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SLFP-JVP joint action instead of alliance
By Harinda Vidanage
The SLFP and the JVP are planning joint political action, including protests, strikes and demonstrations in parliament to destabilise the UNF government instead of forming an alliance between the two parties, political sources said.

This strategy is being worked out with President Chandrika Kumaratunga also telling her party organisers to get ready for a possible general election before the end of this year.

The sources said the President had indicated to senior organizers that she hoped to set up a new government by forming an alliance with the JVP or with the help of the JVP.

The new strategy came after the months-long SLFP-JVP talks for a possible alliance ended in deadlock. The sources said the two parties had reached broad agreement on the ethnic issue but the JVP had wanted a written assurance that the Norwegian facilitators would be asked to go while the President was not ready to make any such commitment and would only agree to review Norway's role.

Senior presidential advisor Lakshman Kadirgamar refusing to support the JVP demand said that giving such a written assurance sensitive to the diplomatic community would have an adverse effect on a new PA government.

The sources said the JVP was still looking at the possibility of forming the alliance as it had asked President for another round of discussions. Last week's discussions had been low key as to negotiators such as Sarath Amunugama and Mangala Samaraweera had not turned up saying they had other engagements.

Odds and Ends
A safer safe for some
An SSP serving in a police station in an area popularly known as 'Little Rome' has found a novel way to keep his "family jewels" in tact. Jewellery and other valuables belonging to him are kept in the police office safe. The reason for this is he feels there is no guarantee that his home in Colombo will not be burgled giving the alarming increase in house break-ins in recent times. The question that needs to be asked is, if those bestowed with the task of maintaining law and order don't feel safe in their own homes, what is the fate of the masses who depend on them for their safety.

Hotline to nowhere
The Commission to investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption last week gave a hotline for people to call in if they had any complaints. Later the Commission's member who announced the hotline at a news conference on Friday was forced to admit after being questioned by journalists that the Commission has been defunct since February as it was minus a member and complaints were stagnating without due inquiries.

What an earful
On many occasions journalists have openly shown displeasure when Nimal Siripala de Silva addressed the weekly PA press conference. Mr. de Silva labours over each issue much to the annoyance of journalists especially at PA weekly Friday morning news briefings. However last week when Dr. Amunugama handed over the mike to Mr. de Silva he was quick to point out that his statement should be short.

May be it is not only the journalists who have had an earful.

MPs see blue
Talking about having an earful this time it was a group of Government MPs visiting Polonnaruwa to look into the grievances of farmer community who got bellyful from the angry farmers. The MPs show of concern was met with harsh words when farmers told them not to come visiting their humble homes but instead visit the pawn shops in the towns to get a true picture.

Getting its own medicine
PA Matara district parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera lamented at last week's PA news briefing that he had made a mistake by recruiting a particular television announcer cum producer to serve in the state TV during his tenure as Media Minister. "That was the biggest mistake I made," Mr.Samaraweera admitted, after lambasting a programme that was being produced by the particular announcer that tended to glorify the LTTE leader. The announcer who had mastered the art of mud slinging the UNP leadership during the PA regime has now turned tables and the PA is having a dose of its own medicine.

Arrested soldier says
Politico linked to missing weapons
By Arachcikattuwa Navaratne
A soldier arrested for allegedly stealing two T-56 rifles from the China Bay camp in Trincomalee has claimed that the weapons were to be sold to a UNP politico from the Gampaha district.

The soldier was arrested in Mundlama by the Military Police accompanied by the area police and the raiding officers found army uniforms, live ammunition and other military equipment in his house. Later they recovered the rifles at a house in Peliyagoda.

Police said they zeroed down to the soldier after shortlisting all those soldiers who went on leave the day the weapons were reported missing.

They said the soldier had confessed that he had smuggled out the weapons after concealing them in his travelling bag.

The police said the soldier had then gone to the Peliyagoda residence of his sister and hidden the weapons there as he wanted to sell them to the politico.

The soldier said he had met a contact of the politico and agreed to deliver the weapons on August 1. But before the transaction took place the police arrested the culprit and recovered the rifles.

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