Daring daylight robbery claims life

By Nilika de Silva

A driver who made a desperate attempt to save the payroll cash of employees of a private company in Athurugiriya during a hold-up on the road was shot and killed on Friday, marking a further increase in armed robberies.

The driver saved the money amounting to Rs. 800,000, but not his life.

Masked gunmen on Friday attempted to rob the payroll cash when the vehicle was returning from the bank.

The driver killed in the incident was Jayalath Hewage Rohana (49), a father of four sons.

The incident took place on High Level Road about 300 metres from the Tuffline factory premises at Meegoda. The company manufacturing plastic bottles and labels is a subsidiary of the Maharajah Organisation.

The vehicle a Nissan Sunny saloon with two passengers -a junior executive, a clerk and the driver- had gone to a Homagama bank to collect the money at about 10 a.m., Manager Security of Tuffline, Ravi Silva told The Sunday Times.

The hold-up took place at about 11 a.m. when the vehicle was returning from the bank. The gangsters had come in a van which had been parked in a byway. Four masked men were in the van which cut across the path of the car and blocked it, as it travelled along High Level Road.

At that moment two masked men with pistols got off the van and came towards the driver's window of the car. They broke the window glass, threatened the driver with pistols and asked him to hand over the money, eyewitnesses said.

The driver had refused, though the others in the car advised him to hand over the money.

The driver is reported to have said "No, we are so close to the factory, we can make it" and pressed hard on the accelerator. It was at this point that the masked men shot him at point blank range. Two bullets pierced his chest, while another thudded into the back seat. A bullet hole was seen in the windscreen too.

The vehicle had veered for a short distance before the driver collapsed. The officer sitting next to the driver had pressed hard on the accelerator with his hand and got the vehicle up to the factory gates. The injured driver was rushed to the Homagama Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries on the way.

Meanwhile, employees of the company said, "It was another driver who was scheduled to do this trip, but he had been away on another errand at this time, so Rohana had agreed to do it."

"While bad men thrive, it is people like this who are killed," Rohana's widow Chandra Perera wept, as she waited for her husband's body to be brought to their home in Pannipitiya.

The Tuffline Company, announced over Maharajah's radio channels that a Rs. 500,000 reward would be offered for any information leading to the detection of the vehicle in which the gang escaped. The vehicle bears the No. 58-2392.

"Three special teams have been deployed to investigate the incident," DIG Jayantha Wickramaratne said.

Who dragged children for terror show?

By Shelani de Silva

Who dragged schoolchildren from the Piliyandala area to a State-sponsored exhibition showing alleged JVP atrocities during the 1988-89 terror period?

The JVP alleges that principals of schools in Piliyandala were ordered to take the children for the exhibition which displayed pictures of gruesome murders, half burnt bodies and lamp-post killings.

Education Minister Susil Premajayanth told The Sunday Times that inquiries by him had revealed that no one had forced any schools to attend the exhibition. He said he had ordered a fuller probe and would take action if anyone had forced children to attend the exhibition. Piliyandala's Zonal Education Director S. Athauda also said he did not instruct any principal to take children for the exhibition.

A JVP spokesman alleged that a deputy minister had pressurised schools to send the children. In a letter, the JVP accused the government of using school children to sling mud at the party. It alleged that the deputy minister had warned that school principals would be transferred if they did not take the children for the exhibition.

Parents also were disturbed by what happened. One parent, A. S. K. Ratnayake, said it was wrong to use children as pawns in party political games.

Government sources say, similar exhibition are to be held in other parts of the country.

Millions for Devananada while people are crushed

The allocation of Rs. 200 million for the rehabilitation of the North by the Government to the Ministry of Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of the North, without consulting other MPs of the province has been criticised by Jaffna district UNP parliamentarian T. Maheswaran.

Addressing a news conference at the UNP Media centre yesterday he raised questions as to how any reconstruction or rehabilitation of the North could take place when the ground situation was not conducive.

He said the people of the north were facing severe hardships due to the spiralling cost of living with prices being double or treble the prices in the south.

giving some prices, he said the box of matches cost as much as Rs. 25 and a kilo of potatoes more than Rs. 75.

Instead of giving enormous amounts to Minister Douglas Devananda, the Government should take steps to bring down the cost of living.

Deputy ministers want more rights

Deputy Ministers have formed an organisation to protect their rights.

At the inaugural meeting on Thursday, Deputy Minister Shantha Premrathne was elected president, T. B. Ekanayake as the secretary and Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa as the treasurer.

some 25 of the 35 deputy ministers attended the meeting.

A spokesman for the group said one of the matters they intended to take up was their position after dissolution of parliament. At present only cabinet ministers could continue to hold office after dissolution of parliament and till fresh elections are held.

The spokesman said deputy ministers would also seek that right.

He said the group would give full support to the PA government and there would be no clash with cabinet ministers on policy matters.

Closed court hearing for Prabhakaran

The Central Bank bombing case in which LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran among others have been indicted for the killing of more than 90 persons was heard in camera this week, due to security reasons.

The evidence of the chief investigating officer into the Central Bank bomb blast case Chief Inspector M. Nilabdeen was led in camera before High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya. Mr. Nilabdeen requested the court that his evidence be led in camera due to security reasons. In his application he had informed the court that earlier he was attacked by a suicide bomber.

Former OIC of Pettah Police who is at present Headquarters Inspector (HQI) at Badulla, Indu Karunaratne on whom the court issued a warrant and was one of the 472 witnesses, also appeared before the court.

The warrant on the Inspector was issued last week when State Counsel Sajeewa Samaranayake informed Court that the police officer had been absent several times.

In this case ten accused including the leader of the LTTE Velupillai Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman were indicted on 712 counts including intention to cause death and committing murder, destruction of state property by attacking the Central Bank and provoking violence on or around January 31, 1996.

Out of the ten accused only two were arrested and the case was made on confessions made by them.

New immunization schedule from April 1

By Faraza Farook

With changes in disease patterns and in keeping with practices in developed and developing countries, the Epidemiological Unit has amended and introduced a new immunization schedule that will come into effect from April 1.

The revised schedule includes introduction of new vaccines and changes in the age of immunization.

The decision to revise the national immunization schedule came following a consultative meeting with relevant officials of the Health Department and the Health Ministry in March last year.

Recommendations relating to the revision of the immunization schedule were submitted to the Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases last year after a careful study of a WHO report titled 'Vaccine Preventable Diseases : Monitoring System'.

Most countries were found to start immunization at a very early age.

For instance, the three doses of the D.P.T. (Diphtheria Pertusis Tetanus) and O.P.V. (Oral Poliomyelitis Vaccine) are presently given to infants on completion of three months, five months and seven months respectively. Under the new regulations, the vaccine should be given on completion of the second month as body immunity is developed enough to take the vaccine and as it is believed to be better to administer it early.

The schedule currently in use was introduced in 1978 with the introduction of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). It was revised in 1981 and in 1984-1985 the measles vaccine was introduced. It was further amended in 1991 to administer two doses of Tetanus Toxoid (TT) during pregnancy and one dose during every subsequent pregnancy, up to a maximum of five doses in all, for prevention of neo-natal tetanus. Immunization against rubella was added to the schedule in 1996.

The rubella vaccine is at present administered only to females in the 10-15 age group while in school and the 15-44 age group if not immunized earlier.

The new schedule introduces the measles-rubella (MR) combined vaccination to be given on completion of three years to both males and females.

According to the old schedule the measles vaccine is administered to an infant on completion of nine months. However, the efficacy of the measles vaccine at nine months is around 85% which means 15% of the children will not develop adequate antibodies to protect against measles. Thus, a second dose at the age of three can protect these children and also give an opportunity to those who have not been immunized, in addition to protecting both males and females against rubella.

The adult tetanus-diphtheria vaccine (aTd) is another added feature in the new schedule to be given to children in the 10 – 15 age group. This vaccine has been introduced as a precautionary measure against outbreaks of diphtheria which has been reported in the last few years in Asian and European countries due to a decline in immunity against diphtheria.

Diphtheria is an infection in the skin / throat caused by a germ and is commonly found in adolescents and adults.

Though the disease is less common now, the bacteria and viruses that carry the disease are still present, the Epidemiological Unit reported.

With reports of recent outbreaks of whooping cough, measles and rubella in Sri Lanka where a number of children have died, the Epidemiological Unit warned that these vaccine preventable diseases could reappear if there is a drop or decline in the vaccination rates.

However, a small proportion of those vaccinated will remain susceptible to diseases as no vaccine is 100% effective.

Yet, in cases where a vaccinated individual contracts the disease, the illness is less severe than in those who were not vaccinated.

The table below provides the new immunization schedule for EPI vaccines.

Attack on the church: ten suspects at large

Hingurakgoda police have launched a hunt for ten suspects alleged to have carried out the attack on a Protestant church last week.

The attack which took place on Sunday damaged the church and injured three people.

Hingurakgoda OIC R Karunadasa told The Sunday Times that the police had arrested three people but there were ten more suspects to be arrested.

"We are yet to determine who is behind the attack. There have been many objections to the church services from the villagers, for a long time.

The villagers claim the services disturb them since there is loud singing taking place. However, we are still carrying out investigations," he said.

Following last week's attack President Chandrika Kum–aratunga has appointed a committee to investigate the incident.

Meanwhile the National Christian Evangelical Alliance has asked the Human Rights Commission to carry out an investigation.

NCEA spokesperson Suresh Mendis told The Sunday Times that the church has been in existence for the last 12 years.

'The first attack took place on Saturday. The following morning a mob of about 35 people stormed the church and assaulted those who were inside . This was done by outsiders' he said.

Meanwhile the National Christian Council condemned the attack and called on the law enforcing officers not to allow anyone to take the law into their hands.

'The NCC reaffirms its commitment to the freedom of worship ensured in the Constitution and believes that any areas of conflict and contradiction should be resolved through existing legal means or through dialogue and consensus and no one should be allowed to take the law unto their hands' it said.

Dushantha to head journalist body

Lankadeepa journalist Dushantha Samarasena was yesterday elected as secretary general of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association At the annual general meeting held at the BMICH yesterday Mr. Samarasena won 228 votes compared to 185 for ITN News Editor Mahinda Abeysundara.

Sathosa's shelves empty

By Sunil Jayathilake

A scarcity in essential food items in the CWE and in the market has cropped up following the setting up of the special committee to monitor food items imported by CWE, officials said.

They said the importation of food items by CWE was stopped a few weeks ago after a committee comprising Treasury officials was ordered to handle the import.

Food items such as potatoes, onions, chilies, dry fish, sugar, dhal and canned fish were imported by the CWE up to February. But after the special committee was ordered to import the food items, there had been a delay in getting the food items, the officials said.At present several Sathosa outlets are running out of stocks of potatoes, onions and rice.

Overstayers beware

The Immigration and Emigration Department has launched a campaign to arrest foreign nationals who overstay their visas in Sri Lanka.

A spokesman for the Department said that some Thai nationals who had overstayed their visas had recently been arrested. They had been involved in illegal activities, the official said, adding they are now at the Detention Centre at Mirihana, awaiting repatriation.

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