Rich, poor gap even in death payment

Apita kekiri

By Tania Fernando and Faraza Farook

Questions and controversies have arisen over the payment of compensation on a special basis to VIPs or ministers' families affected by terrorist attacks.

While ordinary people get what they see as a barely adequate amount as compensation, the Government in a special Cabinet decision made a payment of Rs. 1,545,000 to each of Minister C. V. Gooneratne's three grown-up children, who are all working abroad.

Now, questions are being asked about the yardstick used in paying relatively small amounts to poor people and huge sums to rich VIPs.

According to the Rehabilitation Authority, families of ministers and members of parliament, can get 60 months' salary on the basis of an MP's salary as compensation.

But ordinary victims and others are questioning why the difference between the payments to common people and rich VIPs is so vast.

In the Ratmalana bomb blast where Mr. and Ms. Gooneratne were killed, the families of other victims were paid a much smaller amount — Rs. 60,000 as funeral expenses of which Rs. 50,000 was an advance from the Rs. 200,000 compensation to be paid subsequently. However, public servants are paid up to Rs. 350,000 as compensation.

Earlier the amount paid to the family of a victim was just one fourth of the current payment. The payments have been revised for bomb blast victims under a Cabinet decision following the Town Hall bomb blast where President Chandrika Kumaratunga was injured.

The revised amount applies to the Town Hall, Ja-Ela, Rajagiriya, Flower Road and Ratmalana blasts, officials of the Rehabilitation Authority said.

While compensation provided some relief, family members said the families, when divided among children it was inadequate to invest in anything constructive.

With many of the victims being men, the widows were left with the burden of ensuring the home fires are kept burning.

Padmasiri Silva, a three-wheeler driver, was building a house for his family, when he was killed in the Ratmalana blast.

He had taken a loan from a private bank and now the burden of paying Rs. 2,800 a month for the next nine years lies on his wife Sriyani.

"We got compensation of Rs. 150,000 from which Rs. 100,000 is for the two children, aged nine and four. Sriyani was hoping to pay at least part of the loan with the compensation, but the sum she received would hardly cover the loan," Padmasiri's mother Sumanawathie, said.

Sriyani had also written to the Ministry of Finance hoping to meet Deputy Minister G.L. Peiris to make an appeal to help with the repayment of the loan. However, she had only been able to meet the Secretary, but has not received any reply.

"If the Government is able to assist us in some form, maybe waive the interest, it would help Sriyani a great deal," Sumanawathie said.

Sriyani's brother Chandraratne Gamage said his sister had written to the President seeking assistance in securing employment.

Just like Sriyani, on the other side of the road was another family where a five-year-old girl had lost her father.

Nirmali, wife of a part time three-wheel driver and mother of five-year-old Udayangani said she received Rs. 50,000 as compensation while Rs. 100,000 was deposited in the name of her daughter. This could be withdrawn only when the child reaches 18.

"We had a difficult time trying to get the three-wheeler released from the police station. We even got scolded by the police and had to pay lawyers' fees as well. All the accessories were stolen and even the tyres were changed and the police claimed to be unaware of it," she said.

To start afresh she is planning to find a job and hopefully sell the three-wheeler as well. "I can't even think how I am going to manage when my daughter starts going to school. How long can I make the Rs. 50,000 last, especially now that everything is so expensive," she said.

Thirty-three-year old Kumari Ratnayake, mother of two boys aged seven and two said all their hopes and dreams crashed with the death of her husband Priyantha Sujeeva a receptionist at the Ministry of Industrial Development.

"I received Rs. 125,000 as compensation and Rs. 87,500 for each of my children," said Kumari. "With the cost of living escalating day by day, this Rs. 125,000 won't go very far. I need to find a job to support myself and the children," she said.

While to some, the little compensation they received was some relief, there were others who cared less.

The family of Lassie Leelawathie, a victim of the suicide bomber in which Minister C. V. Gooneratne was also killed said that they had received Rs. 210,000 as compensation.

Lassie's sister, K. Siriyawathie said her sister was a loyal PA supporter, but in the end her support got her killed and left her five children without a mother and a meagre Rs. 210,000.

"Each of her five children will get about Rs. 30,000. The government paid us Rs. 60,000 for the funeral, after which they gave the children Rs. 150,000, but can you put a value on a life?" Siriyawathie asked.

While many of the victims' families of the Ratmalana bomb blast had received compensation at a special ceremony held at Temple Trees on July 5, W. A. Samaratunge who lost his son was not very much interested in the compensation.

With memories of his son still fresh in his minds, he was in no hurry to collect any compensation. "Can money bring back my son. It's not the money that matters but the fact that he is no more among us is what pains us," said a distraught mother.

Seva Vanitha probe without key players

By Shelani de Silva

The scandal rocking the Seva Vanitha Movement is being probed by a three-member committee appointed by President Kumaratunga.

Minister Hema Ratnayake who heads the movement said the probe report was expected to be given to the President by tomorrow — but The Sunday Times learns the two VIP wives in the centre of the controversy have not yet been questioned and a report by tomorrow is highly improbable.

Seva Vanitha Movement which was set up to carry out social and voluntary work for the people is facing a dead end with more cases of corruption and misuse of funds being exposed bringing not only the movement but also the ruling People's Alliance to disrepute.

The controversy which surrounds the sale of furniture by the present officials of the movement dates back to the early 1980s. It was in 1983 that the movement came into being when Elena Jayewardene with the help of the Ministers' wives decided to form the Movement.

Since the movement did not have any source of income to buy necessary items, the members through their own means donated furniture and other material. Gradually, Seva Vanitha came to own valuable furniture and vehicles.

Recently, the main charge in the scandal rocking the movement was that Kusum Wickramanayake, wife of Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, had sold a set of conference furniture for Rs.10,000 though the estimated value was about Rs. 200,000.

The allegation is that she got it cheap for her son.

Kamani de Livera, the first executive secretary of Seva Vanitha, told The Sunday Times she was sorry that a movement which began with high hopes and ideals was now plunged into controversy and scandal. She said Seva Vanitha's founder leader Elena Jayewardene, had set a tradition whereby no one took even a pin for personal use but now things were different.

Another allegation in the movement is that a VIP wife had used Rs.37,000 to buy 12 wheel chairs so that a family member who was contesting the Provincial Council elections could donate them to her electorate.

3 - Kid daycare centre

The daycare centre started by Seva Vanitha founder leader Elena Jayewardene is reportedly being squeezed up, largely due to alleged mismanagement by present officials.

The daycare centre which provided facilities for 100 children when it was earlier housed in the Fort, now has only three children after it was moved to a relatively smaller apartment in the Star Tower in Bambalapitiya.

It seems children don't like to come there because they have little room to play unlike the earlier house which had plenty of open space.

Parents also say going up the Star Tower means a lot of inconvenience.

The three children looked after by two teachers are confined to a hall with a few chairs, tables and mats.

The admission fee for a child is Rs. 1000 and the monthly payment is Rs. 750. Children between one and a half years and ten years are admitted to the daycare centre.

Rice farmers in boiling pot

By Leon Berenger in Ampara

A problem over paddy marketing is boiling into a major crisis in the country's 'rice bowl' of Ampara owing to falling prices and security tensions that have driven the farmer to the brink of poverty.

Their store rooms and mills are filled to capacity with paddy but there are no buyers to offer a reasonable price since the market is low in Colombo and elsewhere and so the farmers in the district are protesting everywhere and to everyone, including the government, demanding an immediate solution.

The growing security constraints in the region and imports of rice from India, Pakistan and China are the two main contributing factors to the present crisis.

The farmers are making matters worse for themselves by their failure to communicate at the appropriate time with government agencies and the private sector regarding paddy purchases.

The farmers are grumbling that they will be forced to sell off their stocks at a great loss if the price does not increase.

It all began early this year after the Maha season which saw a bumper harvest and the farmers were delighted. But the bad news followed almost immediately — the price of paddy had plummeted by nearly 40 per cent. It took the farmers by surprise.

The reason for the slump in price was the large imports of rice that were being sold in the market at rock-bottom prices. Furthermore buyers are keen to avoid the Ampara district owing to the stringent security procedures that often end up in delays at checkpoints thereby affecting business as the trucks are held up.

Now the farmers wanted the Government to stop the imports of rice as a first step in bailing them out. The government, which is facing a general elections in a couple of months' time, announced last week that rice imports had been stopped. But it came too late for many farmers.

Last year a bag of 66 kilos of rice fetched a healthy price of Rs. 1,000. But this year the price offered for a bag was only Rs. 575, says M.I.A.R. Buhari, president of the Sagama Farmers Federation.

The slump in the price is largely due to the ad hoc imports of rice at cheap rates and to a lesser extent the security inconveniences that discourage buyers from motoring up to the district. The Government also went ahead with the import of rice despite the fact the farmers had ample stocks of two previous harvests, said Mr. Buhari who is also the Secretary of the SLFP's Sammanthurai branch.

Commenting on Sathosa's claim that it had bought a kilo of paddy at Rs.10 from farmers, Mr. Buhari said this was done only on selected areas with eastern coastal areas being totally ignored.

"It takes nearly Rs.15,000 to cultivate an acre of paddy, but as things stand the return is around only Rs 13,000-14,000.

The import of rice will have to be stopped if the poor farmer is to benefit," Mr. Buhari said.

Constant reminders to the relevant authorities at both central and provincial levels have apparently been ignored with each agency preferring to pass the buck on to the other. It is such indifference that led the farmers to take to the streets in protest, said M.I.M. Aboobacker, President of the Farmer Company in Akkaraipattu. He vowed more such protests if the situation was not rectified soon.

Unlike his Sammanthurai counterpart, Mr. Aboobacker did not call for total ban on rice imports.

He said rice imports should be carried out in such a way that it would not adversely affect the local farmer.

"There are no checks on local stocks before the go-ahead is given for rice imports," Mr. Aboobacker charged.

He said it would be counter-productive for the Government to stay aloof of the problem in Ampara, and predicted that the issue would become a major slogan in the campaign for the upcoming general elections.

"The opposition is definitely going to capitalise on this issue, and it could be embarrassing to the government," Mr. Aboobacker said.

During the last Maha season the farmers reaped some 150,000 metric tons of paddy.

More than half of this stock still remains unsold because of the low prices, Ampara Government Agent L. S. C. Siriwardene said.

Sathosa (Cooperative Wholesale Establishment) used to buy a kilogram for Rs. 10, but then suddenly without any prior warning it slashed the price by two rupees. The private traders followed suit, driving the farmer to misery, the GA explained.

Mr. Siriwardene said he believed that if the farmer had to fetch at least Rs. 10 to avoid a loss.

He said the Samurdhi Movement through the Divisional Secretariats had planned to buy the paddy from farmers at Rs. 10 a kilo, and the government had released Rs. 200 million towards this end.

Mr. Siriwardene said this relief project would initially be for three months, during which time the private traders would also be encouraged to offer the same price.

"This is likely to ease the problem to some extent before a permanent solution could be reached. However, rice imports must stop immediately," the GA said.

Nimal Dayaratne, Assistant Agriculture Director for the Ampara District, however, dismissed claims by farmers that they were selling their stocks at a loss.

"Their profits may have been halved by some 50 per cent or more, but the talk of a loss is absurd," he said.

Mr. Dayaratne said the farmers must also share some of the burden instead of waiting for the government to bail them out each time there was a crisis.

"It is the lack of coordination that has led to the present crisis. The farmer must make efforts to keep in touch with the administration as well as the private sector at all times informing them on the available stocks. But this is not happening in the district," Mr. Dayaratne said.

- Additional reporting by Mohamed Jauffer, our Potuvil Correspondent

Sun, surf and the stink

By Leon Berenger in Arugam Bay, Potuvil

Simona is a young bright-eyed tourist from Switzerland and she is surfing on the cool waves of the sea on the eastern coast at Arugam Bay in Potuvil and uncomfortably close to the war that rages in and around the region.

But the tense atmosphere does not deter this young dental assistant from Berne in joining dozens of other foreigners to test the soft and tempting waves at Arugam Bay with their surf boards.

They have come from as far afield as Australia, France, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Switzerland and from across the Pacific, just to name a few, and they all headed straight for this eastern coast a few hours after landing in the country. The tourists share one common passion and that is surfing, and the waves at Arugam Bay provide the perfect place, despite the so-called scare stories of terrorist attacks and the likes.

Simona who is holidaying with her boy friend Rolan has been in the country for the past one month. This is their first trip to the island and they have not budged an inch from their beach paradise ever since entering the country. However they plan to do a day's shopping in Colombo on their eve of departure in a week's time.

The arrival of tourists to this sea-side town only goes to prove one thing — the war has not destroyed the entire industry in the area as many would incline to think. The story is exactly the other way around.

There are some 21 hotels, motels and related visitor accommodations in Potuvil and at present they are all occupied.

Wtaru Shinchi, from Nagasaki in Japan has heard all about Sri Lanka including the festering Tamil uprising in the north and east. However, this 25-year-old salesman has also heard of Arugam Bay, and that explains his presence in the country. He finds it difficult to believe that there is a war raging in the region, but admits that the sight of heavily armed security forces personnel at checkpoints does unnerve him a bit, but is not certainly not enough to throw him off the waves.

"I have been to Hikkaduwa too, on the southern coast, but Arugam Bay is just out of this world. This is my first visit to this beautiful country and certainly it will not be the last. The next time I will be here with my girlfriend," he says. Shinchi's fellow countryman and close friend, Takero Koizumi agreed.

Villagers who operate the guest houses, wadiyas and cabanas are also careful not to over charge the tourists who are mainly from the low-income group.

A beach cottage with limited facilities is rented out for a mere Rs. 200 a day while a more comfortable room could be rented out for Rs. 300-500 a day. Most of the tourists opt for local food which they could get at the many eating houses in the town and other areas.

The Tigers who lurk in the area as well have left this tourist trade entirely alone, although there has been some slight extortion attempts on the lodge operators. However even this kind of rebel activity is minimal mainly due to the large presence of the elite Special Task Force (STF) in the area. The threat to tourism however is not from the Tigers, but from the fisher folk who have begun to pollute the beaches with little or no concern whatsoever for the environment and the foreign visitors.

A.H. Ramanie Vishaka runs her 'Siripala Place Cabins' on the beach at Arugam Bay. On the right of her business is the soft beach and the waves and on the left are signs of the beach being used as makeshift toilets by the fisherfolk.

"This is not good for business in particular and the image of the country in general. Men, women and children are no better from each other. They just carry on regardless. Tourism is apparently not their cup of tea," Vishaka says.

"These people are seasonal fishermen who are in the area on a temporary basis. They have set up their wadiyas on permits given by the local authorities. At the same time they also use the beach as the toilet. One cannot expect anything worse than this specially when you are situated so close to them," Vishaka who is a widow with three sons lamented. She fears a serious threat to the tourist industry in the area unless the relevant authorities act without further delay. She said complaints to officialdom fell on deaf years despite promises that matters would be attended to immediately.

But the fishermen are also complaining. It is the villagers who are trying to throw us out for reasons known perhaps only to them. They are often jealous of our catch simply because we use more modern equipment in the deep seas, unlike the locals who still rely on the hook and line. The tourist ploy is just a bogus claim to throw us out. We too have to maintain families and as Sri Lankans we also reserve the right to fish wherever we like, Potuvil or anywhere, says Christie Fernando a spokesman for the group.

"It is true we are forced to use the beach as the toilet, but then there is no other alternative since the authorities would not permit the construction of toilets as the wadiyas are given on a temporary basis.

This so-called pollution problem could be solved if the authorities allow the construction of toilets. The money for such constructions will be provided by the mudalalis" Mr. Fernando added.

PARLIAMENT

Drinks and fags: more barks than bites

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti, Our Lobby Correspondent

The main opposition UNP has been lying dormant and slumbering for a while — its role as chief government critic forgotten in the unhappy mess of internal squabbles, repeated electoral defeats and regular crossovers.

To such a desolate opposition, moments of those few and far between political glories are significant. But on Wednesday, it managed to momentarily steal the show by being mischievous.

All batteries seemed to have been charged going by the euphoria evident with the UNP unceremoniously making the legislative sessions an extension of the previous day's slogan shouting at Maradana.

This time, the UNP's clarion call was to increase salaries by Rs. 2,000 for the long suffering public servants. And poor Prof. G.L. Peiris, often at the butt end of UNP pranks was again made to stand in the milieu — taking the UNP flak rising like a tidal wave.

Before the minister could present the four orders under the excise duty ordinance — all seeking to boost the government's empty coffers and finance the war effort, UNP's Tyronne Fernando wished to assist the minister. He used the little interlude to illustrate the UNP's 'successful CoL rally' and gloated about the large crowds it drew.

"Will you promise the House that a salary hike of Rs. 2,000 for public servants would be given with immediate effect" he asked, and all was lost in the din that followed as minister Peiris stood in mute despair.

But deputy speaker Anil Moonesinghe was obviously not amused by the prospect of having the debate derailed. Admonishing the UNPers who were engaged in a shouting match, he said, "You are already thinking of the election. Is this democracy when a minister is denied his opportunity to present legislation and speak."

Undaunted, UNP's Ravi Karunanayake asked if the government could give a Rs.400 million subsidy to Shell Gas, why could not the public servants be given a long overdue increment.

To the government, now facing the daunting task of keeping the economy afloat while waging a costly war, perhaps fags and alcohol seem to be having the Midas touch - a lifeline to milk fast buck. Thus it was seeking to hurriedly raise Rs. 24,000 million to foot the war bill.

Perhaps the minister's proposals caused smokers and alcoholics to miss a heart beat — yet for the Treasury guys waiting for a little bit of money to flow in, the retrospective legislation must be actually heartening.

With the opposition din increasing, the government members also resorted to matching it. Vociferous UNPers shouted that "socialist heroes have now turned meek." Tuck came the reply from PA youngster Mahinda Amaraweera: " Machang- You all sent people home for asking a mere Rs. 10 per day." Pandemonium reigned compelling an exasperated Deputy Speaker to suspend sittings.

Getting a second breath after the break, Minister Peiris strived to make himself heard over the din as to why the government had to raise colossal amounts to fund the war- his version was drowned in an amplified chorus of interruptions.

Prof. Peiris laboriously explained why in any economy it was important to 'further tax' the fag and the booze — the unrepentant theory being that increased prices never had a corresponding decrease in sales.

What triggered the next round of cannon fire was the gentle professor's finance theory on 'expenditure curbing'. It drew an immediate chorus of protests by UNPers who demanded to know whether the government members were willing to accept 100% duty free vehicle permits.

In the din about social welfare and infrastructure development and the duty of the state, Tyronne Fernando wanted to move a motion — this time to 'amend' the Order and expeditiously pay Rs. 2,000 to public sector employees.

Irked by the disobedience, Mr. Moonesinghe struck the motion sound, declaring that amendments to orders were 'illegal.' But Mr. Fernando insisted that if the minister considered human resources as his biggest asset, there was no way the government could starve them — at the same time demanding high productivity.

"If you won't, say so. But a UNP government will not only give Rs. 2,000 and but will also increase Samurdhi allowance," he said.

But DUNLF Vice President Kesaralal Gunesekera only saw the UNP's CoL protest as a 'gimmick'— a farcical operation to go vote gathering.

"It may have political investment value. Closer to elections, people do get weird brainwaves. Recently it was the bracelet-denim era. The call for CoL reduction was drowned in a vote gathering exercise," he scoffed.

Amidst adverse remarks, Mr. Gunasekera said the UNP and its much respected leader had much to offer, but the problem lay with some of his confidantes and consultants, who gave him warped ideas.

UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe shot back: "No, my mind got muddled up on the day you wanted us to grow manioc in pots."

Soon UNP's twice-nominated national list MP Rajitha Senaratne was hitting all round the wicket, speaking about 'political carrots', anti defection laws, constitutional reforms all in one go.

Advocating a theory of his, he said the imprudent government announced a war footing and reaped the immediate benefit of having potential investors fleeing the country. So the prices spiralled and the war became the 'higannage thuwale' (beggar's wound) while the people starved.

Adroitly changing subjects, the dentist-turned-politician noted that the PA amazed the masses with its about-turns in policy. Once it was peace, then war, a political package and finally a crossover bill to buy the loyalty of some UNP members.

Pointing at Minister Alavi Moulana and Batty Weerakoon, now cushioned in their ministerial comforts with not a hum about the workers' rights, he said: "You took the workers to streets and made their future insecure to make your political future secure. Now that they are languishing without jobs for the past twenty year what have you done for them during your tenure. It was no wonder that in their disgust, the July strikers were smashing coconuts to curse the present administration."

Having weathered repeated attacks and occasionally giving vent to his feelings and retorting in anger, Minister Moulana was seen trying to salvage his 'socialist pride'.

Attacking the UNP zeal, and illustrating his arguments with personal experiences, he said it was sad to think that the UNP tried to label him as a capitalist or an opportunist. He was not the kind that dined at Five Star venues, but was the kind to have 'seen stars'.

"When we launched mass struggles, there was no war. But there was no freedom for the dogs to bark, people to breathe, birds to fly. All were stifled. It was then that we moved to arrest the growing phenomenon of suppression. People who put us through the ordeal should not try to appear cordial now," he said, his penchant for rhyming evident.

His suffering during the UNP regime being highlighted, Mr. Moulana repeated the suffering caused to his family by the killing of his brother and brother in law. He said he himself lost a kidney thanks to the UNP's brutal treatment of champions of workers' rights. This was why the UNP's crocodile tears were unacceptable to voters, he said.

Soon afterwards, almost a repetition of last week's legislative drama breezed in UNP's human rights champion Mahinda Samarasinghe armed with enactment and legislative appendages. This time, his objection was that there was no way the minister could present 'retrospective orders'.

Prof. Peiris, having taken much flak all day long shot back, accusing Mr. Samarasinghe of masterminding the operation of bringing late objections to scuttle the procedures.

While Mr. Samara-singhe's protests could perhaps be heard all the way in Geneva (his venue to voice woes at the Inter-Parliamentary Union), both sides liberally traded insults and flung accusations, true to Sri Lankan style.

The Chair decided to ring for a division at 3.35 pm, following House Leader Ratnasiri Wickremanayake moving the adjournment. It was pandemonium again - with an angry UNP opposition marching out in sheer protest that 'Rauff Hakeem had called for an illegal session after adjournment'.

Starving cattle of east

It is not only the paddy farmer who has been hit, but those in the dairy business are also facing dry days as the milk production has dropped by some 70 per cent owing to the non-availability of grass lands for cattle and security restrictions.

Thousands of cattle are forced to graze on parched grass lands as the security forces have restricted entry into the surrounding forests where LTTE cadres roaming freely pose a security threat to unauthorised civilians.

Adding to the problem is the takeover of more grass lands by farmers for paddy cultivation, thereby reducing the fodder that was once abundant.

In the past Ampara alone collected some 7, 200 litres of milk a day but now this amount has been reduced to a mere 400 litres. The situation is either similar or even worse in Akkaraipattu, Thirukovil, Sammanthurai and Potuvil, said A. A. M. Saleem, regional manager for the state-run dairy venture 'Milco'.

He said the severe shortage of fodder owing to the strict security restrictions had forced the cattle on to the burnt-out slopes of the district. "The situation has also led to a high rate of deaths among the herds which are fast dwindling in their numbers," Mr. Saleem said. Last year alone some 10,000 cattle died largely due to starvation, he added. As an alternative he suggested 'homestead farming' where individuals could be persuaded to look after a couple of animals in return for a share of the milk.

"This too will have its problems because most of the people are poor and will need initial assistance to put up a cattle shed and other requirements that go with cattle breeding. The assistance from the state and even NGO's would be welcome," Mr. Saleem said.. The ongoing war was the main factor to all this mess, said K.N. Dharmalingam, a social worker and former chairman of the Akkaraipattu South Village Council.

He said he believed that the security authorities were overdoing matters in the district by not allowing the cattle into the forests. "If the present trend is allowed to continue, then the dairy industry is heading for disaster," Mr. Dharmalingam added. He insisted that the dairy resources of the country must be tapped to the maximum and protected at the same time. Some 7 billion rupees is spent annually on milk imports when much of the dairy need could be met locally. It could also provide more jobs for the people in the district, he said.

According to a senior security forces official, the ban on entry into the jungles was imposed to prevent the LTTE cadres in the nearby jungles from using the civilians to get food and other supplies.

Government Agent Siriwardene had this suggestion: "The only available fodder at the moment is in the forest reserves and some agreement should be reached with the relevant authorities to allow a passage for the animals. However this should be done by giving the first priority to security requirements."

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