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Equal Opportunities Bill out?

There was intensive speculation in political circles yesterday on whether the government will go ahead with the proposed Equal Opportunities Bill against a mounting tide of public opinion.

Observers noted a remark made by Prof. G. L. Peiris, the Minister of Justice, Constitutional Affairs and National Integration, who told the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) on Friday that the government had no intention of legislating against public opinion.

Though Prof. Peiris did not specifically say that the Bill was being abandoned, political and legal sources said that there was a strong likelihood of this being the case. They noted that in the first instance, the Bill had not been presented to parliament as scheduled although no reasons were adduced by the Leader of the House, Mr. Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, who merely said he was not presenting it.

Most observers expected the government’s position to emerge today when the 25 petitions against the Bill will come up before the Supreme Court.

"The Attorney General is likely to indicate what the government will do - whether it is not going ahead with it or proceeding with it in an amended form," one well informed source said.

But most observers were of the view that considering the self-evident public opinion, including the views of many members of the government itself, it is very unlikely that the Bill would be enacted.

Top lawyers for petitioners in equal opportunity cases

Some of the country’s best known President’s Counsel including legal figures regarded as sympathetic to the People’s Alliance, are appearing for the 25 petitioners who are opposing the proposed Equal Opportunities Bill.

These President’s Counsel include Mr. H. L. de Silva, Maureen Seneviratne, D. S. Wijesinghe, R. D. C. (Chula) de Silva, Chandra Seneviratne, Nehru Gunatilleke, A. A. de Silva, Varuna Basnayake, Srinath Perera and N. R. M. Daluwatte.

Other well known lawyers who are appearing in the cases include figures like R. K. W. Gunasekera, E. D. Wickremanayake, Sidath Sri Nandalochana, H. L. K. Karawita, Gomin Dayasri and S. L. Gunasekera.

Hulftsdorp sources said that other counsel appearing for the petitioners will include Dr. Jayantha Almeida Gunaratne, Maxi Bastians, Prasanthalal de Alwis, Ananda Kasturiaratchchi, Nigel Hatch, Prasanne Jayawardena, Kushan de Alwis, D. M. S. Dissanayake, Dulinda Weerasuriya, Miss Ruwana Rajepakse, W. Karunajeewa, Kalinga Indratissa, Ranjan Suwandaratne, Sanjeewa Jayawardena, Manohara de Silva, Indra Ladduwahetty, Champaka Ladduwahetty, Hemasiri Withanachchi, Yasa Jayasekera, Ranesh Deviligoda, Rohan Sahabandu, Sarath Wijemanne, Manoli Jinadasa, Salindri Jayasinhe, Chaturika Wijesinghe, Chandana Liyanapatabendi and Sujith Perera.

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‘After I form the next govt., I will solve the ethnic problem or go home’

Walter Nanayakkara reporting from Ratnapura
I will resign and go home if I fail to resolve the ethnic problem in one month after forming the next government, said President Chandrika Kumaratunga who was addressing a mamoth public rally held to mark the fifth anniversary of her government at Ratnapura, Friday (15) evening.

The rally was held in the Ratnapura Municipal Play Ground.

The meeting progressed as hours long public demonstration and scores of floats, depicting the government’s achivements of the five years were still mraching on to the venue of the meeting.

President said, the entire country was praying for peace. Majority of Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims were praying for peace. The only obstacle in the way of resolving the simmering ethnic crisis was the constitution which has caused immense harm to the country for twenty two years.

"At the last elections we had eighty percent of the support of the people but strangely my party received only one vote’s majority in parliament. How this happened could be explained by late President J. R. Jayewardene the author of the accursed constitution" she said.

President Kumaratunga said the people vote the People’s Alliance into power in seven provincial councils and asked them to give her a clear mandate at the comming Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

"I promise you now from here that we will tear up the UNP’s constitution and restore peace in the country in one month’s time after I form the next government.

I don’t care whether we get two third and eight tenths majority. I will resolve the crisis. If I fail I will resign and go home" she said.

"You might ask me why I did not do it for five years. My answer to it is. The ways of our government are far different from the UNP’s.

I wanted to resolve this national issue with the blessings of the UNP and even the LTTE. I have done everything I could to achieve that end. The LTTE was frank enough to dismiss its support totally. The UNP would say neither yes nor no. They were mum all the time.

There are good persons in the UNP who appreciate our efforts to resolve the crisis. But the leader Ranil Wickremasinghe is dragging his feet. Simply the UNP does not have the back bone to say yes or no, straight away", she said.

She said there was no constitution in the whole world comparable to that of J. R. Jayewardene’s. It messed up the electoral process and paved the way for fraudulent electoral practices. The country is suffering due to this constitution which closed the door to change, she added.

She said her government would not give into UNP designs to block solutions to the problems of the minorities.

"The UNP knows only the ways of the thugs and intrigue. They will never be expected to look at minority problems in a human angle. Though they cannot win elections, they are trying to creep into seats of power by hook or by crook", she said.

She said her government had successfully met four of the five challenges, that her government accepted when it came into power in 1994.

The only one still remaining to be solved was the ethnic crisis. We hope to resolve it at the next term of our rule with the blessings of the people, she said.

She said her government had been destined to take the country to the new world which is opening up in the coming millennium.

"Education will receive top priority in our programmes to meet the challenges of the new millennium.

In two years time Sri Lanka will reap the results of the economy which is now flourishing under wise financial management under her government.

In the next ten yers Sri Lanka will see an era of great achievement in the agricultural and industrial sectors.

Every child will enjoy equal opportunities in the educational sphere. Opportunities in the educational field will not be the monopoly of the big city schools any more, she added.

She said the LTTE will not support peace plans because such a plan will isolate the terrorist movement from the peace loving common people of the North and East.

They were maniacs, she added.

Kamalasabeyson new AG

By V. Varathasuntharam
President’s Counsel K. C. Kamlasabeyson hailing from Trincomalee assumed duties yesterday as the 25th Attorney General of independent Sri Lanka.

He is the second Tamil to hold this prestigious post. The first being Mr. Siva Pasupathy.

Mr. Kamalasabeyson had served in the Attorney General’s Department for about a quarter of century in varied capacities as the state counsel, senior state counsel, additional solicitor general and solicitor general before his appointment as Attorney General.

He has acquired expertise in the extradition law and has handled several cases relating to that law. His contribution for the success of the Extradition Treaty between America and Sri Lanka recently was commended in Parliament and at International fora.

He is the younger brother of K. C. Kamalanathan, a Barrister from England who practised in Sri Lanka and also served in the AG’s Department of Zambia.

He is the son of Mr. & Mrs. K. C. Chinniah of Trincomalee. He is an old Thomian.

Thugs outside airport beat up security personnel

An explosive situation has developed at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with thugs targeting security personnel attached to the Airport and Aviation Services who have effectively cracked down on diverse rackets by organised gangs, airport sources said.

In the latest incident, an employee of the airport had been assaulted by some goons who had mistaken him for an off-duty security officer. At the Averiwatte bus stand yesterday morning, the thugs had approached him and demanded his identity card. After he refused to comply, the men had attacked him. A police complaint was lodged by the victim, the sources said.

In a show of force last Friday, an armed gang overpowered a group of airport security personnel and rescued some racketeers who were being taken to the police station. The security men have complained to the police that they were threatened with death.

These goons are working for certain powerful businessmen and enjoy political patronage, the sources claimed.

It’s alleged that the police are playing a passive role after police personnel were removed from operational duties within the airport on a top level directive. The Airport and Aviation Services security is now handling the task, which is being executed without fear or favour. This had made them targets, the sources said.

‘Police display a great degree of disinterestedness when touts and other trouble-makers are handed over to them’, the sources claimed.

Most of the policemen are from the Katunayake-Seeduwa area and these sources alleged that they worked hand-in-glove with racketeers for reward.

The police are so furious over their withdrawal that they don’t even allow the airport security vehicle bringing in suspects to enter the police station premises, the sources claimed.

Scores of innocent travellers, particularly those returning from employment in the Middle East, have been fleeced by these gangs, reports said.

A senior police official said that effective action cannot be taken against these racketeers as most of them are closely linked to politicians. It’s the duty of the police to arrest these thugs, but that cannot be done because of political patronage, he admitted.

‘If arrests are made, it will be ultimately disadvantageous to the policemen involved’, he said.

He claimed that incidents of thuggery and extortion had escalated after the withdrawal of the police from airport operational duties. However, re-deploying the Katunayake police will not resolve the problem.

He also admitted that there were allegations of connivance and malpractices on the part of police personnel during the time they were in charge. (Suresh)

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Ranil will reply in "my own cool time"

UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Leader of the Opposition, said yesterday that he will respond to President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s long letter to him published by the media on Friday.

"I’ll take my own cool time and reply," he said.

Asked whether his reply will be in the same tenor, Wickremesinghe said "she and I are two different people."

Click here to read the report on the letter from President to the UNP leader.

Cookie no talkee

The two Lakshmans, Peiris and Kadirgamar, were on board the same Colombo bound SriLankan Airways flight from London last week. They cold shouldered each other to the amazement of fellow passengers not quite savvy the way the game is played in the upper echelons of government.

According to political insiders the two ministerial heavyweights are not on talking terms. So while Lakshman K slept Lakshman P busied himself with lots of reading matter. No chit chat on the goings on back home like the professor’s Equal Opportunities Bill going through the shredder or the undesirability of third party mediation.

Vasudeva scoffs at ‘dismissal’ rumours

Dismissing reports about an attempt by the PA Parliamentary Group to remove him from Parliamentary seat, Ratnapura district PA MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara yesterday said that he had not received anything in writing about such a move.

According to news reports, PA MPs have written to Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle requesting that Nanayakkara be stripped of his seat.

"I don’t believe such reports. If somebody tries to deprive me of my seat in Parliament, I have the right to petition the Supreme Court’, he said.

CWC politico interfered in cordon and search operation — Army

by Chittaranjan de Silva
A Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) politician is alleged to have obstructed army personnel carrying out a cordon and search operation in the Armour Street area in Colombo last Friday.

The army had lawfully arrested 36 persons mainly Tamils from the hill country who didn’t possess valid identification during the operation. The CWC politico who had arrived there had told the army that the arrests were illegal and obstructed the operation, police said.

"These people did not have ID cards when they were arrested but later produced gramasevaka certificates.

They will eventually be released," police said.

The army had subsequently made a complaint to the police about the incident. The politician had also complained to the police that the army was illegally arresting people.

Obstruction by certain politicians when conducting search operations as well as when registering Tamil people at police stations has become a nuisance and a hindrance to official duties, police said.

Search operations have become vital in the Colombo city mainly because Grandpass, Modera, Kotahena and Armour Street and Pettah and other areas can offer safe hide-outs to the LTTE, police said.

We have to search these areas to be certain that no LTTE cadres are hiding among the people, police said.

Even recently a LTTE member had been caught during operations carried out in the area around Kotahena, police said stressing the effectiveness of cordon and search operations.

Politicians disrupt the security measures by objecting to security measures, they said.

Police pointed out that it takes time to register persons at the police stations because their identity has to be determined beforehand. "It is a time- consuming exercise," police admitted.

But the CWC politician had objected to this procedure and had made complaints to the effect that police are delaying registering people at the police stations, police sources explained.

Kathmandu SAARC summit faces head of state dilemma

by Shamindra Ferdinando
The seven nation South Asian Association for Regional Coopertion [SAARC] is in a quandary over the coming summit of the Heads of State at Kathmandu in November in the context of last week’s military coup in Pakistan.

Although, the change of power from civilian to military has caused uncertainty, SAARC would go ahead with preparations linked with the summit, diplomats said.

SAARC is likely to accept Pakistan’s participation at the summit next month despite last week’s bloodless coup which toppled the then Premier Nawaz Sharif’s government, they said.

SAARC has already set dates for the summit and the foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on November 24th and 25th followed by the heads of state or government meeting for three days beginning November 26th.

Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary last Thursday told Islamabad based representatives of foreign governments including those of SAARC that the new administration would stand by all the commitments made by the country.

The current head of the regional group, Sri Lanka is not likely to oppose Pakistan being represented at the summit by General Pervez Musharraf.

However, India has not so far revealed its position with regard to Pakistan’s participation. The meeting cannot be held without the participation of all member countries, the sources said.

India has repeatedly rejected the ousted Premier Sharif’s calls for evolving a mechanism under SAARC to deal with political problems including bilateral affairs. India says that SAARC has no role in internal affairs of member states.

Sharif in late August accepted an invitation from the Nepalese Foreign Minister Ram Sharan Mahat to attend the November summit.

Asked whether SAARC could take action similar to the steps taken by the Commonwealth, the sources said "no". According to these sources Pakistan would be barred from the Commonwealth’s gatherings and a special meeting has been fixed for today [18] in London to discuss the coup and decide on further measures against Pakistan’s military rulers. The Commonwealth’s Ministerial Action Group responsible for looking at violations of the organisation’s principles would be meeting in London today, the sources said.

In November 1991 the then government of President Ranasinghe Premadasa had to cancel the scheduled summit when the king of Bhutan declined to attend the Colombo meeting at the last moment. However, the summit took place a month later with the Bhutanese king present.

Island Capers
Cattle talk

The ‘harak’ talk just won’t die down, Aloy Ratnayake and the directors of Lake House discovered at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee of Public Enterprise (COPE) on Friday.

The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. (ANCL) hierarchy were subject to a lot of grilling on falling circulation (but revenues are up, they protested) and a passing remark was made about the now famous Jeyaraj Fernandopulle comment that these papers were good for looking for "harak’’ (cattle) for his estate.

That provoked Aloy Ratnayake, P.C., to blurt out that was a real "harak kathawa’’ which COPE members like the UNP’s Azwer and the Lalith Front’s Ravi Karunanayake pounced on. Notwithstanding an apology from the new Media and Telecom-munications Secretary and apologetic noises from the ANCL side, a resolution that this be reported to the Speaker was carried by COPE.

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"General Musharraf was not aware of his sacking before he left Colombo"

by Shamindra Ferdinando
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf had not been aware of his government’s decision to sack him before he left Colombo, two days after attending last Sunday’s 50th anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lanka Army, a Pakistani diplomatic source said on Friday.

Musharraf, the first Chief of Army Staff to visit Colombo after the People’s Alliance came into power arrived in Colombo the day before the celebrations and visited Sri Dalada Maligawa along with Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Mohammed Mustafizur Rahman on Monday. During their two hour stay there, the Generals had inquired about the LTTE attack in January 1998.

The Indian Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Chandra Shakar who was also scheduled to visit the Sri Dalada Maligawa along with the Pakistan and Bangladesh chiefs had visited Kandy the day before, an aide to Diyawadana Nilame told The Sunday Island.

General Musharraf and his wife were in a happy mood, he said adding that the visiting delegates were accompanied by senior Sri Lankan army officers based at area headquarters, Kandy.

General Musharraf had visited Peradeniya botanical gardens before leaving Kandy later in the day.

The diplomatic source said that when the General left Colombo for Katunayake he was not aware of the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s decision to replace him with the country’s head of the intelligence services. Mr. Sharif’s government did not make any attempt to block Tuesday’s PIA flight from leaving Colombo or Male during the one hour stop over, the source said.

A Pakistan International Airlines [PIA] flight, Airbus A 320 carrying the 56-year-old Genera., his wife and two staff officers had left Bandaranaike International Airport [BIA] at 2. P.m last Tuesday, about 40 minutes after the scheduled departure time. Heavy rains and "operational reasons" had caused the delay, a PIA official said.

"General Musharraf was not aware of the the government’s move against him by the time the plane took off ," the source said.

A large group of Sri Lankans had been among some 150 passengers on soared the aircraft, the PIA official said. The half full Airbus had first landed at Male before taking off again for Karachi airport. According to Pakistan diplomatic sources the General first knew of his sacking when the flight was close to land in Karachi. Airport authorities had ordered the flight not to land in Karachi or any other airport in Pakistan but to land outside the Pakistan territory.

"Passengers had been terrified," the diplomatic source said adding that Airbus’s Pakistan crew accepted the General’s order to land in Karachi. Quoting unidentified sources in Pakistan they said that there had not been enough fuel and any attempt to find an airport outside Pakistan would have been suicidal. The source claimed that by the time, the flight landed, the army was in control with the other services accepting General Musharraf’s authority.

Asian diplomatic sources said that Mr. Sharif appeared to have sanctioned the General’s visit to Colombo with a view to removing him during his absence. However, the General appeared to have made plans for a coup even before he arrived in Colombo, the sources said adding that the veteran of many battles had only to advance the date for the military take over soon after the PIA flight carrying him was ordered to leave the Pakistan territory. These sources said that the General would not have left Pakistan if he had the slightest indication the government planned to sack him.

The PIA official said that they have resumed flights both to and from Pakistan. "There is no trouble," he said adding that all airports are operating following the brief crisis situation.

Steps to expand facilities of South Asia libraries

by Saman Indrajith
Libraries in South Asia will be networked to expand their services and facilities in the region, a top official of the International Federation of Library Association (IFLA) said last week.

IFLA representative, Russell Bowden, said that the IFLA would support Sri Lankan Library Association (SLLA) to develop the networking operations in South Asia and to target the wider international community, giving IFLA’s service and expertise from Australia, Malaysia, USA, Canada and Great Britain.

"When the libraries throughout the world are experiencing radical revolutions expanding their range and quality services, the third world countries are lagging behind. But with the network system, vast amounts of information will be transferred within seconds from one library or information center in one country to another library in the opposite side of the globe," he said.

Bowden is here to attend a workshop titled ‘Networking for Effective Libraries and Information Services.’ The week-long workshop will be inaugurated by Minister of Justice, Constitutional Affairs, Ethnic Affairs and National Integration and Deputy Minister of Finance, Prof. G. L. Peiris today at Hotel Galadari.

Srimathi Dissanayake appeals to govt. to probe her husband’s death

by Chittaranjan de Silva
Mrs. Srimathi Dissanayake, wife of the late Mr. Gamini Dissanayake appealed to the government to appoint a free and independent commission to probe her husband’s death.

It is important that the government investigates the cruel assassination of Mr. Gamini Dissanayake and others even after five years, she told to a press conference at her Alfred House Gardens residence last week

Navin, the eldest son of Gamini Dissanayake who has followed his father into politics and is contesting on the UNP ticket said that it is important for him to know who killed his father.

"I want to know who was behind my father’s death ", Navin Dissanayake said during a press conference.

UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe has promised to conduct an independent investigation in to the killing of Mr. Dissanayake if they come to power, he said.

A series of events have been organised to mark the 5th death anniversary of Mr. Dissanayake who was assassinated on October 24, 1994.

Some of these ceremonies are spearheaded by the Gamini Dissanayake Foundation. A Computer Training Institute has been set up by this foundation to help develop computer literacy and English among the people. Apart from these services the foundation’s aim is to provide technical knowledge to farmers, and to provide vocational training facilities for the poor in the country.

Mr. Dissanayake who held the important Mahaweli Development portfolio was powerful and active minister during the J.R. Jayawardena government. Successfully completing the accelerated Mahaweli Development Project and obtaining Test Cricket Status for Sri Lanka are two of his many well known achievements for which the people remember him even today. In 1991 he left the UNP with Lalith Athulathmudali and other UNPers protesting against what they called the ‘authoritarian rule’ of the then President Ranasinghe Premadasa. He was assassinated with some others during an election meeting in 1994.

The remembrance ceremonies will commence with a ceremony today at 6.00 p.m. at the Panadura Thanthirimulla Viharaya. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim religious ceremonies have been organised in many parts of the country to mark his death anniversary.

On Friday 22nd the launching of a book on Mr. Gamini Dissanayake and the delivering of a commemorative oration organised by the Gamini Dissanayake Foundation will be held at the Galle Face Hotel at 5.00.p.m. A Bodhi Poojawa is to be held at the Uva Paranagama Kotavehera Viharaya at 6.00 p.m. on the same day.

Donating of 57 wheelchairs to disabled solders is scheduled to take place on Saturday 23rd at 9.00 a.m. Among the events organised for the rest of the day are a Muslim Prayer Ceremony (12.30 p.m.) Devatagaha mosque, and a Buddhist sermon and Buddha poojawa at 7.00 p.m. at the Mihiripura Viharasthanaya in Nochchiyagama. A Buddha poojawa and a sermon will also be held at Sri Bodhirukharama Viharaya at 6.00 p.m. followed by an alms giving and a pinkama at the Polonnaruwa hospital and the Parakum Children’s Home. Dry rations will be distributed to the poor at Gonadikawatte (2.00 p.m.) and Paranapattiya ( 5.00) on Saturday 23.

Mass will also be said in his name at Thubugoda St. Joseph’ s Church. Deva pooja’s will be held at the Balangoda Kataragama devalaya and the Pattini devalaya. Hindhu religious ceremony will be held at the Vinayagar Kovil in Modera on the 26.

Organisers had listed more commemorations ceremonies conducted with the participation of all major religions will be held throughout the country. The ceremonies will end on November 7 at Pathadumbara.

Higher defence spending nullify rise in tea prices

by Amal Jayasinghe
COLOMBO (AFP) — A surge in tea prices offered a glimmer of hope for Sri Lanka’s battered economy, but higher defence spending and two crucial elections may delay an early recovery, analysts said.

Tea, the country’s main export commodity, has been enjoying unusually high prices in the past month, but the island’s overall exports for the year are still expected to be down by a record 10 percent, officials said.

With the problems of the economy reflected in a falling share market, the authorities threw a fully paid vacation and a two-day seminar for foreign fund managers in the hope they will wipe out the gloom.

However, even as officials painted a rosy economic picture with boasts that Germany’s BMW was eager to invest in Sri Lanka, bureaucratic optimism failed to arrest the falling prices at the tiny Colombo Stock Exchange last week.

"The freebie seems to have backfired," said a broker at the Colombo Stock Exchange.

"We knew that a party could not move markets."

Even the Hong Kong-based financial guru, Marc Faber, who was invited to make a presentation, offered little optimism saying that he did not believe foreigners were keen to set up businesses here.

"Sri Lanka’s economy is humming along, but there is no real dynamism in it", Faber said, adding the Tamil separatist conflict was a key factor that had slowed the development of the tourism sector which held some promise.

The island’s small domestic market made it unattractive for big industrialists to set up plants here while the geographical location was no longer a major plus point, Faber said.

Although Sri Lanka boasted an educated labour force the country had failed to attract an electronic industry compared to the Indian city of Bangalore.

"Why would any foreigner want to come here and live when there is a threat of terrorist bombings," Faber said.

Even as Faber was speaking, the Sri Lankan parliament was told that defence spending to fight Tamil Tiger guerrillas next year will be raised by 11.5 percent to 52.43 billion rupees (728 million dollars).

The appropriation bill presented in parliament last week showed the government’s total expenditure next year will be 291 billion rupees (4.04 billion dollars), down from 339 billion rupees in 1999.

There was no immediate indication as to where the cuts will come next year when the government prepares to face crucial parliamentary as well as presidential elections, probably in the first half of the year.

Sri Lanka’s largest diversified company, John Keells Holdings (JKH), warned that drawn-out elections could hurt the economy already battered by the seemingly unending war.

"The current prospect of having a series of elections drawn out over almost two years slows down the decision making process to the detriment of the economy," said JKH chairman Ken Balendra in his latest company report.

Signs are already on the wall.

Sri Lanka’s exports are falling sharply and headed for a record contraction this year. Foreign reserves have deteriorated and the debt servicing burden has increased.

Exports in the first eight months of the year fell 11.2 percent as the agricultural, industrial and mineral sectors posted alarming declines, the Cental Bank admitted in its latest statistical report.

However, the bank’s director of economic research R. A. Jayatissa said he expected overall exports to recover somewhat to end the year at minus three percent — an optimistic assessment with which exporters do not agree.

"This is perhaps the first time since 1978 we are seeing a negative export growth," said Lyn Fernando, President of the influential Exports’ Association of Sri Lanka.

"We have been asking the government to take corrective measures but nothing has happened."

On the brighter side, the Central Bank says it has brought inflation under control and eased pressure on lending rates by cutting back the statutory reserve requirement for commercial banks.

However, industrialists say the 25 to 30 percent temporary overdraft rates were still too high for them to be competitive.

With elections and the prospect of more fighting, analysts say ballots and bullets will dominate the economy giving a bear run in the markets.

Sri Lankan jumps to his death in London

From Sujeeva Nivunhella in London
A 43-year old Lankan working in London for the last eight years leaped from his eleventh floor flat to his death due to what his family described as matrimonial difficulties. His wife was not available for comment.

Rohan Lanka Ranjana from Jaela who worked in a Saudi Arabian hotel in Riyadh after finishing his A-levels returned home five years later when he fell in love with a girl who was 12-years younger.

Soon after marriage, he emigrated to Britain where he and his wife had two children, a son and a daughter, and lived in a flat on the eleventh floor of a housing scheme at Elephant and Castle. Rohan earned the family’s living while his wife stayed at home and looked after the children.

According to Rohan’s family, he phoned a sister living in Canada and asked her to come to England with their mother who was visiting at the time as he was having problems with his marriage and needed somebody to look after the children.

He had thereafter called to say he had sorted things out with his wife and asked that only the mother be sent. But that had not worked out and while his mother was in the flat with his wife and children, he had made his death leap.

His mother and sister took his body home to Sri Lanka for cremation. Attempts to contact his wife for her side of the story was unsuccessful.

Four terrorists, 1 soldier killed in clash

Four terrorists and a soldier were killed in a clash at Jaffna in the early hours of yesterday, an army spokesman said. He said that a small group of terrorists that had moved from Thannkilaappu area in Thennamaratchchi had engaged an army parol killing the soldier. However, troops fought back killing at least four terrorists.

Two soldiers had been wounded in action.

Terrorists yesterday afternoon attacked a police post in the Bakkiella police area in the Ampara district killing one homeguard, an army spokesman said.

Five police personnel and three homeguards attached to the same post were wounded during the gun battle.

Police said that the post was among other positions manned by police and homeguards deployed in the district to provide security to the civilians.

Terrorists a few weeks ago killed over 50 Sinhala men, women and children in attacks at Gonagala and two other villages in the Ampara district. The army spokesman said that one T-56 weapon, one magazine and a small quantity of small arms ammunition were found from the scene of the yesterday’s clash.

Judges meet to formulate plans to speed-up hearing of cases

by V. Varathasuntharam
Colombo High Court Judges who met last week with Judge Nimal Dissanayaka in the chair formulated procedures speed-up to hearing of cases filed under Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Colombo High Court Judges Dudly Karunaratne, Chandra Nanayakkara, Mrs. Chandra Ekanayake and Andrew Somawanse were present at the meeting.

The Judges decided to have the trials on a day to day basis but the problem was certain lawyers were unwilling and it was decided to persuade them to do so. It was also decided to give short dates when cases have to be postponed.

It was also decided to reject a confession made by an accused if such confession has not been accepted in any other High Court. It was also agreed to grant bail in cases filed under the Emergency Regulations with the consent of the Attorney General.

It was pointed out at the meeting that it was not possible to grant bail in cases filed under the PTA because there was no provision in the law empowering High Court Judges to grant bail.

The Judges discussed these matters following representations by defence counsel Kumar Ponnambalam, A. Vinayagamoorthy and Mrs. Joy Mahadeva that Tamil prisoners languishing in prison without trial were threatening to go on hunger strike seeking an early determination of their cases.

Move to foster national unity in memory of Bakeer Markar

An islandwide programme will be launched from next year by the Bakeer Markar Centre for National Unity (BMCNU) to foster national unity, communal amity, racial and religious harmony among the races in the country.

It will take place on September 10 annually in memory of the late Al Haj M. A. Bakeer Markar, an eminent personality whose contribution towards national unity and amity was exemplary.

To honour the services he had rendered to the country at large, an outstanding Sri Lankan who had made a meaningful contribution towards national harmony will be presented the prestigious ‘Bakeer Markar Award for National Unity’ and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000.

The BMCNU is headed by Member of Parliament Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, the son of the late leader.

‘The main objective of this annual exercise is create unity among the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims and secure a lasting solution to the country’s ethnic conflict’, Imthiaz Bakeer Markar told a news conference in Colombo last week.

The Chairman of the Bakeer Markar Award for National Unity Evaluation Committee is former Presidential International Affairs Advisor Bradman Weerakoon.

A series of lectures have so far been conducted by the BMCNU which has also made cash donations towards the renovation of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Mr. Weerakoon said.

A large number of books on ethnic harmony were also presented to the Jaffna library, he said.

The outstanding personality who will receive this award at its maiden event next year will be selected from candidates attached to the public service and also persons who had excelled in community activities such as sports and literature. Those involved in the country’s communicating sectors, creative artistes in the spheres of films, stage dramas, journalists, vocalists etc.

Messrs. Bradman Weerakoon, K. C. Kamalasabayson PC, Faiz Musthapha PC, Menik Gunasekera, S. M. Kamaldeen and Dr. Tissa Vitharana will be the panel of judges.

Jane Eyre

The British Council in association with the Taj Samudra, Sirasa TV, MTV & Yes FM presents Jane Eyre by the Shared Experience Theatre Company from London.

Shared Experience are renowned the world over for breaking boundaries and creating highly charged physical performances and they have transformed this great novel into an extraordinary and deeply affecting drama.

Polly Teale has worked for the Shared Experience Theatre for the past four years and has directed a number of their productions with a large measure of success. To Jane Eyre can be added the House of Bernarda Alba, Desire Under the Elms together with War and Peace and Mill on the Floss a production that toured to Sri Lanka in 1995 with Nancy Meckler. Some of her other theatre credits include The Glass Menagerie at the Lyceium Edinburgh, Miss Julie at the Young Vic, Babies and Uganda at the Royal Court, A taste of Honey for the English Touring Theatre. She has also written plays for BBC screen on two and for the Traverse Edinburgh and the Drill Hall.

The Shared Experience Theatre Company has been in existence for nearly twenty-five years. Throughout that time the company has always remained true to its core philosophy that each and every performance is a ‘Shared Experienced’ between the actors and their audience and that each production is a genuinely collaborative effort. This sense of democracy permeates every aspect of the production.

Performance Schedule
Bishop’s College Auditorium:
Thursday 4th 2.30 p.m. — Matinee performance
Thursday 4th Nov. 7.30 p.m.
Friday 5th Nov. 7.30 p.m.,
Saturday 6th Nov. 2.30 p.m. — Matinee performance,
Saturday 6th Nov. 7.30 p.m.

Drama Workshop:
Friday 5th Nov. 11.00 a.m. — 1.00 p.m. British Council hall.

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