Home

News

Politics

Issues

Focus

Editorial

Spotlight

Insight

Sports

Business

Review

Arts

Letters

Nutshell

Interviews

Fashion

Archives

JVP's pressure led to monk's resignation - JHU Leader

Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Leader, Tilak Karunaratne says pressure exerted on Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha thero by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led him to tender his resignation.

The thero tendered his resignation to the Parliamentary Secretary General, Priyani Wijesekara last Wednesday.

Karunaratne told The Sunday Leader constant surveillance by the JVPers on the monk MP, and several visits to the Sambuddhi Viharaya at Moratuwa by unidentified vans and motorbikes forced the thero to resign from his position.

He charged that the JVP that killed nearly 640 bhikkus during the insurrection is today trying to behave like the saviours of the nation.

He said it was unfair for any party to threaten the Buddhist clergy who only wanted to enter politics to save the nation from terrorists and extremists.

Karunaratne pointed out that Ven.Akmeemana Dayarathana Thero who has been appointed to fill the void created by Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha thero would also resign from the party shortly to pave the way for another monk who is supposed to the most needed member to represent parliament.

He said the proposed resignation of Ven.Dayarathana Thero is a decision taken by the party.

Karunaratne condemned the JVP for not respecting their own clergy and added the JVP has never been fair in whatever it did in Sri Lanka.

Tiger intelligence operative detained in Canada 

By Our Security Correspondent 

In an unexpectedly surprising development Canadian security authorities have detained a senior member of the LTTE allegedly fleeing from the Tiger organisation in Sri Lanka.

Security sources in Colombo told The Sunday Leader that a 23 year old Tamil youth claiming to have escaped from the LTTE in Sri Lanka is now under preventive custody in Toronto.

"He is being interrogated now and is providing a lot of interesting information about his activities in the Tiger movement. We have got a preliminary report but are expecting a comprehensive one shortly. If necessary, a Sri Lankan official visiting Canada for following the matter up is not ruled out," the sources said.

The 23 year old man named Karunanidhi Ganenthiran is a native of Thunnalai South , Karaveddy in Jaffna. His nom de guerre is Kovilmaran.

He reached Toronto from an European destination some weeks ago and tried to gain political asylum there but was detained as Canada debars members of terrorist organisations gaining entry into the country.

Ganenthiran alias Kovilmaran had joined the LTTE as a 14 year old boy and served in the organisation for nine years.

According to security sources, the ex-Tiger claims that he had grown disillusioned with the Tigers and had wanted to quit the movement. He was not permitted to do so and was kept in captivity at a secret camp in Mullaitivu.

He had been forced to do slave labour in construction works at gun point. After about a year he had escaped and with the help of relatives fled Sri Lanka.

He has alleged that the LTTE had gone to his home and taken away his younger brother in retaliation for his defiance in escaping from Tiger clutches.

Kovilmaran has stated that he had worked in the LTTE communications division, artillery division and also the intelligence division.

He received arms training and has fought battles in Kilinochchi, Omanthai, Mankulam and Elephant Pass.

The Head of Intelligence, Pottu Amman had been angry at his wanting to leave and had taken him prisoner .

He has said that he fears death at the hands of the LTTE and wants refuge in Canada.

The Canadian authorities are trying to ascertain whether Ganenthiran alias Kovilmaran's allegations are true or not and whether he has ulterior motives in reaching Canada.

Security sources in Colombo said that they would be assisting the Canadians on this and pointed out that the prevailing cease-fire did not prevent them from engaging in such action.

CWC scoffs at Tamil MPs' protest 

The protest carried out by the Upcountry Peoples' Front (UPF) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) against the killing of two plantation workers in Kandapola last month has been scoffed at by the largest plantation sector trade union, the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and the Western People's Front (WPF).

UPF Leader, P.Chandrasekaran in collaboration with the TNA organised the protest within the parliamentary premises last Wednesday. However, the CWC and the WPF did not participate.

The Sunday Leader learns that the CWC and the WPF have not been invited or consulted by the UPF prior to launching this protest, wearing black bands.

The police opened fire when a minor clash broke out between two individuals from both the Tamil and Sinhala communities last month at Kandapola. Two Tamils were  killed in the shooting incident, which led to both communities clashing with each other. However, the situation was brought to normal after President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minsiter Mahinda Rajapakse intervened into the matter.

The CWC took the position that both communities should continue to work in harmony. It further threatened to take this matter up with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). The CWC also decided that the matter should be left to the authorities concerned and opted to maintain a low profile without upsetting the decision makers.

The WPF also organised a picketing campaign to express its opposition, opposite the Fort railway station on May 8.

WPF Leader, Mano Ganesan told The Sunday Leader that his party was neither invited nor consulted in this regard.

"Ours is the first party that expressed strong opposition to this unfortunate and premeditated action of the police against the plantation workers. We held a protest in front of Fort railway station braving security threats. I did not see any purpose in other groups carrying out a protest within the parliament premises," he said.

He also said that MPs T. Maheswaran and P.Chandrasekaran had their own agenda and only made attempts to insult rival parties.

"It is a pity that other members of the TNA are unwittingly trying to play in to the hands of these two members. I am very much grateful to TNA members M.K.Eelaventhan and N.Srikanthan for their participation at our protest that was held opposite the Fort railway station," he said.

Meanwhile, Ex-CWC parliamentarian R.Yogarajan said the CWC does not believe in the type of protest that was organised by the UPF last week and added the CWC does not believe in wearing black bands as well.

He also said: "Ours is a party that deals with decision makers directly and I must confess that the CWC has already made arrangements to convince the leaders to take appropriate action. So further agitations are not necessary."

No confidence motion against UPFA MPs

By Sehan Soyza 

The United National Front (UNF) parliamentary group has finalised the draft of the proposed no confidence motion against three cabinet ministers of the Freedom Alliance government.

The no confidence motion is to be brought against Power and Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha, Media Minister Reginald Cooray and River Basin and Rajarata Development Minister Maithripala Sirisena. The no confidence motion is being introduced over their conduct in parliament on April 22 as well as the conduct of certain others over the abuse of state media for the controversial sex scandal involving Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader Rauf Hakeem.

The UNF plans to hold discussions with the rest of the opposition groups this week to muster their support as well.

UNF sources were confident that the no confidence motion would be passed since it is about the abuse of parliamentary privileges that also concerns the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and the SLMC. Sources said that the parties concerned had shown their willingness to support the no confidence motion.

Earlier , the JHU had demanded an apology for the conduct of the government members on April 22. Sources indicated that Minister Reginald Cooray would be the most likely recipient of a no confidence.

JHU MP Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero who was highly critical of the handling of the state media said the state media is being abused to tarnish his party.

CWC, SLMC to contest under UNF

The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) have decided to contest the forthcoming provincial council elections with the main opposition United National Front (UNF).

Both parties took the decision during the latter part of last week. Party senior officials said  that while contesting with the UNF in some areas, they would also go solo in certain other areas contesting under their own symbols.

According to CWC Administrative Secretary, V.Puthrasigamany the CWC would contest the Sabaragamuwa Province under its own symbol while contesting the other provinces with the UNF.

SLMC Leader, Rauf Hakeem said the party would contest the Central and Uva Provinces with the UNF while the North Central, Southern, Western and Sabaragamuwa Provinces would be contested under the party's own symbol.

"We have decided to contest the Central Province with the UNF to help them capture more power," Hakeem said.

He said that contesting under the SLMC symbol in the Western Province might help the party win eight to 10 seats this time.

"This is the main reason we opted to go solo specially in the Western Province. This time we are confident we will win more seats than the past," he said.

UPFA and LTTE blamed for dwindling aid 

By Jamila Najmuddin 

The United National Front (UNF) and a dissident member of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) have accused the  United People's Freedom  Alliance (UPFA) and the  LTTE respectively of not giving the donor community the confidence to disburse funds for the development of the north east.

Japan last week said the disbursement of some 4.5 billion US dollars pledged at the Tokyo donor conference would materialise depending on the definite resumption of talks between the government and the LTTE.

However, UNF parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake said that the donors failed to get a good impression of the country because of the UPFA's policies while a TULF senior member said it is the LTTE that has failed to convince the donors to grant aid.

According to the TULF politician, the LTTE has complained to international organisations such as the Japanese Special Envoy that money coming into the country from donor agencies is being 'sent elsewhere' by the government.

"This just shows to what 'low levels' the LTTE can stoop to. When a rich country donates money to a developing nation such as Sri Lanka, they give it for specific purposes. The LTTE keeps silent if the government accepts all its proposals but since talks are still going on in regard to the ISGA proposals, the LTTE is now accusing the government of sending the donor monies elsewhere," the politician said.

Meanwhile, discussions on the peace process were held between Japanese Special Envoy, Yasushi Akashi and LTTE Political Wing Chief, S.P. Tamilselvan on Tuesday (18).

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, LTTE officials said that during the discussions, Akashi stressed that negotiations within the government and the LTTE should recommence as early as possible so that international assistance can be channeled into the north east for reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement.

Akashi also said that the governmant and the LTTE should demonstrate the genuineness of their interest in the peace process.

However, speaking to The Sunday Leader, former Consumer Affairs Minister, Ravi Karunanayake, said that the delay in the peace process between the LTTE and the government clearly showed the political instability within the UPFA.

"President Chandrika Kumaratunga clearly has to be blamed for this 'stalled peace process'. When the UNF was in power she 'destroyed' a stable government which had a majority in parliament and now the country has a minority government that is unable to proceed with the peace process, which as a result has stalled all international aid coming into the country as well," Karunanayake charged.

A battle of courage

By Shezna Shums 

It is not often that a man takes on a mighty institution. And it is very rare when that man wins, despite a strong force pitting its strength against him. For Lt. M. S. Nilupul de Costa it was a hard fought victory gained through much hardship.

Having joined the Sri Lanka Navy in 1996, de Costa was serving in Nagarkovil in the year 2000 when there was an LTTE attack. During the attack, de Costa attempted to save the Dvora P463 along with the other navy personnel, but was unsuccessful. He was also the only survivor.

He also suffered several injuries due to the war and is today, completely blind in his right eye. He also has permanent injuries on his left foot and hand that have left him with impaired movement and sensitivity.

De Costa was admitted to the Naval Hospital where the doctors and staff reportedly subjected him to constant harassment. One doctor instructed him to use crutches while another overruled it. He was also told to wear shoes when in fact he could not do so due to the injuries on his foot. The doctors later branded him a mentally sick person and insisted on psychiatric treatment after which he was declared completely sane.

Owing to the severe harassment he faced, de Costa later filed a fundamental rights application in the Supreme Court seeking justice.

According to him, many hospital workers harassed him due to his open criticism of the treatment meted out to him.

De Costa, during the December 5, 2001 election was also not allowed to cast his vote and his request for leave was not granted. However, later in the day he was told to go home, by which time voting had come to an end.

His fundamental rights application was based on charges of physical and mental torture caused to him and for obstructing his right to exercise his franchise. He also alleged that he was forcibly detained at the Naval Hospital where he was branded a lunatic and ill-treated.

Having heard his plea, the Supreme Court granted full compensation to de Costa and held his rights seriously infringed. The bench comprised justices C. V. Wigneswaran, N. E. Dissanayake and Raja Fernando. Petitioner de Costa cited Director, Navy Health Service, Rear Admiral Dr. M. G. Athulugama, the members of the Sri Lanka Navy Medical Board and the Attorney General as respondents.

De Costa has two more years to complete 10 years of service after which he qualifies for a pension. Although he is allowed to continue as a naval officer, it is learnt that he would be placed under strict scrutiny for any possible breach of discipline.

 However, the young officer has been denied his disability pension which the navy began to pay only after he filed action, something he is rightfully entitled to.

Shocking losses due to haphazard powercuts

By Jamila Najmuddin 

With haphazard power cuts taking place islandwide, industries as well as the public are complaining of 'losses' and inconvenience.

With large industries paying over Rs. 5 million for electricity per month, the production process is getting disrupted due to the power failures resulting in 'severe losses,' industrialists claim.

According to Director, Samson Group, R. Nugaliyadda with haphazard power cuts, industries are incurring losses as the 'continuous process of production' gets interrupted.

"We pay more than Rs. 10 million for electricity per month and when a power failure occurs, the automatic generators eventually start. When the electricity supply is disrupted suddenly, the production comes to a halt, the computers are affected and there is general disruption of work," Nugaliyadda said.

Meanwhile, residents from many parts of the island are complaining that they can no longer plan their day-to-day work with recurring powercuts.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, several residents from Kandy claimed that both their offices and homes were affected by unannounced power cuts. "Have the decency to make a public announcement without completely springing surprises," they uniformly criticised.

"Sudden power failures affect electronic items that are being used. We have to now plan on repairing our refrigerators, computers and television sets that may go bust any moment," complained Imal Wimalasuriya.

Residents from Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Colombo and Avissawella were unequivocal in their criticism against the authorities for not having the courtesy to at least make an announcement.

"Adhoc power failures have reduced, but Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) should inform the public to prevent inconvenience and possible losses," Nirmali Jayasuriya, a resident from Anuradhapura said.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, General Manager, CEB, Ranjit Fonseka, said that sudden power cuts mainly occurred due to 'breakdowns.'

"The sudden disruption in the power supply is not due to the lack of water in the reservoirs. Instead, these power cuts are 'very localised' and result in 'breakdowns.' We don't carry out unplanned and unannounced power cuts. They however occur not only in Sri Lanka, but the world over."

According to Fonseka, sudden power cuts occur due to two reasons.

"The first is the 'breakdown' factor while the second is 'planned power stoppage.' It can be a very small power supply breakdown just to one particular house or it can be a power failure to a particular area or maybe even a power failure islandwide. The smaller power failures are what we call the 'lower tension power breakdowns' or 'planned maintenance,'" Fonseka said.

Fonseka further explained that the only way that these power failures could be prevented is by timely, proactive and predictive maintenance.

"We should not wait till it develops to a breakdown situation. Even after the CEB rectifies sudden power failures, public dissatisfaction remains. On the other hand, when we plan 'proactive' maintenance we have to interrupt the supply as the workers cannot work with live voltage," Fonseka said.

Donation of invaluable books

A private collection of over 600 books related to Sri Lankan history and literature, which also includes the oldest map of the ancient kingdom of Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte along with many invaluable articles relating to Kotte's history was recently gifted to the Archeological Department.

The invaluable collection, owned by Douglas Ranasinghe - a collector of books related to archeology and local history - was donated to the department following his demise, by his son.

According to Director (Public Affairs), Archeology Department, M. B. Herath, these books were collected by the late Ranasinghe over a period of 60 years and includes some special books and documents pertaining to the history of the Kotte Kingdom.

Herath added that most of the books were of immense value to the Archeology Department and were chiefly historical accounts.

Speaking about the late Ranasinghe, Herath said that he had helped the department for many years before his death. It was Ranasinghe who was instrumental in securing the house of E. W. Perera for the department to begin its Kotte Museum.

Explaining further, Herath said that Ranasinghe also played a major role in the department's project on the surrounding moats known as the diya agal project in Kotte. "Ranasinghe helped us resolve land disputes in the area to secure the land surrounding the ancient moat that surrounded the ancient fort to secure the kingdom from foreign invaders," Herath said.

Ranasinghe's work will continue to live on now with his personal collection of historic books of immense value that would in years to come provide much information to the future generations.

- Mandana lsmail Abeywickrema

  Headlines