and departments where appropriate) will look into the air service clauses within the bilateral agreements to exploit them more fully. These agreements have by and large remained static in the recent past, he said. AirLanka Commercial Manager, Peter Hill, told ‘The Island’ that one of the attractions AirLanka had held for Emirates was the large number of under-utilised bilateral agreements Sri Lanka had with other countries. There was, he noted, "an awful lot of opportunities" contained within those agreements for AirLanka to develop. He said the carrier will now encourage the government to open up Sri Lankan skies and to encourage more international airlines to operate into and out of Sri Lanka. Such liberalisation would open up opportunities for Sri Lanka as well. He said AirLanka officials have been negotiating with a number of airlines in different countries during the past five months to obtain increased opportunities for operations. The countries that will get priority are likely to be those identified by AirLanka as growth locations, or routes. Talks will take place in terms of flight schedules, better connections and routings, while reciprocal rights will be negotiated with a business plan in sight. The AirLanka source explained that certain areas could be discussed and decisions taken on an airline-to-airline basis while others involve inter-governmental talks. Mr. Hill said discussions are on with the Scandinavian countries. He noted that AirLanka hopes to operate from the Scandinavian countries "in a year or so". Discussions are scheduled to take place with France to improve operations between Sri Lanka and his European country while meetings are to be held with Saudi Arabia, too. Talks have been on "for a long time" with Japan to gain a third frequency into Tokyo. AirLanka will also start discussions with South Africa and Australia as AirLanka proposes to re-introduce flights to these two destinations after the delivery of the carrier’s new fleet in October next year. Meanwhile, Mr. Hill noted that business from the South East Asian region has decreased adding that it was to be expected as a result of the economic crisis. However, he added, the Japanese continue to travel to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The carrier is looking towards encouraging travel between Sri Lanka and destinations in Europe. Men behind N. Ireland peace agreement due Professor Thomas Grant Fraser and Ms. Carmel Roulston involved in the recently concluded Northern Ireland Peace Agreement will arrive in Colombo next week. Professor is scheduled to deliver a lecture on the peace agreement at the Jaffna University according to Ethnic Affairs and National Integration Ministry statement. The ministry in collaboration with the International Centre for Ethnic Studies is making arrangements for seminars and workshop on the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement during the first week of next month. The intellectuals who were involved behind the scene activities are Professor Thomas Grant Fraser and Ms. Carmel Roulston and they are due to arrive in Colombo from Northern Ireland to conduct these programmes. Professor Thomas Grant Fraser is the Head/School of Politics and History at the University of Ulstar. Northern Ireland and Ms. Carmel Roulsten is a prominent activist of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition. Rajaguru to stay till year end Inspector General of Police W. B. Rajaguru is likely to stay in office at least till the end of this year despite his term ends this month. Police headquarters sources told 'The Island' yesterday that IGP Rajaguru is the chief organiser of the Police Day '98 which is scheduled to be held on September 3 this year. "If he is to leave he won't be in charge of such an event and it would have been organised by the next IGP," they said. The most probable candidates for the post of IGP are Senior Deputy Inspector General (Administration) Dr. Dharmadasa de Silva, Snr. DIG (Administration & VIP Security and Intelligence) Kingsley Wickremasuriya and Snr. DIG ( Crimes and Criminal Intelligence) Gamini Gunawardena, the sources said. Snr. DIG de Silva is currently on a three month tour of inspection and training to Sierra Leon. His post was taken over to Snr. DIG Wickrenasuriya on August 1. Sources said that Rajaguru had received several extensions as the IGP. Last year he received one year’s extension and this year the government extended his services for three months till the end of this month. The reason for the last extension was the holding of the SAARC summit in Colombo. "The government did not want to risk a major change in the security establishment at that time," the sources said. Rajaguru suceeded Frank Silva as IGP in 1994. COLOMBO, Aug 27 - Amnesty International has expressed concern over the safety of a jailed soldier who has alleged there are 400 graves of Tamils who "disappeared" in the northern Jaffna peninsula. The international human rights watchdog issued a statement on Thursday expressing concern following an attack on former lance corporal Somaratne Rajapakse by prison guards last week. "There are fears for the safety of Rajapakse...following an attack on him by prison guards on August 23, 1998," said the statement. Another Island Exclusive The Island is pleased to announce that we have been able to obtain first serialisation rights of E.C.T. Candappa's novel "The Palm of His Hand." Candappa, a former Sri Lankan journalist, now domiciled in Australia, was one of the finest writers of Lake House in the 1950's and sixties. Based around the events that led to the assassination of Mr. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, it is the first time the event that changed the course of politics in Sri Lanka has been written as a cohesive story in a fictional form with authentic information supplied by some of the leading players still living. E C T, also known as Manny, the name under which he writes in Australia where he lives, researched the story for three years before writing it, in eighteen months. The author takes the reader into some hitherto vague territory. He gives an almost minute by minute account of what happened at Rosmead Place on that fateful day, September 25 1959, of Bandaranaike's final hours in the operating theatre and even a skillful insight into the working of his mind during the tumultuous years of his troubled stewardship. You will also meet some truly unforgettable characters. Raj, the Jaffna Tamil Catholic journalist who hopes to accompany the Prime Minister to New York, gets hospitalised and falls in love with a Kandyan Buddhist nurse. Bill, an Australian member of the International Young Christian Workers movement unwittingly gets touched by the assassination plot. Fr. Grutzner, a Catholic missionary who falls foul of Philip Gunawardene, then fiery Minister of Agriculture and Food, because of his involvement with the highly volatile trade union movement. And a lovable group of patients in Ward 37 of the Colombo General hospital. Basically it is a sensitive and scholarly attempt to unravel the historic causes from ancient times of the ethnic conflicts in Sri Lanka. The novel optimistically indicates a path to peace. "The Palm of His Hand" is a spell-binding, readable book. Serialisation begins in The Sunday Island of August 30 and ends on 29 of September. Make sure you do not miss a single instalment. LTTE making mockery with globally accepted norms of minority rights with its novel International Buddhist Foundation (IBF) has told the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities at Geneva this week that LTTE makes mockery of internationally accepted norms of minority rights and democracy with novel and dangerous interpretations of these concepts to justify violence, terrorism and intimidate civilians and even human right activists. IBF president Dr. Chandra Pinnagoda has said that ideally, Human Rights should be shared equally by all persons. However, access to this ideal is denied to many. There are many obstacles that militate against enjoyment of those rights. One is governmental abuse. Another is terrorism. Despite ever increasing incidents of abominable crime against humanity, the issue of human rights and terrorism as addressed by the Sub-Commission seems to stumble over "Philosophy". The haphazard and vociferous condemnations or egoistic retaliations by the Heads of more militarily powerful States, when (and only when) their own people or their economic interests are targeted by terrorists, is certainly not a global demonstration of the will to combat terrorism. These messages are taken by terrorists as: "do what you may, but beyond our territories". These are actually incitements to those terrorising in other parts of the world, while operating from bases within those militarised countries. International standards setting and monitoring their national level implementation are tedious and often fall behind expectations. Seeking general consensus on the definition of terrorism is to invite disaster. From my long experience with responsibility for international standard setting, let me ask: "how to define a chemical ? What is not a chemical in the world ?". Terrorism is also so ubiquitous. Let us circumvent defining terrorism as we did for chemicals. Give expression to the other term - "Human Rights". Let us declare here and now that "Human rights are to be enjoyed by humans" (period). These are in the words of Dag Hammarrskjold as already put before this house with reference to human dignity and right of the individual, that: "The ultimate fight is one human and the sub human". Sub human activities are performed by terrorists: whether governments or groups or individuals. Let me give a few examples to identify and label sub human activities. These include: (a) governments that have suspended their constitutions and democratically elected parliaments as well as constitutionally established courts; (b) recent events in Northern Ireland, Kenya and Tanzania; and (c) heinous crimes by Tamil Tigers or LTTE, which has been designated as a terrorist group in many countries, in condition of its murderous campaign of violence against the people of Sri Lanka, as follows. Firstly it is the sacrilege, in January this year, of the most sacred Buddhist shrine - an UNESCO proclaimed world heritage site - in central Sri Lanka. Tigers destroyed parts of the shrine and killed many innocent devotees. Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha is housed in this temple and is venerated by Buddhists all over the world. By analogy, it is the equivalent of the Vatican for the Catholics and Makkha for the Muslims. Secondly, the terrorists continue treacherous attacks, with impunity, violating all norms of human rights and fundamental freedoms of civilians in the country. They sustain their propaganda machinery through a world network of non-State sympathisers. The group’s professed goal is to create an ethnically segregated separate Tamil State out of a geographically multi-cultural polity in Sri Lanka, where over 64% Tamils live in harmony with all other ethnic communities. Thirdly, they coerce and blackmail and murder their own expatriates. It unveils a silent tragedy occurring even in countries of Europe and North America, where human rights and fundamental freedoms prevail. They sustain their support and resource based abroad abetted by some individuals and organisations whose representatives sometimes advance ostensibly human rights causes even in this forum. Fourthly, Tigers terrorise people of other ethnic groups, in their ethnic cleansing process. They force those groups to leave areas which Tigers consider as their domain. Over 100,000 Muslims have been driven out of North and East. They conduct terrorist attacks in other multi-ethnic areas in Sri Lanka with the aim of creating ethnic backlashes and ethnic disharmony. The terrorists have assassinated political leaders of their own community as well as others who do not share their views. No democratic opposition whatsoever is tolerated. They continue to abuse human rights and commit crimes against women and children. Fifthly, they make mockery of internationally accepted norms of minority rights and democracy with novel and dangerous interpretations of these concepts to justify violence, terrorism and intimidate civilians and even human rights activists. A well-known Tiger activist living in Europe was grossly irrational and highly critical of an intervention made in this forum by the Sub-Commission expert, Mr. Eide. This internet posting, claiming to express their view of 70 million Tamils, went on to the extent of justifying Tiger terrorism as a means of creating ethnically pure state, first in Sri Lanka (where only less than 2% of the claimed 70 m are living); then perhaps spread to South India and South East Asia. Based on the bitter lessons learnt in recent years from former Yugoslavia, Ireland, Israel and many African states and additionally as the globalisation of economy and racial segregation are diametrically opposite, how can any number state or NGO endorse the creation of 10,000 ethnically based nation states for 10,000 or so ethnic groups in the world ?. The terrorists fail to realise that stability and peace in our globe could only be advanced on the basis of promotion of human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy and not by ethnic segregation. The purpose of my reference to some specific sub human activities is not to single out a terrorist group, but only as a personal experience indicating the emerging nature of escalation of global terrorism. Terrorists cause deprivation or curtailment of the human rights benefit to billions of people. So, our first task is to ensure the restoration of this lost benefit to the humans in Africa, Asia, Europe or the Tamils and Muslims of Sri Lanka. The second is to upgrade the sub human performers to human level. The task may overlap. We should recommend to the Commission of Human Rights to begin with an action oriented programme, with set targets and a time frame to eradicate the ten most dangerous groups of sub human performers before the dawn of the next century. Criteria should be set to name the ten worst terrorists groups based on the crime records. The criteria might include: Assassination of national leaders, human right activists and others; other abominable crimes as sacrilege, drug trafficking, gun running, ethnic cleansing, coercion, conscription of children and marshalling suicide cadres and others; and be designated as a terrorist group by States. The member states should take swift action by frustrating the terrorists by totally depriving them of all means to perpetrate terror (e.g. by isolating these groups from their foreign collaborators supplying arms and other resources, by freezing all financial and other assets in the respective countries abroad; by inactivating propaganda machinery, by prohibiting fund raising activities, and coercion and barring admission to human rights forums even for their sympathisers). Nothing is more precious than peace of the body and mind. The International Buddhist Foundation is confident that golden peace will dawn on nearly 200 terror ridden areas of the world, if we reject with repugnance the wrath in our hearts. "The demand for punishment for previous crimes of terrorists". It is the human society that has created terrorists by its omissions. So be ready to give them compassion and not punishment alone. In conclusion, we have the capacity with international effort, to eradicate initially, the most brutal acts of terrorism (a) by prescribing human rights benefits; (b) by labelling sub human activities and setting criteria for categorising the horrendous criminal groups; (c) by isolating and taming those sub human performers; (d) by assuring that the international efforts are designed to upgrade those sub human performers to human level; and (e) by understanding and demonstration of compassion, so as not to deny human rights to the sub humans. Finally, my organisation earnestly hopes that the issue raised by us would be adequately addressed by the Special Rapporteur Mme. Koufa in her important study under this item and we stand ready to collaborate with the Sub-Commission on matters dealing with the eradication of terrorism and promotion of human rights. Prof. Priyani Soysa challenges Appeal Court decision in SC Professor Priyani Soysa has filed a Leave to Appeal Application in the Supreme Court, challenging an order of the Court of Appeal, which held that she had been professionally negligent, in treating in the year 1992, the then four year old Suhani Arsecularatne. The respondent to the appeal is the Additional Solicitor General, Mr. Rienzie Arsecularatne, PC, the father of the late Suhani. Mr. Rienzie Arsecularatne, sued Professor Soysa for professional negligence, in the District Court of Colombo, and claimed damages in Rs. five million. The District Court in the year 1993, declared Professor Soysa Professionally negligent and awarded damages to the plaintiff Arsecularatne, upto Rs. five million. Professor Soysa appealed against the DC order, to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal declared Professor Soysa professionally negligent, and awarded damages in Rs. 250,000. Professor Soysa has recently appealed to the Supreme Court against the said order of the Court of Appeal. The appeal is listed to be supported in the Supreme Court on September 28. Police, armed gang exchange fire at Maradana As armed gang violence continued to proliferate in the country,police fought a gun battle with a five-member group of underworld elements at Maligawatte in Maradana on Wednesday night.One member of the gang was shot and injured in the battle. He was captured with the four other men,police said. Police had ambushed the gang on information that they were planning a major 'strike'. In the process one of the marauders had opened fire.Police personnel had fought back and one of the fugitives was shot.Police had given chase and captured the other members of the gang as well,senior police officials said. The injured man has been admitted to Colombo National hospital.A .38 revolver and 8 cartridges have been seized by the police. Interrogation of the four arrested men led investigators to a house at Bodhiraja Mawatha at Maligawatte where another revolver was found hidden,police said. Police are also questioning the four men in connection with the killing of a motor spare parts dealer and another youth three days back. It has come to light that the arrested foursome are part of a 20 member gang which is closely linked to the underworld.Police suspect that they had been extorting money from certain businessmen in the Pettah area.They had also purchased 8 revolvers from underworld 'contacts' at a cost of Rs. 75,000 each,police have found out. Security has been tightened in the Maligawatte area as police continued their hunt for the other members of this deadly gang. Bank employees protest against implementation
of victimization committee proposals The Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union (CBEU) is to intensify their protests against recommendations of the Political Victimisation Committee to reinstate certain employees who were sacked from their state bank posts during the past regime for non-political reasons, including fraud. The implementation of the recommendations was earlier suspended by President Chandrika Kumaraunga after the CBEU lodged their complaints with the government. The recommendations were subsequently to be examined in greater detail. However, a union source said that employees of the National Savings Bank recently received letters informing them that the original recommendations of the committee in respect of them will be implemented without revision. The CBEU has labelled the recommendations as an "obnoxious list of reliefs". The CBEU has given a September 1 deadline to the Ministry of Finance and the Chairpersons of the state banks concerned (including the Bank of Ceylon) to provide relief to those who were politically victimised. They also ask that the granting of undue promotions and other relief recommended by the committee to employees sacked for irregularities be suspended. Failing adherence to this deadline, the bank will launch a course of trade union action. The first step of this would be a non-participation and non-cooperation campaign. The Political Victimisation Committee was appointed by the PA to look into the dismissal on political grounds of employees during the UNP regime. A CBEU spokesman told "The Island’ that the union had expected relief to be granted through the committee to ‘actual victims’. However, when the recommendations of the committee - which have been approved by Cabinet - were released, it was found that bank employees dismissed for various other reasons, too, were to receive relief. The committee has suggested that the government make amends to some employees who were, in fact, politically victimised. However, it has also recommended multiple antedated promotions to "hundreds of employees who have not suffered any victimisation on political grounds". The CBEU spokesman claimed that among these are henchmen of the previous government who were instrumental in "victimising bank employees for political reasons and who enjoyed special privileges during the past". The union, in a statement, said that the unfair recommendations were made under the guise of affording relief to politically victimised persons. They protest that it amounts to a "promotion plunder" and would lead to serious administrative chaos and erosion of confidence. The Bank of Ceylon has already implemented certain recommendations with regards to actual victims of political victimisation - reinstatements were effected and action is being taken to pay arrears of salary to the 971 employees earlier victimised. What labour laws will apply query estate
workers after take over Workers on government estate lands which are being handed over for development to foreign investors through the Board of Investment (BOI) are reportedly concerned as to what labour regulations will apply to them after the handovers, labour sources told ‘The Island’. Meanwhile, estate trade unions are also disturbed about the acquisition of land by the government for village expansion without due consideration to the plight of workers. Lanka Jathika Estate Workers’ Union (LJEWU) general secretary, Rajah Seneviratne, told ‘The Island’ that unions are disturbed about lands belonging to the Janatha Estate Board (JEDB) being given to private companies without any prior discussions with the trade unions or workers. "The JEDB hands over lands -- or are in the process of handing over lands -- but give us no intimation of it," he said, "Union leaders in some of the estates concerned tell us of these changes and ask us the position of workers. We are unable to answer them". JEDB chairman, D. de S Daluwatta, told ‘The Island’ that any company that takes over land for any purpose of development (be it tea, vegetables, cut flowers, etc.) will have to absorb the workforce as well as other liabilities. He said, "normal labour regulations of the land" will apply to those workers. Mr. Seneviratne opined, however, "That is what they will say but look at what is going on in the Free Trade Zones! We want to be told what the workers’ position is". A spokesman for the BOI said that their role in these projects is to approve the investment and refer the request for land to the Ministry of Plantations. The Ministry of Plantations requests the JEDB to release land. Mr. Daluwatta said loss-making estates have been earmarked for handover (on lease). When questioned about the labour, the BOI spokesman said the labour regulations of the FTZ will not apply to estates taken over by private companies through the BOI. When questioned further, he said that the JEDB and the private company will have to negotiate the terms that will govern these work-forces -- including whether to pay them compensation, etc. "The trade unions will be consulted, too, of course," he said. Mr. Seneviratne said no trade unions have been consulted - not even the powerful Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC). He explained that trade unions are puzzled as to whether the same regulations that apply to workers in the BOI factories of the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) will apply to estate workers after handovers. "Will they not be able to unionise as in the FTZ?" he queried, "What are the terms of labour that will govern them and will the benefits that other estate workers are entitled to (such as the 10 per cent share allocation) be given to them as well? And if a Collective Agreement is negotiated covering the estates, will these workers be eligible for its terms as well?" Referring to the acquisition of lands for village expansion, Mr. Seneviratne quoted the example of Igalkanda Estate (which comes under Elpitiya Plantations) and Pitiyagoda Estate (under Talawakelle Plantations) which are to lose a large number of hectares. "In fact, Pitiyagoda Estate will be left with just 20 hectares in all", he said. He pointed out that this has caused havoc and disconsolation among the workers as they will not only lose their present employment but their children will lose the only opportunity they had of seeking employment on the estates. Plantation management company associations have also complained about the haphazard acquisition of lands without adherence to proper procedure or holding of discussions with the parties concerned. The LJEWU has written to Plantation Industries Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake urging his ministry to "draw up a clear cut programme based on an equally tangible policy before such take-over and handing-over of estate lands". The union has appealed to the Minister to be conscious of the state’s obligation to the large number of estate workers who will lose employment. "The unions do not object to whatever has been planned by the government after taking over of estate land, " the union has stressed. However, it is added, it is extremely necessary to convene meetings at the Labour Commissioner level, representatives of the JEDB, the companies concerned and the unions. Release our three men without delay, SEP appeals Three Tamil members of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) are still in LTTE custody after their abduction four weeks ago. According to a press release issued by the General Secretary of the Party, two of their members Thirugana Sambandan and Kasinadan Naguleshwaran were abducted on July 26th while they were pasting an SEP poster at Tharmapuram. LTTE cadres then went to the house of a third member, Rajendran Sudharshan and captured him on August 2nd. When relatives of these persons contacted LTTE leader, Theepan and he admitted that they had been abducted and handed over to Pottu Amman. All three are still in the hands of the LTTE. The release informs that as soon as the SEP head office came to know of these incidents on August 4, it immediately wrote to the leadership of the LTTE office in London and demanded the release of the three men. The SEP had sent a reminder to the same address on August 12. LTTE leadership is yet to acknowledge these letters. Meanwhile hundreds of similar letters are sent to the LTTE from all over the world to the same effect but to no avail, the press release said. The release also states that a statement bearing the hallmarks of an LTTE communique is being circulated through internet reader groups under the heading "SEP puts lives of 3 Tamils in jeopardy". The message provided in the communique is blunt-- Should the SEP and it’s fraternal organizations throughout the world not desist their international campaign for the defence of the three socialists, they query. The LTTE statement also claims that "those three were arrested for their illegal activities", but Rajendran Sudharshan’s mother in a statement made when she came to Colombo from Kayts on hearing of her son’s abduction, said that she saw no justification for these men’s abduction or detention and appealed to the LTTE for their release. However this appeal has apparently fallen on deaf ears, the SEP Press release states. Sudharshan’s mother further made a formal appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on August 17th to secure the release of the three persons. ICRC says that it has informed it’s office in Wanni about this issue. The SEP appeals and urges all those who uphold democratic rights to demand that the LTTE immediately release the three Tamil members, because they feel that the lives of these men are in grave danger. Goodyear (100th) for tyre giant One of the leading names in tyres; Goodyear will be celebrating its centenary tomorrow (29). Associated Motorways (AMW),the sole agent and distributor of Goodyear tyres in Sri Lanka at a recently held press conference announced that there would be apt celebrations, but declined to say as they wished to keep it a surprise for their customers. Thilak de Zoysa, Managing Director AMW said that they were pleased to be involved in Goodyear’s 100th year having been appointed the sole agents for the tyre five years ago. He said that they were able to achieve a 400% increase in sales due to the unprecedented support they received from the Goodyear Corporation. It has been principally tyres -- for wheels of all kinds -- that carried Goodyear from an unknown to one of the world’s best known and largest industrial corporations. The diverse product line includes chemicals, automotive components, automotive belts and hose, shoe soles and heels. Andy Lim, Manager Export Sales Asia; Goodyear Corporation in a slide presentation illustrated how the corporation has grown over the past 100 years. Goodyear has to its credit the distinction of producing the first nylon chord tyre, the first all-season tyre as well as winning the highest number of Formula One races. Sivaji de Zoysa; General Manager Goodyear, Pat Leng Kon; Director Customer Relations Goodyear Malaysia, Ajitha de Zoysa; Chairman AMW, Danny Teh; Area Export Sales Manager Goodyear Corporation and Ryan Jayatunga, Managing Director of Minds Bozell who are handling the promotion of the event were also present at the press conference. |
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