• Only a mouse from the mob
• Our news and political telecast jammed, says TNL
• Three Navy men killed
• Foreign Minister back on duty
• Massive US-Lanka military deals
• E.L. dead

Only a mouse from the mob

By: Ayesha R. Rafiq

More than eight months after the Ratnapura Magistrate's Court was stormed by a mob, only two out of an estimated 300 suspects have been arrested, and the Judicial Services Association (JSA) is questioning what it sees as the indifferent attitude of the police.

The court-house was stormed on May 19 last year after Magistrate W. Nambuwasam remanded the Chairman of the Nivitigala Pradeshiya Sabha on a charge of attempt murder. The mob alleged to be PA supporters had confronted the Magistrate and threatened him with death, and later held a procession outside the court-house.

Police officers present at the court-house fled during the storming and Ratnapura Inspector E. Basildus said the court sergeant present at the time had been charge-sheeted and disciplinary action would be taken against him.

Immediately following the incident the JSA made repeated requests to police and Justice Minister G. L. Peiris asking that the police take more interest in arresting the suspects.

Sabaragamuwa Deputy Inspector General N. Sivaratnam who is heading the investigations said they had not been able to arrest more than two suspects. "Witnesses only identified the two suspects and there is no other way for us to identify any others", he said.

The files of the two suspects have now been sent to the Attorney General for his views on the charges that could be brought against them, IP Basildus said.

JSA sources said they attributed the lackadaisical attitude of the police to political intimidation and fear that any police officer who made arrests in connection with the matter would be transferred out.

Our news and political telecast jammed, says TNL

By Shelani de Silva

TNL television which has come under strong attack by the government in recent weeks has charged that its political news and programmes are being jammed. TNL chief Shan Wickremasinghe is to complain to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission that viewers in Hambantota, Ratnapura, Anuradhapura and Nuwara Eliya had reported jamming when the popular political programme Jana Handa was being telecast.

Mr. Wickremasinghe told The Sunday Times that such jamming was engineered earlier also but it affected only the picture and enabled viewers to switch to TNL radio over which the programmers were given simultaneously. But now the radio also was being jammed.

TRC chief S.Somasiri said he would probe the matter receiving an official from the TNL.

Three Navy men killed

Three naval personnel were killed and two others injured Friday morning around 9.30 am in Kumburupiddi area by a group of terrorists using small arms and RPGs.

Terrorists fired upon the tractor which was carrying breakfast for the Navy men.

Foreign Minister back on duty

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar attended yesterday's Indian Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi after a month's absence from official duty.

Mr. Kadirgamar was in the Indian capital on the invitation of his counterpart Jaswant Singh.

The minister witnessed the famous "Beating Retreat", a century old military tradition.

Mr. Kadirgamar left Sri Lanka for London with President Chandrika Kumaratunga a few days after the December 21 Presidential elections, and proceeded for medial attention in Geneva.

He was undergoing a course of medical treatment abroad for an abdominal infection, a news release from the Sri Lanka mission in New Delhi stated yesterday.

Massive US-Lanka military deals

The United State has agreed to sell Sri Lanka combat realated equipment under a multi-million dollar new millenium deal.

Main among them are Hughes Mortar locating devices said to be worth over US dollars 22 million.

The US Bureau of Trade Controls is learnt to have already given approval for this deal. Like all US military sales exceeding US dollars 9 million, this deal is expected to go up for Congressional approval shortly. Defence Ministry source said they did not see any difficult in this since Congress has approved the sale of two similar units in 1998.

Other deals, which do not require Congressional approval, have also been worded out. There inclued the purchase of three brand new Bell 412 helicopters. Delivery is expected in the early part of this year.

A third transaction involves the purchase of high calibre ammunition from a manuracturer in Spain who is producing it undre licence from the United States.

The Sunday Times Situation Report contained other fuller details of militaty assistance by the Government of United States. However, the Censor bas deleted all those references including many parts on an interview Lt. Col. Frank Rindone, Defence Attache of the United States Embassy, gave Iqbal Athas, Consultant Editor and Defence Correspondent. The deleted portions of the Situation Report and Lt. Col. Rindone's interview are indecated on Page 11.

In part of the interview approved by the Censor, lt. Col. Rindone said, 'the United States militaty is not conducting counter terrorism training for Sri Lankan military forces.

This event is a previously scheduled exercise ( more than two years ago0 which is unrelated to any current or specific world event.

"Our (the United States) interaction with the Sri Lanka armed forces is part of our Government's larger engagement in Sri Lanka.It is founded only on shared interests in democracy, peace-keeping, human rights and regional stability"

E.L. dead

The hill country's best known and one -time powerful politician past away yesterday, ending a career of some six decades that took him to the high offices as Minister, speaker and Government in the country.

The death of E.L. Senanayake yesterday evening at the age of 80 was a sad day especially for his home town of Kandy where the young man fresh from University with an honours degree in economics began local politics in 1944.

Educated in Trinity College where he won honours in elocution and History, E.L. Senanayake became a member of the Kandy Municipal Council at the age of 24 and six years later rose to be the Mayor of the historic city - the youngest First Citizen of the country.

The UNP stalwart entered national politics and Parliament through the 1952 general election but was unseated soon afterwards and was defeated again in 1956.

But he stormed back, winning the Kandy seat at the general elections in March and July 199960. He was re-elected to Parliament in 1965 and was appointed as Minister of Health in 1968 when Premier Dudlley Senanayake reshuffled the cabinet.

In July 1970 E.L. Senanayake held the Kandy seat despite a landslide for Sirimavo Bandaranaike's United Left front. He was one of the few UNP MPs led by J.R. Jayawardena who maintained as active and vibrant operation during the SLFP domination in the 1970/77 era.

Re-elected with a huge majority in the 1977 general election Mr. Senanayake first served as Minister of Agriculture and Food till he switched portfolios with his long time friend Gamini Jayasuriya and became Minister of Health.

On September 6 1983 E.L Senanayake reached the highest point in his poetical career when he was elected as the Speaker to succeed Bakeer Maker.

After moving out if Parliament E.L. Senanayake served as the Government of the North Central and Uva provinces until his retirement in 1994.

Mr. Senanayake has 10 children, with two of them Kesara and Raja Senanayake following their father into politics. He died at a private hospital in Colombo and the family members said funeral arrangements would be notified later.

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