In a similar letter sent by the same signatories to Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapakse, the Colombo South Sumithrayo members alleged that "the Chairman and Council of Management of Sri Lanka Sumithrayo" run the charity "as if it is their private business rather than a public institution."

They further told the officials in their letter that Sumithrayo’s financial affairs were "not in order," charging that "vast sums of money" were being stashed up at this "non profit making organisation."

When volunteer members inquire about accounting irregularities, they wrote, they are "asked to go home or are forced and pressured into resigning." Adding that "there is no transparency and accountability," the officials were hoping that Minister Devananda would invoke his privilege "in keeping with Parliament Act No. 31 of 1980" and appoint an interim council to replace the current management, bringing the house to order.

The letter carried several attachments detailing the allegations: discrepancies in the management structure, volunteer abuse, financial mismanagement and alleged illegal reappointment of officials dismissed for malpractice.

To begin with, Sumithrayo was set up over 34 years ago, yet still has only 11 branches, all of which are located in major towns and cities.

This is seen by many seasoned volunteers and mental health workers as wasteful, since the majority of cases of depression and suicide are thought to occur in rural areas.

"It is a well known fact that most of the suicidal and depressed are from very remote villages in the country," a long time counsellor told The Sunday Leader. "So it is pointless putting Sumithrayo branches in major towns."

The current Acting Chairman of Sumithrayo’s National Council (or main decision making body), Anura Wijemanne, is a former volunteer from Sumithrayo’s Colombo South Branch. Wijemanne was removed from the branch by its Management Council, along with a fellow volunteer named Dharme, who was the acting treasurer.

Their removal was communicated to Sumithrayo’s National Council by a letter dated December 28, 2007, signed by two directors of the Colombo South Branch.

The reasons cited for removing Wijemanne were "undermining the work" of the management council and "conduct unbecoming of a Sumithrayo volunteer," with reference to an attached letter of complaint.

The complaint by a female director of the Colombo South Branch, claimed that Wijemanne had forced her into a room, attempted to force her resignation and threatened her with assault — an allegation that Wijemanne has ferociously denied.

The reason cited for removing Dharme, who served as treasurer of the Colombo South branch of Sumithrayo, was that he was "refusing to hand over accounts" to the new treasurer "after he was given plenty of notice both verbally and in writing," and "refusing to carry out an internal audit."

Allegedly, the "Chairperson and Council of Management" had instructed Dharme to perform an audit, yet he had not complied.

After Dharme and Anura Wijemanne had been removed, the management of the Colombo South Branch filed a police complaint against Dharme, in an attempt to force him to produce accounts files that were said to be missing.

The ensuing fracas between the police, Management Council and two dismissed volunteers led ultimately to the temporary closure of Sumithrayo’s Colombo South Branch.

With the bickering intense on both sides, all that is for certain is that it is those who seek Sumithrayo and who depend on its activities, who lose, at the end of the day.

The drama continued in a style that would put even our politicians to shame. A Special General Meeting of the Colombo South Branch of Sumithrayo was held at the organisation’s Horton Place office, on January 13.

At this meeting it was decided that Anura Wijemanne’s and Dharme’s sackings were illegal, and they were, in their presence, reinstated to the Management Council. A proposal was taken to move a vote of no confidence against the two directors who fired Wijemanne and Dharme, and the meeting was adjourned.

Yet it turned out not long afterwards that there was a teeny little snag in the proceedings of the January 13 meeting. The meeting was attended by just 32 out of the Colombo South branch’s 60 volunteers. According to the standing rules of that branch, the quorum required for a meeting to convene is two thirds of the total number of volunteers, which in this case would have been 40.

With the deadlock continuing, Colombo South remains without an operational Sumithrayo centre. The true tragedy in all this is that neither camp in the Sumithrayo fighting can be too burdened by the lack of infrastructure and facilities, a plight that affects mainly those who are served by organisations such as Sumithrayo.