It was Dental Health Deputy Director Jayasundera Bandara who invited Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena to beat the traditional drums during Avurudu celebrations held at the Ministry premises in Colombo.
Dr. Bandara asked Sirisena whether he could beat a good rhythm (raban padhayak).
The Minister replied "owa podi kale gahapu raban pada. Mang me Avuruddata panividayak denna puluwan raban padayak heduwa.
Dengu mardanaya karanna thamai man me padaya heduwe" (Those are old drum rhythms. I have made a new version to give a message to control dengue spreading)
Egodath balami egodath dengu
Megodath balami megodath dengu
Degodama balami degodama dengu
Nawa wasare ekwee wansamu dengu
After Sirisena beat the drum, an official said "obathumata hondata raban gahanna puluwan neda? (You can play drums well, can’t you, sir?).
Plans to transfer envoy in Geneva
The US backed resolution on Sri Lanka, passed at the 19th sessions of the UN Human Rights Council last month, has sent shockwaves reeling down the corridors of the External Affairs Ministry.
Those at the top echelons of the ministry are speculating over a few changes in postings.
Among them, insiders say, is a move to revert Tamara Kunanayakam, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative at the UN in Geneva, to Cuba. She was previously the Sri Lankan Ambassador there.
Kunanayakam, they say, may be succeeded by Ravinatha Ariyasinha, currently Sri Lanka's Ambassador in Brussels.
As a senior External Affairs Ministry official explained, "these changes are subject to confirmation since it will require several layers of approval."
Karu holds Avurudu meeting with Fox
UNP frontliner Karu Jayasuriya was on a private visit to London during the Avurudu season. He stayed with his daughter Indira.
On April 13, he received a telephone call. It was from Britain's former Defence Secretary Liam Fox.
"I just returned from the Middle East. I was told that you are in London. Shall we meet?" So Jayasuriya had a meeting with Fox at the British Parliament building for about one and half hours.
However, the former UNP Deputy Leader managed to be back at his daughter's residence to take part in New Year customs and festivities. Jayasuriya had wanted to avoid official engagements during his visit.
Yet he was invited for Avurudu festivities organized by Sri Lankans living in Britain. Sri Lanka High Commissioner Chris Nonis was also present at the event.
When the master of ceremonies (MC) invited him to speak, he described Jayasuriya as the ‘Deputy Leader' of the UNP.
Jayasuriya rose to correct him and reminded the MC that he no longer held the position.
Then the MC said ‘Godak denek nathi thanathuru penwanna dangaladdi, obathuma udugam bala phinanawa…api oba thumawa agaya karanawa’ (Most people try to show positions they don't hold. You are trying to swim against the tide. We appreciate you, Sir).
Tsunami warning: How did it come before the quake?
Sri Lanka may find a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the 'fastest' warning systems for natural disasters in the world. That is if what the officials tasked to do that job are correct. Alas, it is a different story.
The latest earthquake in the Indonesian island of Sumatra on April 11 put officials at the National Tsunami Early Warning Centre (at the Department of Meteorology) in a state of confusion.
The first evacuation bulletin, warning coastal residents, came at 2.08 p.m. But the earthquake itself occurred 38 seconds later. So the warning was a dubious if not doubtful record.
The second bulletin came at 4.13 p.m. This was to warn of the aftershock that had occurred at 4.13 p.m.
However, when the warning was lifted, a bulletin was issued at 6.15 p.m. the same day. That made reference to the warnings issued at 2.15 p.m. and 4.30 p.m.
An observant official realised that even state-of-the-art early warning systems could not relay messages at the very second an earthquake occurs or before that. So he wisely moved the warning time forward by seven minutes.
Prabha stories at envoy's dinner table
India's High Commissioner Ashok Kantha hosted a dinner for the visiting Indian Parliamentary delegation last week.
It was attended by politicians from both the Government and the Opposition. Minister Basil Rajapaksa, TNA leader R. Sampanthan and Indian Communist Party MP T.K. Ranga Raajan were sharing their experiences.
Ranga Raajan said he had a story to tell. He said his son, when he was 12 kept a photo of slain LTTE leader Prabhakaran inside his library. When he asked him why his son was keeping this photo, Raajan said "he told me that he is a leader of the Tamil people."
After sometime I noticed that Prabhakaran's photo had disappeared. I asked from my son what happened to the photo. He said that he decided to remove it as he realised he was not a hero. Later I learnt that it was after the LTTE killed Appapillai Amirthalingam, (onetime TULF leader and Leader of the Opposition) that my son was convinced that the LTTE leader was not a hero.
After Raajan completed his story, TNA leader Sampanthan said, that he met Prabhakaran before the end of the war. "I asked him to consider two issues. First is a political solution. The second is human rights. But Prabhakaran was not concerned about either of the issues", he said.
After listening to both of them, Minister Basil Rajapaksa began. He asked Raajan, "Do you know who was in the LTTE hit list? First in the hit list was my brother Mahinda Rajapaksa. Do you know who was after him? Rajapaksa paused for a while. "It was Mr. Sampanthan."
Minister Rajapaksa asked the TNA leader "were you aware of it?" Sampanthan said he knew it.
Four more MPs knock at the Cabinet door
Four Parliamentarians have written to President Mahinda Rajapaksa requesting that they be appointed ministers.
Their only reason -- they secured the highest number of preference votes at the 2010 parliamentary elections.
The foursome are: Sanath Jayasuriya (Matara District), Nishantha Muttuhettigama (Galle District), retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera (Ampara Distict) and Lakshman Wasantha Perera (Matale District).
Their joint demand comes in the backdrop of speculation that a Cabinet re-shuffle is round the corner.
IGP to police the police
Police Chief N.K. Illanagakoon has ordered Police Stations countrywide to submit progress reports for the past three months.
This is part of his study on how the police stations deal with crimes and other related issues involving law and order.
Senior police officials say reports are to be called for every three months. Based on the progress reports, they say, warning letters will be issued to those who do not carry out their duties. Explanations will be called from officers concerned if a police station receives three such warning letters.
Sudarshani felt like a defendant
The visiting Indian Parliamentary delegation members were in the Parliament complex in Sri Jayawardhanapura-Kotte on Tuesday and met their Sri Lankan counterparts for informal discussion.
When introducing his Parliamentary colleagues to the visiting delegation, the Leader of the House and senior Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, began giving a brief introduction of each of them.
When he introduced the widow of former Minister Jeyaraj Fernandupulle, Minister Silva said, Dr. Sudarashani Fernandupulle was a victim of LTTE terrorism.
The Indian Opposition Leader Sushma Swaraj asked for details and Ms. Fernandupulle briefly explained the incident. Indian Parliamentarians made their observations on reconciliation and the need for a political solution to Tamil grievances. Tamil National Alliance leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan also contributed to the discussion.
Ms. Fernandupulle whispered to Minister de Silva, "apiwa hariyata viththikarayo karala wage ne me sakachchwa yanne?" (This discussion is going on making us defendants, isn't it?) "Kalabala wenna epa. Vithtiya dinapu naduth thiyenawa (Don't worry. There are cases won by the defendants too), the Minister responded.
Taste of Lanka traffic for Indian delegation
Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters ferrying the Indian Parliamentary delegation and the media to Batticaloa returned to Colombo on Friday night. However, the pilots could not land due to poor weather and bad visibility conditions.
The choppers later turned back to the Minneriya military base. After sometime, it was decided that the entourage would fly to Kurunegala and then travel by road. The delegation got a taste of the traffic in Sri Lanka as a bonus to their visit.
Thus, it took the delegation longer than the usual time to get to Colombo. Traffic along the Kurunegala-Colombo route was also heavy.
Jayalath may undergo heart surgery in London
UNP Parliamentarian Jayalath Jayawardena, was admitted to a hospital in eastern Surrey after falling sick at the Gatwick airport.
He was waiting to board a flight to Milan after attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Kampala, Uganda.
Doctors have reportedly recommended heart surgery for Dr. Jayawardena. His wife and son have also flown to London.
Karu Jayasuriya who was in London when he heard of Dr. Jayawardena's admission to hospital telephoned, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner Chris Nonis and inquired about his party colleague's condition.
Sivajilingam had Sinhala secretary
A Sinhalese who served for eight years as the private secretary to former TNA parliamentarian S.K. Sivlajilingam passed away last week.
Among those who came to pay their last respects was UNP deputy leader and Hambantota District MP Sajith Premadasa as the man was a strong supporter of the UNP.
Upon seeing Mr. Sivajilingam at the funeral, the UNP deputy leader queried as to how he knew the deceased man, only to be told that he had worked as the former TNA MP's private secretary for many years.
The decision to hire the Sinhalese official had displeased some TNA members who had informed the then LTTE's political wing leader S.P. Thamilchelvam.
However, the former LTTE political wing leader had said he had no objection to Mr. Sivajilingam's selection as long as the man was a loyal worker, recalled the former MP who now serves as a member of the Valvettiturai Pradeshiya Sabha.
Dayasiri on elephant singing Jaya Apitai
The UNP's Kurunegala District Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekera, known for his singing skills, did one better during last week's Avurudu festivities.
He rode on the back of an elephant singing an H.R. Jothipala number from the film Jaya Apitai (Victory for us).
The occasion was the festivities organised by Kegalle District UNP Parliamentarian Kabir Hashim in Mawanella.
Later a team led by Jayasekera and the other by the same elephant were engaged in a tug of war contest. Even if Jayasekera won the Kurunegala District contesting on the elephant symbol, he could not outsmart the pachyderm. She won the tug of war.
In the adjoining town of Kegalle, Chief Minister Mahipala Herath was having his own Avurudu celebrations. There was a tug of war there too. One side was led by Herath and the other by his son Kanaka. They were evenly balanced but the contest was called off due to rain.
Wimal wears Chinese dark glasses
Parliamentarians and young Parliamentarians were engaged in a cricket match in Maharagama.
Minister Wimal Weerawansa, wearing a pair of trendy sunglasses was watching the match when young Parliamentarians were batting, the team he represented along with Namal Rajapaksa.
Another young Parliamentarian approached Weerawansa and asked. "Aaah Amathithuma den American sunglass neda danne?" (Now Minister, you wear American sunglasses, don't you?).Ne ne mewa Chinease (No, No these are from China) Weerawansa quickly replied.
Bharatha's widow goes
to Fraud Bureau
Widow of the slain Presidential Advisor Bharatha Lakshman Premachanadra, has complained to the City Fraud Bureau that some persons have defaulted payment for money lent by her husband.
She has said that cheques to the value of more than Rs.7.5 million have not been honoured. The Fraud Bureau submitting a report to the Colombo Chief Magistrate stated that the bank accounts of the suspects were being probed.
In her complaint, Sumana Premachandra claimed that her husband had lent six million rupees to three persons.
Protest by fishermen: Nallur pooja for Indian MPs cancelled
A special pooja was organized for the visiting Indian Parliamentary delegation at the Nallur Temple in Jaffna on Thursday but it had to be cancelled.
This was after the Office of Indian Deputy High Commissioner there received information that a protest was being planned by a group of fisherman against poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters.
Later when members of the delegation met members of civil society in Jaffna at the Gnanam Hotel, a representative of the fisheries community handed over a memorandum asking that measures be taken to stop the Indian poaching.
Insiders say the fishermen had been prompted to act by Minister Douglas Devananda and his supporters who provided transport to the fishermen to Nallur to engage in the protests. However, a spokesperson for Devananda denied the accusations.
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