News

>  Joint mechanism talks fail LTTE says  no deal with govt.

> Evidence surfaces on prior tsunami warning 

> Fresh probe on Bala called 

> Water Board warns of water shortage

> CBK's meeting with Charles called off

> CMC contemplating legal action

> Pavement hawkers to go

> Controversy over tender change

> UNICEF Chief Executive Officer to meet Tamilselvan - LTTE

> Ministers warn of public backlash

> Resettlement only according to UN guidelines - JJ

> SLMM investigating Kiladi shooting

> Relief for country's hard hit fishermen

> A Sting for tsunami victims

> Rising temperature causing havoc

> No money to repair disaster warning unit

> Maintain SLFP's original policy on ISGA - JHU

> Re-mapping still continues

> No relief on water and electricity bills

Vehicle bonanza for MPs

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema 

All members of parliament are to receive duty free luxury vehicles shortly.

Parliamentary and Christian Affairs Minister Milroy Fernando told The Sunday Leader that the cabinet paper making provision for the importation of vehicles for MPs is currently being prepared to be submitted to cabinet in the next few weeks.

Accordingly, each MP would be entitled to a luxury vehicle if the cabinet grants its approval and the Treasury also gives the green light.

According to Fernando, the government plans to offer "good vehicles to the MPs and not double cabs or any other sort of vehicle."

The previous government imported vehicles under the Indian line of credit, which Fernando says would not be the case this time round.

He explained that the necessity for vehicles has been felt by MPs after the tsunami as it posed an obstacle to their 'relief efforts.'

Fernando said that the majority of legislators have requested for vehicles.

He also observed that once cabinet approval is granted, it would be up to the Treasury to decide on the guidelines and the allowances.

Apart from vehicles, mobile phones, photocopiers and typewriters given to MPs too will be replenished soon.

According to the earlier guidelines, these utility items of each MP are replaced only every five years, but the government has decided to reduce the time period to three years.

Under the current guidelines, an MP would be informed of the date when he/she could purchase any of the above-mentioned items and money would be settled by the state at the receipt of the bill.

Fernando said that during the given period, the MP could purchase the goods and provide the bill for settlement.

The guidelines do not outline the maximum amount each MP is entitled to use for purchasing and even if an MP purchases a phone over Rs. 50,000, the state would provide the necessary funds to meet the payment.

 Joint mechanism talks fail LTTE says  no deal with govt.

By Jamila Najmuddin

The LTTE has decided to reject the government's offer to reconstruct and restructure the north and east under a joint mechanism citing corruption and red tape.

Head, LTTE Peace Secretariat, S. Puleethevan told The Sunday Leader that while there are squabbles between the SLFP and JVP on restarting the peace talks based on the ISGA proposals, it has no intention to work under a joint mechanism, whether or not the government accepted the proposals submitted by the government.

The government and the LTTE had several rounds of talks with Norwegian facilitation to set up a joint mechanism to handle the post tsunami reconstruction in the north and east but were yet to reach an agreement.

The needs assessment of the donors have identified the requirement for the north and east to be 60% of the total needs assessment of US$ 1.6 billion.

"Norway is facilitating the aid distribution in the north and east. Therefore we see no need for the government to interfere. The LTTE will not work with the government as all state institutions are full of corruption and red tape," the LTTE Peace Secretariat Head said.

While the SLFP stands firm of the joint mechanism, the JVP however, last week stated that they opposed the LTTE's involvement in aid distribution. "We do not agree on the joint mechanism as the distribution of aid should be done by the government alone," JVP Propaganda Secretary, Wimal Weerawansa said.

However, when The Sunday Leader contacted Power and Energy Minister, Susil Premajayanth, he said that if the LTTE expressed unwillingness to work with the government, there was nothing the government could do. "The government has done its part in inviting the LTTE in a joint mechanism. It is now up to the LTTE to decide," he said.

Evidence surfaces on prior tsunami warning

Evidence has surfaced that equipment at the Pallekelle Seismological Station registered seismic movement on the morning of December 26, 2004, although no officials were on duty there to read the warning signs.

According to a graph obtained from the Pallekelle station which functions under the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, the machines registered the tremors at 00:59 (GMT) or 6:59 a.m. Sri Lankan time, a good three hours before the tsunami struck the east coast.

An early warning based on the readings could have saved thousands of lives lost to the tsunami later that day.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Director, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, S. Weerawarnakula said he was aware that the equipment had recorded the seismic readings and that the machines at the Kandy station were in working order.

However, officials at the bureau maintained that no officers were on duty at the station since it was a Sunday.

Fresh probe on Bala called  

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) has written to Speaker W. J. M. Lokubandara demanding the resummoning of Kusumsiri Balapatabendi, high commissioner designate to Australia before the full High Posts Committee of Parliament for scrutiny.

Balapatabendi's appointment was ratified on February 8, when several UNP members were not present.

In a letter dated February 22, 2005, the five UNP members of the Committee, Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya, M. H. Mohomed, Joseph Michael Perera, Prof. G. L. Peiris and Mahinda Samarasinghe have vehemently condemned and opposed the ratification of the former presidential secretary's appointment as high commissioner designate to Australia.

The letter states that Secretary, Foreign Affairs Ministry, by letter has informed the Secretary, High Posts Committee that the nomination of Balapatabendi will not be submitted to the committee for ratification following which it was agreed to put off the examination of Balapatabendi.

The letter further alleges that the assurance so given to the committee on January 5 has been violated by the summoning of Balapatabendi on January 8 without adequate notice to some members of the High Posts Committee.

The UNP members allege that consequently, most UNP members failed to participate at the January 5 meeting where the nomination was ratified.

The letter adds that MP Karu Jayasuriya who was present at the meeting vehemently opposed the ratification which was of no avail and the ratification has been completed with the overruling of Jayasuriya's objections by the High Posts Committee Chairman.

The letter concludes that in view of the grave nature of the charges levelled against some members of the high commissioner designate's family, it was decided unanimously at the UNP parliamentary group meeting on February 21 to register the party's protest to the Speaker against the appointment and the illegal manner in which the ratification was surreptitiously carried through on January 8.

The members also urge the Speaker to request the committee to be reconvened and Balapatabendi be redirected to appear before the full committee.

Water Board warns of water shortage

By Shezna Shums 

With the present humid climate unlikely to change in the near future, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board has warned the public to use water sparingly.

Water consumption in Colombo city alone is over 140 million gallons per day and the Water Board warns that the public should use water sparingly, if sufficient supply of water is to continue till April.

According to Deputy General Manager,  Water Board, H.G. Thilakaratne, water consumption has increased when compared with the usual water consumption  because of the present humidity. 

"Water used for watering gardens and other such purposes should be cut down in order to maintain sufficient water," he said.

"We have to be careful with water consumption till the month of  April, otherwise  some areas are likely to face low water pressure," he added. He also said presently Wellawatte was already experiencing low water pressure.

The biggest water treatment plant is situated at Ambatale and provides Colombo with 115 million gallons of water per day while another water treatment plant at Kalatuwawa provides Colombo with 25 millions gallons of water per day.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Assistant Regional Manager, Ambatale Water Treatment Plant, Ranjith Perera explained that both water treatment plants can only produce 140 million gallons of water per day and this figure cannot be exceeded.

"If more than this quantity of water is consumed per day, the end result is that there will be low pressure in some areas," Perera said.

"The people should be careful, at least till April, in their daily water consumption so that there will be no shortages," he explained.

Perera warned that there will be shortages if the demand for water increases further.

CBK's meeting with Charles called off

By Easwaran Rutnam

The Prince of Wales and Heir to the British throne, Prince Charles who is expected in the island tomorrow will not meet with President Chandrika Kumaratunga as earlier expected.

The original itenary of the Princes' visit included a meeting with President Kumaratunga but was called off at the last minute.

Prince Charles is expected to arrive at the Katunayake International Airport at 6 a.m tomorrow and is scheduled to depart at 11.45 the same morning.

Officials at the Information Department told The Sunday Leader last week that the Princes' appointments were yet to be confirmed but noted that the meeting with the President has indeed been called off.

The visit was shrouded in controversy last week following the government objecting to earlier plans by the Prince to visit the Tamil majority Batticaloa District to inspect the devastation caused by the tsunami.

However, sources said that the Prince was most likely to visit Batticaloa despite the objections which could have led to the cancellation of the meeting with the President.

CMC contemplating legal action

By Risidra Mendis 

A lapse in the collection of garbage by a private company has resulted in the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) contemplating legal action.

A contract was signed between Burns Environmental (Pvt) Ltd. and the CMC in 2001 for a period of 25 years for the disposal of garbage at Bloemendhal Road and the transport of garbage to Sedawatte for composting.

CMC alleges Burns Environmental has violated their contract agreement by repeatedly giving excuses to the CMC for not collecting the garbage in the past few days.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Colombo Mayor, Prasanna Gunewardena said the present garbage problem has become a "headache" for him. "The garbage problem has always been a daily curse. A decision was taken by the CMC for an open tender for the disposal of garbage. According to the terms of contract, the disposal contractor had to accept the garbage and through a treatment process, turn it into compost," the Mayor said.

According to Gunewardena, Burns Environmental built a mechanical composting facility to dispose the garbage. The new facility functioned until September 2004 when the company started avoiding collecting the garbage.

"By February 7, Burns Environmental did not collect the garbage for 10 consecutive days. They gave me various excuses. I cannot accept these excuses because it is my responsibility to see that the garbage is collected and disposed of in a proper manner," the Mayor explained.

As a temporary measure, the CMC is disposing garbage at Ja-Ela. "The Environment Ministry and the CMC are in the process of making alternate arrangements for garbage disposal.

Attempts by The Sunday Leader to contact Burns Environmental were unsuccessful.

Pavement hawkers to go

The CMC is to issue notice on unauthorised pavement hawkers in Borella. The pavement hawkers have for many years used the Borella pavement to sell their wares with no protests from the public.

The CMC  would instruct the relevant authorities to issue letters on the pavement hawkers for violating the CMC laws.  "Pavement hawkers sell their wares without blocking the pavement, and though illegal, it is acceptable. However, for pavement hawkers who block the pavement and sell their products, the CMC will have to take action against them. The pavement is for pedestrians and not for the encroachment of pavement hawkers," Colombo Mayor, Prasanna Gunewardena said.

Controversy over tender change

By Jamila Najmuddin 

Controversy surrounds the government's decision to change the conditions of tender for the supply of a popular drug, Sandoglobulin 6 mg.

Drug suppliers claim that the tender specifications have been altered to suit only one supplier.

Drug suppliers claim that although no recommendation was made by any committee to request for the tender change, a committee was appointed by the Health Ministry on May 22, 2003 to discuss the tender change. The change involves the supply of the similar drug available at 5 mg and with a 'sucrose free' label.

Although the replaced drug has the same effects as the previous drug, drug suppliers have stated that the government would purchase the new drug at an additional cost of Rs.4,134,000 which was unnecessary . "There is no difference in the drugs as both have the same effect on the patient. The government needs to answer why they are purchasing the same drug at an additional cost of Rs. 4,134,00," Sales Manager, Novartis Pharma Sector, Jeffrey Solomon told The Sunday Leader.

According to Solomon, last year, same specifications were made in the tender but on representations made by certain drug suppliers, the specifications were withdrawn.

"Our company has been regularly supplying the previous drug to the Health Ministry and this year too we have supplied over 500 vials of the same drug to the Medical Supplies Division," Solomon said adding that the tender specifications were purely served to create a monopoly in the immunoglobulin market, which contravened the government's idea of breaking monopolies.

Meanwhile, despite several attempts by The Sunday Leader to contact the Health Ministry officials, none were available for comment.

UNICEF Chief Executive Officer to meet Tamilselvan - LTTE

The LTTE says that Chief Executive Director, UNICEF, Carol Belamy is expected in the island soon to hold talks with LTTE Political Wing Leader, S.P. Tamilselvan to discuss matters related to child conscription.

Head of the LTTE Peace Secretariat, S. Puleethevan told The Sunday Leader that although the date of Belamy's arrival had not been discussed, they expected her to arrive soon.  

The United Nations Security Council last week condemned the use of child soldiers in conflicts around the world, calling on the LTTE to end recruiting child soldiers once and for all.

A report by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan has listed 42 armed groups in 11 nations that should be punished for recruiting or using children in war which included the LTTE.

However, Puleethevan claims that the UN has also expressed satisfaction in the LTTE's willingness to discuss matters relating to the recruitment of child soldiers.

Meanwhile, when The Sunday Leader contacted the UN office in Colombo, National Information Officer, UN Colombo, Mohan Samaranayake said that the UN was unaware of Belamy's visit. "We have not been informed to date and have not heard of her arrival," he said.

UNICEF Communication Officer, Geoffrey Keele also maintained that UNICEF was unaware of Belamy's visit.

However, they claimed that Belamy was in the country soon after the tsunami devastation and visited affected areas in the north and south.

Ministers warn of public backlash

Pandemonium reigned in cabinet last week with ministers critical of the government's handling of the post tsunami reconstruction efforts and demanding the summoning of Secretary, Public Security, Law and Order Ministry and Commissioner of Essential Services, Tilak Ranaviraja before cabinet to explain the current status of the reconstruction efforts.

Ministers said that the people were very critical of the government's handling of the situation and this would soon lead to a backlash.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse who chaired the meeting in the absence of President Kumaratunga, agreeing with the ministers said the situation was particularly bad in the south and the people would soon be demonstrating on the streets if remedial action is not taken immediately.

Rajapakse had also said that before long, ministers would have to avoid travelling by road and take helicopters given the rising level of public dissension.

JVP ministers making a statement in cabinet said there was no one responsible present at the meeting to answer several concerns they have and would therefore remain silent without wasting their time.

Subsequently Ranaviraja was summoned before cabinet and was asked to explain the reconstruction efforts particularly in relation to housing and was instructed to take steps within the next two weeks to address the concerns of the people.

A clash also erupted between Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama and Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle over the import of flour from Turkey.

Fernandopulle had sought cabinet approval to import flour from Turkey bypassing tender procedure to meet an anticipated shortfall in the market.

However Amunugama had said that the Finance Ministry cannot approve such a procedure and could not allocate funds for it.

Fernandopulle had argued that he was facing such a situation due to the mishandling of the whole crisis by the minister in charge of disaster management and that unless approval is granted for his proposal, he will not take responsibility for any shortage of flour in the market.

Resettlement only according to UN guidelines - JJ

Chairman, UNP Relief and Human Rights Committee, Dr Jayalath Jayawardena has requested the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruude Lubbers to take immediate action to ensure that tsunami victims displaced from their place of habitual and traditional residencies be resettled voluntarily, safely and with dignity according to the universaly accepted UN guidelines on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

"Most of the tsunami victims in the country live close to the sea as most of the victims are fishermen. These fishermen need to be close to the sea to continue fishing as this is their only livelihood. Forcing them to be away from the sea and to resettle them 100 meters away is a suicidal attempt. It is a known fact that most of these fishermen are not willing to move out of their habitual residencies," Dr. Jayawardena said.

According to Dr. Jayawardena, President Chandrika Kumaratunga is trying to introduce a resettlement programme for tsunami victims against the wishes of the victims.

SLMM investigating Kiladi shooting

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) is in the process of verifying where the soldier who was shot dead by the LTTE in Kiladi was during the time of the incident.

The LTTE says the soldier was in LTTE territory which was a violation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) while the army says he was within the boundaries of state control.

SLMM Spokeswoman, Helen Olafsdottir told The Sunday Leader that there is a disparity on the exact location of the soldier at the time he was shot according to the two sides.

"We are trying to ensure where  he was at the time he was shot before going further into our inquiries," she said.

Olafsdottir said that although the army has made an official complaint regarding the incident, the LTTE is yet to do so.

The army complaint had stated that the incident was a violation of the CFA as the LTTE fired upon the soldier, killing him and wounding another.

Although the LTTE did not lodge an official complaint with the SLMM, they released a statement saying the incident was following provocation from the armed soldier.

The army is carrying out separate inquiries into the incident.

Relief for country's hard hit fishermen

By Jamila Najmuddin 

In a bid to revive the tsunami battered fishing industry, cabinet last week has granted a sum of Rs. 100 million to the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation (CFC) which will purchase fish at justifiable prices from hard hit fishermen islandwide.

The island's fisheries industry is currently in a battered state due to the poor demand for fish causing a financial crisis collectively for the fisher folk.

Despite repeated appeals by the government and medical experts that fish consumption is safe, most people still abhor the thought of consuming fish. To combat this, the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation (CFC) intends launching sales promotions islandwide.

"A programme was launched in Colombo last week, where the public was educated on the importance of consuming fish. The public was also informed that it was 100% safe to consume fish. We will hold several such programmes in the weeks to come including the northeast to revive the industry," Chairman, Ceylon Fisheries Corporation (CFC), N. B. Nevil said.

"The Rs. 100 million approved by cabinet will be released by the Treasury next week and in order to assist the hard hit fishermen, the corporation will purchase fish directly from fishermen and sell at attractive prices. Although the government will be facing a loss, we will not keep any margin on the fish prices as they will be sold at low prices," Nevil added.

Following the devastation on December 26, not only coastal Sri Lanka but also the hill country simply dropped the fish eating habit. However, despite appeals, low fish consumption prevails. Hundreds of fish stalls, according to the CFC continue to remain closed, which has prompted suppliers and sellers to complain to the government.

"We have closed our stalls as we do not have any customers. Before the tsunami we made sales of Rs. 5000 per day but after the tsunami we only earned Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 per day. We cannot afford to continue this way as we are facing huge losses," R. P. Kulathunga, a fisherman from Galle told The Sunday Leader.

While fish is priced at a mere Rs. 20 and Rs. 30 in areas such as Galle and Beruwala, in Colombo, fish prices are as high as Rs. 400 to Rs. 500 which has led fishermen in the south to complain endlessly. "This is unfair as many sellers from Colombo purchase the fish from us and sell it to the public at exorbitant prices. They bargain from us saying that they too are facing losses as people do not buy fish anymore. Then why do they price their stocks so high? It is the government that has to look into this," S. Perera from Beruwala complained.

While the northeast fish industry also remains dry, the CFC Chairman said that they hope to revive the industry within four months by encouraging people not to give up on their main source of protein.

A Sting for tsunami victims

By Easwaran Rutnam 

Grammy award winning singer and songwriter, Sting and wife, actress/producer, Trudie Styler always wanted to visit Sri Lanka, but it is the December 26 tsunami that brought them here with massive financial aid.

Sting has been involved in many charity concerts and raised funds for various humanitarian causes.

In an interview with The Sunday Leader, Styler admitted that she was very keen to get more assistance for the devastated areas. She visited Hambantota and Galle last week to gain firsthand experience of the devastation.

"The togetherness shown by people in these areas has put the recovery effort on track. You feel inspired when you talk to them and it is extraordinary considering what they have gone through," said a visibly moved Styler.

Styler is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations International Children's Education Fund (UNICEF).

Her husband Sting has just raised $ 4 million for tsunami relief in Australia and Styler too has managed to secure more than $ 2 million for Sri Lanka.

Styler feels that as an actress it is easy to communicate with affected people and added that it is not only the money one could spend on relief that is important, but also the time that one could give to the distressed.

"One Muslim person I met in Galle thanked me for coming down to see them even though I was an actress. Those words touched me," she said.

The actress, who has appeared in the TV series Friends said that her nine-year-old son Giacomo spent a lot of time with the local kids in Galle playing with them as if they were his close friends.

"You don't see a difference at all. They are all kids and my son acted as if he was part of their group. The instant bonding amongst children is amazing. He did not show any signs that his dad was a famous rock singer and mingled so well with the displaced children," said the actress. Her 11-year-old daughter Coco also accompanied her.

The Stings have been in the island for just over a week and ran into visiting former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Snr in Galle last week.

Styler has been invited to speak at a UN fund-raiser in Los Angeles at which she hopes to raise the issue of helping the tsunami affected Sri Lankan children specifically.

Rising temperature causing havoc

By Shezna Shums 

The temperature increase in the Indian Ocean is expected to cause unusual atmospheric conditions - such as sea levels to rise causing severe bleaching of corals. Parts of the island may also face the threat of being submerged.

According to Head, Oceanography Department, National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency, Dr. K. Arulananthan, the weather changes in the Indian Ocean region is dependent on air pressure variations, which is presently taking place in the equator area and the upper Indian subcontinent such as Mongolia.

"The temperatures, vary with the season - so when the Indian Ocean's water heats up, there is a dry season and the temperatures rise," explained Dr. Arulananthan.

When this happens, the air tends to get heated and expands, which could cause its density to decrease. This in turn creates a vacuum and results in the northeast monsoon, he added.

However, Dr. Arulananthan stresses that of late, the temperature of the Indian Ocean waters is on the increase attributing it as a direct result of global warming.

According to him, the main cause of the water heating has not been identified. The temperature has been rising for the past 15 years though scientists have begun to study the phenomenon only now.

"This heating of the water is causing havoc in air pressure and wind patterns and also affects the rainfall," he further said. Rainfall, air pressure and wind are all interconnected and when the ocean's water heats up, other climate components immediately get affected.

Some of the possible dramatic changes include unexpected rain and persistent droughts in places where rain is expected. Dr. Arulananthan also said that in 1998 when warm water travelled towards the Indian Ocean, the temperature increase was 1.5 degrees, which literally bleached the entire region's coral reefs.

No money to repair disaster warning unit

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema 

Peradeniya University Geological Faculty Head, L. R. K. Perera last week informed the parliamentary select committee on preparedness on natural disasters that non availability of funds remains an impediment to repair the disaster warning unit at the university.

Making his observation before the committee Perera said an official from the department was trying to repair the disaster warning facility but lack of funds prevented this process.

It is also learnt that since December 26, no official complaint had been made to the state on the defunct disaster warning system at the university to detect earthquakes.

The disaster warning system, which is yet to be repaired, is awaiting a grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Perera noted that JICA is expected to send an official in April this year to visit Peradeniya to report on the extent of the damage to the system.

Officials including the Head, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, S. Weerawarnakula giving evidence before the committee maintained that Sri Lanka would have to join an international tsunami warning centre if the country is to receive early warnings on any future tsunami situation.

They also recommended the setting up of a good communication system, a multi hazard early warning system and organising awareness programmes.

The armed forces commanders and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chandra Fernando who also participated in another committee session on Thursday, observed that the lack of proper co-ordination posed a huge problem during a natural disaster.

IGP Chandra Fernando said that the communications system/public address system of the police force needs to be upgraded as the police still functions through a system installed several years ago.

Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Daya Sandagiri noted that although sailors have been taught about tsunamis during training, the navy has no way of monitoring or issuing any warning signals of a tsunami.

He said the local navy has a barometer and checks on the temperature while relying on the local weather reports for sailing purposes, adding that sailors are only given a basic navigating education.

Sandagiri said that he received information on the tsunami from the Trincomalee naval base, which he had then forwarded to the authorities. He also observed that there was not enough time to make a public announcement.

Army Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Shantha Kottegoda said that the authorities should work out a standard operational procedure where everyone would know the part they are expected to play during a disaster.

Air Force Commander, Donald Perera while agreeing with his counterparts in the navy and army reiterated the importance of the establishment of an early warning system.

Maintain SLFP's original policy on ISGA - JHU

By Easwaran Rutnam 

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has asked the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to ensure the Freedom Alliance government does not fulfill the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals put forward by the LTTE.

The JHU says as a coalition partner in the government the JVP has a responsibility towards the nation to ensure the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) does not deviate from its original policy.

JHU MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero told The Sunday Leader that it is clear President Chandrika Kumaratunga is operating on a personal mandate and not according to that given to her by the people.

"She has been discussing the ISGA proposals with all the political parties except her own ally. However, as the JVP lent its support to the SLFP to form a government it should now ensure the original policy of the state, not to accept the ISGA," the Thero noted.

The JHU MP was responding to the comments by the JVP that it opposed the official statement issued by the government, which stated that it was prepared to discuss the ISGA proposals with the LTTE.

Rathana Thero said that if the government were to resume negotiations based on the ISGA proposals, then President Chandrika Kumaratunga would be making a serious mistake and the JHU will garner international support to condemn it.

"The LTTE is a banned outfit world over, so the President does not have the right to even consider giving a separate state to such an organisation," Thero said.

He noted that even the UNP regime led by Ranil Wickremesinghe was aware of this and ensured the ISGA proposals were not agreed upon.

Re-mapping still continues

By Shezna Shums

Re mapping the coastal areas of the island is yet continuing and the Sri Lanka Survey Department is awaiting aerial photographs of the tsunami affected areas to complete the process.

The Indian government while taking aerial photographs of the tsunami-hit areas in India is also expected to take pictures of the Sri Lankan coastline.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Deputy Surveyor General, U. S. B. Panamaldeniya said that there are changes to the Sri Lankan coastline following the December 26 tsunami, but he added that the department needs more pictures from foreign experts in order to determine the exact changes that the coastline has undergone.

Presently the department has mapped the areas in Kalutara but they are expected to mark the tsunami-hit areas in Galle, Hikkaduwa, Ampara and up to Jaffna and Trincomalee shortly.

"We have completed the markings of Kalutara but we are yet completing other parts of the country. Since we do not have our own helicopters we depend on the pictures we can get," said Panamaldeniya.

"The local offices in the affected areas have already been instructed to carry out these markings, and once the details are sent to the department along with the aerial photographs, we can then make the relevant changes to the map," said Panamaldeniya adding that they are not sure exactly when they will get these aerial pictures from India.

No relief on water and electricity bills

By Easwaran Rutnam 

While coastal dwellers earmarked for relocation claim of being instructed to stop paying their monthly water and electricity bills, both the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) are demanding settlement of bills claiming such concessions have not been granted.

Authorities maintain that decisions have not been made still while the victim families claim that they have been authorised by local authorities and interestingly enough, by local politicians not to pay the bills.

Some coastal dwellers - most of them fishermen living in Moratuwa and Ratmalana areas told The Sunday Leader that the authorities have instructed them against paying their outstanding bills as they were affected by the tsunami and will be relocated to a new location beyond the 100 meter buffer zone.

No directive yet

However, the CEB says they are yet to receive a directive from the state in this regard and until such is received, consumers will be billed accordingly.

Area Manager, CEB, T. Alahakoon told The Sunday Leader although they were approached by some families who were affected by the tsunami to waive off their bills the CEB had informed them that a decision to that effect has not yet been taken.

"There were reports in the media that the state will offer them relief by cancelling their payments for electricity and pipe borne water. But we have not been advised on that course of action so we continue to process the bills even for the affected residents," he said.

However, Alahakoon said that there are many houses on the coast that are unoccupied after the tsunami and the CEB has decided not to disconnect the supply until a request from the resident is made. "We don't know whether they occupy those places or not after the tsunami. So there is a grace period of sorts that we adhere to," he explained.

However, he said the outstanding usage bill recorded prior to the tsunami in these houses would remain.

Bill will remain

"Some times foreigners or Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) may pay some people's bills, but as long as it is paid we have no issues because the bill will remain until we get a directive from the government," he added.

Cecil Kariyapperuma, a senior officer of the NWSDB said that their officers are carrying out surveys of the affected areas in Moratuwa and Panadura.

Kariyapperuma said that the NWSDB decided not to disconnect the supply to the houses damaged by the tsunami even if they are at present unoccupied until a family member makes a request.

"We found that there was no usage after the tsunami in most affected houses. However, there are outstanding balances recorded prior to the tsunami which need to be paid," he asserted.

The NWSDB says it too has processed bills for the families affected by the tsunami.

However, Kariyapperuma says the NWSDB officers had done an assessment and forwarded a proposal to the government on the meter readings, of the affected families.

"It is up to the government to tell us if we are to wipe out the bills or reduce a percentage," he added.