Prime Minister Dee Moo Jayaratne seems to have put his foot in his mouth, though he was forewarned only weeks ago to be careful in speech, one of the tenets to be followed by good Buddhists.
On Wednesday, he told Parliament that there were LTTE training camps in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu only to draw the wrath of the Indian authorities who lost no time in denying the story.
Of course, the Indians had often been denying that their soil was used for LTTE activities when it was public knowledge to all and sundry at the time. That was, however, in the bad old days of yesteryear when the Indians actively supported the Sri Lankan insurgency i.e. until such time as the LTTE killed one of India's former Prime Ministers on Tamil Nadu soil.
Premier Jayaratne has now quickly backtracked from the claim saying that he was merely going by local media reports (local meaning Indian or Sri Lankan was also not clear), but then he cannot get away so lightly because for one thing, he said that he was basing his claim on "intelligence reports", and more importantly, here is the Prime Minister of a country making a claim in no less a place than the National Parliament.
It was even more serious a gaffe than the claim made at the same august assembly by the country's External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris the other day about Nepal wanting President Mahinda Rajapaksa to settle its internal disputes.
These neighbours of ours must be thinking, surely, "why have enemies when we have friends such as this".
As for Premier Jayaratne, he was forewarned a few weeks back by no less a persona than then newly appointed Chief Sangha Nayaka of Bharatha (India) Ven. Dr. D. Revatha Thera to prepare his speeches without ohe dodawanawa (rambling). Ven. Dr. Revatha complained to President Rajapaksa before a large gathering that his Prime Minister monawa kiyanawada kiyala danne naa (no one knows what he is saying).
He was referring to a speech he had made at a temple function the previous day where he had spoken about the cost of living and urged the people not to blame the Government for it. The President laughed at first but then realised that decorum and protocol require him not to.
It was also the other day that we reproduced in these pages the Prime Minister's National Day message that was replete with mistakes and was stopped at the last minute by an alert official at the External Affairs Ministry.
It is probably not too late to learn, for Premier Jayaratne that he speaks for Sri Lanka and all Sri Lankans not merely for himself.
Cricket bosses clash
at World Cup
Sri Lanka Cricket and World Cup Tournament Treasurer Sujeewa Rajapakse took his two daughters along to watch the Sri Lanka-Australia match at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. As he was entering the Chairman's enclosure of the Stadium, he was told by a security guard that his daughters could not be allowed to go in. He had brushed off the objections and gone inside.
However Interim Committee Chief D.S. de Silva who saw Rajapakse's daughters seated with him ordered them out. The treasurer however held his ground and stayed on till the match was stopped prematurely due to rain. It seems all is not well within the interim committee.
Lanka's double deals with Libya
Notwithstanding Sri Lanka's covert and overt ties to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Sri Lanka did go along with the General Assembly resolution two weeks ago to suspend Libya from the Human Rights Council, a landmark event in the history of the UN.
The resolution was adopted by consensus -- and even some of Libya's presumed closest allies, including Venezuela, Iran and Sri Lanka did not dare call for a vote and caved in rather meekly.
A Foreign Ministry source posed the question: If Sri Lanka called for the virtual expulsion of Libya from the Human Rights Council, will it also call for the expulsion of Libyan diplomats from Sri Lanka? Not necessarily logical but judging by the relationship between the two leaders, that is a non-starter.
Lanka embassy in Tokyo rattled
Sri Lankan's acting Ambassador in Japan, Esala Weerakoon, and his staff had the most terrifying experience of their lives when a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on Friday. According to his colleagues at the Ministry of External Affairs, the five storied Sri Lanka Embassy building in the Tokyo suburb of Takanawa shook for more than five minutes. The heavy vibrations broke crockery placed inside cupboards.
Embassy officials have reported to Colombo of warnings they received that the aftershock of the tsunami would continue for weeks and to expect tremors every now and then. Embassy officials have said that there are an estimated 12,000 Sri Lankans living in Japan. Until last afternoon, none of them was reported to be affected.
What's up at Warakapola?
It was a UPFA rally for the local polls to the Warakapola Pradeshiya Sabha. Speakers were angered that their rival candidate, a former Chairman of the Sabha, from the UNP had hurled allegations against two UPFA leaders in the area, Mahipala Herath and Mano Wijeratne. He alleged that the duo were hatching conspiracies at the Ambepussa Rest House.
Herath is now Chief Minister of the Sabaragamuwa Province and Wijeratne is the Co-ordinating Secretary to the President.
During his speech Herath said he is not used to this culture of going to rest houses. Even if he wanted to go, he said, he would not go with a well built person like Wijeratne.
Hena won't strike Hela
Jathika Hela Urumaya's (JHU) stalwart Udaya Gammanpilla was addressing a meeting at the Yahelle Community Centre in Seethawakapura. It was on behalf of party candidates for the Urban Council elections.
Suddenly there were huge bursts of lightning. People at the rally ran helter skelter. Earlier that day, heavy lightning had injured a villager who was admitted to hospital.
The microphone fell on the floor after a strong bolt of lightning hit. Gammanpilla lifted it and spoke again. Dharmaya rekena ekkanva dharmayama reka gannawa (Those who protect dharma or the Buddhist doctrine are protected by the same dharma) He asked the crowds to look at him. He was unharmed.
President's ire on SLAF helicopters
President Mahinda Rajapaksa had some words of advice to top brass of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) last week. He said if their helicopters were becoming unserviceable constantly, he would recommend that they purchase a new fleet.
His ire is understandable. He went for meetings related to Thursday's local polls this week in Moneragala. When the event was over, he boarded his VIP helicopter for the return flight to Colombo. He had to be on time to sign as attesting witness at a wedding. There was a snag and the chopper could not take off.
He then boarded his escort helicopter where his Presidential Security Division personnel travelled. It took off. The PSD men made a dash to Wirawila to board a Chinese built Harbin Y-12 fixed wing aircraft.
When it touched down at Wirawila en route to Colombo, they found President Rajapaksa waiting there. The security helicopter too found it difficult to remain airborne due to poor visibility conditions. The pilot had landed at Wirawila.
He boarded the fixed wing aircraft and headed to Colombo. The pilot of the aircraft could not land at the Ratmalana air base. Their 60th anniversary exhibition was under way. Hence, the flight extended to Katunayake. From there, he flew by another helicopter to the Parliament grounds in Kotte-Sri Jayawardenapura. It was late.
He apologised to his hosts at the wedding for not being able to come before the nekath (or auspicious) time.
Those were the days of people power
When Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi announced the creation of the Great Socialist Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in the 1970s, he abolished conventional forms of government: no president, no prime minister and no cabinet ministers.
The political power in the country, he exhorted, will be held by the people.
Ambassador Janaka Nakkawita, a former Deputy Permanent Representative in New York, once recounted an anecdote of a Sri Lankan envoy based in Egypt arriving in the Libyan capital of Tripoli to present his credentials to the Libyan "government".
When the envoy called the foreign office to arrange for the ceremonial presentation of credentials -- as practised all over the world -- he was told that since every Libyan is a "leader" in his own right under "people's power", the Sri Lankan envoy can hand over his credentials to the first Libyan he meets on the street when he gets out of his hotel.
Sajith holds secret meeting
UNP's Sajith Premadasa, insiders say, met at least six unidentified members of the party's Working Committee at a secret location in Colombo this week. He sought their support in his bid to become party leader.
The meeting came after Premadasa returned to Colombo having addressed political rallies in other districts. The meeting took place before he left for Hambantota, these insiders said. They, however, declined to identify the group.
Before Premadasa's close confidant and virtual Chief of Staff, Bodhi Ranasinghe died, his last telephone call to his leader was to say that five WC members, whom he did not know well, would support his candidature.
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