The Weeramanthry International Centre for Peace Education and Research launched its inaugural educational publication on world peace on Wednesday at the Galle Face Hotel. Educational authorities were presented with 500 copies of this publication to be distributed among schools in all parts of Sri Lanka. The centre, named after former judge of the International Court of Justice Chris Weeramanthry, is a peace foundation aimed at promoting cross-cultural education and making people aware of international and domestic institutions, which can promote the rule of law. The centre believes that peace education is a vital need and is much neglected at all levels of education from primary schools to universities.

Adding fuel to rising CoL
By Nilika de Silva
Fuel price increases announced this week are likely to cause a chain reaction with prices of a variety of goods and services also going up. The first to react were private bus operators. Their spokesman Gemunu Wijeratne said running and maintenance cost were "impossibly high" and they would be meeting tomorrow to decide on a hike in fares.

In another blow to the stomach, Bakers' Association President Parakrama Dassanayake said they were considering an increase in the price of bread because of they had to pay extra for fuel and electricity. Government price control spokesman K.H.J. Wijedasa said prices had never come down and certain factors were beyond the control of the state.

House debates live on TV
By Dilrukshi Handunnetti
After years of debating on the matter, Parliament will shortly amend the Standing Orders to telecast special parliamentary proceedings live on national television at a cost of about half a million rupees a day. Minister A.H.M. Azwer said the government had decided to go ahead with the live debate despite the heavy cost to ensure the right of the public to know how their representatives were performing. Taking the cost factor into consideration, the live telecast is to be confined to 'debates of special significance'.

Maha Bodhi monk arrested
BODH GAYA, Saturday, (PTI)- Police have arrested the former monk in-charge of the Mahabodhi Society of India and Sri Lankan citizen on charges of fraud and forgery.
Police said the Ven. Bhante Vimalsar Thero was arrested from the Buddhist pilgrim centre for "fraudulently purchasing a piece of land," besides depositing Rs two lakh received as donation in his personal bank accounts, despite being a foreign national. Police have instituted a case of forgery and fraud against the monk, he said..

Colombo bus operators hopeful
Private bus operators in Colombo are hopeful they would get permission from the LTTE soon to start Colombo-Jaffna services. Bus operator's chief Gamunu Wijeratne said they had met LTTE representative Daya Master in Kilinochchi on Thursday and hoped the green light would come soon. The hopeful note was sounded after weeks of controversy and haggling over who should run the bus service and from where.

Only 6? It cannot be
By Shelani Perera
An association representing missing servicemen has sought an appointment with LTTE leader to take up matters relating to the issue. The associations spokesman E.P. Nanyakkara said they could not accept LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakarn's claim that only six servicemen were still in LTTE custody. He said that was the number shown to the ICRC but he believed there could be more and he wanted to take it up with the LTTE leader. Mr. Nanyakkara said they hoped to get an appointment soon.

Four wanted MSD men still in hiding
By Tania Fernando
Four Ministerial Security Division Personnel alleged to have been involved in a highway assault in Narahenpita recently, have disappeared and an island-wide hunt is on for their arrest. MSD Chief Jayantha Gamage said the four officers had been interdicted. Letters of interdiction had been sent to their residences and two of them were continuing to send medical certificates but they had not yet been traced or arrested. The MSD personnel assigned to minister Mahinda Samarsinghe are alleged to have assaulted some people who were in a car which had swerved towards the minister's vehicle in a traffic jam at Narahenpita. "They are apparently hiding and we will have to wait till they resurface," DIG Gamage said.

Sigiriya 'sukiyaki'
To mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Japan, the Tokyo government has released a commemorative stamp depicting the Sigiriya frescoes.
A 15-member Japanese Parliamentary delegation led by Hosei Norota, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived here on Friday to mark the occasion. The delegation will meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. A number of commemorative events such as cultural shows, economic and, and youth exchange programmes are scheduled to be held in Japan and Sri Lanka.

Criminal defamation to be repealed
Legislation to repeal criminal defamation laws will be tabled in Parliament next month, Law Reforms Minister W.J.M. Lokubandara said. Addressing a post-cabinet news conference on Thursday, the minister said civil defamation laws - that were in existence since 1883 - would continue to be in force, but amendments will be brought to the country's penal Code and the Press Council Law to repeal criminal defamation provisions In his cabinet paper, Mr. Lokubandara had pointed out that the local law originated from the English Law, but English legal practice adopted certain guidelines in invoking the law.

Before criminal defamation suits were initiated, leave to proceed should be obtained from a court which will allow the case only when a) there is a prima facie case, b) the libel is so serious that the criminal law has to be invoked, or c) the public interest requires the institution of criminal proceedings. In 1994, the then Media Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake appointed a committee headed by senior lawyer R.K.W. Goonasekera to study media law reforms. The committee recommended the repeal of the law, or amendments to the law.

However, a string of indictments against national newspaper editors and publishers by the same PA Government shelved the Goonasekera Committee proposals as media and human rights groups both locally and internationally mounted a campaign for the repeal of the law that was used politically to bludgeon the press.

In April 1998, the Newspaper Society, the Editors Guild and the Free Media Movement (FMM) issued a joint call for the repeal of the archaic and draconian laws in what came to be known as the Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility. The Declaration called for a Code of Ethics and self-regulation measures by the Media in exchange for greater media freedom. On Friday, the FMM welcomed the Cabinet decision to repeal the law, and called for its passage through Parliament "immediately".

Back to Top

Back to News

Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Webmaster