Shyama Salgado national programme manager for the ILO and international programme on the elimination of child labour said that in Sri lanka more than 50% of children were supplied to the labour market through traffickers. They included brokers, relatives and friends.

Of 4076 families interviewed in four plantation areas - Hatton, Matugama, Deniyaya and Badulla - 1022 were child workers. Of this, 26.06 % of children were sent to work by parents, 23.9% by a broker, 23.5 % by a relative and 12.3 % through a friend, the survey revealed.

Ms. Salgado said many retired people were known to be involved in the trade, and they could be identified as traffickers, because they got a brokerage. Among the four areas, Hatton was identified as the area from where most children were sent as domestic child workers. According to the survey, 21% children sent to the labour market were from Hatton.

A government official said trafficking laws were being reviewed to punish offenders who were hitherto getting away.
National child welfare task force chief Dr. Harendra de Silva said according to the UN protocol trafficking was defined as the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation."
He said the government was looking at broadening the Sri Lankan laws to bring them in line with the UN protocol.

Doctors condemn 'vicious behaviour' of medical students
As concern grew in medical circles over the behaviour of medical students at Ruhuna University, the country's premier association of doctors yesterday added its voice to the chorus of protests.

The Sri Lanka Medical Association in a media statement said it wished to strongly condemn what it saw as student "indiscipline and violence" which came after the university took disciplinary action against students who had earlier been involved in "vicious behaviour". The SLMA in a hard hitting statement said the attack on nurses was unpardonable.

The SLMA'S response came after the Dean of the Ruhuna University's Medical Faculty came out strongly against the students, accusing them of hooliganism, vandalism and thuggery. The Dean Prof. Susirith Mendis who is also a member of the Sri Lanka Medical Council which is responsible for ethics in the profession expressed concern that some of the students in the medical profession appeared to be unsuitable mentally and in terms of attitude because they lack the caring and responsible nature which was vital for a good doctor.

Prof. Mendis said he believed the government and the university authorities should seriously look at the possibility of reintroducing the practice whereby students were selected for Medical College not only on marks but also after tests and interviews to examine their mentality, attitude and behaviour patterns.

IDH infected by political disease
By Faraza Farook
The Infectious Diseases Hospital(IDH) in Angoda, is again facing a crisis over the removal of earth and alleged land grabbing in its premises amidst charges of political influence.

The Mulleriyawa-Kotikawatte Pradeshiya Sabha and IDH officials are again throwing charges at each other.

Hospital employees alleged that earth or gravel removed from the hospital premises by members of the Pradeshiya Sabha was being sold at Rs. 1000 per lorry load to contractors in the area while threats of land grabbing have also been received.

Denying charges Pradeshiya Sabha President Sunil Kuruwitarachchi who also is reported to be a businessman and contractor, told The Sunday Times that private contractors in the area were involved in removing the earth. He warned he would take legal action if hospital officials continued to make charges against him.

Hospitals officials say they fear it will start again once the situation calms down. They also allege that moves are underway to distribute hospital land among party supporters.
Dr. Vasundhara Vithanage Medical Officer in charge of IDH said health ministry officials have been alerted and they had told her to inform them if the earth removing started again.

Government Medical Officers Association Secretary Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya said gravel had been removed from about 50 m away from the hospital's main building, which was used as an orphanage for deformed and mentally retarded children. He said the GMOA had information that the removal of earth posed a danger to this building. Dr. Padeniya said it was also important for the hospital have a reserved land to drain surface water which may be contaminated due to several infectious diseases treated at the hospital.
Earlier also the IDH was involved in a dispute with a politician over the alleged grabbing of hospital land.

Here they go round the tea bush
By Tania Fernando
The work at a key state institution, the Tea Small Holders Development Authority is virtually paralysed while its chairman and a minister continue their clash in a teacup.

In the latest development of this month's long dispute, the Small Holder Development minister Susantha Punchinilame has issued an order that no files of the Tea Small Holders Development Authority should be removed from his Ministry. The order came after the minister found that staff of the TSHDA were removing files from the ministry on the directions of the TSHDA chairman Ratna Gamage who claims he has to work from another office because Mr. Punchinilame's security officers do not allow him to enter the TSHDA office in the ministry.

Mr. Gamage who has been clashing with minister Punchinilame is now operating from an office given to him by Plantation Industries Minister Lakshman Kirielle. Thus TSHDA staff have been carrying files and documents from one ministry to another, provoking the latest order by Mr. Punchinilame.

The clash between them began after Mr. Gamage was appointed by Mr. Kiriella under whose purview the TSHDA is gazetted. However, the gazette also states that the Minister of Small Holder Development has to supervise the work of the TSHDA.

A spokesman for Minister Punchinilame said documents could be misplaced when files were carried from one place to another.

He said TSHDA staff had also complained to Mr. Punchinilame that they had to shuttle from one place to another.

'Operation theatre' done at half the cost
A modern new operating theatre is to be opened today at the Tangalle hospital, but it might not be fully functional till the Health Ministry installs a generator and provides equipment for the blood bank.

Former health minister Dr. Ranjit Atapattu who had acted to renovate and refurbish the operating theatre at personal expense and in memory of his parents said the work had been done at half the cost estimated by the government. According to Dr. Atapattu the government estimate was put at Rs. 3 million without installing air conditioners, while his plan of refurbishment cost only Rs. 1.5 million with three air conditioners provided.

He said the Health Ministry should now install the generator and equip the blood bank at the earliest for the operating theatre to function fully.

Dr. Atapattu said although the Southern Provincial Council had earlier built a theatre for the hospital it had not met the requirements of a proper operating theatre. "It was a huge hall, with the ceiling too high and various other shortcomings making it impractical to use it as a operating theatre. Thus, the theatre was being used as a rest room and conference room," he said.

This hall has now been refurbished, making available two fully equipped theatre at half the cost estimated by the government, he added.

The refurbished theatre will be declared open today by the WHO representative in Sri Lanka.

Working girls see a task 'farce'
By Nilika de Silva
With tens of thousands of Free Trade Zone factory girls facing virtually inhuman restrictions on even the time given for their toilet needs, trade unions are expressing skepticism over the appointment of a Task Force to protect the workers.

Labour Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has proposed the appointment of this task force comprising top officials of several ministries to ensure the health, safety and welfare of some 100,000 FTZ women workers. Some 85% of whom are from rural areas , between the ages of 18-29 and unmarried and thus more vulnerable to social and occupational hazzards.

Free Trade Zone Workers Union Secretary Anton Marcus told The Sunday Times earlier government too had appointed such task forces with lots of promises but little had been produced for the welfare and well being of the workers. W.R.D. Alwis who heads the Labour Ministry's Unit dealing with occupational hazards said the 24 member task force headed by Minister Samarasinghe would first identify problems and needs of the working girls and then work out plans to improve their quality of life. He said the task force would visit the FTZs in Koggala, Katunayake and Biyagama on September 15 and 16.

He said the task force including the Director General of the Board of Investments would focus particularly on matters related to health, housing, sanitation, nutrition, recreation and sexual harassment.

It also hoped to coordinate the work of state institutions and NGOs involved in looking after the health and welfare of these working girls.

Union leader Marcus said if the task force was serious it should begin by addressing issues such as compulsory over time and continuous increasing of production targets.

"Apart from the compulsory over time of two to three hours put in by a worker, some FTZ companies make the workers punch out to keep in line with the code of rules stipulated by buyers but they are forced to continue to work after hours.

Another bad practice of some FTZ companies is preventing workers from taking their 14 days of earned leave. Some companies even specify that during the entire week the working girls are entitled to only 30 minutes to utilise toilets, and workers they are given letters of warning if this is not strictly adhered to," the union leader charged.

He said the governments appeared to be keen to provide more and more facilities to investors but it appeared to be the reverse for the poor working girls.

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