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Rifts
in SLFP widening? In one development
the Mulberry group made up of back benchers is reportedly breaking
up with a new group known as the Kahambiliya +11 claiming to be
working for the establishment of a strong opposition and protecting
the party, emerging. Trincomalee
district PA MP M.K.D.S Gunawardena told The Sunday Times that the
Kahambiliya +11 group was formed to protect the party and oppose
the actions of those who sneaked to the President. Its membership
was around thirty five and included two former senior ministers. Party sources
said that one of the reasons for the breakup of the Mulberry Group
was that some members wanted to remain independent and keep aloof
from a clique which have been keeping a close relationship with
the President. A spokesman
for the Mulberry Group, Janaka Bandara Tennekoon dismissed reports
there were divisions in his group as speculation and assured their
membership remained at 41 MPs. However, Mr. A.H.M Fowzie confirmed there were emerging groups within the PA such as Kahambiliya +11 and said these were not anti-party but more anti-person. According to
Mr. Fowzie there are certain people in the party who want to make
a name for themselves and thus sneak to the President creating divisions.
He said the
PA needed no factions and said that he didn't belong to any. At a higher
level the party is getting involved in a media blitz with a group
backing Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse launching a Sunday newspaper
with effect from today in a bid to counter a separate paper published
by those supporting Mangala Samaraweera. Both these papers are in
addition to the official organ of the SLFP, Dinakara, which was
revived recently. The paper backing
Mr. Rajapakse titled 'Lakdina' was launched at a ceremony on Friday
at the Mahaweli Centre. The paper backing Mr. Samaraweera titled
'Lakmina' was published earlier. In an attempt to re-establish the
unity of the party a committee comprising of Mr. Rajapakse , the
national organizer Anuruddha Ratwatte, SLFP General Secretary Maithripala
Sirisena and PA General Secretary D.M. Jayaratne has been appointed.
However, Messrs. Ratwatte and Jayaratne are reported to be at loggerheads. The mission
of this committee is to talk to every individual in the party and
bring about a consensus in party activity. The Sunday Times learns
that the committee will first talk to Mr. A.H.M. Fowzie and then
to Mr. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. Mr. Jayaratne
confirmed that there are more problems in the SLFP than in the PA
taken together. He said various divisions have emerged as a result
of 'unqualified elements' trying to climb the ladder of the party
hierarchy. He said some
elements in the party who have succeeded in getting close to the
President are preventing access to the President to the majority
of members. Meanwhile, with the President having discussions with the JVP, some junior politicians in the PA speaking to the Sunday Times on grounds of anonymity said the party machinery was now functioning the way the JVP wants. Road
to bridge still in the making Work on the
road has been stalled over a long period of time due to land acquisition
delays. Former Transport
Minister A.H.M. Fowzie told The Sunday Times an alternative smaller
road running through Kadiranawatte is being utilised by the 10,000
to 15,000 vehicles using the bridge. There are delays
in constructing the road proper as some big houses have to be demolished,
and their owners are causing problems. "Even
though we have the money now, we have been unable to proceed due
to land acquisition delays," Deputy Director (Planning), of
the Road Development Authority, H.M.K.G.G. Bandara said. It is alleged
that the delays have arisen due to influential people attempting
to get the trace of the road altered. Fears have
been expressed that the more circuitous alternative route going
over shanty dwellings at Kadiranawatte will be utilised. During the
recent visit of Pakistani President General Pervez Musharaff, this
road running through Kadiranawatte was used to ease traffic blocks.
The road had
been opened by Minister Fowzie in 2001. This road is
more than a kilometre longer than the proposed road, said Wattala
Police, confirming that during President Musharaff's visit the road
had been used to divert smaller vehicles such as vans and cars. RDA Director
(Lands) K.A. Tilakaratne told the Sunday Times that the circuitous
route was only being used temporarily until the direct road running
between Hendala and Mattakuliya was constructed. Soon the gazette
setting out details of lands that would have to be acquired for
the purpose will be published, he added. RDA officials
said that protests with political backing began even before the
plans were drawn up. Meanwhile, it is reported that 10 shanties in Wattala had been demolished for the construction of the bridge, with no compensation paid. PA
to expose Govt. The PA presented
an eight-page document to US ambassador Ashley Wills to be handed
over to US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage who was on
an official visit to Sri Lanka. The same document was also presented
to a British Parliamentary delegation which visited the country
this week. Mr. De Silva
said he had a one-and-half hour discussion with the British Parliamentary
delegation. He said he had briefed the delegation on matters regarding
post election violence and dismissal of SLFP supporters from state
institutions. He also said
he would raise these issues at the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting
which will be held in Geneva on September 23. He said he would also take up the issue with Amnesty international, the International Court of Justice and human rights groups based in Europe. Sexual
torture victim gets Rs. 250,000 compensation Justice D.P.S.Gunasekera
in his judgment with Justices Mark Fernando and Ameer Ismail agreeing
ordered Rs 250,000 as compensation and costs be paid to the victim
who had complained that Negombo police personnel had tortured her
by inserting a plantain flower sheath covered with chillie powder
into her private parts. Out of this
amount Rs 150,000 has to be paid personally by Reserve Inspector
Wijesekera of Negombo police, Sub Inspector Saman Karunaratne of
the Terrorist Investigation Department and Inspector Solanga Arachige
Muditha of Negombo police in equal shares and the balance Rs 100,000
by the State. Vijitha cited
among others the IGP, Negombo Remand Prison Superintendent, the
Attorney General and Thurairatnam Maheswaran alias Babu as respondents. Court held that her fundamental rights had been violated under Article 11(freedom from torture) of the Constitution. EP
strikes a discordant note Communal tension
climaxed with a fight that broke out during the musical show at
the 'Yuga Dekma 2002'. Certain trade stalls had been damaged in
the clash and The Sunday Times learns that the LTTE stall hosted
under its media unit Nidarshan Publications was totally destroyed. According to PA parliamentarian for Trincomalee M.K.D.S Gunawardena the LTTE was selling in the stall, video cassettes of its battles with the Sri Lankan armed forces such as those at Mullaitivu, Elephant Pass and even the recent Katunayake attack. The worst thing was that the LTTE was screening the cassettes while selling them and this would have provoked the destruction of the stall later on, he said. Industries Minister
Rohitha Bogollagama denied any stall had been damaged and said he
was not aware of who the participants at the exhibition were and
added the stall allocation was done by an organizing committee headed
by Industrial Board Chairman Dr. Bandula Perera. Meanwhile,
Trincomalee District Secretary A. Nelumdeniya has requested the
Archaeological Department to conduct a complete investigation into
the alleged destruction of Samudragiri temple-a Buddhist sacred
site- and the building of a Hindu shrine in the area. He told the
Sunday Times that the Archaeological Department has not responded
positively but had given excuses in the form of lack of human resources
and other materials to carry out the investigation. MP Mr. Gunawardena
told The Sunday Times that the site was of great historical importance
since it is in the area of Lankapatuna which is famous for the arrival
of Prince Dantha and Princess Hemamala with the Sacred Tooth Relic
to Sri Lanka He said that the temple site had up to forty ancient
rock carvings and stone pillars which had been destroyed and now
the area does not have any sign a Buddhist sacred site even existed.
This had created
friction between the Sinhala and Tamil communities, he said. He said the
situation is aggravated by the tax collection scheme carried out
by the LTTE in the district. 'They even collect taxes from visitors who come to see the famous hot water wells', he said.
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