Untitled Document

News

150,000 displaced Sinhala people
SU: What about Sinhala refugees?
Sihala Urumaya has warned that if the Government does not focus on the rights of some 150,000 Sinhala people to get back and resettle in the northeast, the party would organise a reawakening movement similar to Pongu Thamil in Trincomalee.
"No one speaks about the Sinhalese displaced from the North and East" Sihala Urumaya leader Tilak Karunaratne said.

According to Sihala Urumaya figures 36,519 Sinhalese have been displaced from Jaffna district, 51,699 from Trincomalee, 17,903 from Batticaloa, 13,002 from Mannar, 11,643 from Vavuniya, 5,921 from Mullaitivu and 12,000 from other districts. Mr. Karunaratne said 229 Sinhalese were killed to achieve this end and the last Sinhalese living in Jaffna was killed on October 6, 1987. There are four ministers dealing with the rehabilitation of the North and East, yet not a single to safeguard the rights of the Sinhalese people, he said.

Dhanapala brings honour to SL
UNITED NATIONS- Jayantha Dhanapala, UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, was given a standing ovation at the United Nations last week when he received the Alan Cranston Peace Award. Dhanapala was honoured for "his lifelong dedication to global peace and security and his tangible and significant contributions to preserve and strengthen the international disarmament regime."
A former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States, Dhanapala was the first recipient of the award named after the late Senator Alan Cranston who believed that "nuclear weapons are unworthy of civilisation." The award was presented by the Global Security Institute whose president Jonathan Granoff described Dhanapala as "one of the world's greatest workers for peace and security." Ambassador C. Mahendran, Sri Lanka's newly-appointed Permanent Representative to the UN, who graced the occasion said the award was also a singular honour to Sri Lanka.

Maiden peace centre effort
The Weeramantry International Centre for Peace Education and Research will launch its inaugural publication on Wednesday at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo. The Centre is a peace foundation aimed at cross cultural education and making people aware of international and domestic institutions which can promote the rule of law.
The formal launch of the Centre's first publication in layman's language, on the International Court of Justice will take place. "We will donate 500 copies to schools in Sri Lanka and announce the existence of the Centre," Justice Christy Weeramantry told The Sunday Times. An essay competition for school and university students will also be organised by the Centre. Diplomats,judges and media personnel are among the invitees at the launch.

Pongu Muslim called off
A Muslim prayer and resolution meeting similar to 'Pongu Thamil' ceremonies was to be held yesterday in Kalmunai but the SLMC which was organising the event called it off apparently after it came to an understanding with the LTTE, sources said.
They said they believed the cancellation of the meeting 'Prarthanayum Peraharanam' was connected to the meeting between SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem and LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in the Wanni last Saturday, but the eastern university Muslim groups and other organisers of the event were not happy about the cancellation.

Pada Yatra from Jaffna to K'gama
The Foreign Ministry will tomorrow hold a special programme in Colombo to mark the launching of the traditional Pada Yatra from Jaffna to Kataragama coinciding with Vesak poya. Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando will preside at the meeting to be held at the Sri Lanka Institute of International Relations where the native wisdom and the hallowed values of the foot pilgrimage will be outlined. The ministry said the Pada Yathra was not a peace march or political rally, but represented the village voice of Lanka.

Right of Reply
The Dharmavijaya Foundation responding to a new item in The Sunday Times of March 31 has sent the fllowing response. When the triplets were born, it was the Dharmavijaya Foundation that came to their immediate assistance and arranged for the supply of milk foods and other immediate needs of both the triplets and the family.

In response to a call by us for public assistance, the Janashakthi Insurance Company agreed to supply dry rations through Dharmavijaya Foundation to the family to the value of Rs. 25,000 a year for three years from January 2000. Under this scheme dry rations are supplied to the family on a basis mutually agreed terms with the father of the triplets. This scheme will end by December 2003. The Dharmavijaya Foundation has not received any funds from any organization to build a house for this family. On inquiry from Musaeus College we understand that under a scheme to provide annually a home for a deserving family, funds have been provided not to the Dharmavijaya Foundation but to another organization.

The Dharmavijaya Foundation has no dedicated funds to assist this family by way of constructing a house. Any interested donor or organisation may kindly contact the Dharmavijaya Foundation (Tel. 698870) or the father of the triplets Mr. Manupriya Alwis His address 222, Dediyawala, Kalutara North.

MPs' group to fight for Sinhala rights in N-E
By Shelani Perera
A group of Opposition MPs spearheaded by former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake has formed a front to protect the rights of the Sinhala people living in the North and East. The group which was formed after the Government signed the MoU decided to get together following discussions in Parliament.

This group of twenty MPs is to carry out a campaign to work towards getting equal rights for the people living in the North and East and in villages under threat from terrorist attacks. On Friday the MPs accused the Government of aggravating the situation after signing the MoU. Former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said that attention has been focused on settling refugees from other communities but no one is talking about the Sinhala people who have a right to go back and live in Jaffna.

" We are for peace but what have we gained so far? The Government is meeting every demand of the LTTE .This is a very dangerous sign. Now it is demanding that the ban be lifted before commencing talks. We can consider it if it comes to the negotiating table and proves that it is genuine" Mr. Wickremanayake said. MP Dinesh Gunawardena told The Sunday Times that the intention of the group was not to create disharmony with any community.

"The welfare of the Muslim population is being looked after by a Cabinet minister who has held discussions with the LTTE chief. Similarly, Tamil MPs are also holding discussions to see that the rights of the Tamil people are safeguarded, but no one is talking about the Sinhala people," said Mr. Gunawardena. He added that the group will be expanded by inviting both Government and other opposition MPs. The group is scheduled to meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse to explain its stand.

Sick and missing after alleged assault
Four Ministerial Security Division personnel on whom arrest warrants have been issued in a case over their alleged involvement in an assault have either reported sick or are absconding. The four security personnel of Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe who were involved in an assault at Narahenpita junction on April 9 have not reported for duty and have not been arrested as yet.

According to Narahenpita Police, they have informed the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) which has reported that the said personnel are on sick leave. "We have got their private addresses and will inform the respective police stations to arrest them", an officer attached to Narahenpita Police said. Meanwhile, DIG MSD, Jayantha Gamage said these security personnel have not reported to work after the incident and the MSD will have to issue vacation of post letters to them if they do not report to work within the next few days.

"We have given their addresses to the respective police stations and requested them to report to work", the DIG said, adding that two of them had sent in medical certificates, while the other two had failed to communicate at all. They will have to wait for a few days more before any decision is made, he said. The four security personnel had allegedly assaulted the passengers in a car and even threatened them with death, when their car had swerved towards the minister's car, in a traffic block at Narahenpita junction.

Meanwhile, Minister Samarasinghe has apologized to those who were in the car and has instructed that the security personnel be handed over to the Police.

Back to News