A mob consisting of around 30 Sinhala youths launched an attack on a Tamil housing colony of plantation workers at Alupola Estate of Ratnapura district in Sri Lanka’s Sabaragamuwa Province. At least six persons were reportedly injured in the incident when threatened Tamils resisted the aggressors by engaging in counter violence.

Consequent to the attack which occurred about 2 am in the night on April 17, 2013, much tension prevails in the area with the beleaguered Tamil minority living in the estates fearing retaliation from the Sinhala majority living in surrounding villages. Police are now patrolling the neighbourhood to maintain law and order.

Alupola Estate is situated in a picturesque valley between the Adam’s Peak wilderness sanctuary and Bambarabutuwe forest reserve. Alupola Estate comprises 306 hectares in area and grows high quality low grown tea. Its annual output is 1.2 million kilos of fresh green tea leaf.

Alupola is 28 km away from Ratnapura, the capital city of Sabaragamuwa province. Ratnapura meaning ‘City of gems’ is 101 km south east of Colombo city.

Most Tamil workers at Alupola Estate live in a housing scheme called ‘Thondamanpura’. It was so named after former Ceylon Workers Congress leader Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman who served as a cabinet minister in the Governments of former Presidents JR Jayewardena, Ranasinghe Premadasa and Chandrika Kumaratunga. The veteran trade unionist was regarded as the ‘plantation patriarch’ and was the grandfather of present minister and CWC leader Arumugan Thondaman.

The Alupola attack apparently had its origins in a musical show. There had been a musical show as part of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations at neighbouring Galbode Estate. Many from Thondamanpura had gone for it.

When Tamils were returning home after the musical show some Sinhala youths had cast lewd remarks at some of the girls. When Tamil youths protested racist remarks were made. Tamil youths had also responded with similar racist remarks. This led to a large crowd assembling and assaulting the Aluboda Tamil youths. Heavily outnumbered, the Aluboda Tamils had fled the scene.

Two Tamils were badly injured in the incident and had to take medical treatment at the Balangoda hospital. A 23 year old youth named Thamilselvan was admitted to hospital for serious injuries while the other youth Vijayakumar received treatment as an out patient.

The matter however did not end there. A mob of about 30 Sinhala youths from Wewalwatte had invaded Alupola Estate about 2 am in the night and attacked the ‘Thondamanpura’ housing scheme. Most of the youths were in an inebriated state. The mob had chanted racist obscene slogans and entered a few dwellings demanding that Tamils leave Ape Rata (Our Country) or face death. The mob also started assaulting some people.

Residents of Thondamanpura particularly Tamil youths had then offered resistance and engaged in counter violence. The mob had then retreated tactically and commenced a fresh attack from a distance.

A barrage of stones were thrown on the dwellings in Thondamanpura. The Tamils also retaliated by throwng stones back at the mob. After a while the violent exchange of stones ended and the Sinhala youths went away vowing to return with more persons and burn Thondamanpura.

The Alupola Estate Tamils then contacted a number of up country Tamil politicians, trade union representatives and religious leaders. They in turn contacted the Police at high levels. As a result a Police party went from Wewalwatte police station to the troubled area and exerted pressure on the hostile Sinhala residents to keep calm thus preventing further escalation of violence.

In a further development four Sinhala youths also obtained medical treatment at the Balangoda hospital for injuries sustained during the fracas at Alupola Estate when Tamil residents of Thondamanpura fought back against the aggressors.
Although further violence has been prevented due to the Police presence and an uneasy peace prevails the area remains tense with most Tamils remaining in their homes without venturing out.

What is worrisome in the situation is the fact that the attack on Alupola Estate is not an isolated instance in recent times. There has been a pattern in Ratnapura district of several attacks on Tamils living in the estates by Sinhala groups from surrounding villages.
According to a media statement by Mano Ganesan, former Parliamentarian and leader of Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) there had been an incident at Alupola Estate a few months ago when a Sinhala mob had attacked a Hindu temple in the area. There was an ongoing case in this connection and it is felt that the attack on Alupola Estate Tamils when returning from the Musical show at Galbode Estate was related to the previous enmity.

Apart from the Alupola and Galbode estate incidents Mano Ganesan also said that there had been a violent incident at Dolaswela estate in the Nivithigala division a few days ago. There had also been two more incidents at Lellopitiya and Gonakumbura estates in the Pelmadulla division a week ago. In all such incidents mobs from surrounding Sinhala villages had attacked Tamils living in estates. DPF leader Mano Ganesan also called upon CWC leader and minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development Arumugan Thondaman to take urgent action and ensure protection for the Tamils living in Kegalle and Ratnapura districts of the Sabaragamuwa province.

He said that special security measures were necessary as the Tamils in estates were a minority entity living amidst an overwhelming Sinhala majority in surrounding villages. Ganesan also drew attention to the fact that the CWC, DPF and Up Country Peoples Front had fielded a common list under the CWC cockerel symbol at the last Sabaragamuwa Provincial elections. A sizable number of Tamils had voted for the list despite intimidation and got two Tamils elected to the Provincial Council.

The Bodu Bala Sena said the people at the vigil should be arrested for distorting the national anthem

It all started with a Facebook group titled ‘Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena’. A tense situation developed last Friday (19) as members of this group gathered in front of the Buddhist Cultural Centre on Sambuddatva Jayanthi Mawatha. The people planned to hold a candlelight vigil in front of the building at 7 p.m. During the vigil, the gathering planned to chant stanzas from the Subashithaya, which deal with the concept of ‘Samma Vacha’ (translating as good/beneficial words) and a section of the national anthem.

It was meant to be a peaceful event, but it quickly spiraled into chaos.

Fifteen minutes before the vigil was even scheduled to start, police descended on the crowd and began abruptly detaining the people gathered.

The incident

Roshan and Thilina (names changed to protect privacy) both attended the vigil. According to them, police arrived on the scene even before the event was scheduled to start, and told the people gathered there that they could not light candles in front of the Centre (which also happens to be where the Bodu Bala Sena headquarters are located). Some Bodu Bala Sena members, including monks, came out of the building. Around this time, police abruptly detained two of the crowd for questioning.

The police then pushed the crowd back towards Perera and Sons on Havelock Road, Roshan and Thilina said.

A policeman on the scene then said the IGP had given the order to arrest everyone if they did not disperse. There were two police vehicles on the scene – and those attending noticed that the policemen were equipped with tear gas canisters.
At the same time, one of the people attending began to explain what the purpose of the vigil was to the media assembled, and the police began threatening to arrest him as the leader of the group.

“The police were very keen to find out who the leader of the group was, and repeatedly asked the leaders to come forward,” one of the people said. The crowd said there was no ‘leader’ and that they had gathered solely based on information from the Facebook page, as they did not want one or two people to become scapegoats. “Arrest all of us,” they said.

By this time, there was a crowd of around 150 people, far too many for the police vehicles, so it was proposed that the crowd walk to the Bambalapitiya police station. At Gower Street the procession stopped as the crowd refused to walk through dark by-lanes, saying they wanted to travel to the police station on the main road. The policemen began recording statements from the crowd, some of whom began to light their candles again.

At around this time around 30 Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) supporters, including Executive Committee member Dilanthe Withanage, arrived on the scene, eye-witnesses said.

Withanage began to abuse the crowd accusing them of being, ‘NGO kaarayas’ and ‘kotiyas,’ the vigil attendees said. The BBS supporters had further said the people gathered were ‘nightclub Buddhists’ as they were not wearing white and many did not have the ‘pirith thread’ on their wrists, Thilina said, before going on to accuse that many of the gathered were not Buddhists at all, but rather Muslims and Christians. They were also brandishing pieces of paper and saying that the people gathered were trying to change the national anthem, and calling for the police to arrest those gathered.

Meanwhile, the policemen told those gathered that if they did not douse their candles they ‘could not be held responsible’ for any harm that came to them, Thilina said.

The crowd had become agitated, but realizing that Withanage was trying to incite the crowd, they had not responded to the abuse.
Once again the police asked people to disperse, but the vigil attendees began lighting candles, at which point the police began physically assaulting them. One of the witnesses who spoke to The Sunday Leader said his candle was knocked out of his hand by the police officer who was recording statements. The officer then stomped on the candle, jabbed him in the stomach and threatened to break his hand if he did not stop. The crowd walked to Vajira Road and eventually dispersed.

In all, five people were picked up by Bambalapitiya Police, and taken to a couple of police stations. However several lawyers arrived to plead their case and they were all subsequently released. Police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena in the immediate aftermath said that no one had been detained or arrested despite several witnesses saying they had seen five people being taken away before their eyes.
The ‘Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena’ Facebook page posted a statement shortly before 7 p.m. explaining that the vigil was not an anti-Bodu Bala Sena rally but only a peaceful vigil, adding that they had informed the Cinnamon Gardens police station beforehand and had received their support.

The Bodu Bala Sena’s Response

Executive Committee member Dilanthe Withanage said the Bodu Bala Sena had known about the vigil one day in advance. They had been planning a pirith ceremony at 6.30 p.m. but postponed it for fear of clashes, Withanage said.

The Bodu Bala Sena had also closed their office early at 4.30 p.m. in readiness for the vigil, he said. “The first thing these people should have done is written to us and come and met us… the first step should have been dialogue,” Withanage said.

Withanage further added that the vigil organizers had done something illegal as they had distorted the national anthem by only singing a part of it. He added that he had requested the policemen to arrest the vigil attendees as soon as they gathered as they were violating the Constitution.

In the aftermath of the incident, Withanage circulated a text to the media with a disturbing allegation. “Arrest fake Buddhists (who supported LTTE) who distort national anthem of Sri Lanka,” the text message read. Upon being asked what evidence the Bodu Bala Sena had that the people who attended the vigil were LTTE supporters, Withanage said that he was quoting an article published on the Colombo Telegraph website.
Several people wearing Bodu Bala Sena T-shirts took photographs of the people lighting candles, which were later circulated on Facebook. Withanage denied that the photographers were from the organization, saying that anybody could purchase a Bodu Bala Sena T- shirt. “It’s like purchasing an Adidas T-shirt,” he explained.

Vigil attendees’ photos circulated

Whoever the photographers were, pictures of the people attending the vigil soon spread to several Facebook pages, with unknown culprits revealing the identities of several of the protestors and even lifting photographs from their personal profiles. Many posted profane comments under these pictures, some even threatening to rape the women there or claiming that they were prostitutes. Others had labelled the attendees as not being Buddhist and then castigated them for attending. Even journalists covering the event were not spared; following the incident several news sites and journalists’ Twitter accounts were labeled as ‘Traitors’. One of the Facebook pages sharing these photos bore the Bodu Bala Sena name and logo, though it was not the Bodu Bala Sena’s official website – the site was later removed from Facebook.

Videographer Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai’s picture was circulated as well, although she was only covering the event in her capacity as a journalist. Kanagasabapathipillai said she was caught between the crowd and the police, and had been taking pictures. Tensions had been high and as she was one of the few women taking pictures she said it was possible the photographers mistook her for an organiser as well. Several people were videoing and photographing the attendees, including a man who was attempting to incite the police to arrest the crowd, although the crowd was remaining mostly silent.

Meanwhile, at least one of the victims said they would be submitting a report to the Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) following the incident.
Upon being asked if it was the Bodu Bala Sena who had circulated the pictures, Withanage said, “Officially, no.” The group was only responsible for the website ‘bbs.org’ he reiterated. He added that he had had several issues with people misusing the Bodu Bala Sena logo in the past, and that he had an inkling of the identity of these people. “I can guess that they belong to some of these other Sinhalese groups,’ Withanage said. ‘We completely disagree with circulating someone’s photos without their permission,’ Withanage said. He added that he himself had received threats following the incident with anonymous calls threatening to ‘destroy’ him. ‘We don’t do any harm although of course we will always fight against extremism,’ Withanage said.
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Withanage on Norway funding issue

On April 7, the website Asian Tribune interviewed Executive Committee member Dilanthe Withanage and alleged that the Bodu Bala Sena had received funding from Norway. Below is an excerpt of the interview:
Asian Tribune: There are some other things I have to ask you. It is about Mr. Arne Fjortoft. Also about the TV debate you had some time ago with Mr. Azath Salley in the Max TV. I think if I remember correctly, he asked you at the course of the discussion, whether Bodu Bala Sena is receiving funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo and also about the visit of the Norwegian Ambassador Ms. Grete Løchen along with Mr. Arne Fjortoft to the office of the Bodu Bala Sena, at Sri Sambuddathwa Jayanthi Mandiraya, located at Thunmulla Junction, Colombo and about five of your Buddhist monks visiting Norway.

I was told that during that debate you haven’t responded to those questions.

Mr. Dilantha Withanage: No I have replied to those issues he raised.
Asian Tribune: What did you say? Who are those five Buddhist Monks who visited Norway?
Mr. Dilantha Withanage: I can tell you. I think that was in 2010 … I think.
Asian Tribune: No, I think that was in October 2011.

Mr. Dilantha Withanage: I must check my passport, I can’t remember. May be on October 2011, but not happened in 2012. I know for sure, because after we visited Norway only we launched our Bodu Bala Sena on 07 May 2012.
Asian Tribune: You also went in that delegation to Norway.
Mr. Dilantha Withanage: Yes. I can give the names of those who were in our delegation that visited Norway. They are-

1. Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thero (Presently General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena)
2. Ven. Witharandeniye Nanda Thero (He is now the national organizer of Bodu Bala Sena)
3. Ven. Aluthwewa Ananda Thero
4. Ven. Dapane Sumanawansa Thero
5. Ven. Welimada Shantha Thero
6. Mr. Pujitha Wijesinghe and
7. Mr. Mark Antony Perera

If you say that Bodu Bala Sena members went in a delegation to visit Norway, then it will be wrong. At that time there was no organization as such. They represented different organizations.

Asian Tribune: So these were the eight people including you who visited Norway in 2011. What were you doing in Norway?
Mr. Dilantha Withanage: In fact we were invited by one of the organization in Norway. In fact I have forgotten the name of the organization. Actually we visited Norway and had discussion with some of the Tamil friends there. I don’t know whether friends we met in Norway represented actually the section of the vociferous Tamil diaspora? Some of them we met, I learnt were supporters of the LTTE. You can say they are just a very small section of the Tamil diaspora. Then we visited some social organizations including a couple of Elders Home and we visited the Norwegian Parliament. We had meeting also with former Minister Erick Solheim. We also had meetings with some Norwegian Parliamentarians. Also we visited houses of some of the Tamil friends.

Withanage in response to questions from The Sunday Leader said that he had in fact answered the allegations in an interview with former Deputy Mayor of Colombo, Azath Salley on Max TV. He confirmed that a delegation had visited Norway but said that the group had received no funding during the visit, adding that the Bodu Bala Sena had not been in existence at the time of the visit.

Minister Mervyn Silva with Hasitha Madawala and The incident took place close to this motor vehicle

The acquittal of Malaka Silva in the case of the alleged assault on an Army Intelligence Officer, and the granting of bail to Sarath Edirisinghe alias Singappuru Sarath and Saman Nishaman two of the five main suspects in the murder of Hasitha Madawala (Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha member), implies that any suspected criminals connected to Public Relations and Public Affairs Minister Mervyn Silva are released in next to no time.

This has been evident in the past also, when Malaka Silva was accused of many acts of intimidation and unlawful behaviour, legal action was not taken because he is the son of Minister Mervyn Silva. The Minister’s mantle of protection extends not only to his kith and kin but to the near and dear friends of his offspring who have been accused of criminal acts.

The blight that is Malaka

Malaka is notorious for his intimidating behavior especially in nightclubs and it was not so long ago – on September 9, 2012 that he and his friend Rehan Wijeratne together with Ministerial Security Division (MSD) personnel went on a rampage in the JAIC Hilton car park where they assaulted an Army Intelligence Officer Major Chandana Pradeep and a Corporal.

Police report on the murder and Post Mortem Report

Although the video footage from JAIC Hilton’s CCTV has clearly shown how the army Major and the Corporal were attacked by Malaka, Rehan and the MSD personnel, it was evident that the Sri Lanka Army did not stand by their staff but followed a deaf and dumb attitude instead.

Although the Major first stated that it was Malaka, Rehan and some security officers who assaulted him and Malaka was accused of taking the Major’s service firearm and the mobile phone, due to pressure mounted on him by Minister Mervyn Silva, Major Chandana Pradeep had to submit an affidavit to courts claiming that he was not assaulted by Malaka and his group but by some other group.

“It is a well-known secret as to how Minister Mervyn Silva acted fast when it was reported that his son had assaulted an Army Major and that the army officer has sustained severe head injuries and was undergoing treatment at the Accident Ward of the National Hospital. If not for the complete turn the Army Intelligence Officer took because of the pressure from Minister Silva, it would have been a tough time for Malaka. Knowing what the consequences would be, Major Chandana Pradeep later submitted an affidavit claiming that it was not Malaka Silva that assaulted him and could not remember who his attacker was,” an army officer said on conditions of anonymity.

As a result of not having any evidence to prove Malaka’s involvement in the assault, the Attorney General (AG) advised the courts that there was insufficient evidence to proceed against Malaka, Rehan and the rest and as a result the court acquitted all the accused last week.
Malaka has an interesting record of assault and battery. In September 2007, Malaka was accused of assaulting Chaminda Senasinghe, brother of UNP Parliamentarian Sujeewa Senasinghe with a pistol butt at the Bistro Latino Restaurant. In that instance too no action was taken against the Minister’s son.

It was also reported in 2005, that Malaka together with two of the MSD bodyguards pleaded guilty to attacking Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers who were on a drug raid at My Kind of Place at the Taj Samudra Hotel in 1995.

Malaka was charged with intimidation and obstruction of the PNB team which was on a narcotics raid with a court order on a tip-off to arrest an ‘Ecstasy’ dealer who was said to have been trafficking the drug at the hotel. The PNB officers who were in civvies were leaving the nightclub after the raid, when Malaka threatened them at gunpoint and assaulted them with the help of MSD bodyguards.
However the police later released Malaka and the MSD officers claiming that there was no evidence against them.
This has raised many questions amongst the general public.

“What would have happened to normal citizens in this country if they committed such crimes over and over again? Leave alone whether they would be allowed to go free without any charges being brought, can we expect bail to be granted for even a simple robbery. Even the law enforcement authorities now come under threat if they do not heed the instructions of politicians,” said an angry Attorney-at-Law in Kiribathgoda. To her, Malaka is a curse to the country. The manner in which Malaka Silva has gone on rampage on many occasions and how his father Minister Mervyn Silva has got him freed from the legal process using his political power is a bad example.

“This notorious son knows very well that whatever he does his father is there to rescue him. Imagine if Mervyn Silva is no more in power and his notorious son once again engaged in similar crimes, who will come to rescue him from this legal process? Had Mervyn Silva allowed the police to act impartially when his son first committed a crime and allowed him to serve in the remand for few years, he would have learnt a good lesson and would not have committed crimes repeatedly. A father of the caliber of Mervyn Silva is also a curse to the country,” she added.

Mervyn the scourge of Kelaniya

Meanwhile the 4th and 5th suspects of the Madawala murder Sarath Edirisinghe alias Singappuru Sarath and Saman Nishaman respectively were granted bail on Tuesday, April 2 by the Gampaha High Court Judge. Following this unexpected granting of bail, people in Kelaniya and Kiribathgoda are now living in fear that the suspects would exact revenge from them. Singappuru Sarath was the Parliamentary Affairs Secretary to Minister Mervyn Silva while Saman Nishaman was the Coordinating Secretary to the Minister.

Both Singappuru Sarath and Saman Nishaman were taken into custody for aiding and abetting the killers of Hasitha Madawala. People in the area alleged that it was Minister Mervyn Silva who had got these two suspects released on bail even though there is evidence that these two men were directly involved in Madawala’s murder.

“The 1st suspect Rangana Perera who killed Madawala had told the CID that it was his mother’s brother – Singappuru Sarath who had given him the murder weapon and wanted him to kill Madawala. According to Rangana the weapon which is a T 81/ 01 automatic machine gun was in the possession of Singappuru Sarath. Isn’t that alone concrete evidence to keep him behind bars rather than taking him as a state witness and granting him bail together with the 5th suspect,” queried a businessman in Kelaniya who wished to remain anonymous.

According to the source, Rangana had also told the CID that it was Saman Nishaman who had taken him (Rangana) and the motorcyclist who rode the motor cycle to kill Madawala to Negombo to a safe place following the assassination.

“It is said that the 5th suspect Saman Nishaman provided transport for the motorcyclist and the suspected killer to go into hiding in Negombo. It was also said that Singappuru Sarath had bought his nephew Rangana an air ticket to go to Singapore the following day and given him US$ 1000 for his expenses,” said the source.

Meanwhile according to the police ‘B’ report submitted to the Mahara Magistrate Court, the two helmets worn by the motorcyclist and the suspected killer at the time of the murder had been found at Samanala Restaurant in Kiribathgoda which is owned by Singappuru Sarath.

“The ‘B’ report further states that when Rangana Perera wanted his uncle Singappuru Sarath (to take both him (Rangana) and the 2nd suspect Ashen Chathuranga (the motorcyclist) to a hiding place, it was his uncle who had called the 5th suspect Saman Nishaman and asked that they be taken to Negombo,” said the source.

He further said that it was Singappuru Sarath’s brother-in-law (his sister’s husband) and father of the 1st suspect Rangana who had provided information on the whereabouts of Madawala.

“It is said Rangana’s father had followed Hasitha Madawala on this particular day in his yellow coloured Bajaj Three-wheeler bearing registration number WP QM 9614 and provided the information to his son Rangana so that he could assassinate Madawala,” the source added.

Furthermore the ‘B’ report stated that the murder weapon T 81/ 01 7.62mm together with two ammunition pouches and 49 bullets were found hidden in the ceiling of the residence of Rangana’s father.

Meanwhile questions have been raised as to how Mervyn Silva was able to get bail set for two of his close associates (the 5th and the 6th suspects) within 54 days of the murder.

“This was the same case with Ann Perera. She was taken into custody on the day of Hasitha Madawala’s funeral for keeping a hand grenade and two swords in her residence. Ann Perera in her statement to the police had stated that she bought the hand grenade and the two swords from one Harshana in Pethiyagoda for Rs.50,000. Although the suspect had originally admitted that she had these weapons in her possession it was a complete surprise when she was later released on the claim that she did not have any weapons in her possession. If Mervyn Silva does not allow the law enforcement authorities to carry out impartial investigations, it is up to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take stern action against Minister Silva,” the source said.

Meanwhile according to the Post Mortem Report on Madawala, three distorted bullets were recovered at the autopsy and sent to the Government Analyst for forensic analysis. The Report states that the killer had fired at Madawala’s chest and abdomen to kill him instantly.

A slippery slope to hell

Residents of Kelaniya and Kiribathgoda claim that since Mervyn Silva was removed from the post of Organizer and with the arrest of the murder suspects; prostitution, extortions and drug trafficking had declined considerably as the Kelaniya police was taking stern action against criminals.

“It is good that Kelaniya where Gautama Buddha once placed his feet is now returning to a peaceful city. From the time we heard that Singappuru Sarath and Saman Nishaman who were engaged in extortion, prostitution, murder and drug trafficking were bailed out we have been wondering whether the peaceful atmosphere we enjoyed for the past three months will come to a complete standstill. Will the police once again help these two suspects to engage in their illegal businesses with the backing of Minister Mervyn Silva? Unless these thugs are sent from Kelaniya it will be so difficult for us to save the younger generation,” the source said.
Meanwhile people in Kiribathgoda claim that Minister Mervyn Silva had wanted a leading departmental store to gift 1000 white saris to be given to 1000 kiri ammawaru recently.

“Mervyn Silva is the only Minister in the cabinet who does not carry a purse with him. Where ever he goes he will take whatever he wants free of charge. This time the Minister has gone to a leading departmental store and wanted 1000 white saris to be gifted to 1000 kiri ammawaru on his birthday, which fell on March 25. In addition he had asked Chairman, Peliyagoda Pradeshiya Sabah Nihal Ananda to provide 5000 pieces of milk rice. The Sweet House was given an order to provide all the sweet meats. Although all these people claim that Minister Mervyn Silva has promised to settle the bills it will never happen. This kiri danaya has been offered at the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya for 1000 kiri ammawaru and the chief guest was the First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa,” said the sources.

Army did not stand by its Intelligence Officer

It is a disgrace that the Army did not stand by its Intelligence Officer who did so much for the country especially during the war”.
An inside source in the Sri Lanka Army on condition of anonymity said that they were disheartened at the way the Army acted when one of their Intelligence Officers was severely beaten by Public Relations and Public Affairs Minister Mervyn Silva’s son Malaka Silva and former Minister Mano Wijeratne’s son Rehan Wijeratne at JAIC Hilton.

Following the release of Malaka Silva and Rehan Wijeratne without being charged, a high ranking army officer said that it was disheartening to see how the Army acted when Major Chandana Pradeep was assaulted.

“When the Army has the original copy of the JAIC Hilton CCTV footage which clearly shows how Malaka and his thugs were assaulting Major Chandana Pradeep and another Corporal why can’t the Army taken legal action? We saw the video footage and that is why I am saying that the assault was clearly visible. But I have a feeling that the JAIC Hilton may have deleted their copy” a senior army officer on condition of anonymity told The Sunday Leader.

According to him, the Army took a back seat when it was reported that the Major was at the JAIC Hilton to meet Nalin Fonseka who is a casino businessman in the country.

“Mervyn had apologized to Major Chandana Pradeep for what had happened to him at the hands of his son Malaka and promised to secure his job if he was willing to give an affidavit saying that Malaka was not involved in the attack. Knowing what would happen to him and his job, Major Pradeep gave an affidavit and did not identify the suspects at the identification parade,” said the source.
Meanwhile, according to the source, Major Chandana Pradeep had to face disciplinary action and his seniority has been reduced. “Although he worked as an intelligence officer who did so much for the country during the war, he has now been sent to Ceylon Light Infantry Unit (CLI) and is now serving in a camp supposedly somewhere in Vavuniya or Medawachchiya. This is what has happened to one of our brilliant intelligent officers,” the source observed.

Lack of employment opportunities is one of the main factors affecting the people of Killinochchi
and One of the biggest issues affecting the majority of the farmers is the lack of water

Kilinochchi, a town that was most affected by the 30 year conflict in Sri Lanka  is located in the heart of the Northern Province with a floating population of 135,605, many of whom were displaced in the conflict. These displaced families underwent severe trauma having lost many of their family members during the conflict. Even though the conflict ended, their current status has been a severe impediment to normalize their lives. This has been the main challenge in areas that suffered prolonged deprivation due to the war.

Having been an area that experienced intense fighting between the LTTE and the government forces during the war, landmines were the biggest obstacle faced in the resettlement process. Sri Lankan Army and UN-sponsored de-mining teams have however  cleared 83% of mine-containing land in Kilinochchi, while 8% mine clearing activities and currently ongoing and 9% of the jungle area still remains to be cleared. Last year the mine clearance teams and the army recovered 31,505 small ammunitions, 701 grenades, 487 Anti Personnel mines, 1170 mortar ammunitions, 172 Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) and 3 unidentified explosive devices. In January alone this year 6,150 small ammunitions, 17 grenades, 20 AP mines, 35 Mortar ammunition, seven RPGs and one IED were recovered from the Kilinochchi area.

In total there was an area of 77,363,408 sq. metres to be demined, while of this 64,057,713 sq. m has been demined and a further 6,852,194 sq.m remains to be cleared.

Resettlement

Kilinochchi town, one time LTTE’s main administrative town, and its infrastructure facilities were completely destroyed by the LTTE when troops liberated the area in the final phase of the battle against terrorists.

The government has launched multi directional development projects including water supply, infrastructure development for education, infrastructure development for sports and entertainment, assisting and promoting trade and commerce, BOI projects, irrigation projects, fisheries industry projects, electricity supply projects, telecommunication, housing, and development of road projects.

The A-9, A -32, A-34, A-35, B-269, and B-357  road networks spanning 176 kms at an estimated cost of Rs. 15,096 million is currently underway, while the interior road networks too are being constructed in many areas.

In order to facilitate the resettlement process and provide better facilities for the resettled families in the Killinochchi district alone the government had spent Rs. 70,445.96 million for education, rail and road development, irrigation, housing and sanitary projects, electricity health services, postal and economic development projects. 42,580 families have already been resettled with the assistance of the government and several INGO and NGOs.

The security forces in Killinochchi have assisted in the resettlement of 22,023 persons in Poonakary, 65,723 persons in Karachchi, 23,366 persons in Kandavalai, 3,978 persons in Puthukudi Iruppu, 1874 persons in Manthai west, 9,742 persons in Thunnukai, 5,285persons in Oddusudan and 3,614 persons in Manthai east.

Land and farming

The main source of income for most of thepeople in this area is fishing and farming. In order to assist the fishing community the  Australian government has funded a boat manufacturing project with the assistance of the fisheries ministry and the ILO. This project is carried out by the Poonakary fisheries cooperative society union. The manager of the boat yard Sinharasa Kiruba said that currently there are around eight youth employed at this boat manufacturing yard and it provides them a daily wage of around Rs. 800. The fibre glass fishing boats are sold to the local fishermen for around Rs. 500,000 in order to assist them.

However one of the biggest issues that is affecting the majority of the farmers in the area is the lack of water. The Kariyalanagapattuwa tank is the main irrigation tank that feeds the paddy cultivations in the Komalamunai, Kariyalanagarpattuwa, and Kallawarayankaddu divisional secretariat  divisions. According to the farmers in the area if the tank is renovated it would enable the farmers to cultivate around 1,520 acres of paddy. Speaking to The Sunday Leader the president of the farmers association in Poonakary, Gnanasekaram said that all they ask is for the tank to be renovated so that they could make a decent living. “There is nothing else that we ask, except that this tank be renovated and given to us. If that is done it will certainly benefit around 1,600 families in the area cultivate their lands.”

Land allocation is also an issue reaching serious levels of contention in the province. Issues relating to effective distribution, disparity in the distribution to new settlers and claims by those living abroad to traditional lands are issues that demand serious and immediate attention. One can not avoid the issue of land anywhere here. A young person approaching the authorities with a file relating to a land issues is in fact a common sight in these villages. From the minor roads to the AGA Office, the cries for more land and ownership are deafening.

The post war demand for land has risen many fold in the province as the settlers have now come back and desire cultivation as a main form of livelihood. A majority refuse land allocations less than an acre on grounds that as their families grow there would be little for distribution between children upon marriage. One farmer family claimed that it was not worth the effort to ‘even toil over a land unless there was at least two acres to begin with’ as the income would be few and far in between.

Government plans to distribute traditional lands to which Tamil people who now reside abroad but hold legal deeds to, is an issue that threatens any moves for peaceful co-existence within the community in a post-war scenario. Informed of moves to distribute such traditional lands, these legal owners have approached Grama Niladharis and demand that their rights are not impeded upon. The deeds denote large chunks of land that people fear the government may desire to block into smaller blocks for distribution among the resettled. People feel that any mishandling of this issue could lead to a greater deprivation that a reconciliation process as envisaged by the government may hamper.

Land issues have many diiferent faces in the North. Four youth who had arrived at the Nagathambiran Kovil festival from Palali, were concerned that land still held within the High Security Zones had affected their livelihood of farming. They express satisfaction that the war is over and there is freedom, but believe with restrictions on carrying out their livelihoods such as farming, life during peace times might entail the same difficulties of war.

“We need to be able to freely engage in farming. That is all we know. If we can go back to that and our lands are free we will be okay,” says one youth in the prime of his life. Understanding the needs of the youth in the war torn areas is a necessity that can not be overlooked. It is imperative that the government speeds up the process of land distribution so that room left for youth to question the validity of reconciliation measures is completely and effectively removed.

“Most of the farmers in this area had received lands in 1966 and they are able to cultivate on these lands. The newer settlers are given around half an acre of land, but we don’t grumble about that as we understand that there is no land available to distribute to all the people. However until such time the main priority is that the government provide us the water to cultivate our lands so that we can at least feed our families,” added Gnanasekaram.

During the recent floods around 690 acres of paddy land was destroyed, while the harvest from around 400 acres only was saved. “The farmers were badly affected due to this factor and many farmers had to suffer severe losses. If the tank is repaired and the farmers can cultivate all their lands, they could obtain about 300,000 kilos of paddy harvest. Another issue affecting the farmers is that while there is around 100,000 kilos of paddy stored in their storage facility, they have not been able to sell this stock of paddy to the traders as they are reluctant to come to this area due to the terrible road conditions. The traders claim that they have to replace many parts of their vehicles by coming on these roads and that makes it unprofitable for them. This situation has also affected the paddy process and we are today unable to even sell a kilo of paddy for a mere Rs. 23.”

It is clear that until and unless there is an efficient system of purchasing their produce in place, much of the benefits of peace will remain limited to the files. The reality of the needs of the people is very simple. To many of them assistance in the form of carrying out their traditional livelihoods such as farming, an efficient school system are sufficient grounds on which to accept normalcy in their lives. These are a people now ready to forget the past and get on with everything lost to them during a three decade war. But, they need the dignity with which to carry this out. They are insistent that handouts are replaced with assistance to get their lives back in place.

The people of Kilinochchi are today enjoying the luxury of freedom, and are more than content about their ability to finally be able to live in peace without having to worry about being killed or most importantly having to lose their children to the war.

For many mothers the anguish still continues as they still eagerly await the return of their missing children, as they are unable to put the past behind them as until today they still don’t know what happened to their children. They are hopeful that information on the fate of their children be afforded them so that they can lay rest the anguish and move forward. Many hold the faith that the children are alive and believe they will return.

One such mother, 48 year old Ramakrishnan Pushparani  told The Sunday Leader that she is still unable to step out of her home for fear that her child might return and find her missing. “Every time I take my plate of rice to eat I think of my daughter, and wonder if she is in hunger or if she is dead or alive somewhere unable to return home. I have four daughters and one son, and in 2009

the LTTE abducted my older daughter Kanitha, but fortunately she managed to escape from them and returned home after five days. But the LTTE came looking for her and since she was in hiding they took away my second daughter Subadhira on the 13th of March 2009 and until today I am not aware of what happened to my child. She was only 17 years at the time she was snatched away from us and I cannot get on with my life as I still don’t know if she is alive or dead. This is a nightmare for me and her father,” she lamented.

For Pushparani and many other mothers not only in Kilinochchi but right throughout the country who still have no clear knowledge of what happened to their children the anguish continues. When the army decided to recruit Tamil girls from Killinochchi two of her daughters 21-year-old Kanitha and 19-year-old Keerthika decided to enlist. “However it was too much for my mother to handle and she was badly affected for fear of losing her children. Subsequently my younger sister decided to drop out, but I completed my training. Currently I am the only one in my family with a stable job, as my father too is a labourer. I want to educate my younger siblings and support them to achieve their dreams. Today we are free and that is the biggest joy for us, as we no longer have to live with the fear of being abducted or killed,” said Kanitha.

Lack of employment opportunities however is one of the main factors affecting the people of Killinochchi currently. While the government has invested heavily in rebuilding the infrastructure facilities in the area, and the security forces have ensured a peaceful existence for the people, they are still unable to make a substantial living to sustain their families. Many private entities have however come forward to assist the government in providing employment opportunities for the people of Killinochchi.

One such endeavour is the  investment by MAS which will provide a conduit for assisting the youth of Kilinochchi to access the post-war economic boom of Sri Lanka. This will be yet another important milestone in MAS Holdings’ legacy in Sri Lanka. The huge factory being constructed in Killinochchi is said to be the largest of their factories with a capacity to provide recruitment to around 3,000 youth of the area.

However the main Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance says that apart from the fact that several main roads in Killinochchi being constructed, there has not been much done for the people. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran accuses the army of interfering in all the civil administrative functions of the area and says that nothing has changed. “The army involvement is ever present and until today school functions and all other civil functions the army plays a key role. We have raised our concerns regarding the army administration for the past four years. The government constantly denies the involvement of the army to the outside world, yet at each and every function and even the day to day lives of the people the army is present, and we vehemently disapprove of it,” he said.

Commenting on the development taking place in the area he said “the main roads such as the Paranthan Mulaitiv road, the Mankulam road and several other main roads are being constructed while some schools have also been developed and electricity provided to some areas. The government claims that they are reconstructing the infrastructure and hence developing the area. They are taking photographs of the things they do and showing it to the world claiming that everything is going smoothly. On the other hand the government  recruited around 300 rehabilitated ex cadres to the Civil Defence Force and deployed themfor farming projects,” he said.

Premachandran also accused the government of manipulating  these CSD personnel in organising demonstrations and other pro government activities. “Recently the army organised these CSD persons to hold demonstrations against the US and India, in Killinochchi and Jaffna. It is clear that the government is using these people for their own purposes. They are also intimidating the public and saying that unless they participate in these government sponsored activities, they will not receive any of the benefits. This is how things are moving in Killinochchi, while employment is a big problem in Killinochchi. There are around 400 volunteer teachers for the past four years, and the government as well as minister Douglas Devananda have given promises to these people that they will be made permanent. However so far nothing has been done, and they are simply using them for their own purposes giving them false promises. The government does not have any sort of program to improve the employment of this area,” Premachandran charged.

Meanwhile Security Forces Commander Killincochchi, Major General Udaya Perera claims that even though the army has taken measures to pull out of civilian activities, they are constantly called upon to carry out many of the tasks for the people. He said that while initially there were around 400 army deployments in the Killinochchi district, it has now been restricted to just 40.

The people of Killinochchi however say that they have no faith in the Tamil political parties in the area, but have high regard for the army personnel who they claim are there for them at all times.

P. Paalan  a resident of Jayapuram south who is the president of the Poonaryn Rural Development Society claims that even though there is peace, they still fear that if the army pulls out of these areas there couldbe a resurgence due to the influences of foreign sympathisers. “We feel very comfortable with the army around, and considering what we have been through over the years, we are very fearful that certain groups would start-up problems. The army does not interfere with our lives, but they are just being there gives us a sense of security. It is they who assist us in every situation, be it agricultural, medical or any other emergency situation, they are always there to assist us. It is the army that assist us even in clearing the schools and constructing fences, clear the roads or even during a funeral they are the ones that are there to help us. The local government representatives are not available at every instance as they are most often residing in other areas and only come to the village on certain days allocated for meeting the public,” he said.

There are around 203 families consisting of  667 adults and 664 children residing in Jayapuram west , while over 300 families reside in Jayapuram north as well. Jayapuram is located around 44 from Killinochchi and is quite an isolated village. The roads are yet under construction and travelling on the existing roads is quite a challenging task.“Due to the condition of the roads, there is no proper bus service or any other mode of transport. During the war the people of Jeyapuram remained in their village, but as the fighting intensified they were evacuated to Mullivaikkal, while many others went to India and toward Colombo,” he said.

It is not hard to understand the harsh realities of what the innocents of these villages endured during a three decade war. Far removed from the lives enjoyed by many other parts of the country, these are a people who still suffer in innocent silence. They harbour much hope with the decision makers of relieving them from the inequalities thus far forced upon them. The impressive jargon and definitions of reconciliation holds little meaning to the farmer fighting the scorching sun, the six year old who has a one and a half hour walk to school or the young man left with no real form of employment. But, Kilinochchi is the perfect place for real reconciliation to start. The suffering these people have endured thus far demands little else…

6,170 families in four AGA Divisions headed by females!

The killinochchi district which is made up of four AGA’s divisions consist of around 39,296 families and spans over an area of 1237.11 square kilometres. Of the four AGA divisions Karachchi is the most populated with around 22,370 families consisting of 69,661 members residing in the area. Next is Kandawalai with 7410 families consisting of 23,898 members, Poonakary with a population of 6471 families consisting of 22,862 members and the least populated area being Pachchilaipalli consisting of 3,045 families including 10,192 members, according to a survey conducted by the District Planning Secretariat, District Secretariat, Killinochchi in 2012.

According to the Survey there are a total of 6,170 families in the four AGA divisions that are headed by females, while according to the statistics there are 140 widows under the age of 20, 490 widows between the age of 21 – 30, 1,031 widows between the age of 31 – 40, 1287 widows between the age of 41 – 50, 1,517 widows between the age of 51 – 60 and 1705 widows over the age of 60. These women were widowed due to 6,170 of their husbands being killed in violence, 350 killed in accidents, 2825 due to natural causes, 182 deaths due to natural disasters, 122 deaths due to suicide and 536 due to various other reasons.

In the Kilinochchi district it was revealed in the census that 4,814 families live with a meagre income of less that Rs. 1,500 per month. 1088 families live with a monthly income of between Rs. 1,501 to 5,000, while only around 268 families earn a monthly income of over Rs. 5000.

According to the census  carried out in 2011 it was revealed that there are around 1,871 people in the Kilinochchi district who suffer from various forms of disability. In the four AGA divisions there are 844 disabled males, 555 females, and 1,537 children under the age of 18. Of these figures 832 persons were rendered disabled due to the war. The District Probation and Child care Services of Kilinochchi, 2411 children had lost either both or one parent during the war.

The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, Venerable Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera, said the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Moratuwa Police, should take full responsibility for the death of the Chief Incumbent of the Egoda Uyana Sunanda Upananda Temple, Venerable Matigahatanne Wimalawansa Thera.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader he said, “This senseless killing could have been averted if the OIC had taken appropriate action when the complaints were made. Hence, he should take full responsibility for the senseless killing of this monk, as it was due to his failure to take action that this dispute got out of hand. I don’t blame the entire police force as it would be wrong, but had this OIC taken appropriate action regarding over ten complaints made by Venerable Wimalawansa Thera, this incident could have perhaps been averted,” he charged.
Venerable Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera, said the incident that transpired at the Egoda Uyana Sunanda Upananda Temple where the Chief Incumbent Venerable Matigahatanne Wimalawansa Thera, had been brutally hacked and stabbed to death, is very unfortunate.“More than the fact that these people had encroached on temple land, the factor that perturbed the Chief Incumbent the most was the illegal activities that were taking place in these houses.

Illegal activities

He was very worried as it had become a place where drugs were being sold, and many other anti-social activities were taking place, and that is why he decided to seek legal action against them. According to the law, in instances where there is a land dispute between two parties, both could be served restraining orders through the Courts preventing them from entering each other’s premises. However, the police did not do this and even the perpetrators knew that the police would not take any action against them and that is why they kept threatening and harassing the monk repeatedly. The burning question is that after so many complaints why the police did not take any action. Even on the very morning of the day that the Chief Monk was murdered, he had lodged a complaint with the police that these thugs were threatening to kill him. The two main suspects and the others, who were responsible for the killing of the monk, had sworn on several occasions that they would kill Venerable Matigahatanne Wimalawansa Thera. On the day of the incident, the monk had appealed to the police to provide him protection to get back to the temple stating that he was afraid he would be killed. However, no police protection was given to the monk and as a result, the moment the monk entered the temple premises he was brutally killed. Therefore, I directly point the finger at the Moratuwa Police and the OIC in particular, for failing to protect this monk,” he said.
The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena also said the perpetrators had behaved in such a manner due to the fact that the Deputy Mayor of Moratuwa was supporting them. “The deputy Mayor had also staged a protest opposite the temple, and the police were unable to do anything, as he was the Deputy Mayor. Hence, it is vital that this Deputy Mayor be sacked from his post as well. It is also vital to investigate if these suspects had committed this crime on the orders or instigation of the Deputy Mayor. If we take a look at the numerous crimes that have taken place lately, it has been established that there have been some degree of political involvement in these crimes. Therefore, it is of vital importance that the police investigate this incident thoroughly and prosecute those responsible irrespective of who they are,” Venerable Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera.
However, he also commended the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for their swift action in arresting the suspects and recovering of the weapons used in the killing. “As it is stated in the scriptures, those who commit crimes will have to pay for them, and the two main perpetrators were also slain the next day. Today many temples are facing these sorts of threats, and we would like to appeal to the Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs and all relevant authorities, to ensure that these issues are looked into and such crimes never happen again. We are a Buddhist country and it is disturbing that such incidents, which were never heard of before, are taking place today,” he said.
Sequence of events
An eyewitness to the brutal killing of the Chief Incumbent of the Egoda Uyana Sunanda Upananda Temple, junior monk, Venerable Dikyaye Pangarathana Thera said the dispute had escalated around six months back, when the illegal occupants had attempted to acquire another four perches of temple land. Explaining the sequence of events that transpired that day, he said “We were returning after lodging the complaint at the police station. As we approached the temple, a mob suddenly surrounded the car we were travelling in and one of them stabbed the monk. In the heat of the moment I cannot be certain as to who actually stabbed the Chief Monk, but I vaguely remember the person as being Sujith Gunaratne. There were around eleven people in the mob and after the initial stabbing the monk got off the vehicle and ran, but after proceeding around 50 metres, he fell. The Chief Incumbent had high blood pressure, diabetes and various other ailments, and as a result tired very easily. I am not certain if he fell due to this reason or if it was due to the stab injuries. As I recollect, the monk was stabbed either in the head or the chest, it was such a nightmare and I was simply shocked and in a daze. Even the monk never actually expected these people to kill him, and only thought that they were simply threatening him in order to get him to withdraw his complaint. However, when the monk fell, the mob simply converged on him and began hacking and stabbing him. I am simply devastated as I could not help save the life of my beloved chief priest as they were holding me near the car at knife point. I tried to shrug them off and run to rescue the monk, but they stopped me and as a result I received these cut injuries on my hand. I identified the two main suspects Sujith Gunaratne and Randima Ruwanratne, but I can identify the rest of them if I see them,” he said.
Explaining the root cause of the dispute that led to the killing of the priest, the junior monk said the two suspects had built their houses illegally on temple land and had been residing there for over 25 years. “However, around six months ago, they had attempted to encroach and forcibly acquire another four perches that belonged to the temple, and that’s when our chief monk made the complaint with the Moratuwa Police. The Chief Priest had lodged over ten complaints, but the police took it very lightly, and failed to take action due to being influenced by the Deputy Mayor of the Moratuwa Municipal Council, Sujith Pushpakumara. Even when the monk complained about the death threats that were made on several occasions, the police would come and conduct an investigation and arrest the suspects, however, they would be released after a few days and that was the end of the investigation,” he said.
The junior monk also said there were about four families living in the illegally built houses and had heard the Chief Monk mention that these people were engaged in other illegal activities such as dealing in drugs. “That is why the Chief Priest was adamant to get them out of here and save the other residents of the area from harm. This incident occurred at around 8.15 or 8.20 pm last Sunday. The Deputy Mayor protected these perpetrators due to the fact that they assisted him during his election campaign. Around four or five times several of the Deputy Mayor’s men came to the temple and threatened our Chief Monk, but he never thought that these thugs would kill him. There are only three monks residing at this temple including me,” said the junior monk Venerable Dikyaye Pangarathana Thera.

Mob justice

The houses that were built illegally in the temple premises had been demolished by mobs after the killing of the Chief Monk, and the other family members had fled the area. However, on Wednesday the relatives of the two suspects who were found killed, had arrived at the Wadduwa Police Station and claimed that they had no way of taking the bodies home for fear that they would be attacked. They had told police that their lives too were in danger and sought police protection in order to take the bodies of Sujith and Randima for burial. They also claimed that they had no place to take the bodies to conduct the funeral as their homes were completely destroyed. They had also told police that they had lived there for around 30-years and now that their homes were destroyed, they were left destitute. According to Police Spokesperson, SSP Prishantha Jayakody, however, there have been only around six complaints made to the police by Venerable Matigahatanne Wimalawansa Thera, and four of them had been investigated and Court cases filed, while two of the complaints were directed to the Mediation Board. “Therefore, it is not fair to say that the incident occurred due to the inability of the police to take appropriate action. We have now arrested even the Deputy Mayor and investigations are continuing. By Wednesday, another seven suspects had been taken into custody by the police, and three swords used in the killing have also been recovered,” he said. The Deputy Mayor of Moratuwa Municipal Council, Sujith Pushpakumara, was arrested last Monday (04) and subsequent to being produced in Court, he was remanded until 14 February together with the other seven suspects.
The bodies of the two main suspects Sujith and Randima, were found in the Bandaragama area with gunshot injuries on the same day that the monk was killed.
The funeral of the slain monk took place on Thursday amid a large gathering of devotees who patronised the temple.

By Nirmala Kannangara
Asoka Fernando

The middlemen and nadiyas struggling hard to purchase vegetable for a bargain price

Farmers allege that the mafia of middlemen at the Dambulla Economic Centre has become a bane and is the main cause for the skyrocketing vegetable prices in the open market.
Vegetable farmers have fallen from the frying pan to the fire by being compelled to sell their vegetables at a lower price due to the middlemen mafia and they are up in arms against the Economic Centre Management Trust for the failure to eliminate this issue over the years.
According to these vegetable farmers, the sole intention to introduce the economic centre concept was to get a good price for them by selling their product straight to the wholesale trader.
“Although it was as such, there are no wholesale traders in this market, but instead it is the middlemen who operate the boutiques and businesses. After the entry of a set of brokers known as nadiyas between us and the middlemen, the situation has worsened and we do not have any choice to decide the prices for our products as it is in the hands of the nadiyas. We assume that it is the middlemen that operate the nadiya in order to get our products for a cheaper rate,” Chaminda said.
Chaminda had brought brinjals from Anuradhapura, but was determined not to sell the stock for a lower price. “After toiling hard to make the vegetable beds and then to water and manure the plants, I was asked to sell brinjals for Rs.110 per kg. If I won’t get at least Rs.130, I will throw the stock to the Habarana jungle for the wild elephants, but will not sell for a pittance,” Chaminda added.
According to the farmers who have come from far away to sell their vegetable at the Dambulla Economic Centre, this ‘broker’ mafia has deprived them from selling their vegetables for a competitive price instead of a price that they (brokers) decide.
Hence the farmers have decided not to sell their vegetables to these nadiyas last Wednesday. As a result, work at Dambulla Economic Centre was at a complete standstill in the morning session. However, the middlemen and nadiyas were seen trying their utmost best to purchase the vegetable stocks that were piled on lorries, but to no avail.
However, some of the farmers said there is no option, but to sell their products to the middlemen for the prices given as they (farmers) are in debt to them.

Cycle of debt

“We are in debt to some of the middlemen. The deal is to give our product to them – be it for a lesser price or not. We do not have any other option, but to take loans from these middlemen in promise to give them the products. If not for their assistance we cannot survive, as we do not get a proper price for the vegetables. Although we get an encouraging price at this moment, most of the time during the other months, there are a countless number of times when we incurred heavy losses. If the government can give financial assistance to uplift the farmers we do not need to sell the vegetables at a pittance to these middlemen,’ Bandula said.
Although the actual price of a kilo of beetroot and leaks were Rs. 90 and 80 respectively, Bandula had to sell beetroot for Rs.60 and leaks for Rs. 50 per kg.
‘There is no other option, but to sell these vegetables to waive off the debts,’ Bandula said.
The farmers further accused the middlemen of taking a commission from them even though the vegetables are bought for a lower rate.
“For each Rs.100 we have to give a commission of Rs.5. For Rs.60 three rupees commission, for Rs.30 two rupees commission and if it is less than Rs.30 a five rupee commission. At the end of the day it is these middlemen that earn more than those who work hard to cultivate vegetables,” Chaminda said.
Meanwhile, middlemen and nadiyas too were up in arms against the farmers during the morning secession on Wednesday claiming that they do not bargain the prices as told by the farmers. However, in the afternoon the businesses were back to normal as the farmers decided to sell their stocks for a lesser amount.
Middlemen and nadiyas were happy to purchase the stocks for a bargain and added, “We never bargain as said. But true, we buy the bags of vegetables for a lesser amount mainly to avoid losses. We give a price for vegetables looking at the outlook of the vegetables in the gunny bags. Once it is bought and vegetables are taken out, there are many rotten vegetables hidden in the middle which we could not notice. No one will buy those rotten vegetable and we have to bear the losses. That is why we buy the stocks for a lower price and sell them back to cover up the losses. That happens everywhere. Even a government project too goes through many parties. This is our job because we do not want to engage in illegal businesses like certain politicians in the country. They engage in many illegal businesses, but who talks against them? If the poor people do something to make a living it is talked about everywhere.’
However, Kamal a middleman said that they have had to bargain prices to survive in the business.

The woes of vegetable farmers

“We have to pay a monthly rental of Rs.14,300 for each boutique. Those who are in AC rooms accuse us of manipulating the vegetable prices, but they do not know how we struggle to pay the rental and earn to live. When vegetable prices go up they shout at us, but when the prices go down, they take the credit and go on TV saying they managed to bring down the cost of living. Do they ever think about us? Do they know how much we incur losses most of the time?” Kamal questioned.
The woes of vegetable farmers were very pathetic. They have repeatedly requested the government officials in their areas to get them kerosene subsidies, as they have to spend lot of money to pump water for their cultivation, but their requests have fallen on deaf ears.
“We are battling hard. There is no one to look after us although there is an Agriculture Ministry. These officials are there to warm their seats, but not to look into our grievances. When we get an opportunity to sell our products for higher prices, they appoint committees. But when our vegetable are sold for pittance there is no commission appointed to see as to why the prices have come down,” Mahanama alleged. “Although the government can give a fuel subsidy to the fishermen we are a forgotten lot,” Mahanama said.
However, N. G. Kularatne (Walapane) was determined not to sell his stocks for a pittance.
“I bought carrots from farmers in Nuwara Eliya for Rs.75 and unless I sell them for Rs.1,20 I will be the looser. I have to pay the lorry Rs.25,000 and the labourers to uproot and clean the carrots. Even if I sell a kilogram for Rs. 120 there is a very narrow profit. If not for these nadiyas, the middlemen cannot bargain our stocks for such a lower rate,’ Kularatne said.
S.M. Weerasekera and S.M. Samaraweera were brothers who brought capsicums and carrots from Thispane, Kotmale. However they were happy, as they were able to get a better price for their vegetables since December.
“Some seventy percent of our cultivation was destroyed due to heavy rain last month. Since the supply is less due to the demand, we have been able to get good prices for our crops. But that is temporary. By mid February, once bumper stocks of vegetables start coming to the market, we have to find ways and means to survive as most of the months in the year we are incurring losses. We can have hopes during mid December to mid February and then during the New Year week in April, May and June. Rest of the months we are suffering,” the two brothers said.
Claiming that there is a move to increase the prices of fertilizer, Samaraweera said there is a fertilizer scarcity in the market and a rumour that the government is going to increase the fertilizer prices in the near future.

Questioning the ‘wonder of Asia’

“There is no urea available and a scarcity in other fertilizers. Before 2008 we had to pay Rs.5,300 for a bag of 50kg fertilizer. After the subsidy was given it went down to Rs.1,300. Instead of uplifting the standard of the farmers and giving more facilities to produce more, the government through Divi Neguma, is giving packets of vegetable seeds to each family in the country which is a mere ‘show off.’ Any one will take if given free, but how many will make the maximum use of this? Instead, why couldn’t they provide more facilities for us? At least why won’t they allow us to sell our products without the interference of these middlemen and nadiyas? It is the ruling party area politicians that have to be blamed for this nonsense at the economic centre,” Samaraweera added.
Meanwhile, Dharshana said the farmers have now refused to follow government guidelines to transport vegetables in plastic boxes.
“Prices of these boxes range from Rs.1,800 to Rs.1,900 and not more than 18 to 19 kilo grams can be put into them. When we pack the vegetables in gunny bags at least 28- 35kg can be packed in each. Not more than 50 boxes could be brought at once in a lorry, but we can bring nearly 75- 90 bags in a lorry at once. Packing vegetables in boxes is a good concept provided we are given free transport by the government. We now manage to bring our crop in one or two lorries, but if we have to transport the vegetables in boxes, this load has to be transported at least in five lorries. The government is making all efforts to trample the farmers with various unsuccessful methods,” Dharshana said.
Accusing the government of not having a proper vision, Dharshana queried whether this is the ‘wonder of Asia’ and accused Minister Janaka Badara Tennakoon, of allowing his henchmen to bargain and purchase the vegetables and fruits from the farmers.
“The ‘wonder of Asia’ is to trample the people by a number of ways and means and loot public money, running into billions, by the powerful. This government does not have a proper vision to take this country forward. Now the Cabinet of Ministers has been increased. Who is going to maintain such a large cabinet? It is from our money that they have to be maintained. The more they increase the Cabinet, the more the cost of living goes up. Who is to be blamed for this? Why cannot the Consumer Affairs Minister look into this and stop the middlemen and nadiyas from operating at the economic centre?” Dharshana questioned.
Divisional Secretary Dambulla, H. P. P. A. Hewapathirana, who is a member of the Economic Centre Management Trust, said she did not know about the nadiya and middlemen’ involvement in deciding vegetable prices and has not received any such complaints.
“If I were informed I would have brought this up at our meetings and would have settled the matter. Unless there is a complaint we cannot take any action. Let them complain to us about any future action,” Hewapathirana said.
Neither the Lands Minister, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, nor Consumer Affairs Minister, Johnston Fernando, were available for comments nor did they respond to text messages.

Pictures by Asoka Fernando and Saman Kariyawasam.

The metal crusher in full swing, Forest Rock Garden Hotel under construction and Rasika Ekanayake’s metal quarry filled with water

Hundreds of acres in the Andarawewa Forest Reserve in Nochchiyagama have been grabbed by powerful politicians in the North Central Province with the alleged connivance of the Mahaweli Authority.
The Andarawewa Forest Reserve is 1,050 acres in extent and comes under the purview of the Mahaweli Authority. It is situated within the Mahaweli ‘H’ zone and was declared as a wildlife protection zone in 1982 and is one of the main elephant corridors in the country.
Although unauthorized entrance, removal of timber, clearing the jungle and even to construct roads within this wildlife protected zone is strictly prohibited, it is alleged that the former Resident Project Manager of Mahaweli ‘H’ zone has allowed the politicians to grab land from this frost reserve without any restrictions.
Environmentalists and villagers are up in arms against Agrarian Services and Wildlife Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena and Irrigation and Water Management Deputy Minister W. B. Ekanayake for grabbing the reserve lands, which is an elephant corridor.
According to them, hundreds of acres from Andarawewa Reserve have been grabbed by these two politicians and distributed amongst their cohorts and relatives without considering the environment impact and the bio diversity of the virgin forest.
“There was a time when the Resident Project Manager Mahaweli ‘H’ zone Asanga Gunathilake took stern action against the villagers when they went to the reserve to collect firewood. Although it was as such, later on he allowed Deputy Ministers Chandrasena and Ekanayake to grab hundreds of acres without any restrictions,” said the angry villagers.
The villagers further alleged that 20 acres have been given to the Udamaluwe Hamuduruwo in Anuradhapura to prevent the villagers from agitating against the land allotments.

Letter from the Presidential Secretariat to the Director General Mahaweli Authority and Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena

“Although Udamaluwe Hamuduruwo did not ask for any land from this forest reserve, still the Mahaweli Authority and these politicians gave him 20 acres of land. They may have thought that the villagers would stop the agitations once lands were given to this monk as well. However we are not ready to stop our agitations. Instead we are strictly against this Buddhist monk as well for obtaining land from the forest reserve which was reserved only for the wild life but not for humans,” said Arunashantha – a representative of a farmer organization. According to these farmer organizations and villagers in Andarawewa, the human-elephant conflict has now become a big threat as several villagers have come under attack from elephants.
“As a result many lives have been taken away by the wild elephants that come to the village in search of food,” said the villagers.
Although environmentalists claim that more than 48 acres of the virgin forest have been given to Baladurayage Chandrasiri, owner of Palm Garden Hotel, Anuradhapura on the directives of Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena, villagers and farmer associations confirmed to The Sunday Leader that more than 100 acres had been given to Chandrasiri on two occasions to construct the Forest Rock Garden Hotel.
“During the elections, it was the Palm Garden Hotel that provided the food for S. M. Chandrasena’s campaign. It is also a known fact that Chandrasiri is an ally of Deputy Minister Chandrasena and has spent several lakhs of rupees for his election campaign. To compensate for what Chandrasiri did during the previous elections, S. M. Chandrasena got more than 100 acres from Andarawewa Reserve not considering the public agitations. Earlier 50 acres were given and another 50 was given at the second stage,” said Arunashantha.
Director Environment Conservation Trust Sajeewa Chamikara said all construction work of the Forest Rock Garden Hotel was suspended on October 14, 2010 due to strong public protests and the owners were ordered to conduct an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) as per the gazette notification No: 722/ 22 of June 24, 1993 under the provisions of National Environment Act No: 47 of 1980.
“An extremely weak EIA was done based on a one-day field visit. This report has not mentioned about the elephant corridor and the wildlife habitat. Although more than 50 comments were submitted they were rejected by the CEA stating they were submitted after the lapse of the 30 day deadline. As a result the CEA gave approval for an improper and deficient EIA,” said Chamikara.
Meanwhile, a senior employee at the Mahaweli Authority in Thambuttegama on conditions of anonymity told The Sunday Leader as to how the Resident Project Manager of Mahaweli ‘H’ Zone and the area politicians instructed the Grama Niladhari Officers to give clearance to ‘develop’ the Andarawewa Reserve.
“Since these Grama Niladharis were from that area they did not want to see any destruction to this reserve and did not want to give the clearance to these encroachments. But later they were forced to give their clearance as not only the politicians but also our Resident Project Manager pressurized them. This reserve comes under Mahaweli Authority and we do not want to dance to the tunes of these politicians. But it was pity as to how the Mahaweli Authority allowed these politicians to grab the wildlife protected land and deprive the elephants of their natural habitat,” added the source.
According to him, the Mahaweli Authority on the instructions of S. M. Chandrasena allowed the Forest Rock Garden Hotel to be constructed ignoring the regulations imposed by the National Environmental Act No: 47 of 1980.
“Knowing that it is illegal to carry out any development work within the forest reserve without the proper approvals, the Mahaweli Authority had to give permission to Forest Rock Garden Hotel on the instruction of Deputy Minister Chandrasena. It was the same with the three metal quarries as well. They too were allowed to blast the rocks ignoring the regulations of the National Environmental Act,” said the sources.
According to sources, on the instruction of Chandrasena and Ekanayake, roads were constructed clearing the jungle by uprooting huge trees using heavy vehicles disrupting the wild life.
Meanwhile, Arunashantha said that all attempts to stop these encroachments fell on deaf ears and added that although the Additional Secretary to President, Anton Perera in a letter dated September 2, 2010 to Director General Mahaweli Authority instructed to take immediate action against these illegal encroachments, nothing had been done to stop the process.
“We wrote to the CEA, to the President, Human Rights Commission and the Director General Archaeology Department but to no avail. All have fallen deaf ears,” said Arunashantha.
However, more than 30 acres of land from the forest reserve have also been given to E.K.P.M.R.R.G. (Rasika) Ekanayake Member of the Manupe Pradeshiya Sabha who is the son of Water Management and Irrigation Deputy Minister W. B. Ekanayake.
“This land was given to Ekanayake for a metal quarry which is of archaeological value. The granite is removed with the help of backhoes and other heavy machinery round the clock. These noises have left the wild animals away from the Andarawewa Forest Reserve and their lives are at stake. It is disheartening to note as to how the Department of Wildlife Conservation is not taking any action against these encroachers. It is merely because S. M. Chnadrasena is the minister in charge,” said Arunashantha.
However according to Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) three Industrial Mining licenses have been given on the recommendation of the Mahaweli Authority and the Central Environmental Authority to Rasika Ekanayake, his wife and W. P. Wickremasinghe.
“We issued three licenses each to Rasika Ekanayake, Ms. Bandara (Rasika Ekanayake’s wife) and W. P. Wickremasinghe,” said Hema Liyanarachchi, Registrar GSMB.
When The Sunday Leader visited Andarawewa Forest Reserve, it was evident as to how constructions of the Forest Rock Garden Hotel were being carried out destroying the forest reserve and how much damage has been done to the forest by the three metal quarries.
Heavy machinery to crush the metal were seen at work making a loud noise. Rasika Ekanayake’s quarry, which is more than 50 meters deep, was full of water due to heavy rains.
Although Ekanayake’s quarry was not in operation on that particular day, the other two were in full operation. More than 2.5 km long road has been constructed within the forest destroying large trees. These trees were fallen on the side of the road and random security check points were established within the forest to check who entered the forest reserve. Although permission was not granted for our vehicle to go near Rasika Ekanayake’s metal quarry, we still managed to go through these check points disguising ourselves as buyers.
When we spoke to Rasika Ekanayake’s security men to get more information about the quarries, they confirmed that one quarry was leased out to Access Engineers and the other quarry belonged to a senior powerful government minister.
“We have been told that the other quarry belonged to a powerful minister. The first quarry you have passed belongs to Madam (Ekanayake’s wife). Since the two quarry pits are filled with water due to heavy rains we are not doing any work these days. If you want to place an order speak to Ekanayaka manthree thuma,” said one security guard.
When Rasika Ekanayake was contacted to find out as to how he was able to obtain two allotments for metal quarries, Ekanayake said that he had to bribe the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), Mahaweli Authority and the Central Environmental Authority officers to get the permits to operate the quarries.
“We have taken these two quarries on a lease agreement. We crossed over from the UNP to this government not for personal gains but to strengthen the hands of the President to win the war. We only get our salary nothing else. That much we have sacrificed our lives in order to give a good life to the people,” said Ekanayake.
When asked as to why he bribed the government officials knowing that it is an illegal act, Ekanayake appeared to be offended.
“Are you wearing clothes to pose such questions to a respectable politician like myself?” asked Ekanayake and disconnected the line abruptly.
Refuting allegations Baladurayage Chandrasiri said that he got the EIA done following the proper procedure. “The environmentalists are against this project and that was why they are levelling baseless allegations. I have not destroyed the forest but have taken steps to preserve it,” said Chandrasiri.
Meanwhile, Agrarian Services and Wildlife Deputy Minister S. M. Chandrasena when contacted said that there was nothing wrong to carry out development work in a forest reserve.
“When the country is targeting to attract more tourists to the country, we need more hotels to provide accommodation. This particular hotel has not damaged the forest but has protected the environment. Why cannot you visit this area and see how nicely this hotel has been built,” said Chandrasena.
Resident Project Manager of Mahaweli Authority Thambuththegama R. B. Sirisena when contacted to know as to on what basis these lands had been allotted, said that he could not make any comment over the phone.
“I cannot give any details in this regard. Even I do not have any powers to talk to the media. If you come to my Thambuththegama office I can consider whether I will talk to you or not. Talk to our DG for any details,” said Sirisena.
Director General of Mahaweli Authority Gamini Rajakaruna too did not wish to make any comment but wanted this newspaper to forward him an e-mail with the questions. However, Rajakaruna did not reply to the e-mail sent by The Sunday Leader

By Nirmala Kannangara
Pictures by Asoka Fernando

Dogs near the hospital kitchen, A dog along a corridor and Unhealthy open drain behind the kitchen

The Colombo South Teaching Hospital Kalubowila – one of the main hospitals in the country, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next month, has become a health hazard for the sick.
The Kalubowila hospital has become a ‘mini zoo’ where stray dogs, cats and rats are allowed to roam freely.  Apart from the suffering due to the shortage of drugs and surgical items and the continuous inflow of substandard drugs, the OPD and inpatients at Kalubowila hospital are seriously concerned about the dog, cat and rat menace.  “This has not only become a nuisance but also has become a threat to the OPD and inpatients. It is disturbing as to why the hospital management is not taking any action to get rid of them. A hospital should be a clean and healthy place. But this hospital is maintaining a ‘mini zoo’ within its premises,” claimed a patient at one of the surgical wards.
It was not so long ago that a dog had bitten an OPD patient while the cats dominate the hospital kitchen. According to the sources, the rats do not spare their wound dressings after the dusk fall.
“These rats come and chew the wound dressings once the lights are switched off. They even ‘walk’ all over the wards when the lights are on. If you come at dusk, you will realize how true this is. These rats are as big as kittens and are all over the wards and corridors,” she added.
When The Sunday Leader visited the Kalubowila hospital last week to speak to a few patients to know how they have been affected due to drug shortages, none of the patients showed any concern about the drug shortage, but were worried about the stray dog menace as it has become the biggest ever challenge they have had to face over the last several months.
“There are dogs even at the clinic buildings and along the corridors. How do we know whether they are stray or tame dogs and whether they have been vaccinated for rabies? We are scared of them and we sometimes do not move from where we are assuming that they will jump at us. That’s what really happened a few weeks ago when a dog bit a patient,” said Karunawathie, an OPD patient.
Meanwhile, the cat menace in the hospital kitchen has also become a serious issue as there are times the hospital staff has seen them ‘tasting’ cooked food ready to be served to patients.
“If anyone goes to the kitchen early morning, they can see how the cats drink milk that is prepared for patients and it is the same with the cooked meals. In addition we have seen as to how these animals are allowed to sleep in the boxes where the bread is stored. The state of affairs in the kitchen is appalling,” said the sources.
This reporter meanwhile had the opportunity to go to the kitchen area to see how the state of affairs at the kitchen was. It was disgusting to see how the cats were dominating the hospital kitchen where the food is being prepared. They were seen everywhere including on the pantry and even on tables where the raw food items were kept.  It was astonishing as to how the hospital authorities have neglected their duties to ensure that the patients are given hygienically prepared food.
Be that as it may, the inflow of quality failed drugs, shortage of surgical items and some other essential drugs, lack of space in clinics, lack of beds, in addition to many other shortcomings have led the doctors and nursing staff to face many difficulties when treating patients.
“It is we who have to face the brunt as there are times when patients shout at us for not giving the prescribed medicine. We then have to ask them to inform this to the media or to the Health Ministry to overcome the situation. We are also helpless. How can we claim that the hospitals are providing free health services to the people when we ask them to bring even the syringe from an outside pharmacy knowing that only the underprivileged patients are coming to government hospitals,” said a Senior Consultant on condition of anonymity.  According to the Consultant, thyroxin, diazepam and amoxicillin are some of the quality-failed medicines available in the hospital.
“The inflow of quality failed Thyroxin does not give any effect while it is same with the diazepam drug which is used as a sleeping tablet. This is given orally and when it does not work we have to give the injection, which is little better than the oral drug although the injection too does not work properly. It is the same with the surgical items as well. There are shortages of syringers, bandages, catheters, canulas, needles, gloves, and the mesh used for hernia operations. IV Augmentin which is  commonly used antibiotic is also not available,” said the consultant.
The consultant meanwhile accused the hospital management for allowing unqualified sisters to take over wards, which has become a serious issue.
“There were around eight sisters who have come down in Ward Management examination but were given in charge of several wards. It was only recently they got through the Ward Management examination. Although they got their postings to other hospitals five of them are still allowed to work as ward sisters at Kalubowila. Who has allowed them to work here and who have assigned them to take over the wards? This is a serious issue,” said the sources.
Meanwhile senior nurses accused the hospital administration for not signing the ‘ward book’ where the drugs are ordered weekly.
‘Through a circular, the management instructed all wards to send their orders once a week for approvals. This is unfair as when we run short of drugs in between the week we have failed to get the required medicine from the pharmacy. There are four Deputy Directors in the hospital and most of the time they do nothing in their offices. So why cannot they sign these order books when we send it to them whenever medicine is needed. Had the hospital have a fulltime Director these shortcomings could have minimized,” claimed the nursing staff.
According to them the closure of the surgical ICU on four occasions since 2010 due to fungal infection has caused serious problems.
“This occurs very often which is said to be due to a water leak. In such times, we have to transfer the patients to other hospitals. Why cannot the administration act on this issue? They are not bothered to solve hospital problems,” the sources said.
However unlike the National Hospital Colombo and the National Cancer Institute Maharagama, wards at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital was very tidy. Even the corridors, the drains on both sides of the corridors were very clean.
The clinic area was congested where most of the patients were standing till their turn comes. “If there is floor space we would have seated on the ground till our turn comes. But since the area is very small we have to stand and wait,” said the patients.
Meanwhile questions were raised as to whether the minor staff at the main entrance to the hospital is assigned to sit on the bench that is kept at the left to the entrance but not to help the patients that were brought to the hospital. It was disheartening to see as to how the minor staff members were ignoring their duties but were either nodding or chatting with their colleagues without helping the patients who really needed wheelchairs. None of these minor staff members were bothered to help the sick in wheelchairs.
It was a heart-rending scene to witness how an old female patient with a nasal tube inserted who was brought in an ambulance together with few other patients was forced to walk into the hospital without being taken in a wheelchair.  She was walking slowly carrying a piece of paper – supposed to be a bed head ticket (BHT) without any clue as to where she had to go. She was seen taking a few steps towards the OPD and then looking around for any assistance but sadly the minor staff was not ready to help her.
Meanwhile, Sumanadasa who had come from Piliyandala accused the clinic doctors for not checking his blood pressure (BP) but only prescribing the drugs.
“I am having high BP and come to the clinic once a month. When I first came the doctor checked my BP and prescribed medicine. This is the third time I came to the clinic but the last two occasions the doctors prescribed medicine without even taking me inside the clinic to check my BP,” he added.  A doctor confirmed Sumandasa’s claim. “We have to see all the patients that come to the clinic. We know that there are no proper facilities here as everything is congested. The patient’s claim was true as we have had to prescribe BP or diabetic patients their medicine without checking them,” claimed a clinic doctor.
Padmini too was waiting to see a doctor to show her mammogram and CT Scan report, which she was asked to take from a private hospital. “There is a small lump in my breast and when I came to show it, I was asked to take these two tests from a private hospital. I had to pay Rs.12,000 for these two tests,” she added.

“Although we put rat-traps we have failed to
get rid of this menace.” Acting Director
Acting Director Colombo South Teaching Hospital Dr Asela Gunawardena said that the hospital had received the necessary drugs and most of the surgical drugs that were out of stock.
“There was a time we ran short of these items as the MSD faced drug shortage. If there is a shortage, with the approval of the MSD we purchase them from the local market. In regard to the quality failed drugs it is not an issue only to this hospital but to every hospital. If there are such drugs that do not give the efficacy, the doctor or the nurse should give me a letter which I could forward to the MSD with a sample of the medicine,” said Dr. Gunawardena.
Meanwhile Dr. Gunawardena said that he has taken steps to send the five sisters who are working at Kalubowila without any authority no sooner gets replacements.
“Even I came to know of this issue and I have already taken steps to send them to the hospitals where they have been posted. I was not aware that they were given in charge of wards and will look into the matter. In regard to the drug purchase book, the wards can send me them for my approval whenever they want to get medicine from the in-house pharmacy. True we cannot stick this method only once a week but have to be more practical,” he added.
However Dr Gunawardena too confirmed that the hospital has become a mini zoo and said that he is trying to get rid of these animals although he failed so far.
“I have visited the kitchen several times and have warned them to keep away the cats away from the kitchen. They are against me as I once told them that I would give them a salary cut if cats are allowed in. Stern action has to be taken against this and we have spoken to some animal foundation in Balapitiya who has agreed to give our cats and dogs refuge in their homes. Rats too have become a nuisance and although we put rat-traps we have still failed to get rid of this menace,” he added.

Manoja’s ailing mother waiting for her turn for chemotherapy treatment, P.A. Nissanka hoping to win a sweep to buy milkpowder and Chemotherapy Unit- patients waiting till the medicine is bought from outside pharmacies

Despite the Health Ministry’s assurances to supply drugs and medical equipments to all government hospitals uninterruptedly, the Cancer Institute in Maharagama – the premier cancer institute in the country is facing an acute shortage of life-saving drugs.
In addition to drug shortages, the Oncologists are concerned over the inflow of substandard chemotherapy drugs that do not have any quality assurance.
However, Director Cancer Institute Maharagama, Dr. Kanishka Karunaratne refuted the claim as ‘baseless’ and said that other than Neupogen which is a drug given to increase the blood count, the hospital pharmacies have ample stock of cancer treatment medicine.
“Whatever the drug deficiencies are, I get them from our donors who recently donated drugs worth of Rs. 3 lakhs. Highlighting short comings in papers would not help to find a solution instead our donors will lose confidence on us,” said Dr. Karunaratne.
Apart from drug shortages, lack of beds has become a serious issue at the Cancer Hospital Maharagama.
The OPD patients meanwhile accused the hospital authority for not having a proper mechanism to meet the doctors on clinic days.
“Even though we come early morning to get back home early, that never happens. Those who are known to the attendants at the clinics get a chance to see the doctor no sooner they come. Although we cannot prove, we have a feeling that those attendants at the clinic are bribed by the patients. If there is a system where the OPD can issue numbers, we can get back home without any delay,” said many patients.
Speaking on conditions of anonymity, an old patient at ward 13 described as to how difficult it is for her to sleep on a wooden bench. “We are helpless patients. Why cannot the hospital provide us at least a bed to rest? It is difficult to sleep on a bench,” she added.
Meanwhile reliable sources at the Cancer Institute on conditions of anonymity said that recurrent shortage of indispensable, commonly used routine cancer drugs in hospitals has compromised the prospect of cancer treatments.
“Shortage of essential, emergency life saving drugs at the Cancer Hospital has not only affected the innocent cancer patients but has deprived them of their right to live longer. Unless these drugs are given to the patients on time the total efficacy of the treatment is lost. Results of such treatments are not meaningful as it could not help to save the lives but instead the cancer cells would keep on swelling. Recurrent shortage of indispensable, commonly used routine drugs has compromised the prospect of treatments. There are many varieties of drugs and vials that are not available in the hospital and we have had to prescribe the patients to bring it from outside if they can afford. Those who cannot afford to buy from outside, we have to administer the substandard medicine which does not give any efficacy. These chemotherapy drugs have to be administered to the patients once in two or three weeks considering the sickness. If one cycle of treatment is missed or supportive substandard drugs are given the patients lose the hope of their lives,” sources said.
Questions have also been raised as to why de-registered low quality drugs have been supplied to the Cancer Hospital.
“Although it was decided earlier that substandard drugs will not be purchased to treat cancer patients, a substitute drug for Neupogen has been purchased last week. This medicine is to be purchased till August next year. Who is behind this move? The Oncologists do not need substandard medicine to treat their patients as they have always wanted the authorities concern, not to go for low cost  drugs but to administer quality original drugs that give relief to the innocent patients,” added sources.
Meanwhile, a shortage of Docetaxel – the chemotherapy drug given for breast and ovarian cancer patients has caused much obscurity.
“Since this drug is out of stock, the Oncologists have had to use substandard drugs as substitute. A patient needs six doses of Docetaxel, and one dose is given once in three weeks. The drug costs Rs. 14, 000 and for the full course a patient has to pay Rs.84, 000. Only those who can afford buy this medicine,” sources said.
Sources further added, “The quality of the substandard cancer drugs is doubtful as more often the patients fall sick once they are administered. We have to take the patients to the wards straight from the chemotherapy unit. We are puzzled as to why the Health Ministry still allows the substandard drugs to be supplied to hospitals”.
“The original and standard drugs are freely available in the open market. Why cannot the Health Ministry officials purchase these quality medicines for the innocent patients? We believe that there is an unforeseen powerful hand behind this.
This is a never ending crisis and cannot be corrected unless the Health Ministry pay an attention to the issue.
The main reason for the continuous drug shortages in the country are not anything else but the Ministry’s lethargic attitude,” they added.
Sources further said that donors are requested to donate drugs from selected pharmacies instructed by the Drug Donation Board (DDB) members.
“There is a huge racket going on here in the guise of accepting drugs from the donors. DDB members want these donors to purchase the requested medicine from certain pharmacies of their agents where these officers get the commission. This is going on over and over although this has been brought to the hospital authority notice but to no avail,” added the sources.

Patients Have Lost Hopes

When The Sunday Leader visited Cancer Hospital Maharagama last week, it was disheartening to see as to how cancer patients were sleeping on the ground and on benches due to lack of beds.
Some were resting on benches while their medicine is administered. In some wards, two patients were seen lying on one bench.
The Sunday Leader meanwhile spoke to a few OPD and in house patients who were alleging that they are not satisfied with the facilities provided to them.
“We have come from far away in hired vehicles but since there are no medicines we have to return back without treatments,” a group of OPD patients said. Samanmalee was waiting from morning to see her doctor but she was disappointed as her name was not called even by 12.15 pm although some patients who came late had the opportunity to see the doctor earlier.
“I travelled from Hikkaduwa and came to the hospital by 6.45 am. I was the third to come to this clinic although my name is yet to be called. Names of those who came after me got the opportunity to see the doctor. When I asked the officer at the counter as to what the delay was, they did not give a proper answer. I have to take the chemotherapy treatment once in three weeks without any break. It was in mid August that I got my last treatment. On that occasion I had to buy the medicine which cost me Rs. 4, 800. When I came last week the Consultant wanted me to come today. I have had to go home without the medicine today as well. Why cannot the Health Ministry provide the necessary medicine especially for the Cancer Institute? We have no hopes in our lives now,” dejected Samanmalee said.
Chandima Fernando too was waiting to see her Oncologists from 8.30 am but was waiting out of the clinic till 12.30 pm.
“I was diagnosed with cancer in early 2008 and come for treatments once in two months. Although I am not fit enough to come alone I still manage to do so as I do not have money to spend for the bus fare. I left home at 4am and came here by 6.30 am but still I am waiting at the queue till my name is called,” she said.
Manoja has come with her ailing mother who was taking chemotherapy. “My mother had to undergo 12 cycles of chemotherapy once in every fortnight. My mother got the drug from the hospital only on two occasions and the medicine for the other ten cycles I had to buy from outside. The ten vials cost me Rs. 230, 000. I do not know as to how long I could further bear the cost for my mother as all my earnings have come to an end,” Manoja said.
Seventy one year old P.A. Nissanka was so weak even to walk along the hospital corridors. He was collecting money to buy milk powder. “I can’t swallow solid food and survive on liquids. I do not have money to buy milk powder that is why I am collecting money,” he said.
Showing a sweep ticket, Nissanka said that if he wins he will go to see his children in Tangalle.  “They do not have money to come and see me. I am staying in the temple next door and go to sleep every evening, praying not to wake up the next morning. My entire body is aching,” he said.  Gemunu Pathirana was yet another patient who was waiting at the Chemotherapy Unit at the Cancer Hospital Maharagama waiting his brother to bring the drug which was prescribed from a private pharmacy.  “I have a cancer in the gallbladder and the pancreas and it was removed in December 2009. I was lucky to have not fallen sick after the chemotherapy treatment but most of the patients fall sick after the drug is administered. The sufferings at this hospital cannot be described in words. All these patients are battling hard to live even for another one hour. But if there are no medicines what could the innocent patients do rather than going back home losing hopes,” he said.

———————————————

Highlighting Issues Will Lose Donor Confidence
Dr. Kanishka Karunaratne, Director Cancer Hospital Maharagama said that highlighting small issues at the Cancer Hospital will lose donor confidence of the hospital.
“Other than one particular drug, the hospital pharmacies have enough of drugs for the patients. Whenever there is a drug shortage, I inform the regular donors and get the medicine. Last week they donated drugs worth Rs. 3 lakhs,” said Dr. Karunaratne.
When asked as to what action he has taken to provide beds for the housed patients who are sleeping on wooden benches, Dr. Karunaratne refused to accept it.
“How can patients sleep on wooden beds? No one in this hospital sleeps on benches as there are enough of beds,” he claimed.

• National Hospital Colombo

By Nirmala Kannangara Pictures by Asoka Fernando

Pharmacies were closed for lunch, A.K.K. Gunasekera, Toilets with broken doors, The unhealthy OPD with water all over AND Seated on the ground waiting for their turn

The difficulties faced by patients receiving OPD and resident treatment at the National Hospital Colombo is appalling given the assurance of a free health care service given by the government.
Among the key issues faced by patients are the lack of quality pharmaceuticals, laboratory services and basic facilities.
The failure to implement the National Drug Policy has resulted in the heavy inflow of substandard drugs to government hospitals and has denied poor patients free medicine. This situation is heading for a disastrous situation as some essential life saving drugs are out of stock and only substandard drugs are available in hospitals.
As a result, patients who come for treatment to all government hospitals including the National Hospital Colombo face immense difficulties as not only do they have to buy  the prescribe drugs from private pharmacies but have to get most of the tests from outside laboratories.
“It is better to go to a private doctor to buy medicine rather than coming to the general hospital. The only difference is that we do not have to pay the doctors fee- if not for medicine and drugs we have to pay,” said Kanthi Perera, an OPD patient.
However a Consultant Physician attached to the National Hospital on condition of anonymity said the reason why the doctors ask the patient to take some of the medical reports from private laboratories was that they do cannot rely on hospital lab reports.
“There is a rumour that the doctors are paid commissions by these pharmacies and laboratories for sending the patients to them. It is completely wrong. Why we do want to get these tests from outside is because we cannot rely on hospital lab reports. They are not accurate. The finest and the closest example for this is my own experience. My father was admitted to the ICU last week and the doctor prescribed some tests to be done immediately. Since I cannot rely on hospital reports I got these tests done even from a private hospital in addition to the hospital investigations. The two reports showed two different results. Since I have been following my father’s condition over the past few months, I know that the private hospital reports were accurate but not the general hospitals. As a Physician, I do not want to treat my patients on inaccurate reports. That is why we ask them to get the tests done from private laboratories instead from the hospital,” he added.
The patients further accused the Health Ministry in particular and the hospital authority in general for not providing the basic needs for the patients.
“It is not an exaggeration if this hospital is called the ‘hell’ on earth. The Health Ministry officials should visit every nook and corner of this hospital and see to themselves as to how the patients are suffering due to lack of basic needs. Giving a facelift by colour washing the outer buildings during a politician’s visit is not the remedy. Let the state run electronic media show the appalling state of this hospital to the country in order to get the government’s attention. They only telecast the nicely coloured buildings and certain areas of the hospital to show the people that the General Hospital is a heaven,” said A.K.K. Gunasekera, an OPD patient.
With the torrential rain over the past few days, the OPD has now become grimier than during sunny days.
Part of the OPD was under water and the patients were seeing seated on damp benches soaking their legs in water. The garbage container next to the OPD was full with garbage up to its brim and was full of water, which was dropping from a broken gutter. There was no janitorial staff person to attend to it.
There were hardly any attendants at the entrance to the OPD to attend on the needy patients. Most of the patients were seated on the ground near many clinics and even near pharmacies due to lack of benches.
“We come here to take treatment for our sicknesses but, is this the way the patients are treated? There are no proper seating facilities provided for the patients as most of the benches are kept outside the corridor. This would have done with a good intention to enable the patients to walk without any hindrance, which is good. But keeping the benches outside is not the solution. How can we sit on these benches when it is raining? Even on sunny days no one sits on them. I have seen how patients faint when they sit under the scorching sun. The congested drains are an eye sore and the toilets are awful. They do not have proper doors and locks,” said A.K.K. Gunasekera.
Sixty-nine year old A.G. Agnes was waiting near the OPD pharmacy to get her medicine. Although she is partly paralyzed and cannot walk without her daughter’s assistance, she still had to sit on the ground to wait for her turn as there was no room on any bench to sit.
The pharmacies were closed for lunch and the patients who were in long queues even without a glass of water were looking at their clocks waiting for the pharmacist to open the pharmacy doors.
“I left home at 5.45 am and came here by 6.30 am. From the time we came we could not find a bench to sit, as there was a long queue. Although there are some benches out of the building, who can sit there in the rain? Now it is 12.45 pm and yet to see the doctor. Since there was no place for me to sit, I too had to sit on the ground. Since I am partly paralyzed it was so difficult to sit on the ground for a long period,” Agnes said.
Xavier Senerath is a heart patient since 2000 and comes to the clinic once a month, but complained as to how he has to buy most of the expensive medicine from outside.
“Last time when I came, the pharmacy did not have TNT tablets which are not expensive. Even the cholesterol and pressure tablets were out of stock. I had to by them from outside. I was asked to get my cholesterol and sugar levels tested and I got them from Hanwella where I live,” said Senerath.
Fazliya Hameed was waiting to see the doctor at the Cardiology Unit to get a prescription.
“I underwent a bypass operation in mid last year and come to the clinic once a month. When I went to the pharmacy to take the prescribe medicine, I was told that tablets given for cholesterol are not available. I came back to see the doctor to get a new prescription written as I have to leave this note book where the prescription is written back at the counter before I leave,” she said.
Amarawathie was complaining that she was given medicine only for three weeks but her next clinic date is January 25, 2013.
“The pharmacist shouted at me when I asked whether I can come back after three weeks to take the medicine for the rest of the period. I was asked to buy the medicine from an outside pharmacy. Where do we have money to spend for these drugs? Why cannot the government allocate money to buy medicine to hospitals?  They are not bothered as none of the government higher officials come to government hospitals to take medicine but only the poor people,” said Amarawathie.
A.K.K. Gunasekera said that she too was asked to buy the medicine from a private pharmacy.
“I am an asthmatic patient and take the medicine from the General Hospital for a long time. The condition here is appalling and there are no proper sanitation facilities provided for patients.
The toilet doors are broken and cannot be locked. Is this how the health ministry provide facilities to the patients? Most of the time the patients have to sit on the ground till their turn comes for the clinic. We are old people and when we sit on the ground for a long period, cannot stand up at once when our turn comes. The moment we get late another person jumps to our place. That starts fights,” she said.
She further accused the government for only making road networks in the country but does not provide any facility to the poor people. “They make these roads as they want to go on good roads. But poor people like us do not have vehicles to go on these roads. A good road network cannot solve the people’s problems.
The government should know to bring down the high cost of living and provide a good health service. When the politicians are robbing public money how can a country go forward? Instead we are going backward now. Earlier when we came to this clinic we could wait till evening with a piece of bread and plain tea. But now that too has been deprived as bread prices have gone up,” claimed Gunasekera.

Implement Senaka Bibile Drug Policy
The Health Ministry’s failure to implement the National Drug Policy has resulted in a heavy inflow of quality-failed drugs to government hospitals, a Consultant Physician attached to the National Hospital said on condition of anonymity.
He further said that failure to implement Prof. Senaka Bibile’s Drug Policy over the past several years has not only cost the country billions of rupees but also denied innocent patients free medicine from government hospitals.
“The country’s health sector is heading for a disastrous situation as most of the essential drugs are out of stock and only quality-failed drugs are available in the stores,” he said.
Accusing the Health Ministry of not implementing the Senaka Bibile Drug Policy, the sources said that it was a shame that the country that introduced the drug policy to the world is yet to implement the same in Sri Lanka, when more than 100 countries are following the Senaka Bibile Drug Policy.
The sources further said that it was disgusting to note that Health Ministry has failed to blacklist the suppliers of quality-failed drugs.
“This is a serious issue. These drug suppliers continue to supply quality-failed drugs to the country and the Ministry has not taken any steps to blacklist them and debar them from importing drugs to the country. Why is it that the Ministry does not want to take action against these suppliers despite having urged the government on many occasions to take action against them,” queried the sources.
He also faulted the Ministry for the failure to issue the Sri Lanka Drug Index annually and to initiate a drug information centre in the country.

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Expand SPMC And Purchase Drugs
From Them – Dr. Upul Gunasekera
Health Ministry’s failure to expand State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC) has resulted loss of millions of rupees to the country.
“SPMC has the ability to manufacture medicinal drugs that are safe, effective, and affordable with good quality up to international standards. It is disheartening to note that the Health Ministry is not taking the use of SPMC. If this is expanded, we could stop the inflow of substandard medicine to the country and save millions of foreign exchange. The reason behind this is the ministry officials cannot take commission if they purchase drugs from SPMC. That was why the Health Ministry prefers to import medicine from outside which is substandard,” said Dr. Gunasekera.
Dr. Gunasekera further said that due to lack of funds, the health ministry has failed to purchase enough of medicine for hospitals.
“Atovastatin- which is given for hypertension and to control cholesterol levels is a very useful drug, which is not expensive is out of stock at the general hospital. In May, TNT tablets were not available in the hospitals. Most of the time, syringes, gloves and syringe pump extensions, and many more operation equipments are out of stock. These are not expensive items. If the Health Ministry cannot afford to purchase low cost items can they afford to buy expensive drugs? The situation at the Neuro Traumatic Unit is the same. It is the same with every other unit. Implement Senaka Bibile Drug Policy and streamline the drug purchasing methods to supply drugs to all hospitals uninterruptedly,” said Dr. Gunasekera.

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Too Busy  To Talk
Health Ministry Secretary and Acting Director General Health Services Dr. Nihal Jayathilake, was so busy to talk although several messages were left with his Personal Assistant.
Even Director National Hospital Dr. Anil Jasinghe did not return calls, although several messages were left with his official staff.

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For What Does The Budgetary
Allocations Use For- ACHSU
President All Ceylon Health Services Union (ACHSU) Gamini Kumarasinghe queries as for what the health Ministry budgetary allocations are utilized for.
“The government claims that they keep on increasing health ministry budgetary allocations but there is no solution for drug shortages. Instead of utilizing enough of money to provide better facilities and import enough of drugs for the hospitals, these funds are utilized for personal usage by the ministry officials. The Health Minister is well aware of this situation but silent to please some of his officials,” said Kumarasiri.

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There Are Enough Of Stocks At The Medical Stores
- Media Secretary Health Ministry
Media Secretary Health Ministry W.M.D. Wanninayake said that shortage of drugs in hospitals, are the fault of the respective hospital authorities.
“There are ample stocks of drugs at the medical stores. Hospital authorities’ failure to send us the list of their requirements on time has led to this situation. Although we have asked each hospital to hold drug review committees very often, they hardly follow our instructions. Had these hospitals hold drug review committees often, it is very easy for them to find out what their requirements are,” said Wanninayake.
However Wanninayake refutes allegations levelled against the Health Ministry for getting down substandard drugs to the country. He further said there are no room for them to blacklist any drug import company if found guilty for supplying low quality drugs.
“We buy the best quality medicine. In an event if we find out that a certain supplier has supplied low quality drugs to us still we cannot blacklist them. There are chances that the other drug suppliers too can stop their service to us. In such an event the entire country will have to suffer without medicine. That was why we could not black list those who have found guilty for supplying substandard drugs,” said Wanninayake.
According to Wanninayake, the Health Ministry budgetary allocations have never cut down but have increased continuously.
“For 2009, Rs.69 billion have been allocated while for 2010- Rs.76 billion, 2011- Rs.89 billion and for 2012- Rs.100 billion,” he added.