Bus
operators to hold talks with LTTE
By
Sunil Jayatillake
Representatives of private bus operators' association are
scheduled to visit Kilinochchi on Wednesday for talks with
LTTE leaders on resolving the prolonged dispute in running
the Colombo-Jaffna bus service. According to the latest proposal
from the LTTE, civilians will have to make use of the bus
services operated by the LTTE in areas controlled by it.
Thus buses
on the Colombo-Jaffna route will have to run empty in the
areas controlled by the LTTE and pick the passengers at the
entrance to the army check point. The Sunday Times learns
that the proposal has been made as the LTTE wants to make
sure that it does not lose on the revenue collected from the
passengers travelling in the areas controlled by it. However,
the proposal would mean that the passengers would have to
pay more for their trip.
The LTTE
on Friday turned away two buses which had started off from
Jaffna and were planning to come to Colombo directly. The
buses were turned away at the Eluthumaduwal check point. There
was an immediate reaction from the Private Bus Operators'
Association in Colombo about the LTTE proposal. The association's
president, Gemunu Wijeratne said that instead of forcing the
passengers to get off and board another bus, they would agree
to pay the LTTE the fare which the LTTE would be losing as
a result of buses directly operating between Colombo and Jaffna.
Mr. Wijeratne will be leading a three-member delegation for
a meeting with the LTTE in Kilinochchi on Wednesday to discuss
the bus service.
The state
transport board has kept 10 buses ready to resume the Colombo-Jaffna
service, but has not got the government clearance so far.
Meanwhile, the LTTE has begun allowing civilians to travel
along the A9 road between Omanthai in Vavuniya and Muhamalai
in Jaffna. More than 5,000 civilians among them Sinhalese
and Muslims, had travelled along the A9 road during the New
Year season. Some of them were visiting the Nagadeepa in Jaffna.
An average
of 1000 people was making use of the facility and they had
to undergo the normal security checks made by the troops and
the LTTE at Omanthai. At the army check point private vehicles
have to submit photo copies of their licences and insurance
certificates of the vehicles while at the LTTE check point
too they are subjected to checks.
Hospital
hawkers in peace bid
Hawkers in the vicinity of the National Hospital have started
talks with doctors to reach a settlement over the incident
which took place early this week leading to a four-day strike
by doctors and prompting them to call for the demolition of
the unauthorised structures. A group of pavement hawkers had
appealed to the doctors not to call for the removal of the
unauthorised structures within the hosptal square in Colombo.
The Colombo
Municipal Council has already set April 30 as the deadline
to evict the pavement hawkers. Dr. Jayantha Liyanage, Chief
Executive Officer and the Municipal Commissioner told The
Sunday Times that the pavement hawkers had met him on Friday
and informed him about the talks with the Government Medical
Officers Association (GMOA).
"I
have told them that if they reach any settlement I would need
the details of the settlement in writing from the GMOA,"
he said. Dr. Liyanage said he was looking forward to make
alternative arrangements for the pavement hawkers who have
been operating in the hospital square. He said there were
26 such persons.
Doctors
spread their strike from the National Hospital to other hospitals
in Colombo on Wednesday bringing all admissions and OPD treatment
to a standstill. The prevailing atmosphere in the hospital
square has posed a threat to employees of hospital too.
On Wednesday, one of the employees of Ward 72 of the Accident
Service was hit in the head when he went to one of the shops
to make a purchase.
Deputy
Director, Accident and Orthapaedic Service, Dr. Anil Jayasinghe
said the Health Department was looking into measures to improve
the security of the hospital. "The hospital security
service is very weak and we need to improve on it. We have
now strengthened the hospital police post". H. M. Chandrika,
a fruit vendor said she would lose her only livelihood if
she was evacuated from the Hospital Square. For nearly 25
years, Ms. Chandrika and her parents have had their business
on that same spot. "I have to pay a loan taken to carry
out my business and today (Wednesday) I haven't been able
to pay, because I have had no cutomers. If I don't pay the
money due daily, the money lender would send me to jail,"
she cried.
Avurudda at global village
for VIPs!
By Shelani Perera and Harinda Vidanage
Though the hallowed customs is for people to go to their villages
to celebrate the National New Year, a large number of cabinet
ministers, deputy ministers and MPs thought otherwise and
went out of the country for the New Year.
With the
closing of the Budget debate on April 11, several ministers
took wing on official or private visits and some will be out
for upto three weeks. Still more are due to fly out. Minister
Arumugam Thondaman who met LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran
on April 14 returned from Kilinochchi on the same day and
within hours left for Britain.
Ministers G.L. Peiris, K.N. Choksy and Ravi Karunanayake are
on a four-nation tour of Britain, the United States, Japan
and India.
Minister
Mahinda Samarasinghe is on a five nation official tour of
the Netherlands, ermany, Italy, Britain and the UAE; Minister
S. B. Dissanayake is visiting Australia and New Zealand and
Minister Rohitha Bogollagama is in China Ministers Mahinda
Wijesekera, A.H.M. Azwer and Earl Gunesekera are in Dubai,
as was Minister Bandula Gunewardene who took the opportunity
to watch the disastrous Sharjah Cup before he returned on
Thursday. Minister Tissa Attanayake flew to India and Minister
Karunasena Kodituwakku to Vietnam while Minister John Amaratunga
went to the US on a personal visit.
Doctors'
strike raises queries on violation of human rights?
In the aftermath of the four day doctors' strike which left
thousands of patients in agony, civic action groups are raising
questions whether regular crippling of public hospitals amounts
to a violation of human rights of patients.
While
some patients' rights groups were considering the possibility
of petitioning the Human Rights Commission, eminent medical
personalities were contacted by the Sunday Times for their
views. Prof. Lalitha Mendis, Dean of the Colombo University's
Faculty of Medicine said she believed dialogue was preferable
to strike action but she also understood the conflict of doctors
who sometimes had no alternative.
Prof.
Mendis said it was clearly not correct to make innocent patients
suffer. But in the latest case of assault on a doctor at the
National Hospital, Prof. Mendis said if strike action had
not been taken the case would probably have dragged on with
justice being denied to a doctor who had been allegedly mauled
by some drunken visitors. She said more police security should
be provided especially at the accident ward of the National
Hospital while the authorities should also create confidence
among doctors and provide an effective mechanism whereby grievances
and problems could be resolved without delay.
The dean
of the medical faculty stressed that however high the calling
of doctors might be they should not be expected to submit
meekly when they were assaulted as in last Sunday's incident.
She said doctors and others had a human right to work without
the threat of being assaulted while the trend of hitting first
and settling matters later could not be condoned in any way
Patients'
rights campaigner Dr. Joel Fernando, a former president of
the Organisation of Professionals Associations said strike
action raised clear ethical questions for doctors. But he
said the primary cause of such incidents was the state of
political thuggery and virtual lawlessness that prevailed
inside and around the country's two main hospitals- the National
Hospital and the Lady Ridgeway.
Dr. Fernando
said a spate of political appointments mainly to minor staff
positions in recent years had created a serious security problem
in and around the two main hospitals making it difficult if
not impossible for doctors and nurses to work with dedication
and commitment.b He said the state of political lawlessness
and thuggery needed to be addressed because the thugs in and
around hospitals were violating the basic rights of the patients
and medical staff.
Dr. Eugene
Corea a member of the ethics committee of the Sri Lanka Medical
Association said he believed the doctors needed to act with
a sense of social responsibility and commitment to the human
rights of the patients. Dr. Corea said an effective mechanism
was needed to sort out matters relating to security, political
thuggery and other grievances of doctors. But he believed
the GMOA needed to reflect deeply before precipitating a situation
that caused agony to thousands of patients who could not afford
private treatment.
Mass
demo against govt.-LTTE hegemony
By Shelani Perera
A mass demonstration and a picketing by opposition parties
are scheduled to be held in Colombo on Tuesday to protest
against the government - LTTE agreement and the proposed talks
between the two sides. The protest rally which will be at
Hyde Park Corner at 4.00 p.m will be addressed by former Speaker
Anura Bandaranaike, MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena, NUA leader
Mrs. Feriel Ashraff and JVP MP Wimal Weerawansa. A large number
of Buddhist monks are due to take part in the protest campaign
MEP Leader Dinesh Gunawardena told The Sunday Times that the
protest rally is not limited to the government- LTTE agreement,
but also about implications of the agreement.
"
The rally is to show that the government is working towards
the division of the country and the handing over of the North
and East to the LTTE. It is a very serious problem and we
have to take immediate steps to stop this, we will also create
awareness among the people" Mr. Gunawa-rdena said. The
protest rally is organised by a movement identifying itself
as the "Movement against the division of the country
and for honourable peace" .
The protest
comes in the wake of a group of Opposition MPs forming a front
to fight for the rights of the Sinhala people. MPs are scheduled
to meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe to explain the implications of the agreement
with the LTTE. Meanwhile, the JVP would hold a picketing at
the Lipton Circus immediately prior to the protest rally with
the participation of people from Ampara,Trincomalee and Vavuniya.
People from the North and East would come to Colombo in a
motorcade to Colombo, sources said. They will also hand over
a petition at the Prime Minister's office.
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