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LTTE threats halt Jaffna court proceedings Members of the judiciary, lawyers and officials attached to the five courts of law in Jaffna district have unanimously decided to keep away from work until further notice following a fresh wave of threats by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports from the North indicated. At a hastily summoned meeting on Tuesday, they reached agreement to keep away from official duties as their lives were under threat. As a result work at the Jaffna, Mallakam, Point Pedro, Chavakachcheir and Kayts courts has come to a complete standstill, according to these reports. ‘Warning letters’ signed by one ‘Thooyavan’, describing himself as ‘Organiser, Tamil Eelam Administrative Services’ have been received by some members of the judiciary in the North on Tuesday morning. They had been warned to cease official functions by 10 am that day, sources in Jaffna said. Mr. Nalin J. Abeysekera Additional Secretary, Justice Ministry told ‘The Island’ that he was not aware of the turn of events in the North. SF Commander, Jaffna Major General Lionel Balagalla said that courts were functioning on a temporary basis due to LTTE threats. He said he was unaware of any new developments as he was out of Jaffna. TULF senior Vice President Ananda Sangari confirmed that courts have ceased to function following the threats. Earlier the Courts were functioning on a temporary basis in the chambers following initial threats from the Tigers. Public institutions in the Jaffna Peninsula had also received similar threatening letters from the LTTE ‘ordering’ them to halt all functions on receiving this warning. Meanwhile, members of the 17 local bodies in the north who had been threatened with deaths by the LTTE calling on them to resign following the killing of Jaffna Mayoress Mrs. Sarojini Yogeswaran, Jaffna Mayor Pon Sivapalan and Karaveddy PS Chairman Kanagasabai Rajathurai have sent a joint letter of appeal to heads of diplomatic missions in Colombo to pressurise the LTTE not to carry out these threats. The letters had been sent to missions under the heading "Appeal made by those facing deaths" and signed by most members and heads of 17 local bodies in the Peninsula, sources said. The letters say: ‘We, who were elected as representatives democratically by the people of Jaffna Peninsula in the North of Sri Lanka in the polls held on January 29 would wish to draw your attention to threats to our lives. We contested the local polls conducted by Government last January to serve the people in north but we wish to inform with deep sorrow that we had received bodily threats which could hamper the smooth functioning of these Pradeshiya and local councils to serve the people without obstacles. As you may know the TULF Mayoress of Jaffna Mrs. Sarojini Yogeswaran and her successor Pon Sivapalan were victims of politics and a member of Vadamarachchi South West (Karaveddy), K. Rasathurai was also slain by shooting. All other members of local bodies had been stamped as ‘traitors’ against liberation struggle of masses and threatened with death. We believe firmly that the international community would not accept the threats levelled at those who proposed to give voice and solve the pressing needs of people for easing their suffering democratically. We wish to make use of your goodwill to create the environment needed for us democratically elected representatives of the public to carry out our services to the people without obstacles. We earnestly appeal that you and the Government whom you represent would bring to bear on LTTE, pressure so that they would adhere to democratic principles of politics and while saying that they are struggling for liberation of people while at the same time asking at gun point a people to remain silent." Meanwhile, following the death threats from LTTE the Deputy Chairman, EPDP of Karaveddy Pradeshiya Sabha, Y. Vinasathambi and DPLF Councillor for Pachillappali Pradeshiya Sabha had tendered their resignation letters by last Monday. Many more others were contemplating to submit their resignations during this week, reports said. At same time the Security Forces had prevented the public in Thenmaratchchi from vacating their homes following threatening posters that are alleged to have appeared in various places in the area in the recent past. The handwritten posters had called on villagers to vacate residences that are surrounding or adjoining camps of the security forces in Thenmaratchchi. Many members of public who took the threats seriously and tried to leave their villages were sent back by security forces personnel. Meanwhile EPDP leader and Jaffna District MP, Douglas Devananda had appealed to Government and the Ministry of Defence to lift its ban on representatives of local bodies carrying of arms in the Jaffna Peninsula for their personal security following this ‘final warning’. At same time the Tigers are to have distributed pamplets in the peninsula calling upon members of public to make use of ships for commuting between the North and South. This was while the LTTE threats to domestic flights between the north and south continued to linger. Following the disappearance of the Lionair Flight private airline services to the north remain grounded. Stalling of tea exports to Russia With the export of tea to Russia being stalled, the Ceylon Tea Board has sought ways and means of helping the exporters to circumvent the crisis they face in meeting their commitments to the banks. Russian importers of tea owe Sri Lankan exporters 35 million US dollars and according to the Chairman of the Tea Board, Clifford Ratwatta there is no buying of tea at the Colombo auctions to be shipped to Russia. But Mr. Ratwatta says: "Russians have never reneged on their commitments". He is hopeful that buying would commence soon with the International Monetary Fund helping the settlement of the currency crisis that has befallen that country. "This is a temporary phase', he told 'The Island'. Meanwhile manufacturers of low grown tea find their teas fetching very low prices at the auctions; and, Mr. Ratwatte says once Russian buying starts the low growns too would fetch better prices. Several meetings were held to discuss ways and means of helping the exporters who were also in debt to the banks. According to the Chairman of the Tea Board he had sought the support of the Central Bank to help in the present situation. But the Central Bank had not been of any help. Mr. Ratwatta told 'The Island' he sought Treasury assistance and they had summoned the Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation for a meeting. SLECIC had been prepared to provide credit insurance for the future providing cover for 75 per cent of the exports. Since this was provided at a very high premium there had been no takers. Meanwhile exporters who have go-downs in Russia are holding on to large stocks with no Russian buyers. The trade says Russian buyers do not have the dollars to make payments at the present time. Meanwhile reports from Russia says the authorities are considering several options including import tariff cuts, to ensure key imports of food and other goods remain possible in the current financial and banking crisis. The official rate of the rouble is changing daily. From last week's 16.5 roubles to the dollar it has risen to 17 at the beginning of the week. Raj Abeysekera of Stassens one of the largest exporters of tea to Russia says the non-payment of the money due was mainly due to the rapid devaluation of the rouble. Exporters of value added tea however have not been greatly alarmed over this despite the fact that 30 percent of our tea exports go to Russia and which has now stalled. Anselm Perera of Mlesna Tea says there is an over-reaction to the Russian crisis. He says: "The credit that was given to Russian exporters on 120 day basis has now to be extended to 300 days. He said he runs 89 shops in St. Petersburgh, Moscow and several other cities. He would continue to ship tea and not let down his Russian partners. "The situation there is not fragile but only disappointing", he told 'The Island'. In the meantime exporters have to pay between 16 to 17 per cent on the credit they have got from the banks. Had they got dollar credit it would have been between 6 to 7 percent. "But the slow devaluation process taking place as regards the rupee would have cost us dearly", Anselm Perera said. So nobody was thinking in terms of dollar credit. In the meantime Mr. Ratwatta is perturbed over the Ministry of Trade not taking heed of his suggestions made over an year back. He had asked the Minister of Trade to visit Iraq with a trade delegation and seek ways to sell more tea from Sri Lanka. "Had this been done the present crisis would not have stopped tea exports", he said. Yet he was happy that two ministers are taking a team from the trade to Iraq on November 1".
All four suspects remanded till Oct.
27 Four suspects produced by the police in connection with the abduction, rape and murder of Rita Jones (29), the Indian wife of the son of a former Senior Superintendent of Police, were remanded till October 27 by Colombo Additional Chief Magistrate Premadasa Punchihewa yesterday. The Addl. Chief Magistrate also ordered that the suspects be produced for an identification parade on October 27. Rita Jones, who was honeymooning in Sri Lanka, with her husband Jude Mohan Manoharan was abducted by four men while they were strolling in the Mattakkuliya beach close to their home Sunday evening. Police on Monday found her naked body dumped in a marsh sheltered by shrubs in the same beach, not very far away from the spot where she was abducted. The discovery of the body was possible after information elicited under interrogation from two suspects taken into custody earlier. A third suspect was later arrested and the fourth was arrested by a special police team despatched to Hasalaka. All four were produced before the Additional Chief Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. The victim's husband, son of former SSP T. Manoharan who made a complaint to the Modera Police immediately after the abduction, is learnt to have stated that he could identify the abductors if he sighted them again. Additional Judicial Medical Officer Dr. Muditha Vidanepathirana, who held the post-mortem has reported to court that the victim had been raped and that her death has been caused by tightening a creeper around her neck. PS Tilak Premaratne of the Modera Police, who is prosecuting, told court that the fourth suspect arrested at Hettipola in Hasalaka early morning yesterday resisted arrest. PS Premaratne filed a report on the arrest of this suspect. PS Premaratne also told court that the suspect confessed to police that he and two others, stripped the victim of her denim trousers and the blouse and raped her and dumped her after killing her in a muddy hole about 25 metres away. Police also recovered her clothes after interrogating the suspects. Police also informed court that the suspect had confessed to them that he had removed a pair of gold bangles, a necklace and a ring from the victim and handed them over to his wife in Hasalaka. Police said they would now question the wife of the suspect with a view to recovering the jewellery. the Addt. Chief Magistrate returned a verdict of homicide. He also ordered police to file a further report on the progress of investigations on the next hearing date October 27. Tougher laws fail to decrease sex crimes Introduction of tougher anti-rape and sexual offences laws in October 1995 had failed to reduce cases of rape, incest, grave sexual abuse, use of children in obscene publications, unnatural offences and other related acts, both police and Justice Ministry officials said yesterday. "There is no apparent change and no impact on the rape wave," a Justice Ministry official told The Island while declining to go into detail. Authorities admitted there had been a significant increase in cases of rape in the past three years, despite introduction of tougher laws which the politician earlier claimed will control the rise of sexual crimes. A senior Police Headquarters official said that almost 900 cases of rape had been reported in 1997. He indicated that there will be no reduction of the number of cases for this year too. For every case reported to the police, at least two unreported cases take place, he pointed out. According to records maintained by the Prisons Department there had been only 42 cases of rape in 1987. The number of cases passed the 100 mark figure for the first time in 1992. According to the Prisons Department 121 cases had been reported in that particular year. Although the number of cases came down to 91 in 1994, a year later it went upto 162. Police said that the situation has become serious with 898 rape cases being reported to the Police Headquarters last year. "This year will be the same or probably worse ," police said. After noticing a significant increase in rape and other related offences, Amendments to the 112 year old Penal Code were placed before the Parliament on October 19, 1995, passed without any division and then ratified by Speaker K. B. Ratnayake on October 31 same year. However this has failed at least to control the rising wave of rape and other sexual offences, police and Justice Ministry officials admit. New laws which came into operation contained provisions to bolster the law relating to rape, sexual relations between relatives [incest], grave sexual abuse, use of children in obscene publications, cruelty to children, grievous hurt, sexual harassment, procuration, sexual exploitation of children, trafficking of persons, unnatural offences, gross indecency, publication of matters relating to sexual offences and grievous hurt. "Introduction of tougher laws is not enough," police said pointing out that proper implementation too is vital." A police officer said insisting that some serious action will have to be taken against those involved in rape. There had been 16 cases of rape reported from the north/central and south Colombo Police Divisions in the first three months of this year. Police said that rape has become a serious problem. Recently Plan Implementation and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told 'The Island' that abortion must be legalised at least to permit rape victims to go to a government hospital for abortion. Police said that the situation has become so bad with many cases of incest being reported. Some of rape victims had been five years old. "There are many child victims," police said. Environmental foundation wants court to quash
ministry secy's approval The Court of Appeal yesterday issued notice on the Secretary to the Ministry of Forestry and Environment, K. A. S. Gunesekera, and the Ceylon Electricity Board in respect of an Application for a Writ of Certiorari, filed by the Environmental Foundation Ltd. The petitioner requested the Court of Appeal to issue a Writ of Certiorari, quashing the decision of the Secretary to the Ministry of Forestry and Environment to grant approval, to the implementation of the Upper Kotmale Hydro power Project. The implementation is to be effected by the Ceylon Electricity Board. The petition said that the decision of the first respondent (Secretary to the Ministry) is unlawful, arbitrary and contrary to the principles of natural justice, since the said decision is contrary to the requirements of Part IV C of the National Environment Act as amended. The decision was arrived at by a procedure that departed from the guidelines contained in the "Public Participation Handbook", issued by the Central Environmental Authority. The exclusion of the petitioner from the hearing of the appeal relating to the second Environment Impact Assessment was a violation of the Andi Alteram rule and/or arbitrary and unreasonable, in view of the previous inclusion of the petitioner at the hearing of the appeal relating to the first Environment Impact Assessment. The petition alleged that a notable feature of the said project is that it would have an adverse impact on seven of Sri Lanka's best known waterfalls, namely St. Claire's, Devon, Ramboda, Puna, Pundal, St. Andrew's and Holy-rood Falls. McDonald’s opens first Sri Lankan outlet
today McDonald’s, the world famous fast food restaurant, officially opens its first outlet in Sri Lanka today. A large number of invitees were present at the restaurant yesterday to meet journalists. Mr. Awad Sifri, International Marketing Director McDonalds’s Corporation, Rusi Pestonjee McDonald’s licensee for Sri Lanka, David Wilson who is director responsible for operations and Ronald McDonald perhaps the most famous member of the McDonald family, the clown will also be present. "It’s been a long struggle to finally open a McDonald’s outlet in Colombo," David Wilson told the Press. He said that it had taken 3 years for the whole process of operations in Sri Lanka to pull through, but it was worthwhile and also there are definite plans for expansion. Sri Lanka is the 114th country in which McDonald’s has entered. The restaurant, which is franchised by Abans Restaurant Systems will proudly demonstrate how McDonald’s international standards have been totally acquired by a highly skilled Sri Lankan team. Twenty seven staff members received their training in Australia which primarily focuses on delivering quality, service and cleanliness. The initial capital outlay was said to be US $ 2 million and a spokesperson said that around US $10 million will be invested over the next four to five years for expansion purposes. Some of the products have to be imported initially to reach economies of scale, however Mr. Pestonjee said that it was discovered that there were world class suppliers already operating in the country and Newdale Dairies, CPC International and Ceylon Agro Industries were among the companies based locally that would join the wide band of suppliers. Customers at today’s official opening will be in a position to determine whether the standards struck by the McDonald’s Corporation have been met. Judging by the flow of operations yesterday, there can hardly be a doubt. British Trade Fair ’98 at Hotel Oberoi The British Trade Fair 1998 (BTF ’98) will take place in Colombo between November 9 and 11. In parallel with the Trade Fair, a number of other important events are being arranged by the British High Commission and British Council, including a series of Seminars which will be of wide interests to the business community. The venue of the Trade Fair is Hotel Lanka Oberoi. The British Council — whose Education Information Service is already well known in Sri Lanka — will be organising three seminars on Management and Leadership during this period. A variety of other seminars are being arranged by the British High Commission, in co-operation with the Department of Trade and Industry in Britain. ‘Australia cooperates fully’ in vetch probe Responding to Media allegations concerning imports of vetch as a substitute for red lentils, the Australian High Commission says that Australian authorities have cooperated fully with Sri Lankan authorities on this issue and will take action if any evidence emerges on involvement of Australian companies in the apparent mislabelling of animal food as red lentils/dhal. The matter is still under investigation, including by the Australian customs authority. |
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