- Slams
PA's "political nincompoops''
LSSP
tries to build PA-UNP bridge to peace
In a hard hitting
statement issued yesterday, the LSSP warned the
PA "in particular'' that a turning point has
been reached and unless there is a renewed
commitment to the political solution it has
advanced, "the peace process will be
wrecked.''The statement,
that said that such a commitment can be
convincingly demonstrated only by presenting the
PA's draft constitutional amendment to parliament
for adoption. There is no reason why a PA-UNP
consensus cannot be reached by adopting the UNP
amendments to the PA draft, the LSSP said. (full story)
- Simple SWRD commemoration at
Horagolla
The 39th Bandaranaike
Commemoration was held at the Horagolla Samadhi,
with the participation of Prime Minister Sirima
Bandaranaike, her daughter Sunethra and grand son
Vimukthi Kumaratunga yesterday morning.
Both President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Anura
Bandaranaike are out of the country. (full story)
- President
at commemoration meeting
President Chandrika Kumaratunga
was a participant at the Bandaranaike
commemoration meeting organised by the SLFP
branch here and held at the Brent Town Hall on
Friday night. (full story)
- Thousands
demonstrate against unconditional talks with LTTE
Thousands of people walk the
streets of Colombo in demonstration last Monday
(September 21) show their solidarity with those
who oppose peace talks, with or without
conditions with the Tigers. Advocates of peace
negotiations with the LTTE would surely be
shocked by the magnitude and the composition of
the demonstration, an organiser said. (full story)
- NDB
Chairman quitting
Dr. Nimal
Sandaratne, the Chairman of the National
Development Bank (NDB) whose term of office ends
at the end of next month has indicated to
government that he will not be available for
re-appointment. (full text)
- Gayoom
unanimously nominated for fifth term
(AFP) -
Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is
comfortably set for re-election for a fifth
consecutive term of office following his
unanimous nomination by the People's Majlis
(Parliament) to be placed before the people at a
national referendum later this year. (full story)
- 'Athauda issue
no concern of media'
With speculation mounting
regarding the future of Athauda Seneviratne in
the LSSP, General Secretary of the party Batty
Weerakoon said yesterday that it was an internal
party matter which need not concern the media.Seneviratne who is Deputy Minister of
Transport and Highways has in the recent past
voted with the government to extend the state of
emergency while his party colleagues Science and
Technology Minister Batty Weerakoon and Vasudeva
Nanayakkara MP have abstained. (full story)
- Bank
employees to walk out on Sep. 30
Employees in the Colombo branches
of nine private commercial banks are set to walk
out of their offices in protest on September 30
regarding a salary issue, the powerful Ceylon
Bank Employees' Union told 'The Island'
yesterday. Bank
managements, meanwhile, "look like they are
prepared to face the music if necessary",
said the Employers' Federation of Ceylon (EFC).
The EFC represents the managements of the nine
banks. (full
text)
- Defence
Ministry's clearance not yet given to Dr.
Jayawardena to visit Madhu
The Defence Ministry
has so far not given clearance to UNP MP Dr.
Jayalath Jayawardena to visit Madhu to assess the
progress of construction work of Madhu Church
tank.Dr. Jayawardena has
reserved Rs. 400,000 from his DCB funds for this
purpose. He has also requested Mr. D. Sithadthan,
MP and Co-Chairman, Wanni electoral district
development committee to take appropriate steps
to secure permission for a visit to assess
construction work. (full story)
- ASPs ransack
SP's old office
In a shocking development,
a senior police official who served as the former
Director (Supplies), Police Headquarters, has
made an official complaint that two gazetted
police officers had 'ransacked his office', which
contained vital and sensitive documents relating
to tenders, no sooner he was transferred to the
North. (full
story)
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- Kobbekaduwa
Trust redoubles efforts to help landmine victims
The Denzil Kobbekaduwa
Trust is redoubling its efforts to help fit
artificial limbs to the large number of
servicemen who have lost their limbs to landmines
in the brutal war that continues without respite.Over 5,000 young men, most of them boys
barely out of their teens have been crippled by
landmines and the Trust, which is an Approved
Charity to which tax deductible contributions may
be made, is seeking to help as many of them as
possible. (full
story)
- PA PS chairman gunned down
Anamaduwa: An
unknown gunman killed the PA Chairman of the
Arachchikattuwa Pradeshiya Sabha in Puttalam
district on Saturday night, police said.The victim identified as K. M. Kingsley
Sarath Hemachandra was gunned down around 11 pm
close to his residence. (full story)
- Cooray's entry
will not affect Presidential campaign says UNP
The UNP yesterday scotched
speculation that party leader Ranil
Wickremesinghe's proposed presidential polls
campaign will get affected if former minister,
Sirisena Cooray entered the fray as an
independent candidate. "We are not
worried," Colombo District MP, Dr.
Karunasena Kodituwakku told The Sunday Island
yesterday. He ruled out the possibility of Cooray
becoming the third force in Sri Lanka's politics.
"Many others including jokers have tried and
failed," he said. (full story)
- Ravi's
attendance of UNP consultation a 'non event' says
Srimani
United Lalith Front (ULF) leader
Srimani Athulathmudali regards Ravi Karunanyaka's
attendance at the UNP convened conference on Free
and Fair Elections held recently a 'non event'
even though he had not obtained permission from
the party. Mrs.
Athulathmudali dismissed reports that a special
meeting of her party's Working Committee has been
summoned for Friday to discuss this matter.
"That meeting was scheduled much
earlier" she said. (full story)
- Private
practice during hospital hours
Stern
action demanded against errant doctors
Avadhi Lanka has taken
up the issue of the abuse of private practice by
government doctors following press reports that
15 doctors in Kurunegala have been detected
engaging in private practice when they should
have been working in hospitals.The NGO which describes itself as an
"organisation for the promotion of public
morality and civic accountability'' while
commending the Health Ministry for making the
detections, stressed that this alone would not
bring the desired results "unless and until
disciplinary action is completed by imposing
deterrent punishment.'' (full story)
- "No
system air-tight," says Tourist Board
Are
duty free tourist cars being abused?
Tourist Board
Authorities in response to allegations that the
duty free concessions given to the hotel sector
was being abused said that no system was
air-tight, but that they had taken very strict
measures to ensure that the stipulations were met
with. (full
story)
- Suggestions
for improving Telecom
Following an
invitation by the Director-General of
Telecommunications to the public to send in
suggestions for improving telecom. facilities the
Telecommunication Users Association has sent in
thirteen suggestions. They relate to bills and
their method of payment the establishment of a
Billing Complaints Committee and better liaison
between the Telecommunications Regulatory
Commission with the subscriber. (full story)
- Russian
tea market at a standstill
Tea shipments to
Russia, one of the biggest markets for Sri Lanka,
are now at a complete standstill as a result of
developments following the economic crisis in
that country and the sharp devaluation of the
rouble, leading tea traders said yesterday. (full story)
- Off to
Thailand
Dr. Tharaka Prasad,
Veterinary Surgeon of the Department of Wildlife
Conservation, and Mr. S. S. K. Seelaratne,
Curator of the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawela
left last week for Thailand as guests of the
Friends of the Asian Elephant, an elephant
conservation organisation in that country. (full story)
- Long
march for junior clerk
Mr. Edgar
Gunatunga has been elected the chairman of the
Sampath Bank succeeding the late Mr. Dunstan, D.
de Alwis, P.C., an announcement from the bank
said. (full
story)
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