• LTTE wary about CBK's peace call
• GMOA to back blood bank chief
• Teak trees felled to fill state coffers
• Moulana report hunts 'anti-PA' state officers
• Tiger attempt to blast Trinco harbour foiled

LTTE wary about CBK's peace call

UNP says Govt. not ready with proposals

By Chris Kamalendran and Shelani de Silva

Political parties have reacted cautiously to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's Independence day call for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic issue.

The main Opposition UNP, which has already offered to support measures she would adopt, remained non-committal. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was out of Colombo. But party chairman,

Karu Jayasuriya told The Sunday Times: "We are yet to hear of any concrete proposals from the Government."

He said the UNP was still awaiting a response to the letter Mr. Wickremesinghe sent to President Kumaratunga two weeks ago.

"We extended our hand of friendship towards peace in the belief that the Government was ready with the proposals. But it is not so."

Addressing the nation on Independence Day from her official residence, Temple Trees, President Kumaratunga declared, "I invite one more time, all democratic political leaders to do battle for their country by reaching a consensus on the means of resolution of this conflict that has dogged us for long."

She added: "We will also invite the LTTE to participate in this noble and great process with us all. The LTTE has a vital role to play in concluding this extended sadness for the Tamil people."

Until yesterday there was no formal response from the LTTE to the latest call. However, residents from the Wanni who arrived in Vavuniya yesterday spoke of LTTE notice boards carrying leaflets expressing its willingness to hold talks. However, these notices contained a set of preconditions that should precede a ceasefire. They were: (1) withdrawal of troops in the north and east to positions they held before 1995, (2) conduct of talks through third party mediation and (3) talks to be held publicly and not in secrecy.

Whether these were in fact the official stance of the LTTE and came as a response to President Kumaratunga's latest call is immediately not clear. But political circles believe these demands, if they are in fact placed by the LTTE, were almost certain to be rejected outright by the Government.

It was only two weeks ago, President Kumaratunga assured security forces top brass that she would make every effort for a negotiated settlement but not at the expense of security forces. She said there would be no question of shutting down military camps. The Government has also rejected calls for third party mediation and made it clear it only favoured a third party facilitation. Government officials say this is the basis on which official blessings have been given to the Norwegian Government to play the role of a facilitator.

The preliminaries for such a facilitation are already under way with the Norwegian authorities making informal contacts with Government and opposition political parties. Thereafter similar contacts are to be made by the Norwegian authorities with the LTTE, according to Government sources.

A parallel move towards a negotiated political settlement is the Government's package of constitutional reforms which are due to be finalised by the end of February.

But representatives of moderate Tamil parties were unanimous in their view that the LTTE should be a party to any peace effort.

TELO Parliamentarian S. Adaikalanathan said President Kumaratunga's latest call raised fresh hopes for peace. "The Government's proposals should be ones that can meet the aspirations of the Tamil people and acceptable to the LTTE. The merger of the North and East should not be forgotten. There should also be talks with the LTTE with third party mediation."

Ceylon Workers Congress Parliamentarian S. Yogarajan said President Kumaratunga should be lauded for making the latest peace offer despite an assassination attempt by the LTTE. "We appreciate her courageous offer," he said.

TULF Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham said: "The LTTE is a key player in resolving the ethnic issue. Without involving them we cannot achieve peace."

EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandran insisted that without third party mediation there would be no purpose in holding talks. "It is difficult to say whether the LTTE will accept the Government's invitation. But, if talks are to resume, third party mediation is of utmost importance," he said.

GMOA to back blood bank chief

The Government Medical Officers Association has said that it will defend Central Blood Bank Director Dr. Ranjini Bindusara if she is politically victimised over a recent dispute.

Though Dr. Bindusara has been cleared of all charges in the preliminary inquiry, speculation is rife that she would be sent on compulsory leave.

Dr. Bindusara called for explanation from Dr. Athula Wijesundera for removing ten pints of blood from the Central Blood Bank on the advice of doctors who treated President Kumaratunga after she was injured in a suicide bomb attack at an election rally in Town Hall in December.

Dr. Bindusara's action stirred an exchange of charges between her and Dr. Wijesundera, prompting the Health Ministry to refer the matter to the Public Service Commission for an inquiry.

A GMOA official said they would support Dr. Bindusara and opposed any attempt to interdict or send the Director on compulsory leave.

Teak trees felled to fill state coffers

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Amidst widespread criticism of a cabinet decision to fell teak trees in national parks to raise some 2500 million rupees, the rape of trees, has begun at least in one national park even before relevant laws are amended.

Invaluable teak trees, planted by the Forest Department two decades ago at the Lunugamvehera national park were reportedly being cut down by the Timber Corporation without legal sanction from the Department of Wildlife Conservation, environmentalists said.

When a team from The Sunday Times visited the park, the sight that greeted it was a pile of felled teak trees getting soaked in the rain.

Residents at Bogahawewa village, just outside the national park said despite the Timber Corporation felling trees regularly, most of the teak was being taken away by thieves while the forest cover was being destroyed by elephants searching for fodder.

A forest officer said the life span of a teak tree was about 20-30 years and cultivated teak should be gathered in the prime. "But immature trees are being cleared with no programme being implemented to sustain the teak cover by reforesting," he charged.

The cabinet decision to fell teak in national parks is said to have been taken after a presidential committee proposed that amendments to the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance should be introduced to circumvent the ban on clearing forests.

Meanwhile the Society for Environmental Education has protested against the amendment to Section 6 of the FFP Ordinance which it says will pave the way for the plunder of trees.

Moulana report hunts 'anti-PA' state officers

A report identifying public servants who openly supported the UNP at the recent presidential election and who worked towards bringing disrepute to the PA administration is being prepared by the PA's Coalition of Trade Unions, Minister Alavi Moulana said.

He said the report would be handed over to President Kumaratunga in the form of an affidavit for suitable action.

Meanwhile, UNP Kalutara District MP Imtiaz Bakeer Markar said the UNP affiliated Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS) would challenge the recent transfer of more than 300 employees in the transport sector.

Mr. Markar said JSS members were being threatened and attacked after the PA-backed trade unions launched an agitation campaign at Town Hall.

He said some of the victims had filed affidavits, complaining harassment at work places and the matter would be referred to the party's legal committee for action.

Tiger attempt to blast Trinco harbour foiled

Sri Lanka Navy has foiled an attempt by a Tiger guerrilla cadre to infiltrate the Trincomalee inner harbour, home of the Eastern Area Naval Command on a destruction mission.

The attempt was made on the eve of Independence Day celebrations on Friday.

Navy sources said Naval craft and troops deployed on security duty detected the suicide diver while he tried to enter the inner harbour around 1 am on Friday. and opened fire.

A subsequent search of the area by Naval divers led to the recovery of a lower body part of the diver with diving gear.

They said that the attempt was made to coincide with the Independence day but Naval troops were on alert.

The ongoing "Eelam War Three" too was triggered off after LTTE blasted a Naval vessel at the Navy jetty.

Meanwhile, an Army raid into a house at Pavatkulam in the outskirts of Vavuniya has led to the discovery of a suicide jacket, high band radio communication sets, cellphones and claymore mines.

The find comes barely a month after an Army team raided an LTTE hideout where they seized three suicide jackets and other military items.

When the troops were returning after this raid, Tigers triggered off a landmine killing an officer and eight soldiers.

A civilian was also killed in the incident.

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