• Saturday Commentary
  Cooray’s supporters visit 'The Island'
• Police find deadly items in long distance bus
• In keeping with WB recommendations
  CWE, Co-op Societies to go private
• Horse feed for human consumption
  Customs seals warehouse

• Mass polio immunisation campaign
• Anti-terrorist movement opposes talks with LTTE
• Court of Appeal issues notice on Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha
• Training for unemployed graduates
• Treat for cancer patients

Prosecution in the Central Bank bomb explosion case yesterday indicated to Colombo High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya that it proposes to try LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran, its Intelligence Chief Pottu Amman and seven other accused in absentia.

This was disclosed to Court by State Counsel Sanjeeva Samaranayake when the case was taken up for hearing.

High Court allowed an application by Mr. Samaranayake to lead evidence on the next date to satisfy Court that the accused persons could not be brought on a court warrant as they were not residing in areas under the control of the Sri Lankan Security forces.

The prosecution has to lead this evidence as a prelude to the application for trial in absentia as required by law.

The fourth accused Wigneswaran was produced in Court by the Prison authorities.

Prison officials informed Court that they were unable to produce the fifth accused Kathirgamathamby Sivakumar as he had to be produced at a parade conducted by Kalutara Magistrate in respect of the case relating to the attack on EPDP leader Douglas Devananda.

The court premises was heavily guarded by armed policemen when the fourth suspect was produced in Court. Earlier Court directed police authorities to provide adequate security sequel to an application by the prosecution.

The case was put off for November 10, 1998.

Velupillai Prabakaran, Pottu Amman, Kandiah Jeevamohan, Wigneswaran alias Kathir, Kathirithamby Sivakumar, Selvakumar Navaratnam, Rajadurai Kulasingham, S. Kanthasamby, Ramiah alias Farook, and Karuppan Kamalanathan are the accused in the case.

The charges are conspiracy and exploding a bomb that resulted in the deaths of several people injuring a number of people and causing damage to property.

The offence had been committed on January 31, 1996 in Colombo Fort.

The indictment on the fourth and the fifth accused are to be served on the next date of trial.

A splinter group of the United National Party emerged recently and was very active on the eve of Mr. Sirisena Cooray's return to the country in the early hours of last Wednesday. This group is identified as the 'Eksath Jathika Pakshaya Arakshakirime Bala Madalaya'. The President of this group G. Ariyapala and Secretary Sunil Jayasinghe accompanied by former UNP Matara District MP, Madurapala Editiweera visited 'The Island' editorial last Wednesday to meet this columnist to complain about certain observations made by the Columnist in last Wednesday's Mid-week Political Column. Madurapala Ediriweera appeared very aggressive until he was told that the editorial was not the Parliament Chamber and this writer did not represent the government or any other opposition political party.

Ediriweera denied that he was a member of the newly found Eksath Mahajana Peramuna, another breakaway group of the UNP led by Mr. H. R. Piyasiri. Ediriweera and his two companions claimed that the poster which was put up on city walls on the eve of Mr. Cooray's return was done by their Bala Mandalaya and not by Mr. Manjula Cooray as stated in our last Wednesday's column. This information about the young Cooray was provided by the UNP. The UNP also stated that a son of a former UNP Minister and a Buddhist monk armed with a revolver were seen at the Maradana junction the night before Mr. Cooray's arrival providing security to the men who were putting up the posters. They described the monk as being a close associate of a former UNP minister, now in political wilderness and is making many moves to make a comeback.

Bala Mandalaya President Ariyapala who appeared very calm said that the aim was to bring back Mr. Cooray to the UNP to strengthen and protect the United National Party. He claimed that his organisation appreciated the hard work done by Mr. Cooray to the party and thought it fit to urge the UNP leadership to extend an honourable invitation to Mr. Cooray to return. UNP General Secretary, Gamini Athukorale in keeping with the party constitution states that any person, be it even an important figure, should first obtain the membership card paying ten rupees to join the party. Mr. Cooray at present is not a member of the United National Party.

Ariyapala claimed that Mr. Cooray still had a base in Colombo Central which was the political stronghold of the late Ranasinghe Premadasa. The UNP argues that after Mr. Cooray left this electorate it was Ranil Wickremesinghe who represented it and polled more votes than Mr. Cooray at the last General Election. It also claims that the present chief organisers for the electorate Messrs. Henry Jayamaha and Mohamed Maharoof are two close confidantes of President Premadasa and Mr. Wickremesinghe had appointed suitable men who could carry on with the Premadasa legacy in that electorate. Ariyapala noted that his Bala Mandalaya would continue to agitate for the return of Mr. Cooray to the UNP. Mr. Cooray on his return went to his bungalow at his estate in Katana. Mr. Cooray who earlier made it known that he was not interested in active politics is yet to make a statement whether he favours the conduct of those who agitate for his return to politics or not. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe left for London on the same day Mr. Cooray arrive. Mr. Anura Bandaranaike is expected to join his leader in London shortly. Wickremesinghe's confidante Milinda Moragoda left for London on Thursday night and he was expected to join Mr. Wickremesinghe in London yesterday. Mrs. Ranil Wickremesinghe is also in London.

On the SLFP side organisers in the Kandy District have protested to the SLFP Kandy District organisations that they were deprived of the opportunity to speak at the recently concluded SLFP Kandy District Convention. They claim that they came prepared to air their views but the politicians of the party did not give them an opportunity to speak. At the convention it was only SLFP leaders including President Chandrika Kumaratunga who spoke. The organisers say that the Ministers and MPs in the district deliberately left them out of the list of speakers fearing that they (the organisers) would come out with the pathetic performances of the SLFP ministers and MPs in the district in the presence of the President. They are now preparing a petition to be sent to President Kumaratunga highlighting the inefficiency and the lethargy of the Ministers and MPs in the district.

President Kumaratunga in her capacity as the Deputy Leader of the SLFP has sent out a directive to all the party branches to start the campaign at grass root level. Party sources noted that it was an indication that the President may decide on a Presidential poll before the Provincial Council elections that was postponed under emergency regulations. Earlier there was speculation that the provincial polls may be held next January. They now believe that a presidential poll may be on the cards by March next year.

Meanwhile the state controlled ITN in its news bulletin last Monday announced that Lalith Front MP Ravi Karunanayake attended the UNP's All Party Conference without the consent of the party leader. Mrs. Srimani Athulathmudali too issued a press release stating that her party was not officially represented at that conference. Karunanayake argues that his colleague Kesaralal Gunesekera attended a seminar at the Ocean Villa Hotel on the devolution package presided over by Minister G. L. Peiris and queries why the ITN failed and the party failed to announce whether Gunesekera had the blessings of the party to go there. He also questions as to why Mr. Gunesekera placed his signature with the government to oust the Bribery Commissioners when he and his party leader Mrs. Athulathmudali opposed that move of the government. We called for the reactivation of the Bribery Commission and not the removal of Commissioners and I believe that justice must flow like a river first within the party, said Karunanayake.

The closure of the Paddy Marketing Board which was announced recently, will be followed by the privatisation of the CWE and the Co-operative Societies which are currently making paddy purchases which were earlier made by the PMB, according to official sources. This will be in keeping with World Bank policy recommendations made in 1996 that the government play a non-interventionist role in the agriculture market, the sources added.

The organisations which are currently making paddy purchases are doing so on concessionary loan schemes which were not made available to the PMB, official sources said. The PMB while it was operating borrowed at the rate of 21 per cent, three per cent of which was reimbursed by the Treasury. But the purchasers appointed in its place including the Farmers Organisations and the Farmer Company are being given a loan facility at a reduced rate of 13 per cent, the sources added.

The proposed closure of the Paddy Marketing Board is being resisted by many including the Minister of Agriculture D. M. Jayaratne himself, but will go ahead. The Minister who had resisted the closure of the state organ set up as far back as 1971 to protect consumers and farmers, announced its closure recently.

The PMB which has a total staff strength of 550 however has yet to receive an official intimation of the decision in the form of a circular. Senior PMB sources said that it had remained largely inoperative in the last two years following a Presidential directive that it was to desist from its principal task of purchasing paddy.

It was in 1990 that the process for gradually easing out the PMB commenced. Under a restructuring programme it was decided to reduce the role of the PMG. On representations submitted by the Sri Lanka Business Development Centre, it was suggested that PMG be reduced to operating a skeletal service and hand over certain surplus stores while retaining the network . The source said that at that stage the PMB’s function was reduced to areas where paddy was in surplus. "We moved out from Matara, Gampaha and Kalutara districts. The assets of the PMB in these areas were sold and a recommendation was made for the board to be granted the means to operate a floor price scheme," the source added.

In 1994 the PMB purchased a record crop but was unable to sell it, largely because of the subsidy on wheat flour. The source added that 1995 saw the highest paddy crop in twelve years. The PMB was unable to dispense the massive stocks and the Ministry of Agriculture after calling for tenders sold the rice at a reduced price. The PMB was unable to settle its loans and in the following year too sold the surplus stock at a price lower than the production price.

The following year 1997, there was a presidential directive instructing the PMB to refrain from purchasing paddy. Instead, the facility was made available to the Farmer Organisations, the Co-operative Societies, the Farmer Company and CWE. These organisations were given the warehouses on a short term no rent basis. In 1998, the PMB was directed to supply gunny bags on deposit basis on top of the warehouse facility. Of the 200 warehouses owned by the PMB only 65 are currently being used by the alternate purchasing organisations. "They are not functioning at full capacity," the source said.

The President of the Movement for National Land and Agriculture Reform Sarath Fernando said that the closure of the PMB was in keeping with policy recommendations made by the World Bank in 1996 that the government should withdraw from intervening in the agriculture market. The WB put forward the view that non involvement of the government would be for the benefit of the farmers and consumers. He warned that monopoly by the private sector had been to the detriment of both the consumer and the farmer. "Commodities such as sugar and milk powder are good examples. Even when a kilo of sugar is Rs. 10 on the world market it is sold at Rs 30 and in the case of milk powder it is available far in excess in the world market, but local prices are high," he added.

He viewed the closure of the PMB in the larger context of abandoning agriculture altogether. "This will be detrimental to Sri Lankan interests," he said.