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Breakthrough
in artefacts plunder
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Breakthrough
in artefacts plunder In a major breakthrough in the continuing wave of plundering of priceless artefacts, police arrested a ten-member gang including four army personnel at Anuradhapura and recovered an invaluable 13-kilogramme statue, police said. The arrests were made on Monday by officers of the Kelaniya Special Investigations Unit (SIU) who posed as a group of millionaire businessmen and visited Anuradhapura under the guise of purchasing this artefact. They had first contacted a ‘broker’ and after a detailed verification of their bonafides, they had been allowed to see this priceless artefact, a gold blended statue of a Hindu God, police said. Among those arrested by the police sleuths were a major, a sergeant, two lance corporals of the army, a foreman attached to the Anuradhapura Peoplised bus depot and a record keeper of a magisterial court, police officials said. A van belonging to the army was also seized by the investigators. Police believe that this vehicle had been used to carry out robberies of artefacts from ancient temples and archaeological sites. The police squad led by Chief Inspector Priyantha Jayakody had first sent word to a ‘broker’ through a ‘contact’ that some jewellery shop owners were interested in purchasing the artefact. The deal was arranged and they were asked to come to a certain pilgrims’ rest in Anuradhapura to view the artefact and negotiate the price. With assistance from Anuradhapura police, the suspects who arrived in the army van were captured, police said. The army personnel under arrest are attached to the Anuradhapura camp. Investigations are in progress. QEQ agreement to be signed soon? The formal agreement between the South Asian Gateway Terminals (SAGT) and the government with regard to the Queen Elizabeth Quay (QEQ) may be signed earlier than expected, Minister of Shipping, Ports and Rehabilitation, M. H. M. Ashraff, told ‘The Island’ yesterday. "The agreement may be signed by the end of this year, Minister Ashraff said. The deadline earlier set for the signing of the agreement was March 1999. The Memorandum of Understanding has already been signed. When asked at what stage the discussions were, the Minister said the government’s part in the negotiations are over. However, the SAGT is in the process of negotiating with the International Monetary Funds (IMF) and the World Bank to secure funds for the project. "The lenders are currently going through the due diligence procedure and looking at the assumptions prior to releasing the money required by the SAGT," he explained. Mr. Ashraff also said that according to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, the SAGT will have to construct a container terminal and a passenger berth within 27 months of signing the formal agreement. A supporter of a PA Puttalam district MP was shot dead on the road, in front of his house on Monday night by an unknown gang. He was shot in the head three times with a revolver,police said. The victim N. Rohita Perera was a supporter of PA MP D. M. Dassanayake. The killers had escaped towards Andigama on motor cycles, an eye witness has told police. Police suspects that the killing was the result of an argument with the victim at a liquor bar that evening. LSSP
won't support emergency The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) which is a member of the ruling coalition People’s Alliance, will not vote with the government on the motion to extend the state of emergency. The motion will be taken up during this week’s Parliamentary sessions. Ratnapura District MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara yesterday informed the Speaker K. B. Ratnayake that he would not be able to participate in the emergency debate which is expected to be held today or tomorrow. He has stated in a letter to the Speaker that the LSSP is vehemently opposed to the extension of the emergency and therefore he nor any other member of the LSSP would vote with the government when the vote is taken on the motion. Privilege question raised against
‘Sunday Leader’ Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dharmasiri Senanayake yesterday raised a question of privilege against "The Sunday Leader" for publishing the proceedings of the select committee probing allegations against the Chairman and a member of the Commission on Bribery and Corruption. Minister Senanayake, told the Speaker of Parliament K. B. Ratnayake that the "Sunday Leader" which carried a verbatim report of the select committee’s proceedings on page 10 of its issue, of August 30 violated, provisions of Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act No. 21 of 1953. He said that the "Sunday Leader" report under the heading "Beating Around Corruption" contravened Item 9 of Part B of the Schedule to the Act which prohibited the publication of any proceedings of a committee of the House before they are reported to the House. Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe: You are going against your own Election Manifesto which pledged to remove all the prohibitive clauses of laws, enabling the media to report even the proceedings before select committees. Minister Senanayake: Do you take responsibility for the "Sunday Leader" report. Leader of the Opposition: I won’t take responsibility. You can raise the privilege issue with the Speaker. But what I say is you are going back on your election promises. Minister Senanayake: There is a breach of the law which is now in operation. The Speaker said he would consider the question of privilege raised by the Minister. Spoilt eggs bashing for Wasantha Raja Former Chairman of Rupavahini Corporation and official spokesman for the LTTE, Wasantha Raja was at the receiving end of a volley of spoilt eggs in London last Sunday. Wasantha Raja was leaving after viewing a drama presented by Sri Lankan actors in London when he was attacked with spoilt eggs. At the time of this incident he was in the company of a Sinhalese friend, reports indicated. The Sinhala community in London had repeatedly expressed displeasure over Wasantha Raja's utterances. As official LTTE spokesman he runs down Sinhala people and the Buddhist clergy, whenever the British media interviewed him on LTTE activities. Ironically, it was Ven. Galayaye Piyadassi Thera and another Sinhala Buddhist, Anura Hagoda who had come to Wasantha Raja's rescue when he was attacked with spoilt eggs, reports said. Writ application filed against postponement
of PC polls The Centre for Policy Alternatives and one of its Directors, Bradman Weerakoon has filed a Writ Application in the Court of Appeal, against the postponement of the Provincial Council polls. The petition said that the first respondent, the Commissioner of Elections, Dayananda Dissanayake and other connected respondents, had failed in fulfilling their constitutional and statutory duties, by not holding the poll on the scheduled date. The petition requested the Court to issue a writ of certiorari, to quash the proclamation in terms of Section 2 of the Public Security Act and the Emergency Regulations. The petition also requested for the issue of a writ of Mandamus, to compel the officials to nominate a new date and to hold the poll. The petition is to be supported in the Court of Appeal today, by R. K. W. Goonesekera with J. C. Weliamuna and Miss Lilanthi de Silva. First ever languages school inaugurated
with Norwegian aid The Department of the Commission General of Official Languages in conjunction with the National Integration Project of the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs on Monday inaugurated its very first Languages School utilising Norwegian aid. The Languages School which is more a concept than a concrete structure will conduct an Advanced English Course for 1,300 state employees in its first phase. The initial phase which has been budgeted at Rs 1.3 million will be concentrated in Colombo. The course will be conducted on two afternoons at five schools. The Susamayawardena and Ratnavali Maha Vidyala, Borella, the Sariputta and T. B. Jayah Maha Vidyala, Slave Island and the Mahabodhi Maha Vidyalaya near Town Hall have been selected for this purpose. A spokesperson for the National Languages Commission said that the candidates were selected on a voluntary basis. He added that District Secretaries had been sent the relevant circular in order to commence the course in areas outside of Colombo. "They are in the process of calling for applications," he said. Asked when the courses in other languages would commence, the spokesperson said that an Advanced Course in Tamil would commence next month. He added that applications had been called for and that course material would be ready by the end of the month. "Candidates have to volunteer to follow the course," he added. Minister G. L. Peiris who inaugurated the School at a ceremony at St. Joseph’s College on Monday was categorical that Sri Lankans were not communal in disposition. He gave the recent welcome given to cricketing hero Muttiah Muralitharan as an example. He said that a spontaneous crowd of 400,000 of all communities had welcomed the hero when he returned to his hometown Kandy. He added that the stratification in education was another reason why the aspirations and expectations of Tamil youth were not understood. He said that stratification in terms of language largely meant that the two groups never interacted. However, he added that it was the fact that the communities did not think along communal lines that gave the government the courage to seek a political solution to the ethnic crisis. He added that the importance of language could not be undermined in the context of any civilisation. "Language is a great force," he said. He noted that today very little attention was paid to the elegance of language and that in qualitative terms education had taken a downward trend. The Chancellor of the Kelaniya University and the head of the Vidyalankara University Ven. Velamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Thera who delivered the ‘anushasana’ said that it was customary to commence a programme with great pomp and pageantry and to abandon it thereafter. Tax Consultant P. Karalasingham passes away Mr. P. Karalasingham Attorney-at-Law and well known International Tax Consultant passed away during the early hours of Monday on September 08. He died of a heart attack while being taken to hospital. He was 62 years old. He was educated at Hindu College, Jaffna and in 1957 joined the Inland Revenue Department as an Assistant Assessor where he served for 16 years until he retired as a Senior Assessor to join the legal profession. He has served as a Commonwealth consultant in Tax Administration to the Government of Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Montserrat in the Caribbean Community. A first class honours graduate of the university of Colombo he later obtained a degree in law and was called to the Bar in 1971. Mr. Karalasingham is a honorary member of the International Fiscal Association (I. F. A.) based in Amsterdam, and a member of the International Bar Association and its committee on taxes. He also addressed the Lawasia Conference several times and is a member of the Asian Law Body. He has presented papers at various conferences namely the International Fiscal Association and to various tax and law journals overseas and in Sri Lanka. He has been invited as a speaker to International Conferences on Taxation and for numerous seminars and conferences in Sri Lanka. He has authored several widely appreciated books on taxation — ‘A Guide to Turnover Taxation in Sri Lanka’, ‘Corporate Taxation in Sri Lanka’, ‘A Guide to Taxation’ on Sri Lankan Taxation, and his latest release being the ‘A Guide to Goods and Services Tax’. ‘Guide to Taxation in Barbados’ which he co-authored with Dr. Trevor Carmichael on Barbados Taxation is to be published shortly. 62 year old Mr. Karalasingham leaves his wife Rajeswary and three sons. The eldest Indrasenan, an Investment Promotional Consultant is a Director of Tritel Services (Pvt) Ltd., The other two sons Dr. Rubasenan and Dr. Indrajith are doctors of medicine by profession and are practising in United Kingdom and Australia respectively. His remains are now lying at his residence No. 15, Janaki Lane, Bambalapitiya. His body will be cremated on Wednesday September 10 at the Hindu section Kanatte, at 5.30 p.m. Interdicted bus employees taken back after appeal A total of 457 employees attached to the cluster bus companies of Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Colombo Metropolitan area who were served with vacation of posts letters, have been asked to resume work today, Chairman, Sri Lanka Central Bus Company, Ramal Siriwardena told "The Island". Over 900 employees attached to nine depots went on strike early last month demanding a salary hike. Of the nine depots, employees in these three depots who failed to report for duty were given vacation of posts letters on a directive by Minister of Transport and Highways, A. H. M. Fowzie. However following an appeal made to the Minister by the Joint Council of the Trade Unions, to recall the strikers to work the Minister directed the Chairman to consider appeals by the employees provided they were made on a personal basis and not a common appeal by any trade union on their behalf. The Minister has called for a "reasonable period of time to sort out the financial problems of the bus companies and make them viable to ensure job security of all concerned. "The demand for a salary hike inspite of action being taken by me in this regard was a ruse adopted to cover up the ulterior motives of these saboteurs. The lightning strike launched by the workers in 9 bus depots was no doubt the result of a conspiracy hatched by disgruntled elements bent on disrupting bus services in the country and bring the country to disrepute," the Minister said. The workers were given time till August 28 to forward their letters of appeal by the Minister. The Chairman said that around 996 appeals had already been forwarded to the SLCTB, by the employees of which only 457 had been attended to so far. The remaining 539 appeals will be taken in to consideration in due course and the employees taken back batch by batch, he added. "All employees whose letters have been considered so far, have been taken in," Mr. Siriwardena said. On the Mutwal Bus depot which had been closed for over 20 days due to the strike, he noted that 390 of the 400 employees who struck work had been served vacation of post letters. "Two hundred and fifty of the 390 who forwarded appeals have been taken in. Twenty five of the total of 50 buses in the Mutwal depot will resume services today", he explained. The loss of revenue in the Mutwal bus depot alone due to the closure of 20 days is Rs. 2.6 million, it's reported The Chairman assured that the workers will not be subjected to any form of disciplinary action or a cut in their salaries for the twenty days they were out of work. (SP) Colombo University’s job search programme The Career Guidance Unit of the University of Colombo has called upon private and public sector organisations to inform them of the nature of the position and the necessary qualities and qualifications they expected from potential candidates so that the university can supply their requirements of qualified personnel, Colombo University sources said yesterday. As part of a continuing project to develop university-employment sector collaboration and to enhance the career opportunities of university undergraduates. The Career Guidance Unit of the University of Colombo has launched a new programme which will work in the following manner. Suppose a private or public sector organisation has openings, which are to be filled by graduates with certain qualifications and qualities. If the Career Guidance Unit of the University of Colombo is informed of the nature of the position, the necessary qualifications and the qualities expected from potential candidates, the unit will make sure that the student body of the University of Colombo gets to know about these openings. Then the unit will start collecting CV’s from potential applicants. At this point, if the organisation so desires, the unit (with the help of faculty members in the relevant areas) can do a preliminary interview/screening. The unit will then contact the organisation with the names of the candidates who are the most suitable for the position concerned. The organization can then do its own evaluation. This service is conducted 100% free of charge for all parties concerned. The University of Colombo conducts undergraduate programmes which involve the following subject areas: Bio Chemistry, Botany, Business Administration, Chemistry, Commerce, Computer Science, Demographic Training, Economics, Education, English, Geography, History and Political Science, Law, Journalism, Management, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, Radio Isotope Studies, Sinahala, Sociology, Statistics and Zoology. Almost all of the above subject areas have special degrees too. The university also conducts MSc and Ph. D. programmes in most of the above areas. If an organisation is looking for graduates with expertise in any one of the above areas, the Career Guidance Unit of the university will be glad to do a search, and come up with suitable candidates. Already, the unit has provided this service to a number of private sector companies. Interested organisations are kindly requested to contact: Dr. Kirthi Premadasa, Director/Career Guidance Unit,
University of Colombo, MID-WEEK
POLITICS Last Monday's UNP Parliamentary Group meeting witnessed almost the entire group except for two members present speaking in favour of Dr. Rajitha Senaratne's controversial speech made at Uyanwatte, Matara nearly three weeks ago. At the outset, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told the group that prior to the departure of Mr. Ronnie De Mel to the United States, Mr. De Mel had given a report stating that there was nothing wrong in the speech made by Dr. Senaratne at Uyanwatte, Matara and the controversial remarks were called for by a government minister who represented the Matara District by putting up a mud poster with the photograph of Dr. Senaratne which read the doctor was a wanted man. Mr. Wickremesinghe then asked for the views from the members on the report given to him by Mr. De Mel. First to rise was Kegalle District MP, R. A. D. Sirisena. The MP said that he was present at that meeting and there was nothing wrong in using the word ‘Ponnaya’ which was a village term for gay persons or homosexuals in Sinhala. Mr. Sirisena went onto say that the minister in question was responsible for a poster derogatory of Dr. Senaratne and therefore Senaratne could not be found fault with and added that this minister himself had admitted to his homosexual desires even in Parliament. Mr. Premaratne Gunesekera accused certain UNP MPs who had made remarks against Dr. Senaratne indirectly on public platforms stating that they leave the platform if UNP speakers used obscene language. Mr. Gunesekere shouted out that those MPs had no right to criticise their own men in public and if there was any shortcomings of their fellow MPs, they should be raised only at the Parliamentary Group. Many spoke in favour of Dr. Senaratne while two seniors, Messrs. M. H. Mohamed and Susil Moonesinghe maintained silence. Some speakers recalled the days in Parliament where obscenities were exchaged between former Prime Minister R. Premadasa and present UNPer Anura Bandaranaike. Mr. Bandaranaike was not present at Monday's group meeting. Mr. Wickremesinghe who carefully listened to the views said there was much business on the agenda and brought the Senaratne chapter to a close. The United National Party has received information about a reported meeting last Saturday at the Peacock Beach Hotel, Matara where a wife of a former UNP leader her son has had a meeting with a cabinet minister in the South who is close to a ‘Palace Guard’. During the past two months, party sources said that the son of the former UNP leader has had several rounds of talks with this minister at the same venue. This son who is an organiser of the UNP in deep South while addressing a meeting in the Kalutara District two weeks ago noted that only new political parties could only resolve the problems facing the country. There is already a new political party formed in the South by a breakaway group from the South led by former Labour State Minister H. R. Piyasiri. The UNP claims that this new party is being funded by a cabinet minister in the South. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, leader Ranil Wickremesinghe went into Colombo Central the stronghold of Premadasa politics to address the Colombo Central Bala Mandalaya. Colombo Central went full green like in the Premadasa days. Mr. Wickremesinghe was flanked by his two chief organisers for the electorate, Mohamed Maharoof and Henry Jayamaha. All twenty seven Premadasa loyalists in the electorate's Central Committee too were on stage with party Chairman Karu Jayasuriya and General Secretary Gamini Athukorale. As in the Premadasa days, popular radio artistes like Latha Walpola, Walter Fernando to name a few contributed a song after every speech. Every speaker praised and hailed the services of the late Premadasa to Colombo Central and the country at large. The previous day a meeting was held at the Premadasa Centre by some supporters of former UNP General Secretary Sirisena Cooray though Mr. Cooray is presently holidaying in Australia. There was speculation that this group which met at the Premadasa Centre at the invitation of a former Journalist turned Provincial Councillor and a Buddhist monk that a protest would be staged the next day prior to the UNP meeting in Colombo Central. This however did not materialise and Premadasa supporters were seen flocking to the UNP meeting venue from early that evening. The notable sbsentees at the meeting were the son of President Premadasa, Sajith and his mother Hema. Mr. Jayamaha told the crowd that it was Ranil Wickremesinghe who stood by President Premadasa when Mr. Premadasa had problems and Mr. Wickremesinghe was the only man who could continue with the Premadasa policies to develop the country. He added that those who claimed to be Premadasa loyalists had deserted the Premadasa stronghold and some were now holidaying abroad. The UNP claims that following its' success meeting in Colombo Central, the so called Cooray supporters in the shade were now in the process of trying to hold protest meetings to sling mud at the party leader. They said this campaign was being headed by a man who was paid a monthly allowance of Rs. 25,000 from the Colombo Central party funds when Mr. Cooray represented Colombo Central. When contacted prior to Mr. Cooray's departure to India and from there to Australia, Mr. Cooray told this columnist that he has no intention of coming back to active politics and was not even a member of the UNP after his retirement during the Wijetunga days. Mr. Cooray is expected to return to Colombo on September 15, according to reliable sources. |
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