Eppawela: 'stop this crime'

By Hiranthi Fernando

The Eppawela issue came to Colombo in a big way on Thursday with a massive protest demonstration opposite the Fort Railway Station. The protest was supported by the Ceylon Mercantile Union whose members stopped work that afternoon to show solidarity with the people of Eppawela. About 10,000 people from all walks of life joined in this mass protest.

CMU General Secretary Bala Tampoe was in Britain recently to present the Eppawela case before the Permanent People's Tribunal on Global Corporations and Human Wrongs. He spoke to The Sunday Times on his return to Sri Lanka.

The Permanent People's Tribunal investigates human rights violations by multinational corporations. The primary aim of the tribunal is to expand on a 'people's jurisprudence' and to provide a forum where victims of multinationals could voice their grievances.

Mr. Tampoe said three cases were presented at the tribunal sessions. The transnational corporations concerned were Union Carbide, responsible for the still unresolved Bhopal disaster, Monsanto Corporation and Freeport McMoran/Rio Tinto.

The tribunal heard the case against Freeport McMoran for its alleged excesses in Papua New Guineau. He put forward a report on the Freeport McMoran project which was first put to the UNP government and is now being renegotiated with the PA.

"When they came to know I was attending the tribunal, a vice president of Freeport McMoran Copper and Gold Inc., wrote to me disclaiming any involvement of Freeport with the Eppawela project. He wrote that after a merger with IMC Global, Freeport McMoran ceased to exist.

"When I read out this letter at the tribunal, there was laughter. I said it is like a woman who adopts her husband's name after marriage and then says she does not exist," Mr. Tampoe said.

He brought out documents showing that Freeport McMoran operated under different names in various projects, from as far back as 1982 when it signed a participation agreement with the State Mining and Development Corporation to develop the phosphate deposits in Sri Lanka.

"The Government-appointed negotiating committee in its report refers to IMC Agrico as an affiliate of Freeport McMoran Resource Partners. It is immaterial to the people of Eppawela and others who oppose this project, whether Freeport McMoran is directly or indirectly involved in the project. What concerns us is that the project itself is unjust and not in the interest of this country, whoever may be involved in it.

"The project is a danger to the human rights of the people, the environment and to the ancient ecosystem of the Jayaganga in the Anuradhapura District. It threatens the way of life and livelihood of the people of Eppawela.

"What is more, this project will within 30 years result in the removal of the apatite phosphate deposits in Eppawela permanently. This will strip this country's agricultural economy of an invaluable and non-renewable natural resource. Our poor country will become poorer while a multi-billion dollar corporation will eara more billions, under whatever name it operates.

"The government has absolutely no right to barter the rights and future of the people of Eppawela and this country to any global corporation.This is a crime which we must prevent by national action with international support. The offer of compensation is no answer after the crime has been committed. As the Bhopal case proves that recourse to courts to seek compensation is beyond a large majority of people, who have died as a result and or still affected," he said.

Mr. Tampoe warned that if and when the fertilizer factory was built, tons of waste would be dumped into the sea off Trincomalee.

"To build the railtrack they have to take over land in between and cut down forest. Although the people of Eppawela are mobilised, they are not the only ones affected. People of Trincomalee will also be hit."

The tribunal gave a unanimous verdict that a case had been made out against the three transnational corporations — Union Carbide, Freeport McMoran/Rio Tinto and Monsanto.

There will be another hearing where the corporations will be given an opportunity to answer.

School rides: 7 year old girl molested

By Leon Berenger and Tania Fernando

It was a bright and sunny Monday when the child was handed over to the driver of her school van after she became ill in the classroom. The van operator was entrusted with the task of taking the seven-year-old girl back to her parents home at Maradana but somewhere down the line the 54-year old man developed other ideas.

At a lonely junction at Maradana in the heart of the metropolis the driver who is also the owner of the vehicle had allegedly attempted to fondle the child on the pretext that he was concerned for her health.

Luckily for the child, the behaviour of the man roused the suspicion of a lone security guard posted on duty at a shop close by who quickly intervened and rescued her from what could have been a nasty experience.

The man nonetheless sped away and is currently on the run with the police trying to hunt him down, but so far with little success.

This is not an isolated incident as some would like to think, in fact, scores more are believed to go unreported as the victims fear the trauma and embarrassment they would have to face once they return to their class rooms and even homes.

"The job is not over once the parents hand over their children to the so-called vans that ferry the students to and from the school. In fact it has only begun", says Police Senior Superintendent (SSP) Rienzie Perera.

He argues that the parents must take the fullest responsibility for their children, and entrusting them to a van operator alone is not enough.

The parents who send their children by such vans should be in constant communication with them and attempt to find out the behaviour patterns of the vehicle operator. It is through this gentle dialogue that the parents could be warned if the driver/operator had in any way made suggestive approaches either by speech or action.

Such a dialogue should always be carried out in a friendly and persuasive manner where the child should feel comfortable at all times, he said.

Such incidents are common mostly in the urban areas where both parents go to work to enhance the family income, thereby giving them no time to see the child off at the school gate.

Although there is no record on the number of such incidents, we nonetheless cannot rule out that this is not happening. Once again it is the parents who must pick up the courage and come forward, because without a complaint little action could be taken, Mr Perera added.

The idea of getting the drivers screened by police before they are able to take up employment is also not possible since it will only aggravate the situation even more.

Most drivers are hired on contract by the van owners, and any moves to get them to follow a police screening is bound to backfire since the driver is bound to opt out and find employment elsewhere.

This is a dilemma facing the coach owners since there is a serious dearth of safe and professional drivers in the country at present, Mr. Perera said. "So the owners will just not take this chance", he added.

However Woman Police Superintendent P. Divakara thinks differently. She insists that regulations be brought in to streamline the drivers through the local police where they will ultimately need a document clearing them of any crime record. "This will make the parents and even the van owner more comfortable".

WSP Divakara who heads the Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children, Young Persons and Women said that many things are happening in the school vans and today it was easier to trust the younger men. It is the older fellows who should be closely supervised as was the recent case in Maradana, she added.

She too was of the firm conviction that parents should be more careful in the selection of the school van and a friendly dialogue with the children should always be maintained. "It is useless crying once the damage is done, prevention is always better", she added.

She nonetheless warned that it was the first child to be picked up and the last to be dropped off who was the most vulnerable to a sex attack, and parents of such children should be extra careful. As it is today one would never know if the van driver is packing a criminal record which may even include murder and rape, she said.

Dr. Hiranthi Wijemanne of UNICEF said that this issue has been brought up with various authorities, but to date no action has been taken. "We have recommended that a special kind of licence be given to these drivers, and a check on their capacity to drive be made", she said.

She also added that parents should be open with the children and warn them of the possibility of sexual molestation taking place, so that the children can approach them with their fears.

Mr. T Amarasekera, a parent who sends his daughter by van from Ratmalana to Colombo 7, said that he found the van while it was passing his house and he had no fears of his daughter being molested as it was an owner driven van and the owner's son and daughter travel in the same van too. On the day the owner's daughter does not travel, he gets his son to go along till they pick up the other child, since his daughter is the first to be picked up.

While most parents seem to have no fear about the van drivers, the question arises as to how it actually happens. While everyone is stressing about girls being molested, there are instances where little boys get molested too.

Mr. Navaratne, Commissioner of Motor Traffic said that at present the government is looking at the possibility of introducing legislation that will compel the van owner to register with the Department along with the details of the driver. It is only after this is done that they will be allowed to operate a school transport service. But he also admits that this could take some time because there will be a lot of red tape involved.

This has been suggested from many quarters and currently the matter is under discussion, he said.

No sting in anti-mosquito campaign

By Faraza Farook and Laila Nasry

Lack of public co-orporation and unplanned urbanisation has resulted in dengue, malaria, filaria and Japanese encephalitis becoming a major public health problem in the country. All these diseases have one thing in common — they are transmitted by mosquitoes.

Despite public education, spraying campaigns and mobile clinics, the country hardly sees a decline in the trend of these vector-borne diseases. This has led to questions as to whether the Government's health initiatives are inefficient or whether it is the people who are indifferent.

However, the mosquito menace has helped many mosquito coil manufacturing companies in the country to flourish. An investigation by The Sunday Times revealed that more than a million coils are being sold daily. Today the market is flooded with many brands, varieties and qualities of mosquito coils, mats, aerosols and liquid repellents, all claiming to keep the mosquito away. But there are claims that at times there are mosquitoes sitting on these very coils which are said to be effective and long lasting.

However, the trend among people is not to address the root cause but engage in easy preventive methods such as using coils, mats and aerosols. But the fact remains that unless they eliminate mosquito breeding places in their surroundings, the problem will remain.

While the Government is seeking public support, the people are blaming it for not efficiently carrying out effective eradication programmes.

"Even spraying is ineffective because the insecticides are diluted with so much water," Mrs. S. Fernando said adding, "as a result we have no other choice but to resort to lighting coils to have some peace. But sometimes even these are not effective".

Yet not all mosquitoes can be kept away by the use of coils. Eradication of mosquitoes should start at grassroots level by doing away with breeding places. "This should start as a collective effort by the community going on to district, provincial and lastly central government level," WHO Representative Dr. Peter Hybsier said. "It is useless having a water filled tyre on a roof and a mosquito coil burning inside the house," says a Municipal Council employee who sprays insecticides in the Galle district. Dr. Asha Hemachandra from the Health Education Bureau (HEB) said, "though there is awareness, the behavioral patterns of people are different". Relating a recent incident where a little child had died of dengue she said, "I found a tyre on the roof and receptacles lying around. This type of environment encourages the breeding of the dengue mosquito".

Dr. Hemachandra said that leaflets were issued in that area to enlighten people about the disease and how they can prevent it. "I inquired from the mother if she didn't receive a leaflet to which she said that she did but did not bother to read it," she said.

The dengue mosquito breeds in containers where there is a collection of clean water and bites during the daytime, usually from 6 to 9 in the morning and from 3 to 6 in the evening. Large gardens and parks are also breeding places for the dengue mosquito. Coconut shells, flower vases, tyres, drains and gutters, polythene bags, holes found in trees are all luxurious homes for the mosquito.

"Unless people make an effort to cooperate with health departments to fight the mosquito menace, the large scale spraying campaigns and mass public education will prove futile," Dr. Hemachandra said.

She was skeptical about the public conception that the use of mosquito coils would help. "Mosquito coils don't help eliminate the dengue mosquito," says Dr. Hemachandra, who specialises in the control of dengue.

Unlike the dengue mosquito, the filaria mosquito breeds in polluted and stagnant water. Aruni Dharmasena, an Entomologist at the Anti Filariasis Campaign (AFC) said, "these mosquitoes that come to bite remain inside the houses and rest in clothes, furniture and hangings. As a result, it is impractical to carry out spraying campaigns indoors."

Here too, the public has to take the initiative to keep their surroundings clean. Filaria is commonly reported from the Western, Southern and North Western provinces but is confined to the coastal belt from Puttalam to Hambantota known as the filaria belt. "This is now extending to the interior parts of the provinces such as Kurunegala, mainly due to unplanned urbanisation and humidity," says Mrs. Dharmasena.

While in some places larvicides are sprayed, the AFC also uses the Guppy fish as an alternative to suppress mosquito breeding. This is also an effective way of controlling the breeding of the filaria mosquito within the home.

The Municipal Councils and the Urban Councils too carry a large responsibility in their fight against filaria. As spraying every drain is impractical, they have been entrusted with the task of the proper maintenance of drains. However, the AFC lacks support from the MCs and UCs as a result of inefficiency on their part.

Another disease that is fast spreading is malaria, a communicable disease common in conflict areas such as Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya and in Puttalam and Kurunegala. Owing to the war, the Anti-Malaria Campaign finds it's difficult to conduct control programmes.

"Most of the malaria cases are due to failure to take treatment on time or not taking the prescribed medicine," Anti-Malaria Campaign Director Dr. Punsiri Fernando said. Malaria is a local problem and the breeding places of mosquitoes are best known to the community, he said. He said that the burning of margosa (kohomba) leaves, madurutala or cadju husks help to get rid of mosquitoes. Of the several species of mosquitoes, those carrying the disease are just a few. Other mosquitoes are known as 'nuisance mosquitoes' because they are a mere nuisance and nothing else.

Tamil parties comment on PA — UNP talks

By Roshan Peiris

There is mixed opinion among the Tamil political parties on the talks between the Government and the Opposition to settle the ongoing ethnic issue with the LTTE.

Leader of the TULF palimentary group Joseph Pararajasingham said "We are not optimistic about the outcome of the talks. After all it is both these parties that are responsible for the present ethnic crisis.

"We consider the ethnic crisis a priority issue and hope that it will be resolved by these bi-partisan talks. But we are not optimistic."

EPRLF General Secretary Suresh Premachandran said that he and the party "are appreciative of the talks and we hope a consensus would be reached."

He also said that he hopes in the talks that " the unit of devolution, police powers and finance to be given to the Tamil people would be considered. There are important areas for settling the issue."

EPDP leader Douglas Devananda was optimistic "We welcome the talks between the UNP and PA. The only way the issue can be settled is for the two major Sinhala parties to get together and try to solve the problem."

Varatharajah Perumal said, "I hope the government and the UNP will find a worthy solution to the ethnic problem.

"It is premature at this stage to comment on what the LTTE would do and how they will accept the talks and solution. At this stage I cannot say what conditions the LTTE will ask for."

All Ceylon Tamil Congress General Secretary H Kumaraguruparam said, "Just because the UNP and the PA Government are talking about the ethnic issue is no reason why we should be optimistic.

The Sinhala parties must consider how to solve be the problem, instead of contradicting each other as in the past. The LTTE's position is clear. They want the Thimpu Principles to be the basis of any solution."

PLOTE leader D. Sidharthan said the discussions have not touched on the core of the problem- the unit of devolution.

"I am not pessimistic about these talks between the two major Sinhala parties but at the same time nothing on the talks have been officially communicated so far. "

Mr. Sidharthan grumbled that only what is written in the newspapers is all that is known.

" I hope though that something positive comes out of these talks. This is a very important move to solve the ethnic problem" he said.

Mr. Sidharthan warned that whatever agreement is arrived at must be acceptable to the Tamil people and their rightful aspirations.

I wonder whether the LTTE will be able to accept any agreement reached. At present the LTTE will doubtless look upon any agreement as offering less than what they want" he said.

Overbooked and over here

Forty passengers bound for London on Sri Lankan Airlines on March 26 were overbooked which resulted in many of them missing connecting flights.

Flight 505 was scheduled to leave for London. When the passengers checked in they were informed that the flight was overbooked.

A disgusted passenger who missed the connecting flight to Chicago and onward to Cincinnati told The Sunday Times that not only did they have over bookings but the officials had informed the passengers they had cancelled the flight despite confirming the flight four days prior to departure.

"When I presented the confirmation number given to me by the SLA reservation officer he checked the computer and said the confirmation number belonged to another and that my reservation was cancelled.

"I told the whole situation to the manager.The solution she offered was to route me via Kuwait at 7.30 am on March 27 with an eight hour lay-over in Kuwait. Thirteen more painful hours added to the already scheduled 23 hours of flying in the trip between Colombo and USA' the passenger said.

Meanwhile Media Spokesperson of Sri Lankan Airlines Manuela Motha while confirming that the flight had overbooked passengers said it was less than 40.

"It is a common airline practice to have booking profiles which are slightly higher than the available capacity, to hedge against last minute cancellations and passengers who do not turn up for a flight," she said.

The airline had offered passengers compensation by way of complimentary tickets or vouchers for purchases of duty free goods or other services on Sri Lankan Airlines.

UNP gets ready for polls

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

The UNP is getting ready to revive the party for the forthcoming polls with a May 15 deadline to streamline grassroots level organizations, Sirikotha sources said.

UNP and Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed all cluster organizers to immediately set up five committees and to complete the election process of all clusters before the end of April.

Sources maintained that all electoral organizers have been informed to set up a fully equipped party electoral office which will ensure coordination of party matters and interaction with the public. Meanwhile, each cluster organization has been instructed to set up five committees immediately on publicity management, house-to-house campaigning, effective poster campaign, membership drive management and grassroots communication.

The UNP leader has also instructed the cluster organizers to appoint special seven- member committees on polling centre management which would include a popular youth from the area, a teacher, a representative of youth activities, a sports person, a young businessman, either a Samurdhi or a Janasaviya recipient.

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