| News |
||||
| Proposals
to ensure N-E Muslims' rights out soon The six MPs are Basheer Cegu Dawood and Anwer Ismail of the SLMC, Noordeen Mashoor and Dr. Haffrath of the SLMC's dissident faction and M.L.A.M. Hisbullah and Cegu Issadeen of the National Unity Alliance, Mr. Hisbullah told The Sunday Times the group will meet regularly to formulate the proposals for the Muslim community of the North and East. "The common
proposals will be ready within two weeks, by August 7," he
said. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress comprising 12 MPs have split into two factions, with six MPs supporting the leader Rauff Hakeem and the other six which is also supporting the government forming a dissident faction. The Muslim MPs outside the North and East have also come together to formulate proposals for the protection of the North-East Muslim community. This group comprises 14 MPs from the PA, JVP and UNP. Former Transport and Highways Minister A.H.M. Fowzie told The Sunday Times this group will also put forward proposals concerning the needs of the Muslim community living in the North and East. Mr. Fowzie said currently a meeting is being sought with the Prime Minister to discuss these issues. Meanwhile, an organization formed in 1994, focusing on the interests of the Muslim community of the North and East, the Northern Muslim Rights' Organisation (NMRO) has currently formulated its own set of proposals to ensure the protection of the Muslim people. A spokesperson for the NMRO said prior to the commencement of the conflict there were 4,500 houses of Muslim persons in Jaffna but now only 200 houses remain most of them occupied by Tamils. At present about 80 families have returned to Jaffna, however only 30 to 50 of them have been registered, he said. Muslims form a considerable proportion of the population of the North and East. In the 18 districts in which the 2001 census was carried out, the Sinhalese constituted 81.9 percent of the population, Sri Lankan Tamils 4.4 percent, Tamils of Indian origin 5.1 percent and Sri Lankan Muslims and Moors 8.0 percent. The Census report states that from among these 18 districts the Sri Lanka Moor population is concentrated in Ampara district (41.6 percent) and Puttalam district (18.7 percent). Seven districts could not be considered for the census due to obstacles posed by the LTTE. More
time for tax offenders The Bill seeks to extend the date by which offenders can claim the amnesty from June 30, 2003 up to August 15, 2003. Since its passage through Parliament, the Inland Revenue (Special Provisions) Bill has come in for severe criticism with President Chandrika Kumaratunga last week calling for the government to immediately repeal it stating that the government had merely presented it to Cabinet as an extension to the earlier Act of the same name and had been done in her absence. The President has said that several representations had been made to her against the provisions of this Act which she has examined in detail and has "many unsatisfactory features." The Bill has given the biggest amnesty ever granted to tax offenders in the country. In terms of its provisions, any person making a declaration will enjoy full immunity from liability to pay tax, duty, levy, penalty, fine or forfeiture administered by the Inland Revenue, Customs, Excise,. Exchange Control and Import and Export Control Departments. Meanwhile, the government is going ahead with the creation of a Revenue Authority, which too has been criticized by the Opposition. Finance Minister Choksy told Parliament on Friday that the establishment of the Authority would improve both tax administration and collection. "It is being so structured that it will ensure the maximum possible collection of revenue possible to the state," he said. The minister added that consultations are talking place with the relevant trade unions to accommodate their requirements as far as possible. He however said no valid reason whatever has been put forward against its establishment. The minister made these comments in Parliament on Friday in response to Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse’s query as to why the collection of the Value Added Tax (VAT) had fallen below the estimated amount during the first four months of the year. Mr.Choksy said one of the reasons has been that several persons liable to VAT, having placed an erroneous interpretation on the Inland Revenue (Special Provisions) Act that making a declaration under this Act would exempt them from payment of VAT, have not made this payment. He said that steps have been initiated to collect these payments. Chicken
stall holders cry foul at VAT levy decision The officials who raided these chicken stalls have asked the owners to fill in forms which had been sent earlier by the Department failing which they would make the necessary assessments on these stalls and determine the amount of VAT payable. But the owners
of these stalls oppose the move, stating that the tax is not legal
as this business falls into the category of retail business for
which there is no tax. The move to levy VAT on chicken stalls has been made while beef, pork and mutton stalls have been exempted from VAT. "This is a very unfair move by the Inland Revenue Department. No tax is imposed on any other meat sellers. Further the big companies do not come to its notice, only the smaller fry gets its attention", one chicken stall owner said. Consequently with the Inland Revenue Department's decision to impose the VAT of ten percent, the already high price of chicken is expected to soar even higher forcing the consumers to pay the increased price. Currently a kilo of chicken in Colombo is sold at Rs. 170-190 and if VAT is imposed the price would go up to between Rs. 200 and Rs. 210. However, Deputy Finance Minister Bandula Gunawardena told The Sunday Times that these chicken stalls are counted as establishments which should pay tax to the Government because they become producers when they kill chicken for sale. The Inland Revenue Department has embarked on hunting these retail chicken stalls while it is at the centre of controversy for being unable to collect a colossal sum due as VAT, leading to a big budget deficit. Sex
crimes top child abuse cases Statistics show that sex abuse was highest in the Southern province with 27 out of the 100 cases while the North Western province ranked second with 18. Western and Central provinces had 12 and 11 respectively while other provinces had less than ten. The coastal belt has been notorious for boy prostitution and paedophile activity. Much of the commercial sex networks involving paedophiles thrive through prostitution and pornography activities especially in some parts of Colombo and along the southern and western coasts frequented by tourists. Other abuse involved child labour, corporal punishment, emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect and kidnapping. In a recent incident, the special investigations police unit of the NCPA nabbed a 45-year-old man on Tuesday in the Wennappuwa police area for sexually abusing his 14-year-old stepdaughter. The raid was conducted following an anonymous call received by the police unit. The girl had been subject to sexual abuse from the age of nine and had been threatened with death if she disclosed what took place. The perpetrator who used to work till late in a coir mill is said to come home and engage in abuse of the child. The girl lived with her stepfather, his mother and his three children from his second marriage in a small house in the premises of the choir mill. The girl had no news of her mother who was working in West Asia for over a year. Her mother had been married to the perpetrator for five months and left him for another man. Later, on police intervention, she had reunited with him. The police unit which nabbed the stepfather at home, produced him before the Marawila Magistrates Court on July 16 and had him remanded. The case is to be taken up again tomorrow. In a separate incident this week the NCPA reported a case of sexual abuse by a male teacher of a student in his school in Negombo. The case produced before the Negombo Magistrate's Court has neen postponed till October 23. Child
porn video case: bail for two suspects
The two were in remand since January unable to pay the Rs. 50,000 as bail. When the case was taken up for hearing before the Additional Magistrate at the Negombo Magistrate's court on Thursday, the bail was reduced from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 10,000 and the next hearing scheduled for September 25. The Negombo police along with the special police investigation unit under the National Child Protection Authority nabbed seven suspects who were involved in videotaping pornographic scenes using children. Eleven children who were being used in the racket were also taken in. The suspects
included the organizer and the main actor, both from Maradana and
a driver who transported some of the children from Colombo and four
others from Negombo who had arranged the participation of children
from the area. The raid exposed one of the biggest pornographic
rackets in recent times. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
