• Politicos in people-smuggling
• Bungling over Bishop's visit
• Prelates likely to meet President
• If there's no vote, there's no wheel
• Foreign Ministry blasts Bala

Politicos in people-smuggling

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Amidst continuing allegations that politicians are making a fortune on people-smuggling rackets, President Kumaratunga has warned her parliamentary group that stern action would be taken against any MPs found to be involved in this multi-million rupee operation.

To gain entry to places like Cyprus, Japan and Scandinavian countries, politicians are alleged to be including illicit migrants in their delegations with diplomatic cover on a fee ranging from Rs. 200,000 to Rs. 500,000, depending on the country of migration.

At a recent meeting with MPs, the President has reportedly warned that stringent action would be taken against those who organise such tours where illicit emigrants are taken abroad on holiday or student visas and then helped to 'disappear' in those countries.

The President reportedly said she had information of those who had made it a big business to arrange tours abroad for poor people willing to take any risk or pay any price to get a job abroad.

It is learnt that the illicit trade has boomed with political patronage and the trend has reached huge proportions during the past decade, giving Sri Lanka a notoriety as one of the main centres for people-smuggling operations. 

Government sources said there was information that at least one VIP had made a massive fortune on this business while others in ruling and opposition parties had also engaged in this part-time business.

Bungling over Bishop's visit

While the Defence Ministry bungled over the names of Bishops, Ratnapura's Bishop Malcolm Ranjith who is also the secretary of the Catholic Bishop's Conference has sought permission from President Chandrika Kumaratunga to visit the growing number of people being displaced in the aftermath of the current fighting in the north. 

Bishop Malcolm told The Sunday Times yesterday he hoped to make the visit after Easter and was awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Defence.

But the Defence Ministry appears to have bungled somewhere over this request. 

In a communiqué issued on Friday the ministry said Colombo's Bishop Malcolm Ranjith Fernando had visited the uncleared areas on April 13 with the permission of the Ministry and had returned to Vavuniya by 2 p.m.

Colombo's bishop or archbishop is not Malcolm Ranjith Fernando but Nicholas Marcus Fernando.

Bishop Malcolm is now the bishop of Ratnapura. But he also issued a statement yesterday saying he had not visited any uncleared area.

The confusion was cleared when The Sunday Times contacted Colombo's Anglican Bishop Kenneth Fernando who said that with the approval of the ministry he had visited a children's home in the uncleared area from April 11 to 13.

He said this was a routine visit to a home which was run by him as head of the Colombo diocese 

Prelates likely to meet President

By Shelani de Silva

Leading Buddhist prelates are ready to consider a fresh date for talks with President Kumaratunga if she invites them again, The Sunday Times learns.

But such a meeting is not likely to take place soon as the President is out of the country.

Last weekend, the President invited the Mahanayakes to Temple Trees for talks on April 10. But they declined saying they had not been given sufficient time. 

Earlier, the prelates along with other Sinhala Buddhist groups signed a petition to the President laying down seven tough conditions to be followed in drafting the new constitution. 

The prelates are also opposing talks with the LTTE and facilitation by Norway.

If there's no vote, there's no wheel

President Kumaratunga has reportedly warned that MPs who absented themselves during voting time on the controversial Paddy Marketing Board resolution would be penalised by the withdrawal of duty free vehicle permits, PA sources said.

They said most such permits had expired after the lapse of five years and MPs now needed to obtain fresh permits. 

According to these sources the President is concerned about the high absenteeism which resulted in the stinging defeat of the PMB resolution and has issued strict orders to PA MPs be present in the House at voting time.

Soon after the Parliamentary defeat, President Kumaratunga obtained a list of those present and absent at the time of voting It is reported that Agriculture Minister D.M. Jayaratne himself had been unprepared for the defeat as the UNP had indicated it only wished to debate the resolution and not vote against it.

At the same time government MPs have complained to the party leadership that without regular group meetings to discuss vital matters some MPs from paddy growing areas were embarrassed by the PA's decision to present the resolution.

While there was a possibility of explanations being called soon after the President's return from all those who were absent, President Kuma-ratunga had recently vehemently shot down a request by five parliamentarians to visit trouble torn Jaffna as messengers of peace.

At a meeting with the President, the five parliamentarians were informed that the ground situation was very bad for them to visit Jaffna with assured safety.

The five members led by Deputy Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine Tissa Karaliyadda sought permission to meet the LTTE to ensure the release of the 'Iris Moana' captives. However, the President has been adamant that despite families of missing persons making an appeal to send a responsible government representative to discuss the release of captives, it was imprudent to send government legislators for this purpose. The government group comprised deputy minister Tissa Karaliyadda, Nandasena Herath, T.B. Ekanayake, C.B. Ratnayake and Heenmhattaya Liyanage.

Foreign Ministry blasts Bala

In an angry reaction yesterday, the Foreign Ministry accused LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham of indulging in 'bombastic exaggerations and sabre rattling' aimed at keeping up the morale of LTTE sympathizers overseas. 

Replying comments and charges made by Mr. Balasingham in an interview with the Tamil Guardian magazine last month, the Ministry said his claims of wholesale repression were baseless as upto one third of the Tamil population lived in predominantly Sinhala areas sans fears. 

Slamming the LTTE's claim to be the sole representative of the Tamil people, the Ministry said that of about 2.4 million Sri Lankan Tamil population, nearly one third lived outside Sri Lanka, while another near one third lived side by side with the Sinhala people in predominantly Sinhala areas. Of the remaining one third, more than 75% lived under the effective protection of the Sri Lankan security forces.

The ministry said it was internationally acknowledged that for more than a decade in a process described by the United Nations as "uniquely humanitarian in a conflict situation", successive Sri Lankan governments had continued to send food and other essentials for citizens in the troubled regions, despite knowing very well that a large portion of it was pilfered by the LTTE.

Regarding embargoes, the ministry said restrictions had been placed only on eight items which were considered to be of a strategic nature. 

Admitting that certain security measures adopted had caused difficulty to all sections of the population, the ministry said that these measures were necessary in the face of ruthless terrorist activities by the LTTE in the North and South. These include not only attacks on civilian targets in the cities, but massacres of villages, and assassination of political leaders belonging to the Tamil community itself.

The Ministry said the security forces operating in the predominantly Tamil areas, particularly Jaffna, had shown a high degree of professionalism in protecting the people despite grave provocation by the LTTE. "While the government rejected Mr. Balasingham's suggestion that 'repressive conditions', are being imposed on the Tamil people, it wished to reiterate that the prevailing security measures could not be dismantled as long as the LTTE continued on its path of violence and destruction," the Ministry said.

The ministry said a progressive military de-escalation was possible only if the proposed talks proceeded successfully and a troop withdrawal could take place only after a permanent political solution was reached.

It was the operative policy of the Government to carry out its security requirements, causing minimum difficulty or dislocation to the entire population. There is ongoing review of these measures by the authorities concerned and possible easing is periodically carried out. 

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