| News |
||||
|
Abandoned divers in desperate fight By Christopher
Kamalendran The owner of
the Aquatic Adventures Diving Club, Rativ Asghar who was also a
part of the group told The Sunday Times that he had to get a new
boatman as his usual boatman was on leave. " We asked
the boatman to drop us off at a specific location about 20 Km away
from the shore. We explained to him the route we would be taking
and wanted him to do the same so that once we finish the dive, he
would be at the same point to pick us up. But when we came out of
the water we could not locate the boatman," said Rativ. "We could
still see the boatman and tried all attempts to get his attention.
After a while we knew he had no radio equipment or any other signal
to receive our message. The tide was also very high and we were
caught in a current," said Rativ. By this time
the boatman who was frantically looking for his five passengers
left for the shore under the impression that they had drowned. He
had immediately lodged a complaint at the Negambo police regarding
five missing people. The police
launched an immediate search operation with the help of the Sri
Lanka Air Force and the Navy was put into force. The relevant Embassies
were informed and the search for the five foreigners began around
6.00 pm. By this time
word had got around and the foreign press had got wind of the story
and was behind the case, as there were three Dutch tourists, including
an instructor, one German and one Briton in the group. While the search
was on, the five divers were fighting for survival amidst the cold
water. The Air Force deployed an Y-12 aircraft and helicopters while
the Navy sent patrolling teams. Luck was definitely
not on the side of the divers who flashed their torch lights at
the chopper and the aircraft in desperation. But they flew
right above them missing the desperate divers’ signals for
help. Even the patrolling Navy ship returned the divers' desperate
flash light signals thinking that they were routine flashes from
passing fishing boats. "As we
saw our chances of rescue passing us, we decided to form a chain
by tying our waist belts together as the sea was getting rough and
we were finding it difficult to stay together. We stayed this way
throughout the night," Rativ said. By Friday morning
the divers had drifted towards Wattala. Exhausted after being in
the water for 24 hours they were floating in the water hoping against
hope that they would be rescued. "It was
then that we saw an international cargo ship. We knew this was our
last chance. But it was quite far away and we decided to swim towards
it so that it would be easy for them to spot us," said Rativ. After a while
the cargo ship did spot them. But it was unable to come closer to
the divers. The ship sent signals to the nearby fishing boats who came to the rescue of the divers. They were brought to shore and were reunited with their families who were waiting for them anxiously in Negombo. New
Year: A day of terror for poor doggies The 'SATHVA
MITHRA' organization has called on dog owners, to keep their pets
safe and secure particularly on December 31 and January 1, when
there will be the usual burst of firecrackers and skyrockets that
frighten the dogs and make them run away. "In their
confusion, these dogs are unable to find their way back home and
often are stolen by individuals and organized gangs for various
nefarious purposes. Many are also run over and killed by vehicles,"
the organization said. "We suggest
that wherever possible dogs are kept inside the house on 31st night,
particularly if the owners are going out, because dogs undergo severe
trauma when exposed to the noise and sight of firecrackers and sky
rockets, and other festive fireworks. If left in a verandah or garden,
owners must ensure the dogs cannot get out of their premises through
live or barbed wire fences, drains etc," the organization said. They said that many owners in the past have been seen looking for lost pets after the 31st night for not having taken these basic precautions. Ratnasiri
quizzed, AG to decide CID sources
said Mr. Wickremanayake who was reportedly missing had telephoned
them and come for an interview last Thursday on matters pertaining
to the alleged fraud running into hundreds of millions if of rupees. The former chairman, accountant and factory manager of the Corporation were earlier arrested in this connection and later released on bail. Mr. Wickremanayake was also the Minister of Plantation Industries during the time the alleged fraud took place. It is alleged that about Rs. 540 million of Rs. 941 million allocated to provide relief for small holders had not been properly accounted for. IGP
vows to clear name of MSD During the
PA regime the MSD had often been accused of abuse of power and the
row surfaced again with accusations that PSD personnel had attacked
the son of the Airport and Aviation Sevices Chairman. The Police
Chief said a full probe was underway and anyone responsible would
be dealt with.Initial reports claimed that Pavithra Fernando son
of Airpoirts Services Chief Hemasiri Fernando had been attacked
by the sons of ministers S.B. Dissanayake and Mahinda Wijesekera
during another five star brawl. But it was later alleged that MSD personnel escorting the sons of the ministers had attacked the official's son. Five-man
gang caught with top gun The gang confessed
that they bought the .38 calibre weapon from Ekala, Peliyagoda Crimes
Division detectives said adding that the weapon detected was normally
issued to selected service personnel from the Army and to the police. The detectives
said they had informed the Army headquarters and the Police headquarters
of the detection and were awaiting a response to track down the
officer concerned. They said the weapon had been purchased to attack
a rival gang in Kuliyapitiya. The suspects were produced before Negombo magistrate M. N. Buran who remanded them till January 10. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Three
tourists along with two instructors of the Aquatic Adventures Diving
Club in Negombo decided to go for a drift dive around 1.00 p.m.
