35 Dpy. Ministers appointed

However, no deputies were appointed to the ministries of defence and finance.

The following Deputy Ministers were sworn in by the President for 29 ministries at Temple Trees:

Buddha Sasana & Religious Affairs : Ediriweera Premaratne

Plantation Industries: K. H. G. Noel Padmasiri

Ports Development & Development of the South : Chamal Rajapakse

Agriculture :W. K. M. Sarath Keerthiratne and D. M. Dassanayake

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development: M. B. M. Abdul Cader

Vocational Training: C. Gajadeera

Posts & Telecommunications: M. N. Abdul Majeed

Samurdhi, Rural Development, Parliamentary Affairs & Upcounty Development: Dallas Alahapperuma

Urban Development, Construction and Public Utilities : C. Kathriarachchi 

and Dr. Jagath Balasooriya

Power & Energy: Felix Perera

Highways: A. Mahindananda and M. Premachandra

Foreign Affairs: Harendra Corea

Constitutional Affairs and Industrial Development : Piyadasa Gamage

Mahaweli Development: G. V. V. Soyza

Labour: Neil Rupasinghe

Health : J. B. Tennakoon and B. A. P. Lionel Gunawardena

Forestry and Environment : C. B. D. Bandaranaike

Irrigation and Water Resources Management: Shantha Premaratne

Estate Infrastructure and Livestock Management: U. H. Liyanage

Food and Marketing Development: H. N. Nandasena Herath

Cultural Affairs: T. B. Ekanayake

Social Services and Housing Development for Fishing Community: Mervyn Silva

Youth Affairs: U. P. Jayaratne

Ethnic Affairs and National Integration: S. Ganeshamoorthy and Noordeen Mashoor

Land Development and Minor Export Agriculture: J. A. Ranaweera

Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the North and Tamil Affairs North and East: P. Sumathipala

Education : Tudor Dayaratne and E. A. L. Marikkar

Transport: Kumara Welgama

Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the East and Rural Housing Development : E. Weerawardena

T'Nadu MPs seek visit to NE

By S.S.Selvanayagam

A memorandum signed by 30 Tamil Nadu MPs, representing a spectrum of parties and including political leaders such as Jayalalitha Jeyaram, Subramanian Swamy and V. Gopalasamy (MDMK), also called on the premier to persuade the Sri Lankan government to withdraw its armed forces from the North-East.

The MPs also said the Sri Lankan government should recognise the North-East as the Tamil homeland and India should assert its sovereign right over Kachchativu.

The memorandum claims that since 1995, the Sri Lankan government has made matters worse by forbidding NGOs from operating in the north-east and helping the people. 

It states that stringent controls have been imposed even on the ICRC which provide humanitarian assistance such as medicine and that the Sri Lanka regime has used rape, food and medicines as weapons of war against Hindu -Tamils.

Deva proposes to reopen land route

"I have already sent letters to the LTTE and told the government that we are ready to make arrangements to reopen the land to Jaffna giving free access to the people," he said. At present, the people in Jaffna are facing severe difficulties in travelling to the south with the air service suspended and the ships irregular. 

CDB shake-up 

By Chris Kamalendran

The CDB's officer-in-charge Inspector Nuwan Wedasinghe and a sergeant have also been transferred.

Police sources said yesterday SSP Wickramasinghe — who hit the headlines last year over the arrest of a high court judge — had not yet been assigned new duties.

SP Gamini Seneviratne, deputy commandant of the Home Guard Division, has taken over as CDB chief while Chief Inspector H. M. Dharmasena will be the officer-in-charge. 

The shake-up at the CDB came after a medical report was submitted on the suspect who was allegedly assaulted. The suspect is warded at Kalubowila.

Roads closed for ceremonial opening 

Police Headquarters said traffic would be interrupted on both days between 8.30 a.m and 9.30 a.m and 11.00 a.m and noon.

The roads which will be closed are Janadipathi Mawatha, Galle Face Centre Road, Galle Road upto Kollupitya Junction, Dharmapala Mawatha upto Liberty roundabout, Ananda Coomarswamy Mawatha (Greenpath), Horton Place, Castle Street, Sri Jayawardenepura Mawatha, Parliament Drive and Bauddhaloka Mawatha between Stanely Wijesundara Mawatha and Wijerama Mawatha.

President and PM to move house this week

Mr. Wickremanayake continued to live at his Stanmore Crescent residence even after he was made Prime Minister in August. The Sunday Times learns that President Chandrika Kumaratunga is to shift on Monday morning to President's House to make way for the premier.

President Kumaratunga who moved into Temple Trees in 1994 after being appointed the Prime Minister remained there even after being elected as President. The Sunday Times learns that security is to be tightened around President's House, while barricades around Temple Trees are to be removed. The President did not occupy President's House due to security reasons. The last President to occupy it was President D B Wijetunga.

3 new parliamentarians

The two JVP MPS who resigned would be replaced by ex Wayamba provincial councillor Bimal Ratnayake and former CMC member Sunil Handunnetti. 

Yapa hails media

In a press communiqué to all media, the minister has stated that at a time when civil disturbances were being created in the plantation sector following the Bindunuwewa incident, the efforts of the government to bring normalcy and restore order were supplemented by the supportive role played by all media with its accurate and responsible reporting. Minister Yapa has also stated that the level of responsibility displayed by media personnel contributed to the prevention of the possibility of communal riots in the hill country. 

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