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Go ahead, says Premier
The Navy will once again round up fishermen poaching in waters of the Colombo Port high security zone. Navy Commander Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri who met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to complain about a recent incident has been told to continue arrests.

As reported in these columns last week, a Cabinet minister asked Police not to take into custody more than 60 fishermen from Wattala who were poaching. The Police had also been told by the Minister not to entertain any complaint from the Navy.

Qualifying for the Presidency
Walking out of Teldeniya Courts early this week, former Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte, was in a buoyant mood. Going to remand, he told close relatives, had made him popular in the country. "When I get out, I can contest for Presidency and win," he quipped.

On his transfer to Bogambara Remand Prison, he joked "I will be joining Tom and Jerry today." The reference was to his son Lohan and Chanuka who are also in remand there.

Nosediving Navy discipline
Mounting discipli nary problems appear to plague the Sri Lanka Navy. If a Mess Assistant, was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a Court Martial for sex assault on a female officer last month, now comes another story. This week, residents in Trincomalee assaulted a Navy officer and later tied him to a tree for allegedly attempting to molest a girl. A probe is now under way. In a separate incident, a sailor is to be indicted for assaulting an officer.

In a move that seemed paradoxical, two Navy officers and two sailors suspended two years ago for their involvement in "smuggling and transferring of refugees," or in other words human smuggling, are to be re-instated. The incident had occurred in Talaimannar where the Police conducted an inquiry. The Ministry of Defence approved the suspension which was published in the Gazette of July 18, 2000. Now the Navy Headquarters wants the MoD to rescind this order.

Secrets of the underworld
The juicy secrets have begun to unfold after DIG Sirisena Herath (Western Province South), ordered a crack-down on brothels, hooch dens and vice rings. A once powerful cop, the story is now doing the rounds, made a cool lakh and a half rupees every month from big time underworld barons. Under pressure, the king pins are now coughing out secret deals.

Little wonder, some cops themselves admitted that the highest volume of underworld activity was in greater Nugegoda area. The top man was once caught by plain clothed sleuths red handed - travelling in his own official car for a rendezvous of a different kind.

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