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Colombo-Jaffna air traffic ban to continue The government has decided to continue the ban on private air traffic movements between Colombo and Jaffna as intelligence information had revealed that Tigers are planning to hijack a passenger plane belonging to a private company, sources said. Intelligence information had also revealed that the LTTE had constructed two air strips in the Wanni area where such hijacked planes could be landed, these sources said. There were reports earlier that an unidentified helicopter had been sighted along the coastal belt of Mullaitivu. The security forces in the North-East have been placed on alert for a possible air attack, sources said. Meanwhile, as the ban on civilian air travel between Colombo and Jaffna continued, a large number of people had flocked to Trincomalee to seek ways of travelling to Jaffna by ship. But they remain stranded as civilian shipping services between Trincomalee and Jaffna are still suspended. Iraq agrees to buy Lankan tea for oil Following bi-lateral Sri Lanka-Iraq talks in Baghdad last week, Iraq has expressed willingness to buy approximately four million kgs of Sri Lankan tea, authoritative officials told The Island yesterday. "The Iraqi government will buy at least four million kgs of tea or perhaps a little bit more under the oil for food programme," sources said. The proposed tea sale to Iraq will be a big boost to the troubled Sri Lankan tea industry, sources said. Continuing financial crisis in the Eastern Europe had resulted in a crisis situation. The two countries were expected to enter into an agreement in this regard before end of this year. During Baghdad talks between the Sri Lankan delegation led by Internal and External Trade , Commerce and Food Minister Kingsley T.Wickramaratne and senior Iraqi officials, the latter has indicated a willingness to sell oil, sources said. The delegation has indicated that Sri Lanka was prepared to obtain approximately US 12 million worth oil, delegation sources told The Island. Wickremaratne’s delegation comprised Commerce Department’s Deputy Director, Kulathunga Perera, Petroleum Corporation’s Refinery Manager, D. Chandrasekera, Central Bank’s Chief Accountant M. B. Dissanayake and a delegation from the private sector tea exporters. The delegation last week returned to Colombo. The controversial oil for food programme controlled by the UN provides bare necessities to the people of Iraq. Since US led multi-national forces defeated the Iraqi forces in the war over Kuwait, Iraq has been forced to obtain all her requirement including food under UN supervision. The Sri Lankan delegation was the first to visit Baghdad since the war. During recent talks Iraqis have said that Sri Lanka failed to keep an agreement to provide US 25 million worth tea on credit. "They were unhappy over Sri Lanka’s failure to provide tea despite the agreement," sources said adding that this particular pact to send tea had been made during the previous administration. Human action cause of rich and poor President Chandrika Kumaratunga addressing the first International Buddhist Conference at the BMICH said Monday evening that human action had polarised the world into rich and poor nation. She told the participants of the conference that while in some countries the per capita income was over US $ 200,000 a year nearly one third of the world’s population are in dire poverty earning less than a dollar a day. "Whilst excess food is wilfully destroyed in some countries to keep profits high there are literally millions dying of starvation. The consumption patterns of today’s world are creating so much ecological imbalance, that life on earth itself is threatened. In business, trading in weapons, drugs, poisons and humans had become most powerful and lucrative", she added. Humankind has arrived at a decisive cross-road in its long history. It is not because we are approaching a new millennium compelling but because decisions need to be taken by all nations and all peoples, decisions regarding the very existence of planet Earth and the continued preservation of all forms of life on this planet. We have the choice of continuing on our present path of seeking maximum material and monetary profit and quick satisfaction of material needs and desires or the choice of a gradual advance along a path of human development in a symbiotic relationship with other forms of plant and animal life and with Natures other endowments such as the air, the seas and rivers, the soil and all its diverse riches, without which the continuation of human existence will be in serious jeopardy. In Buddhist terms, the choice is between the unbridled satisfaction of human greed and the disciplined, intelligent and rational advancement of economic and social development where moral values outweigh the mere satisfaction of desire. The choice is ours to make. The teaching of the Buddha were timeless and of immediate truth. The quotes from dhamma pada: Mind is the forerunner of all evil conditions. Mind is chief, and they are mind-made If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts. Then pain follows one even as the wheel, The hoof of the ox’ Similarly, it is with all good conditions. There, too, the mind is the forerunner, mind is chief; and they are mind-made. When with a pure mind, one speaks or acts, then happiness follows one even as the shadow that never leaves us. The time has come for us humans to sit in judgement and ask the questions - Have we done right in the past? Are we heading in the right direction? What changes are necessary in thought and action if there is to be greater happiness enjoyed by each & all. These were some of the reasonings that prompted my government to organise this International Buddhist Conference, when the people of Sri Lanka are celebrating their 50th year of independence. Sri Lanka is a small nation. The total population is less than twenty million, which is just over 0.3% of the world’s population. But she has a long and a proud tradition and history. We possess a written history of over 2500 years: to be more precise of 2542 years, which is also the Buddhist era. The archaeological remains show the richness of her culture and the irrigation systems, the technological development the people of Sri Lanka had achieved in hydraulic engineering in architecture and the arts. But more than all these material manifestations we have contributed to the world’s heritage, we value the teachings of the Buddha which were preserved in this country for 2306 years in spite of many foreign invasions and calamities. After the third Buddhist Council held in India during the reign of Emperor Asoka, the Buddha’s message of peace was taken to nine countries. Sri Lanka was one of the countries that received this noble gift. What was brought here was an oral tradition of the Tri-pitaka and it was preserved by the Bhikku Sangha of Sri Lanka by a system of specialisation. The ancient texts refer to Digha-bhanaka, Majjhima-bhanaka, Anguttara-bhanaka and Sanyutta-bhanaka theras who were regarded as Masters of each of the Nikaya texts. The most momentous event in the history of Theravada Buddhism was the rendering into writing of the Tripitaka and the commentaries. This event occurred in the first century before the Common Era in a place called Aluvihara, which the delegates, I believe, will get an opportunity to visit. There were several reasons for the Venerable Bhikkhu Sangha of Sri Lanka to have taken that decision. Besides the foreign invasions and the doctrinal developments outside Sri Lanka, there was an unprecedented famine due to a severe drought which lasted for 12 years. Many, including the Sangha, died because of the famine. Some of them were the bhanaka theras. There were many who renounced bhikkuhood because of the lack of food. There were others who went to South India with the idea of returning when the famine was over. Those who remained, endured all hardships with fortitude. They had only one objective - the preservation of the Texts from going into oblivion. I wish to give an account of one such episode in order that the Buddhist world would realise the efforts made by the Sri Lankan bhikkhus to preserve the Dhamma. Sixty bhikkhus who had gone so far as the coast to cross over to India, because of the famine, decided to return to the forests resolving to preserve the dhamma. They lived in the forests gaining sustenance only from roots and leaves. They became very frail due to the lack of food. The means employed then to preserve the oral tradition was daily recitation of the texts. These bhikkhus, when they had sufficient strength to sit down recited the Texts in that position, and when they could not keep their bodies erect any longer, they laid their heads on mounds of sand and continued their recitation. It was with such great efforts and perseverance that the texts were preserved until they were written down after holding a Buddhist Council, which in the Theravada tradition was the fourth Buddhist Council. From Sri Lanka, the written tripitaka was taken to China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. If not for the timely action taken by the Sri Lankan bhikkhu sangha, the Pali Tri-pitika, may have been lost forever. We felt that a noble gift we could offer to the ailing world is the Buddha’s message. Hence this Conference. Allow me to make some comments on the theme of the Conference, namely, "The Timeless Message of the Sammasambuddha". According to our texts there has been 28 Buddhas in the past and in the future would be the Buddha Metteyya. All British Trade Fair kicks off at Hotel Oberoi An economic downturn in Asia and the strong Pound has stood in the way of significant two-way trade between Sri Lanka and Britain this year, said a message from British Minister of State Derek Fatchett, read out at the inauguration of the British Trade Fair yesterday. The first all-British trade fair kicked off at the Hotel Lanka Oberoi, inaugurated by British High Commissioner David Tatham in the absence of the chief guest, Minister Fatchett. Minister of Industrial Development C. V. Gooneratne and Minister of Internal and International Food and Trade Kingsley T. Wickramaratne were also present at the inauguration. Minister Fatchett noted in his speech that two-way trade had in fact grown from around 196 million pounds in 1992 to more than 485 million pounds last year. Meanwhile, Britain’s exports to Sri Lanka shot up by 42 per cent in 1997, making her Sri Lanka’s number one supplier in Europe. Despite the hindered growth this year, Minister Fatchett predicted that the economic climate will improve. "Working together in challenging times, we will reap the benefits of the future," his message enthused, "Our presence here goes to reinforce Britain’s commitment to Sri Lanka, both as a trading partner and an old friend". The trade fair, the theme of which is ‘Britain and Sri Lanka : together in friendship. Together in trade’, boasts the participation of more than fifty companies involved in a variety of fields. Among them are Sri Lankan companies with Sri Lankan partners. There are also British firms offering goods and services. Several seminars and workshops have been organised around the fair. These include seminars on management and leadership, ISO standards, ceramics and renewable energy. The fair has been organised by the British High Commission and the British Department of Trade and Industry. (NW) Heavy rains lashed many parts of the country wreaking havoc. Several roads were reported to be inundated and rendered impassable, causing major traffic jams and making commuting extremely difficult. Some roads in Colombo and suburbs were also flooded. In the Negombo area 234 families from three sectors were reported to have been displaced. Maikuluma and Pitipala were said to be badly affected by floods and 350 and 110 families respectively were displayed from these areas. Social service groups were on hand to provide shelter and rations to these families. Madampitiya was also badly affected with water flowing into many buildings and several telephone lines being damaged. Around 650 families had been displaced in this area were evacuated. Ninety per cent of the roads in that area were also reported to be impassable. However the water levels were said to be receding. A Met Department spokesman attributed the stormy weather to an atmospheric disturbance experienced over the island. He added that these weather conditions were expected to prevail over the next 24 hours. The highest amount of rainfall was 185mm recorded from Hanwella. Other rainfall figures recorded were 165.7 mm from Ratmalana, 109.6mm from Colombo and 120.2mm from Negombo. British Foreign Office Minister Derek Fatchett, MP is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka this morning. He was unable to come yesterday, as scheduled, due to flight delays, the British High Commission announced. US $ 1,100 duty free allowance to continue President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday agreed to drop last Thursday’s budget proposal doing away with US 1,100 [approximately Rs 72,000] dollars duty free allowance permitted to Sri Lankans returning home after working abroad for more than one year. "The President has decided to continue with the present scheme and formulate a separate mechanism to assist local industrialists," the Presidential Secretariat stated in a special communique issued yesterday. "Representations have been made to the government requesting not to restrict the use of concessions in respect of passenger baggage allowance. Although the budget proposed to restrict the use of this facility in order to assist local industries, having considered the benefits accruing to a large number of overseas employees, the President has decided to continue with the scheme," the communique added. The debate on the Appropriation Bill 1999, will commence in Parliament today. The debate will be held today 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 and 19 and the vote on the second reading will take place on the 19th evening. Committee Stage of the budget will start on November 20 and will continue till December 16. Voting on the 3rd reading takes place in the evening of 16. Prompt action on consumer complaints, assures
Internal Trade Commissioner Consumers often feel cheated, when they find the product they have purchased is not up to the required standard. But they need not suffer in silence any longer. There is a way for them to seek redress, which many are unaware of. The Internal Trade Department serves a great purpose in this regard."The Island" spoke to the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of Internal Trade who feel that consumer education is of paramount importance to make every consumer a discriminative buyer in the present liberalised economy. The Internal Trade Department welcomes consumer complaints of any nature. On receiving such complaints, they conduct investigations and offer redress to the aggrieved party. The consumer redressal unit provides this service completely free of charge. According to Commissioner of Internal Trade Lucas Indurugalle, prior to the Consumer Protection Act of 1979 the Department of Internal Trade had been known as the Price Control Department. However the only commodity coming under price control at present are pharmaceutical items while price fixing comes under the purview of the Fair Trading Commission.Since 1996 there has also been a separate department for quality standards and measurements. The Department of Internal Trade also investigates over pricing of pharmaceutical items and illegal dealers are prosecuted, the commissioner said. As of the end of September 1998, 1684 cases have been filed under the Consumer Protection Act, 10 under the Price Control Act, 32 under the Fertiliser Act. Of these 1061 cases have been successfully completed under the Consumer Protection Act , 4 under the Price Control Act and 30 under the Fertiliser Act. The fines imposed by the court for them under the relevant act were Rs. 1,538,350. Rs. 6,500 and Rs. 24,500 respectively. They add up to a total of Rs.1,569,350. The most common consumer complaints are dishonouring of warrantees and guarantees, bogus and false guarantees and warrantees, lack of after sales service, spare parts, skilled workers etc. The mode of redress obtained by consumers through the intervention of the department vary from refund of the amount charged or the excess amount charged, payment of compensation, replacement of the article, replacement of any other articles to the value, repairing, supply of spare parts, granting of guarantee and warantee, correcting defects in articles, removal of defective articles from the market and creating awareness among the parties concerned. According to Mr. Indurugalle there are 175 inspectors of the department islandwide in district secretariats. For the past few years the Department had been promoting consumer awareness, with the target groups being school children, secondary educational institutions and ordinary consumers. For further efficiency the department of Internal Trade is to be amalgamated with the Fair Trading Commission under a proposed Consumer Protection Authority Bill, he said. With reference to GST the commissioner said that a hotline had been set up for a short while at the department to handle consumer complaints with regard to the new tax which replaced BTT on April 1 this year. The main problem in this case was that traders who were not registered for GST were charging the tax from their customers, he explained. However, since GST comes under the purview of the Department of Inland Revenue, the Department of Internal Trade investigates such matters and report to the Inland Revenue for further remedial action. Mr. T. B. Dassanayake, Assistant Commissioner, Internal Trade said that there are eight basic consumer rights which are universally accepted and have been authenticated by the UN. The first among these is the right to basic needs such as food, clothing, education and sanitary facilities. The second is the safety of products and their capacity of not having adverse effects on the consumer. The third is choice which is regarded as a democratic right of a consumer. The fourth is representation and the right to be heard.Usually the consumers doesn’t have a say and things are almost forced on him. But in good governance the consumer’s voice should be heard, Mr. Dassanayake noted.If new legislation is to be brought in, the consumer should know the reason for this, and if these changes will have long term effects on the country.When they are sufficiently knowledgeable they will rise. The notion that they are hopeless against the sectors of trade and industry must be done away with. The idea that "consumer is king" as Swami Vivekananda said, must be instilled in them, he said. Redress against abuse is the fifth consumer right. Before the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act there was no direct redress for consumer grievances. However, now negotiated settlements could be arrived at either in the form of paying compensation to the grieved party or replacing articles etc. The consumer redressal unit investigates complaints made by the consumer, Since 1979 administrative measures have been taken to bring about negotiated settlements, he pointed out. In 1985 the United Nations passed some guidelines by way of a resolution to compel governments of developing countries to have consumer protection laws, specially with provision to obtain redress. They envisioned this to be easily accessible, speedy and inexpensive. The sixth consumer right is education. The Department of Internal Trade often conducted consumer education programmes. These are held in schools where the target groups are the Advanced Level students. These are also conducted on commerce days held in schools and at Mahapola trade fairs, universities and other institutions of higher education, government departments, associations like the housewives association and the trade and industries sector also have had the opportunity of participating in these programmes. These programmes which are either initiated by the department or held on the request of a particular institute or organisation. The department also publishes a magazine called "Paaribogika Thorathuru" a guide to consumer redress which carries articles in Sinhala and English languages. "Every ingredient has to work properly" says Mr. Dassanayake. Educating the consumer alone will not be sufficient if the trade and industry sector is not aware of their duties towards the consumer, he added. The seventh right is information.The consumer needs to have proper information to make the correct choice. Such as information on after sales service, availability of spare parts. The last of them is the right to a mentally and physically healthy environment. Having everything is pointless if one does not have peace of mind.It is like giving a good plate of rice to a dog and then keeping a big stick near him preventing him from eating it, Mr. Dassanayake observed. There are a number of effective consumer groups in various districts of the country, perhaps those in the outstations appear to be more concerned. Mr. Dassanayake feels that awareness and protection of consumer rights is a growing movement which will improve with a little more knowledge and push. The proposed consumer protection authority bill will definitely have more teeth to deal with restrictive business practices and have more power to bring in negotiated settlements to consumer grievances he stressed. The consumer redressal division is situated at the Department of Internal trade at Galle Face Court 2, Colombo 3. SPC provides safe and effective
medicinal drugs to reasonable prices The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) is providing safe and effective medicinal drugs of good quality at reasonable prices for the people of Sri Lanka, said Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine Nimal Siripala De Silva. Speaking at the second suppliers’ convention held at Hotel Inter- continental last Friday, the Minister said that despite the open competition with the private sector, the SPC is continuing to supply the Ministry of Health with its requirements of medicinal drugs and surgical items. All the staff of SPC have performed their duties with commendable dedication and commitment during the entire period it was in operation. The Minister said that in July this year, he was happy to have commissioned SPC’s new multi million rupee quality assurance laboratory, with the latest analytical equipment. The qualified and trained staff is reflecting the institution’s enhanced emphasis on quality, he added. From now on, every batch of all medicinal drugs supplied by the SPC will under go quality assurance tests in their own laboratory adding a new dimension to the purchase of medicinal drugs by the SPC, and to its relationship with suppliers, he noted. Establishing and fostering close links between suppliers and purchasers is a pre-requisite of successful marketing. Addressing the gathering, Chairman of the SPC Prof. Colvin Goonaratna said, the SPC has several matchless resources. The first is enduring public confidence in the quality, safety and efficacy of its medicinal drugs, deriving from the dedication and efficiency of the staff. The second is long experience and expertise in the business, including good dispensing practices. The third is economy of scale. Fourthly, since the purchase are by generic name and competitive tender, it becomes necessary to have our own in-house quality assurance systems and to establish greater understanding between the corporation and its suppliers. This year’s suppliers convention is focused principally on quality, timely supply and marketing, the chairman observed. The managing director of SPC Prof. K. U. Kamalgoda said, the SPC is contributing to the general health of the people of this country through sources of health care products from all over the world using its worldwide tender procedure. Over the years the SPC has built lasting and meaningful bonds with it’s stake-holder supplier group, he said. This convention brings together suppliers from various parts of the world for amicable discussions as to how the relationships could be further strengthened. Conventions of this nature form an integral ingredients in the SPC efforts to provide a better service to the people in Sri Lanka, Prof. Kamalgoda noted. The awards were presented by Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva for the ‘best suppliers’ selected at this convention. JVP to unveil its development policy The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will unveil its national policy regarding the development of the country, at a ceremony to mark the 9th death anniversary of leader Rohana Wijeweera at Sugathadasa Stadium on November 16, Secretary General Tilvin Silva said yesterday. "We expect around 6,000 representatives from all communities and from various parts of the country to participate in the proceedings," he said. Front runners of JVP, Nihal Galappathy MP, Ajith Kumara and National Propaganda Secretary Nimal Weerawansa are expected to address the commemorative meeting where a message from exiled JVP leader Somewansa Amerasinghe will be read out in Sinhala and Tamil. JVP leader Wijeweera’s 9th death anniversary falls on November 13 and the party has organised an islandwide poster campaign to mark the occasion, Tilvin Silva said. Soldier, wife and child injured in
grenade explosion A soldier, his wife and their little daughter were injured when a grenade he had in his possession exploded around 11.30 am on Sunday at Track 12, Jayanthipura in Hingurakogoda, police said. The grenade was inside a suitcase belonging to the soldier. It had fallen onto the floor and exploded when his wife attempted to empty the contents of the suitcase her husband had brought, according to police. The soldier was attached to a military camp in Vavuniya and had come home on leave at the time of the incident,police said. The victims were identified as P. P. S. Priyantha Bandara (26), his wife H. Amarawathie and their daughter P. Sevwandi (4). As the condition of the soldier’s wife was critical she was transferred to the Colombo National hospital from Polonnaruwa, hospital sources said. Hingurakgoda OIC Chandana Galappathi is conducting further investigations. FAO planning food security for Lanka The Director General of the World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jaques Diouf yesterday said that they were planning to prepare a strategy for food security in Sri Lanka. Addressing a press conference at the BMICH, Diouf said that the programme aimed at providing Sri Lanka with food security was still at its formulating stages. He was here on a two day visit aimed at giving strategies towards rural development and thereby increase food security. Agriculture and Lands Minister D. M. Jayaratne too was present at the press conference. Mr. Diouf said at the press conference which was also attended G. J. Bernard, FAO Representative in Sri Lanka as well as D. Yoman, Liaison Officer, Protocol Branch of FAO, that at the conference held with different Ministers prior to the press conference at the BMICH, it had been decided that by the year 2015 limited access to food would be cut by half in Sri Lanka. He said apart from food security, FAO is also having an agricultural programme to assist the farmers on division of small production in terms of access to land, importing, transport and various other needs. He said the programme on food security is at its formulating stage and discussions with the Sri Lankan government on what ought to be done and mechanisms on a national level will allow proper guidance on a political level. "We will then move on to the expansion phase such as dealing with macro- economical issues" Mr. Diouf said. This programme which is in operation in 77 countries will help increase investment in the agricultural sector in order to assist physical and infrastructure development in the rural sector. FAO in 1997 had launched a Tele-Food Programme - a global telecast involving televisions around the world to raise awareness on food security. This programme had raised 2.5 million dollars which allowed FAO to have 160 small term projects around the world. When the question was raised by a journalist as to what the FAO has adopted to overcome the famine which will be faced by 2005 Mr. Diouf said that one of the first things to do is to translate it into national plans and programmes and prepare a strategy using the studies which the FAO has already done which had taken three years to see the agricultural production and trends. After which comments from the UN institutions as well as regional and financial institutions could be got and then the documents can be returned to the Minister concerned to produce it on a parliamentary level. He said having a vision of the problem and a strategy was important and not only FAO decision. As for the problem of the use of pesticides, Mr. Diouf observed that the best result has been the system of the biological control pest management in order to cut by half the consumption of pesticides. He said integrated pest management was in progress in Sri Lanka. Mr. Diouf said the priority area in terms of food in Sri Lanka which needs special attention was water. He said that water is one of the key elements on agriculture and water management was essential. New Chairman of National Gem and Jewellery Authority Dr. P. G. R. Dharmaratne has been appointed the Chairman of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) by the President. He was the former Head of the Dept. of Mining and Minerals Engineering of the University of Moratuwa. He relinquished his duties as the Director General of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority in September, 1998 having held the same for a period of twoyears. During this period, the NGJA went through a transformation by introducing a new cadre enlarging its objectives and implementing policies such as insurance scheme for gem miners, identification cards for gem dealers. Ratnapura Gem Centre etc. which materially contributed to the progress of the gem industry. Dr. Dharmaratne was closely associated with these developments. He gained a deep insight into the problems of the gem industry and the solutions that have to be sought for their resolution. Dr. Dharmaratne obtained a first class honours degree in Mining and Minerals Engineering from the University of Moratuwa in 1978. He subsequently obtained his Master’s Degree and the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1980 and 1983 from the Universities of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Leeds respectively. He obtained Diplomas in Gemmology and Diamond Grading from the German Gemmological Association and became a Fellow of the same Association in 1991. He also obtained a Diploma in Gemmology with distinction and became a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain in 1992. Dr. Dharmaratne is a member of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka and Fellow of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, UK and Chartered Engineer. At present he is a Member of the Board of Directors of Bogala Graphite Lanka Ltd. |
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