Basil on the backfoot

AB tells Basil President's days are numbered

National Heritage Minister Anura Bandaranaike on Monday (19) pitched into Senior Presidential Advisor, Parliamentarian Basil Rajapakse in parliament before the voting of the second reading of the budget.

Bandaranaike was on his way to the chamber when he met Rajapakse in the parliament lobby.

Bandaranaike had then told Rajapakse that his brother was ruining the country and was trying to ruin the Bandaranaikes as well, but his days were now numbered.

The Minister had also said that the Bandaranaike name was not to be used as and when it suited people.

"Bandaranaikes are not like a football to be kicked around," the Minister had said.

Bandaranaike had then questioned Rajapakse as to why the President and his brood were desperate to receive the support of the Bandaranaikes if the government had the numbers to pass the budget.

"If you have a majority to pass the budget, then why are you so desperate to get me down here to vote?" Bandaranaike had asked saying that he had received many calls from the President, his secretary and other officials.

Several government MPs witnessed Bandaranaike's outburst and Rajapakse had then turned and walked away.

Bandaranaike had told Chief Government Whip and Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle that he was not interested in canvassing for the President and that Fernandopulle was free to repeat Bandaranaike's words to the President.

Bandaranaike later voted for the budget under protest saying he was doing so only for the sake of his late parents and not for anyone else.

Third reading on December 14

SLFP (M) says budget will be defeated

By Arthur Wamanan

The SLFP (M) Group yesterday said the budget would definitely be defeated at the third reading on December 14.

SLFP (M) Convener Mangala Samaraweera at a media briefing yesterday said that only seven MPs were needed by the opposition to defeat the budget at the next reading.

He said the budget was only passed marginally and that it would not happen at the next reading.

"The JVP's stance was revealed at the last hearing and we are sure they will not change their stance to their benefit," he said.

"We believe that we could defeat the government on December 14, and create a background for a new government," he added.

Samaraweera added many of the government members who were unhappy with the government were asked to play down, as the JVP's stance on the budget was not sure. He said they would have been stranded if the JVP had voted for the budget.

"There are many ministers and MPs in the government who are not happy with the present administration. We had asked them not to vote against the budget, as they would have been stranded if the JVP had voted for the budget. But, now we are sure of defeating the budget since we know who are against it," Samaraweera added.

He also said the SLFP (M) or the National Council would not accept each and every person who wishes to join them.

"There is a school of thought that the MPs today can be bought for money. There will be no such people in our government. There will be no Mervyn Silvas and Fernandopulles in our government," Samaraweera said.

He said no government had taken drastic measures to win the budget in the past and the present government had tried every thing possible to make sure they win the budget.

"A TNA MP's relative was abducted and he was threatened to abstain from voting. Several UNP MPs were also pressurised to vote in favour of the budget. They are trying to get them to support by promising them portfolios and showing them money. No other government has done it in the past," he added.

24 aid workers killed in 14 months

Sri Lanka not safe for aid workers - UN

Twenty-four aid workers have been killed in the last 14 months in Sri Lanka, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said this week.

"Safe, unhindered access for humanitarian workers is fundamental to humanitarian operations. Unfortunately, both access and security have declined significantly since June 2006, with grave consequences for those communities reliant on a humanitarian lifeline.

"In the past 14 months, 24 aid workers were killed in Sri Lanka 21 in 2006 and three in the first half of 2007," he said in presenting his report on the work of the organisation.

His assessment comes during a week when another young male working attached to a demining agency in Jaffna was shot and killed. A worker with the Halo Trust was shot and killed in Jaffna on November 18.

The week earlier, Ki-Moon also highlighted the lack of progress in the investigation into the murders of the 17 local aid workers attached to the French charity Action Contre le Faim

"Despite the serious nature of these crimes and their repercussions, insufficient attempts have been made to hold the perpetrators accountable. In Sri Lanka, there is still little progress in the work of the government established commission investigating human rights abuses, including the murders of 17 staff of Action Contre le Faim who were killed in a single, abhorrent act in August 2006," he said.

Ban Ki-Moon's report on civilians in armed conflict added over 100,000 have been displaced this year but that 120,000 have been resettled as well.

TMVP, TNA meeting

TNA denies agreement to abstain from voting

The TMVP yesterday said the TNA had agreed to abstain from voting at the budget, which the latter rejected saying that no such understanding was reached between the two.

The TMVP said TNA MPs representing the east had met  Pillayan on November 17 and had agreed to abstain from voting.

The TMVP said they were asked not to oppose the budget, as it would result in the government ignoring the east.

The TMVP said the meeting between the two parties was held in a hotel near Colombo and that Pillayan had headed the TMVP group.

"Even Pirapaharan attacked other people when he attacked the TMVP.

"Mahinda Rajapakse would totally ignore the east if the TNA MPs from the east voted against the budget," the TMVP said.

The TMVP said that the TNA MPs, who had agreed on Saturday to abstain, were forced to change their minds due to pressure exerted by the LTTE.

"Only Kanagasabai kept his word and we are grateful to him," the TMVP said.

However, TNA Batticaloa MP K. Thankeswari told The Morning Leader no one from the TNA had attended the said meeting.

"I never left my house after Friday until yesterday. No TNA members attended any meeting on Saturday," she said.

No change in stance

JVP opposes the budget

The JVP yesterday said that there was no change in its stance and was opposed to the budget presented by the government.

Addressing the media yesterday, JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe reiterated the party's stance of opposing the 2008 budget.

However, he said the JVP would closely monitor the political scenario in the country in the days before December 14.

Amarasinghe also said that since the government had stated that it managed to pass the 'patriotic budget' with the help of the 'patriotic forces' in parliament, the JVP was interested to see how the government planned to save the patriotic government on December 14 when the vote on the third reading is taken.

JVP Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa addressing the media said that had the JVP announced its decision to vote against the budget, the country would have been able to see the extent of the agitation among government officials.

Referring to the killings in Ranminithenna, the JVP yesterday called on the government to name the so called anti government forces that are said to be involved in the incident.

Vote on budget second stage

When Govt. won people lost, says UNP

By Risidra Mendis

The UNP yesterday said that the second stage of the budget has been won by the government and not by the people.

UNP MP Gayantha Karunathilake told the media yesterday that this year's budget was prepared in a manner that would be beneficial to the ministers and institutions supporting the government.

"It is obvious to the public what kind of a budget this is. People who supported the government and who were involved in preparing the budget have now made it clear that they are against it. The government has fooled the public and made them believe that the budget would be to their benefit," Karunathilake said.

He added that the ministers supporting the government were there only by name and were not interested in addressing the grievances of the people.

"The government says we couldn't secure enough votes to overrule them in parliament. The opposition has not lost the budget vote. We were able to secure the votes of other political parties who once supported the government but voted with us this time. None of us knew the decision of the JVP until the last minute. But today everyone who voted against the budget has been branded as LTTE supporters," Karunathilake explained.  

He added that the government may have won the second reading but they are unstable and can be toppled at any time.

"As far as we are concerned the Mahinda Chinthanaya is not valid. After two years the government is yet to find a solution to the grievances faced by the people. A loaf of bread is Rs. 35 and a coconut Rs. 40. How can the people live like this? In time to come the people will take to the streets in protest. The government will then have to take responsibility for their actions," he said.    

"The UNP is in the process of collecting the votes of people who are suffering due to this government. We will prove to the government that we can address the needs of the people and not base our decisions on the benefits for ourselves. We also know where the support of the JVP is," Karunathilake explained.

22,000 displaced since September

Muhamalai and Mannar tense

The fighting along the front lines in the north has displaced 22,000 persons since September, the ICRC said, as tension and fighting continued in Muhamalai south of Jaffna and along the Vavuniya-Mannar line of control.

"22,000 persons have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of September according to the local authorities who together with humanitarian organisations are assisting the displaced," due to fighting in Muhamalai and in the Madhu area in the Mannar District, the ICRC said in its latest bulletin yesterday.

ICRC Head in Sri Lanka, Toon Vandehove said that tension prevailed in the area of Omanthai entry/exit point, the only open gateway to Tiger held areas.

"The situation in the area remains tense. The ICRC hopes the entry/exit point can remain open because it's an invaluable conduit for the transport of commercial items and allows humanitarian action to be taken to meet the needs of people on both sides," Vandehove, said in the bulletin.

The ICRC said that in the last four weeks 26,000 persons and 8,900 vehicles had passed through Omanthai that stays open on Saturdays as well since October 27.

Meanwhile, the military said that it had killed at least 18 Tigers in confrontations along the Vavuniya-Mannar line of control in the last two days. Clashes were reported at Tampanai, Villatikulam and Navatikulam along the Omanthai-Uylankulam axis that has witnessed continuous fighting since the fall of Toppigala mid this year.

Eight more Tigers were also reported killed in two separate incidents in the last 48 hours in fighting along the line of control south of Jaffna. "Three LTTE cadres were killed in a confrontation with troops ahead of the security forces' Nagarkovil forward defence line around 7.10 a.m. this morning (19)," the Media Center for National Security said.

"Two bunkers were completely destroyed. Troops confirm that five terrorists were killed in the confrontation," the MCNS added of an incident that took place at Killali west of Omanthai yesterday.

The Tigers however rejected that over two dozen cadres had been killed in the fighting in last 48 hours. "We did not lose any cadres, there were some injuries that is it," Tiger spokesperson Rasiah Ilanthirayan said.

He however added that tension was high along the lines of control on either side of Wanni. "They have remained tense, there is sporadic activity and shelling going on."

The ICRC said that it had transported 33 bodies of combatants killed in the fighting since October 13, an indication of the intensity of the fighting.

Northeast getting only1/900 of allocations - Sampanthan

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader, R. Sampanthan yesterday alleged that the government has marginalised the northeastern population and overlooked their concerns through the poor financial allocations for the war ravaged region.

Speaking on the votes on the President, Prime Minister and others, Sampanthan noted that while the government had been very lavish with regard to defence expenditure, the population affected by the military offensives were left to deal with crumbs of the budget pie.

He said the only minister representing the northeast, Douglas Devananda has received the virtual crumbs of the budget pie that amounted to one ninehundreth (1/900) of the entire allocations. 

Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda receives Rs. 616,223,000 as recurrent and Rs. 218,393,000 as capital expenditure.

"His Ministry gets only Rs. 834 million which is one ninehundreth of the total allocations under various heads. The northeast has 23 members and Devananda is the only cabinet member representing the northeast," he said.

The TNA Leader alleged that the sheer inconsideration was manifest in the allocation, for  a government suffering from a war mentality failed to see the suffering of a population caught in the crossfire.

"These are areas terribly devastated. People have lost their livelihoods. Their homes have been destroyed. There is no possibility of fishing, crop cultivation or livestock management. To a community driven to despair, the government was only throwing crumbs. It failed to show any rehabilitation or disaster assistance to people languishing in temporary shelters," he alleged.

Sampanthan noted that the government's real attitude was made public through the budget.

"You do not care. Do not try to label us and tell us what to do. You have no wish to even attempt resettling people who were rendered homeless by your government's military moves. This is why we say it is a budget with an intent to bring further destruction and devastation upon a community that is seriously marginalised by the Sinhala governments," he added.

Govt. will fall on Dec. 14 claims UNP

Kurunegala District Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekera vowed to defeat the government on December 14 with the support of the government's constituent parties, the CWC and the SLMC.

Jayasekera speaking during the committee stage debate of the third Rajapakse budget claimed that the vote on November 19 was only a rehearsal and real fireworks could be expected on the third reading vote scheduled for December 14.

Jayasekera said that if the government thought it saw the end of the entire budget saga, it was a sad mistake, for the opposition was now ready to push the administration towards a general election.

"This parliament is a distortion of the people's mandate. There are 49 UNP parliamentarians serving the government. They were voted into power by UNP supporters not to run away with their mandate for money and perks. The balance of power in parliament has been arbitrarily altered by the Executive President for his own personal gain. Therefore we will agitate and do our utmost to bring this parliament to an end so that people can throw away the political discards and elect new representatives," he said.

The MP scoffed that the SLFP Youth League had pasted posters even before the vote was taken on Monday, praising the JVP for supporting a 'patriotic government' only to be sadly disappointed.

"That was a huge miscalculation. Minister Duminda Dissanayake has worked hard to put up posters. Now the government is labeling the JVP as traitors hand in hand with the LTTE. The government's poster campaign has cost some Rs. 24 million which  in turn the poor tax payer will have to pay," he added.

SC extends stay order in Asokamala case

By Risidra Mendis

The  stay order on the Asokamala case was extended till February 28, 2008 by the Supreme Court  yesterday.

The stay order was granted by the presiding Judge Shirani Tillekewardene as the respondents had requested time to produce the written submissions.

The case was filed by the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights (SPAR). Based on a cabinet decision Asokamala, a nine-year-old female elephant from the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was to be sent to Armenia.

The decision to send Asokamala to Armenia was taken by Minister of  Public Recreation Gamini Lokuge as part of an agreement between the Sri Lankan and Armenian governments.   

Speaking to The Morning Leader Secretary, SPAR, Sheena Samsudeen said Armenia is a small state in Russia. "The Yerevan Zoo in Armenia is a state owned zoo and does not have the required facilities to keep an elephant. The temperature levels are nine degrees C and it is a cold country. This zoo has no funds to provide food for the remaining animals and has been unsuccessful in looking after elephants," Samsudeen said.

According to Samsudeen Asokamala's survival cannot be guaranteed if she is sent to the Yerevan Zoo. "Two elephants at the Yerevan Zoo have died. One elephant had slipped on the ice and hit its head on an iceberg and died. At present the zoo has one elephant," Samsudeen explained.   

Attorney at Law Harsha Amerasinghe appeared for SPAR while Attorney at Law Bimba Tillekeratne.    appeared for the defendents, namely Department of Wildlife and Conservation (DWC), Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, National Zoological Gardens and the Customs Department.

Dilan calls for a common plan instead of cut throat politics

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Justice Minister Dilan Perera berated parliament yesterday for treating the second reading of the budget as a life and death matter and going in to an ugly head count and called upon all parties to work towards a common goal shedding all differences.

"It was all about how much of money was riding on whom last Monday. Isn't there any shame? Should we not try to work out a common programme that benefits this country than dabble in petty politics as if this is the very last budget we would ever pass," he queried.

Perera said he agreed with some of the criticisms levelled against the budget by the opposition and said there was no dispute as to whether one is a rogue or a murderer simply because he switched sides. "Coming over here or going over there would not change such facts. I have been labelled a terrorist for a long time for my stance on the ethnic question. If advocating federalism makes me a terrorist, let it be, for I prefer to be that than a lion who advocates ethnic bloodshed," he said.

The Minister said that he had many an ideological difference with the JVP that has branded him for long as a terrorist but paid tribute to those who worked alongside him on COPE. "This terrorist talk must end. The moment someone holds a non traditional or opposite view, they should not be labelled as being pro- LTTE or against nationalist forces. It was me before and today it is the JVP," he said.

Perera said that at a time that the COPE report was being criticised by certain sections, it was his firm belief that the report contents were credible and called for proper follow up action on the report findings.

Speaking about crossers over, he said that the SLFP voters mandated him and he had no right to violate a sacred trust reposed in him as an elected MP. "If I have to show dissent, I should do that within my party and not by crossing over to join hands with others. I have no mandate to join Ranil Wickremesinghe the way Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi did. That's why I showed my protest within the SLFP ranks. If I leave, I leave politics but I won't join hands with the UNP," he said.

Perera also said that parliamentarians of all hues were behaving as if the budget was some trade fair with horse-trading rampant. Further, it was as if this was to be the final parliamentary vote.

Perera called upon all political parties to shed differences and to formulate a common plan that could benefit the people instead of counting heads inside the House as if MPs were on offer for sale.

Presidential allocation irregular charges UNP

UNP frontliner Lakshman Kiriella in parliament yesterday alleged the budget estimates were irregular due to the failure to specify under the budget estimates the exact allocations for 37 institutions directly coming under the President's purview.

Opening the committee stage debate on the votes on 22 heads including the President, Prime Minister, Parliament and many others by offering the traditional cut, Kiriella observed that there was a serious lapse on the part of the Department of the Budget in including the specific estimates for certain subjects.

"This is irregular and illegal. This has never happened before where separate heads have not been differentiated but stealthily combined under one head," he said.

The MP demanded to know exactly how the allocation for the Office of the President was made and what areas were thus covered.

"Some 37 institutions come under the President. We want to know exactly how  allocations have been made for them. One overall estimate won't do. It is unacceptable to us," he said.

Kiriella further alleged that there was an obvious attempt to allocate funds in an irregular manner which would violate all norms of transparency and financial discipline.

"As long as the allocations are not made known, it only leaves us to imagine that funds would be dealt with according to the whims and fancies of individuals. This is against budget practice and the UNP strongly opposes it," he said.

Navy arrests 37 divers within HSZ

Thirty-seven divers who had entered the Colombo Harbour High Security Zone (HSZ) were arrested by the navy on November 17 and 18, Navy Spokesperson, Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake said.

Speaking to The Morning Leader on this issue he said 37 persons were arrested on three different occasions during the two days.

"They were arrested on the 17th and 18th. Twenty-six divers were arrested at first with diving apparatus followed by the arrest of  another person. The other 10 were arrested later," he said.

He said inquiries were being conducted and the reasons behind their entry to the harbour or their backgrounds were not established as yet.

OL's in Tamil Nadu for displaced students

By Warren Balthazaar

One hundred and five Sri Lankan candidates would sit the GCE Ordinary Level Examinations (OL's) in India next month as scheduled.

Commissioner of Examinations, Anura Edirisinghe told The Morning Leader that these candidates were Tamil students who had been residing in Jaffna before the security situation in the country escalated last year.

He added that hundreds of civilians sought refuge in Tamil Nadu and have not returned to the country. He added that the government will provide these candidates with necessary material at no cost to sit these exams that begin on December 10 (Monday) and conclude on December 20 (Thursday).

Exam papers will be sent to the Sri Lankan team of examiners three days before the exam and they would accordingly hand out each paper to the candidates and act as monitors.

Edirisinghe said that the examination timetable, other relevant documents and admission cards have been sent to the candidates. He also said that this year's OL exam will go ahead as planned and will be held on schedule.

Edirisinghe also added that exams would be conducted under the guidance of the security forces in the north and east.

He stressed that any candidate without proper identification will be deprived of sitting the forthcoming examination.

Combined effort by banks

By Warren Balthazaar

Statistics reveal that up to 20, 000 children are being abused on the internet everyday.

A campaign was launched by 17 leading banks in Sri Lanka on Monday (19) to crush child pornography on the internet in Sri Lanka.

The Banks' Campaign to Crush Child Pornography on the Internet (B3CPI) campaign said that the initiative is to crush child pornography on the internet with the participation of all major banks islandwide.

They further said that in 2006, a financial coalition against child pornography was created by the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) and the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) with a goal to eliminate commercial child pornography by 2008.

The B3CPI was formed in 2007 with the participation of all major banks in Sri Lanka including the Bankers Association and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka .

The campaign further mentioned that together with the Cards Industry Task Force (CITF) a mechanism was formulated to avoid the offending merchants/cardholder from using the card systems for child pornography on the internet.

The campaign's main objective is to eliminate the financial viability for offenders as according to  B3CPI electronic payment modes, credit cards and debit cards are widely used as a mode of payment to subscribe into these websites. Hence banks involved in this campaign will monitor the transactions of cardholders as well as the activities of their merchants.

Other objectives are identifying child pornographic websites through banks, e-commerce payment transactions and systems, establishing and operating a common policy and process to cut the e-commerce loop that sustain these sites, terminating relationships with merchants found to be engaged in businesses relating to child pornography and to raise awareness among card- holders and merchants on the nature of this problem and how they can help.

CBK in Madrid for confab

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga is currently in Madrid to attend the 6th Annual General Assembly of the Club de Madrid and also to participate in the Annual Conference today (21).

The former President's office said Kumaratunga was invited to be a member of the prestigious Club de Madrid. It is co-chaired by the former President of Chile and Former US President Bill Clinton.

The members of the club are selected heads of government and states as well as leading intellectuals, it said. The conference under the title "Democratising Energy; Geopolitics and Power" will focus on the political and geopolitical dimensions of current energy concerns in an effort to identify the challenges, regional and international, that need to be considered in the pursuit of greater stability," the organisers said.

High tech crimes on the increase

By Shezna Shums

The recording and video filming of pornographic material are on the increase says the Police Children's and Women's Bureau.

Children's and Women's Bureau, OIC, CI Balachandran  said that during the last five to six months they have noticed a surge in the number of complaints regarding the misuse of technology.

"Now abusers use more types of technology to record these crimes -  mobile phones, video cameras and the internet are often used for these purposes," he said.  Complaints have been received that those who indulge in such activity use  mobile phones, digital cameras and the internet to capture other people and then use these images on the internet and also  pass them on to other mobile phones.

He said that only a small percentage of persons use computers to work while there are many who use it for illegitimate activities. It is very easy to cut and paste pictures of persons on a computer and then send these pictures to many others, he said.

To date there are over 26 complaints where the victims have been at the receiving end through the abuse of the latest technology.

This figure is apart from the number of crimes where hi-tech technology has not been used.

The OIC also said that complaints have been received from children who have been subjected to abuse by guardians or parents. Complaints have also been received from adults who have noticed that they were being surreptitiously filmed or photographed. Such crimes are said to be taking place in  hostels and at classes outside school.

Govt. using the military claims Mangala

SLFP (M) Convener, Mangala Samaraweera yesterday charged that the government was using the sacrifices of the military to win the budget.

He said the government was continuing with the war for the President's survival and that the sacrifices made by the military were overshadowed by the Rajapakse brothers.

He said the government under former President Chandrika Kumaratunga never politicised the war and never used  military successes to gain political advantage.

"The Defence Secretary was made a hero for sinking three LTTE vessels. This was never the case with President Kumaratunga when we captured Jaffna, sunk seven vessels or when the deputy of Pottu Amman was killed," Samaraweera said.

He also said the government should realise that the war alone would not solve the crisis. "Hundred Pirapaharans will be born if one is killed," he said.

'MPs being intimidated not to vote'

By Raisidra Mendis

The UNP has alleged that the government was involved in intimidating MPs to stop them from voting against the budget in parliament.

UNP Spokesperson, Parliamentarian Gayantha Karunathilake told the media yesterday that the government was trying to salvage itself by intimidating parliamentarians.

"The government has attempted to take UNP MPs Ravi Karunanayake and Earl Gunasekera to the CID on false charges. We have information that the government has also threatened Tamil political MPs in a bid to prevent them from casting their votes in parliament against the budget," Karunathilake said.

He also alleged that the government had sent people to UNP Matara District MP Sagala Ratnayake's residence in Deniyaya to threaten him the day before the vote on the second reading of the budget was scheduled to be taken in parliament.

Karunathilake added that years after the death of the late UNP Transport Minister Gamini Athukorale, the government with the help of a relative of the deceased tried to convey a distorted picture to the public in parliament.

"We are totally against the media suppression by the government. The government has won over  some media institutions and is using these reporters to give an incorrect picture to the public. Prior to the budget the government used these media institutions to give false information to the public," Karunathilake said.

Sri Lanka has got poorer 

The UNDP on Monday said inequalities remained in Sri Lanka in spite of the progress made by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDG report released by the UNDP recently highlighted that Sri Lanka has become poorer in the recent past.

According to the report, the country has become poorer in terms of individual income generated per day.

It also stated that it had failed the fight to eradicate poverty and hunger.

The report further stated that the 3.8% that lived in extreme poverty and hunger in the '90s has increased to 5.6% in recent times.

The UNDP said that while the Asia-Pacific region as a whole was forging ahead, reports had revealed that there is a disproportionate level of progress between and within several countries.

However, the UNDP noted that Sri Lanka has progressed greatly since the MDGs were first introduced.

It further said that Sri Lanka has shown improvement particularly in providing children with their primary education, literary and gender equality while the maternal mortality rates and hunger are still to show some improvement.

The UNDP has identified 2008 as a halfway mark towards reaching 2015, which is the target date for achieving the MDGs. This dissemination of the progress report is the most recent out of a series of regional progress reports which will allow countries to compare their progress with other countries across the world.

Casual labourers in the Police Dept. to be made permanent

Cabinet has granted approval for the appointment of casual labourers attached to the Police Department to the posts of Karyala Karya Sahayaka Class III A of the approved cadre according to a statement released by the government. Some of the casual labourers have more than 10 years of continuous service in the Police Department while the rest have served more than four years.

The statement said that due to the terrorist threat in the country, it became necessary to recruit reliable persons with good background reports as casual labourers to the Police Department. Cabinet has granted approval for them to be made permanent, irrespective of their educational qualifications.

Housing grant for reconstruction in NE increased to Rs.325,000

Under the North East Housing Reconstruction Programme, cabinet has granted approval to increase the housing grant of Rs. 250,000 to Rs. 325,000 for the reconstruction of houses damaged by the conflict.

According to a statement released by the government, the duration of the project, which has been in operation since March 2005, is four years and aims to reconstruct 34,784 conflict affected houses in all eight districts in the north and east.

Beneficiaries in the North East Housing Reconstruction Programme were facing difficulties despite of the increase of the initial grant of Rs. 100,000 to 250,000 due to the rising cost of building materials.

The statement added that due to a limitation of funds, the project is only in a position to complete roughly 12% of the total number of damaged houses which stands at 290,615. The programme is funded by the International Development Association and the European Commission among others.

"The Tamil people and the terrorist outfits are not one"

Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Leader V. Anandasangaree last week said the Tamils were committed to non-violence and cannot be bunched together with the LTTE.

He said this in a statement to the media last week to mark International Day of Tolerance and Non-Violence. He said the country is in a sad state at present and there was not a single day that passed without violence. Anandasangaree also said parliament was not a place to promote discord among the communities. The statement said, "I’m surprised at one of the members claiming that the Tamil people, the LTTE and his organisation are one."

"Surely the Tamils are a peaceful lot and are committed to non-violence and cannot be claimed as one with a terrorist outfit, which is blood thirsty," he added. He also stated the terrorist leader cannot be compared to S.J.V. Chelvanayagam, who was loved by the Tamils for his tolerance.

Anandasangaree was awarded the UNESCO Mandanjeet Singh Prize last year for promoting tolerance and non-violence in the country.

Dhanapala felicitated on being made president of International Pugwash

Jayantha Dhanapala, well known Sri Lankan diplomat and former United Nations Under Secretary-General for Disarmament, was unanimously elected the 11th president of the International Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs recently. Lord Bertrand Russell was its first president. Significantly, Dhanapala’s election was announced at the 50th anniversary meeting of International Pugwash held in Italy.

To mark this honour for Sri Lanka and to felicitate Dhanapala, Sri Lanka Pugwash has organised a Regional Workshop from November 22-28 on a theme suggested by the newly-elected president himself : Learning From Ancient Hydraulic Civilizations To Combat Climate Change."

Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Tissa Vitharana will be the chief guest at the inaugural session of the workshop which begins at 8.30 a.m. on November 22 at the Masonic Lodge, Galle Face, Colombo 1. The plenary session of the workshop is open to the public.

The Sri Lanka Pugwash Group today includes, among others, renowned jurist Dr. Christopher Weeramantry, Professor C.B. Dissanayake, Dr. R.O.B. Wijesekera and Professor Mohan Munasinghe who is vice chairman, International Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. Jayantha Dhanapala was co-chairman, Sri Lanka Pugwash Group, a position that will now be filled by Professor Arjuna Aluwihare, former president, National Academy of Science in Sri Lanka.

D. L. O. Mendis, the Secretary/Convenor of the Sri Lanka Pugwash Group, can be contacted at pugwash@sltnet.lk.

The Mawanella police last week said that a resident of Aluthnuwara Road, Hingala had informed them that three men who were engaged by him to dig a pit behind his house had come across a dead body of an infant in a glass bottle. The Mawanella police had rushed to the scene and recovered the bottle which was about eight inches in height tightly closed, with the body inside.

Police investigations are continuing.

The Batticaloa police last week reported that 29 remand prisoners at Batticaloa Prison had started a sathyagraha campaign regarding some of their demands by getting onto the roof of the prison building. Security has been intensified at the prison premises.

The Kataragama police last week reported that when an officer attached to the Alawwa police station who had reported for special duty at Kataragama police was handing over the weapon to the armoury, the weapon had suddenly gone off injuring the officer on his left shoulder. He was admitted to Kataragama Hospital from where he was transferred to the Hambantota Hospital for treatment.

The Vavuniya police said that last week some farmers ploughing a field near the old church at Omanthai Road Block had found three PVC pipes each about three feet in length filled with explosives. The PVC pipes had been handed over to the army.

It was observed that these items had been buried there several months ago. Police investigations are in progress.

The Ududumbara police last week reported a case of murder by cutting with a knife. The victim was a 36 year old individual and the assailant whose identity is known is still at large.

Police investigations are continuing.

The Police Narcotics Bureau Unit at the Bandaranaike International Airport last week reported that police officers attached to the unit had taken into custody an Ugandan national — a women aged 44 years for possessing 4kg and 81 grammes of "dust" suspected to be drugs.

The suspect along with the ‘dust’ was handed over to the PNB for further investigations.

The Manipay police last week reported a case of murder by shooting and robbery of a gold chain worth Rs 45,000.

The crime had taken place near Pulavar Street, Navali North, Manipay. The deceased was a 36 year old male. The assailants are still at large.

The Children and Women’s Bureau last week reported a case of sexual assault and child abuse.

The incident had occurred last month near the grounds at Kirimandala Mawatha, Narahenpita.