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Mangala’s cigar delays case
View(s):A distraught mother, carrying her infant in hand, approached UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake, when they were at the Matara courts last Monday. They were present to see party supporters, arrested for their involvement in clashes between two rival groups of the party in Matara.
“Aney balanna Sir! Api kawadawakwath deshapalana kala aya nemei. Magey mahattaya Matara pavement ekey gal siambala vikka. Eyawath mey siddiyata allagena giya, (See will you, sir! We were never involved in politics. My husband was selling Gal Siyambala – a small, velvety fruit – on the pavement. He was also taken in),” she lamented.
Attanayake said the party’s lawyers would look after the interests of her husband too. “Oya baya wenna epa (You don’t be frightened),” he said.
There was some panic thereafter when some of those present realised that Mangala Samaraweera, head of the UNP’s communications unit, was not in the court premises. He is out on bail and was due to appear last Monday. It was only later that the UNPers realised that Samaraweera had stepped out to smoke a cigar.
Since he was not present, the Magistrate put off the case to be taken up at 4.30 p.m. All those related to the case had to remain until the case was called and the sitting ended at 6 p.m. Needless to say some even missed their lunch.
Hi-tech military discipline at Lanka’s UN mission
The Sri Lanka Mission to the United Nations has gone high-tech in an age of digital technology. The spacious new office spread across an entire floor — purchased and fully-owned by the mission compared to the rented office in a bygone era — has been equipped with security cameras at the entrance and in the corridors in a high rise building within walking distance of the UN Secretariat.
The cameras are linked to an app on the smart phones carried by Ambassador Palitha Kohona and his deputy Shavendra Silva. When the app is activated, it permits them to check remotely who’s visiting the office — and who is in and out of the office — while they are attending meetings at the UN or travelling in New York city.
Contrary to charges from Colombo that the UN Mission is now under “military rule”, Ambassador Kohona is quick to point out it is really under “military discipline”, not military rule.
Vinayagar statue: President gives one, gets one
It was the monthly “Dhamma Deshana” (Buddhist sermon) on Wap Full Moon Poya day at ‘Temple Trees’. The preacher was Ven. Nuwaraeliye Chandananda Thera. The event was attended by a large gathering, including the President himself. After the sermon, the President returned to his office room. A while later, the monk came into the room.
He offered a gift to the President. It was a statue of Lord Vinayagar (also known as Lord Ganesh) made from sandalwood.
The monk said he learnt President Rajapaksa had gifted the only Ganesh statue at ‘Temple Trees’ to Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran. So he brought a new one, made out of sandalwood, to replace it.
Politico storms into school with knife, looking for wife
Saliya Dissanayake, former chairman of the Central Provincial Council and SLFP Organiser for Hanguranketha, created shockwaves after he stormed into a school last week with a knife in his hand. He was allegedly searching for his wife; a teacher of the school. A teacher said the staff of the school managed to take her away from the intruder.
Without realising that she had left early from the school, Dissanayake had been waiting at the school gate. Fearing a breach of the peace, the Police were alerted. However, they did not move in because the school closed and the politician left the school premises.
Wigneswaran rejects CHOGM boycott call
Hardline Northern Provincial Councillors failed in their attempt to persuade Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran for a TNA boycott of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo. He rejected their calls during a meeting of TNA councillors that followed the first meeting of the NPC on Friday.
The next NPC sessions were fixed for November 11, just four days before CHOGM, so the Chief Minister will have time to be in Colombo.
British couple evade police inquiry
The murder of a British citizen, Khurram Sheikh and the rape of his girlfriend have led to allegations that the perpetrators have not yet been brought to justice.
Heightening the charge are accusations that the suspects are close to the powers that be. The almost two year delay in charging the suspects has brought protests from the British Prime Minister, British MPs and many others worldwide.
Hot on the heels of this incident, a British couple — Sri Lankan born but holding British passports and living in Britain — have threatened a Sri Lankan caretaker of a house in Kollupitiya. The house was owned by the lady’s mother (a British citizen) also living in Britain. The husband wearing three quarter length shorts threatened the caretaker with death by a bomb! The caretaker ran to the Kollupitiya Police and made a complaint. The British couple pulled rank, passport and privilege on the Police. The wife is a Senior Officer at the College of Policing in London and ought to have known better.
The British couple although staying at the Colombo Hilton managed to evade the Police inquiry and left Sri Lanka soon after. President Mahinda Rajapaksa can rightly question Prince Charles, David Cameron and others on how British citizens can threaten poor Sri Lankan citizens on Sri Lankan soil and run away without facing the music.
It’s peacock, not hair
Last week’s references in this column to Dr. Mylerum Perumal who swore in Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Provincial Councillor M.K. Sivagilingam have drawn a few responses.They point out that the word ‘Mylerum’ is a name derived from Peacock, the vehicle of Lord Skanda according to Hindu chronicles. There is no dispute over this.
The word ‘myl’ in Sinhala also means hair. In addition, ‘erum’ is the Tamil word for rising. Hence, the reference to “hair raising.” This is by no means to disrespect either Dr. Perumal or Lord Skanda who is among revered gods in the Hindu pantheon.
Engage and talk tough: Cameron and Suu Kyi
Myanmar’s Nobel peace prize winning human rights campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi was on a visit to Britain this week.On Wednesday, together with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Ms. Suu Kyi addressed a news conference at 10 Downing Street. The official British Government website, among other matters, has this to say about a question posed both to Premier Cameron and Ms. Suu Kyi. (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/david-cameron-and-aung-san-suu-kyi-press-conference)
Question: …. Our Prime Minister is being urged by the Foreign Affairs Spokesman of the Labour party – the opposition Labour party here – to boycott the Commonwealth Conference in Sri Lanka next month because of their human rights record there. I wonder what your view of that is, whether Mr. Cameron ought to boycott it or turn up, and I’d be interested to hear your response to that as well, Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Cameron: On the issue of the Commonwealth Conference, it’s entirely a matter for me to decide. My decision is the right thing for us to do is to go to the Commonwealth Conference as leading members of the Commonwealth and have some very tough conversations with the Sri Lankan government. I’m not happy with their human rights record. I’m not happy with what they’ve done following the conflict and we’ll have some very frank conversations to make those points.
No-one is going to be listening to the British Foreign Secretary and the British Prime Minister if we’re not there. Britain should be engaged in the world and we should be engaged with Commonwealth countries. We should be winning and fighting arguments and having some very, very tough conversations with the Sri Lankan government. This is what we’ll be doing in a week or so.
Thanks, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aung San Suu Kyi: I was often asked this question over the last 20 or so years, whether people should come and engage with the Burmese military regime as it was then or they should keep away. I’ve always said that I believe in engagement, but that they should engage with us, the opposition, as well. So I think if you go to Sri Lanka and you engage with all those who are involved — all other stakeholders and not just the government — I think that would be very helpful.
Prime Minister Cameron: Very wise words. I’ll be going to the north of the country as well, and I think what Aung San Suu Kyi has said is absolutely right.
Aung San Suu Kyi: This is what I always said before, so I’m not going to change my mind now.