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Freedom of Information Act coming in July
In the wake of the abolition of the Criminal Defamation Law and the Press Council Law, the government is preparing a Freedom of Information Act that would guarantee free access to information.

Media minister Imtiaz Bakeer Markar told The Sunday Times that the bill would be introduced in Parliament in July.

The bill that seeks to guarantee more access to information also requires certain amendments to the Official Secrets' Act that prevents the divulging of certain information.

The government has also proposed the setting up of a media commission to replace the Press Council.

Riot at Sapugaskanda
Villagers placed burning tyres along the Mawaramandiya-Makola road last night after a suspect died in police custody.

The troubles began after Sapugaskanda Police informed the suspect's family that he had died. Sapugaskanda police declined to comment on the incident.

Cluster bus firms plunge into financial precipice
State-run cluster bus companies are feeling the pinch with no money to pay staff salaries, State Transport Minister Upali Piyasoma said yesterday.

He said the situation had been deteriorating for the past three months with workers at several depots resorting to strike action.

Mr. Piyasoma said that although the Treasury provided an allocation to the bus companies which were facing bankruptcy, salaries to employees had to be paid from the revenue they made.

On Friday employees of the Gampaha depot struck work in protest against the nonpayment of salaries, but the matter was resolved by the end of the day.

Polonnaruwa UFO: experts refuse to close the case
By Chandani Kirinde
The claims of several UFO sightings in recent weeks have led to allegations and counter allegations that the incident which led to most of the sightings was the result of a story allegedly fabricated by a regional corespondent of the national television station Rupavahini.

But this has not stopped UFOlogists in Sri Lanka from seeking to further investigate the alleged sighting.

The matter first came to light when the video tape of the so called UFO was sent to Rupavahini by a regional corespondent in the area and was aired on June 8. This led to hundreds of others claiming to have witnessed the phenomenon.

When a Rupahavhini crew was sent to check the tape recording of the happening they realized it was the headlight to a three wheeler that was slowly moving up the bund of the Parakrama Samudraya in Polonnaruwa that when viewed from a distance looked like a dazzling light. The crew returned and corrected the story saying that there was no UFO but merely a vehicle light and that the story was a fabrication.

However, four members of the UFO Research Association in Sri Lanka who went to Polonnaruwa soon after this incident have returned convinced that there is an unusual phenomenon occurring in the area and claim they too witnessed it during a three-week stay.

According to Dr.Chandana Jayaratne of the University of Colombo, the group has decided to investigate the matter as they cannot rule out extraordinary activity taking place in the area.

He said that he had received numerous faxes and telephone calls of alleged sightings including numerous sketches of the objects that had been witnessed by people of the area.

The researchers had spoken to around 1,000 witnesses and as they find a similarity in most of the stories they are convinced that the matter is worth further investigation.
The UFOlogists are closely studying a photograph taken by a grade 12 student in Polonnaruwa who has apparently witnessed the object several times in the past few weeks. The photograph shows a glowing object in the foreground of a dark sky. When the picture is zoomed in, several stars are visible in the night sky.

Nimalarajan killing
Govt. for speedy probe
The fact finding mission that visited Colombo and Jaffna during June 18 to 22 say the investigations into the slaying of journalist Nimalarajan Mailvaganam has so far progressed satisfactorily. The mission included the 'Damocles Network' and 'Reporters Without Borders'.

Belgian lawyer Luc Walleyn represented the Damocles Network that combats impunity while Reporters Without Borders was represented by Vincent Brossel.
Interior Minister John Amaratunga and Attorney General K. C. Kamalasabaysan assured the mission that the government and the judiciary are committed to completing all investigations.

Within a few days, two persons suspected of involvement in the murder were questioned and later detained by officers of Jaffna's Criminal Investigations Department.

'Wanted' notices with regard to the remaining suspects have been displayed, but some of those interviewed believe they may have even left the country.

The mission notes that police investigations had been held up for more than ten months due to political pressure from Colombo and Jaffna. Two of the main suspects are alleged to be active members of the EPDP which was at the time of the killing, a constituent party of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government.

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