No No NO

By Leon Berenger

The protests began on Friday last week, 48 hours before Parliament was scheduled to debate the controversial draft bill on constitutional reforms.

Leading the fight was the far-right Sihala Urumaya as they launched their 'black flag' protest campaign from beneath the shade of the bo tree at Pettah, cheered on by hundreds of Buddhist monks and other members of the public.

They were campaigning for a 'no' vote on the proposed reforms which sought to change the present constitution to a federal-style set up.

Speaker after speaker at this rally berated both the PA administration, the opposition and all other groups and individuals who advocated the proposed changes to the constitution, saying it was a total sell-out to the minorities and the separatist Tamil Tigers in exchange for too little.

The Pettah protest was given additional clout as perhaps for the first time a young Buddhist monk began a fast-unto-death if the Bill was not withdrawn and torn up. Many others pledged to follow him.

Supporting the Sihala Urumaya were JVP members who repeatedly screamed over the microphones that "socialism never supported division in whatever form". 

On Monday, the day the Bill was brought into the House, it was the turn of the Buddhist priests to contribute their fiery protest, and this was close to the Parliament at Sri Jayewardhanapura Kotte.

The chorus of chants and threats came to a standstill only on late Tuesday after the Government announced it had decided to put on hold the voting on the bill amidst allegations by the main opposition UNP, that it failed to muster the 150 'yes' votes required for enactment.

The man responsible for keeping the peace and the protesters in check was Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Jayantha Wickremaratne who mobilised his men and resources to perfection, where caution was often mixed with a degree of aggression to get their message across.

The only bloodletting that took place was at Narahenpita when a small hand grenade was flung at an anti-constitution meeting that was being held at a Buddhist temple. Three people sustained injuries in the blast but none were life-threatening.

Sunday Times says thank you

There are more Ajantha's out there

After the major outpouring of concern and offers of help following the publication of 'Give us our dues' (July 30) about a war widow Ajantha Weeraratne (24) and her four children of Labunoruwa near Kekirawa, The Sunday Times feels it is our duty to highlight such cases whenever possible. 

The Sunday Times survey teams have come across numerous families, of soldiers who have died in action or are missing in action, which face penury, with delays on the part of the bureaucrats to pay what is due to them - the husbands' and fathers' salaries and some kind of compensation to better equip them to face the loss of their loved ones. Families similar to that of Ajantha are spread far and wide across the country and The Sunday Times will continue to focus on their needs.

We hope our readers who inundated our offices with phone calls and offers of help would mobilize the support of others, creating a ripple effect to aid the Ajanthas of this country. 

In the case of Ajantha and her children including five-month-old twins, Sachini Sulochana and Achini Gayathri who have been left destitute, The Sunday Times has decided to liaise with the Rajarata Praja Kendraya, a rural-based community working to help women and children, in Thibbatuwewa, close to Labunoruwa to map out a strategy to provide long-term aid to the family. 

Ajantha's husband Lalith Kumara Samarasekera of the Armoured Corp. was killed in action in Mankulam in October 1999. 

The immediate needs of Ajantha and her family have been identified as: 
-milk for the twins and the two older children 
-food and medicine for the children 
-a roof over their heads 

The long-term needs are: 
-education for the children 
-some form of savings for the family to fall back on 
-self-employment for Ajantha to enable her to fend for her family. 

As a multinational milk company has already pledged to give the two older children their requirements for one year, the infants' needs have to be met and The Sunday Times is exploring the possibility of another milk company supporting this poor family. 

With regard to this family's other needs, contributions in the form of cheques could be sent directly to Ajantha's account at the Kekirawa People's Bank Account No. 042-201-203639-4 or to The Sunday Times to be passed on to her. Other contributions in the form of provisions or clothes could be channelled to the Rajarata Praja Kendraya, Pansala Para, Thibbatuwewa, Kekirawa to be taken to Ajantha and her children. All contributions will be acknowledged and strict accounts kept. 

The Sunday Times once again thanks its readers for the quick response to its story and massive show of support for war widows and their families.

Right of way but no right to live

By Nilika de Silva

A young life on the threshold of a promising career was lost, when a bus on the 155 route claimed the life of yet another university student.

It was ironic that within the course of a day student agitation had lead to steps being taken to avert any such accident being repeated. Traffic was being diverted and speed humps were being erected. 

But the question that will be asked is "Did a young life have to be lost for precautions to be taken? Could the anarchy that is an accepted part of Colombo traffic ever reflect the true value of a human life?" 

Mabel Sudharshani Gunaratnam who had just completed her Final Year examinations at the university had many dreams and many goals. 

Already she was beginning her further studies reading for her post-graduate Diploma in Economics.

A former pupil of Chundikuli Girls' School in Jaffna, Sudharshani had set her heart on reaching academic heights. 

Sudharshani had just celebrated her 25th birthday on the eve of the fateful accident that claimed her life. The second in a family of four girls, she was in the habit of going to the university on her TVS scooter.

Thursday was just another day for her.

It was between 8.45 and 9 a.m. Sudharshani was on her way to the university. At the roundabout where Thurstan Road meets Reid Avenue two vehicles, abreast of each other, were about to cross her path. The driver of the first vehicle seeing that the girl had the right of way, halted to let her pass, but the driver of the second vehicle, a bus on the 155 route, crashed into the helpless girl, flinging her under the wheels of the bus. 

Action after death and protest

The Municipal Council yesterday, was forced to begin work to put up a bumper on Reid Avenue following protests by University students who were angered by the death of one of their colleagues who was knocked down by a bus.

Transport came to a halt when students took to the streets and began digging up the road forcing authorities to take immediate steps to remedy the situation. 

Students told The Sunday Times that earlier there had been a bumper but it had been removed following protests by some bus drivers who said University students were not montessori-going children.

Their repeated requests to either install signal lights, a bumper or a overhead bridge had gone unheeded, the students alleged. 

Fighting jumbos and poverty

By Chandani Kirinde

Imagine this. You have no running water or electricity, you cannot, on most days, afford more than one meal, wild elephants come to your garden and destroy your cash crops and you have to trek more than two miles to find bathing water. Sounds harsh, doesn't it? Yes, but these are the every day travails of hundreds of villagers living in one of the most backward areas in the country.

The village is Udakandara on the outskirts of the Ruhuna National park in Tissamaharama in Hambantota district. It is inhabited by about 300 families. 

K.L.A.Jayantha, his wife Swarnalatha and their three children live in a wattle and daub hut. They work in the fields belonging to the landowners and grow green gram and cow pea in their garden.

"Even the land we are living on doesn't belong to us. We have been occupying it for many years and we have been promised the deeds to this land but so far this has not happened," Jayantha lamented.

He said a bowser brings them drinking water once in two days. "We have to even pay for the water around here. We pay Rs 20 for a month and we are given two gallons of water. This is barely enough for our drinking and cooking purposes," he said.

Many of the wells have also run dry due to the drought conditions that prevail during most parts of the year.

K.A.Karunawathie is the mother of nine children, four of whom are married and live on their own while one of her sons was killed in a road accident.

"My husband and I have to feed the four remaining children by working in other peoples paddy fields. There are many days we are forced to go without a proper meal," she said.

She said she had to pawn the only piece of gold jwellery she had, a gold chain, to find the money to buy dried coconut leaves to mend the leaking roof of her house.

Asked if she ever read a newspaper or watched television, Karunawathie said the only newspaper she had read was the piece of paper in which the shop owner wrapped the sugar or flour she bought from the grocery shop in the village. As for television, she said she watched it sometimes in the homes of some of the villagers who owned television sets which were operated using batteries.

The villagers are also on a confrontational course with wild elephants that roam freely in the area destroying whatever the poor villagers manage to grow in the dry land. Several people have also been killed by the elephants.

A four year old girl was the latest victim of the elephants. She was killed and her younger brother and father seriously injured when they encountered a lone elephant on the gravel road less than two weeks ago.

Karunawathie recalled how her brother's house was partly destroyed by a wild elephant recently. "First the animal uprooted all the banana plants in his backyard and smashed up a part of his house. They were forced to flee their home and are now staying with relatives," she said.

The head priest of the village temple Ven. Denagama Dhammadassi Thera who has lived there for more than 20 years said little has changed for the people over the years.

"Politicians come and make promises during election time to get these people's votes but after that they don't surface till the next election," the Thero said.

"Isn't the vote of one of these people the same value as the vote of a person in the city who enjoys all the modern benefits," he asked.

He said that over 90 per cent of the children dropped out of school in grade eight or nine as they had to help their parents to generate some form of income.

"Education is not a priority for them. They want to somehow make some money and improve their living conditions,"the Thero said.

He added that promises by several politicians to give people the deeds to the lands the people occupied were yet to be fulfilled. "Without the deeds to their lands, these people cannot even get a housing loan of a few thousand rupees to put up a house with brick and cement.

He also said complaints about frequent attacks by elephants were falling on deaf ears. "I have complained to the wildlife authorities in the area about the problem. They say they have no funds to complete fencing the area from where the elephants enter the village," he said.

He said this was ironic because large sums of money are collected by the sale of entrance tickets by the Wild Life Department from visitors who flock to Yala to see the elephants. This money can be used to safeguard both the animals and the innocent villagers, he said.

Living in peace amidst fear

By Leon Berenger 

The people in the settlement of Panama on the edge of the east coast in Pottuvil are living dangerously trapped between the continuing war and an indifferent government that appears to have forgotten it even exists.

There are about 6000 inhabitants in this village. They said most of them voted for the present Government with the hope that things would improve, but now, regret they even took time off to make it to the polling booth six years ago.

Officials are scared to motor up to this village, in fear of the LTTE and therefore neglect has set in at the highest level, claims a local village politician.

H. Kiribanda a former member of the local Pradeshiya Sabha acts as a spokesman for his fellow-villagers.

"The people, who were at one time prosperous farmers are today forced to work as hired hands for others who can afford extra workers while some sell their home-grown vegetables and others hunt for honey in the jungle.

"All this is due to the inadequate irrigation resources in the area with most of irrigation schemes in a neglected state and plans to rehabilitate them buried under bureaucratic red tape. As a direct result, some 1,200 acres of fertile land in the village remains idle .

"Apart from farming facilities the village is also badly in need of proper sanitary facilities. Health and transport facilities are the other glaring shortcomings where sometimes women in the late stages of pregnancy are taken to hospital in STF vehicles since the only ambulance at the state-run dispensary is eternally non-operational owing to mechanical defects," he charged.

Manik Rala Thomas has lived in this village for a little over a decade, during which period he saw his brother hacked to death by the LTTE, while he himself was robbed at gun point. But he is not running away.

He also remembers one night when LTTE gunmen stormed the village grocery and removed its stocks, as terrified villagers were forced to stand still at gun point.

"Along with another villager I was ordered by the armed men to empty the store that belonged to the local mudalali. The goods were later loaded on to a hijacked tractor and driven off towards the woods. Before leaving the gunmen ordered us to remain indoors for a hour, with a warning that we would be killed if we did otherwise," Thomas said.

The last time the LTTE targeted the village was in 1997 when they went on the rampage and slaughtered 18 people, including his brother and torched some 14 fishing boats that were on the beach. Things have been quiet since then, he said.

R. Chandrasena the former Vice Chairman of the Pradeshiya Sabha for Lahugala-Panama echoes the words of Thomas, but quickly adds that the security provided by the STF for the village is encouraging, and there is little to grumble.

As a first step the authorities, with all their so-called village development programmes could start with a mobile administrative service where the needs of the people could be solved on the spot, says the local high priest, Panama Chandratana Thera.

However inspite of petty politics and bureaucratic bungling, the people have managed to maintain unity and harmony in the village. Even quarrels are settled within the village and seldom reach a police station," the Thera said.

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