News in brief

Kandy High Court Judge D.S.C. Lekamwasam sentenced a Director of Education to ten years rigorous imprisonment, and imposed a fine of Rs. 1,500 fine and a payment of Rs. 10,000 as compensation to the victim in a case of rape of an underage school girl.

The accused, Karuppiah Nadaraja was indicted by the Attorney General on an offence of rape of the underage girl at Nattaranpotha on March 4, 2001.

In the course of evidence it was revealed that the victim had been playing with his daughter, when this offence was committed.
The case was taken up before Court One of the Kandy High Court, where D.S.C. Lekamwasam presided.State Counsel Shanima Wijebandara appeared for the prosecution.

Plans are underway to beef up security at the multi-million rupee Kandy Courts Complex.

The Kandy Times learns that a Senior Assistant Secretary had discussions with Kandy High Court Judge D.S.C. Lekamwasam regarding the security of the complex.

A question was raised at the Kandy Municipal Council regarding the security at the Complex and the Member who raised the question wanted the Mayor to take suitable action.New equipment are to be used to check individuals and vehicles so that a better system would be evolved to protect the Courts Complex.

The Sylvestro Benedictine Order reached the 775th year landmark last Monday, November 26. The celebrations were centred round their Mother-House Monte Fano nestling in the salubrious hills of Ampitiya in Kandy.

Monte Fano has taken its name from the original location where St. Sylvester received the gift of the land on which he assembled his first monastic community, in the hermitage of St. Benedict of Montefano in 1231 AD.

This monastery, in beautiful Ampitiya village, was once a walauwwa belonging to a feudal aristrocrat named Yatawara Rate Mahattaya. The Benedictine monks bought the valuable land and built the monastery.

Ampitiya’s Monte Fano today is the Mahagedara of the Sylvestro Benedictine fraternity, a set of priests and monks who wear a scapular over their robes, a sight common in the Kandy diocese. The place has made a name for itself due to a special feature. Monte Fano has a replica of the Holy Shroud of Turin, where the Burial cloth of Jesus is said to be enshrined. Those not able to travel as far as Turin in Italy are literally blessed to view its replica at Ampitiya, the proud possession of the local Benedictine monks and priests.

The Sri Lanka Press Institute is conducting a two day workshop for twelve journalists drawn from the various television stations at provincial level.

This workshop is to enhance the presentation of news and also to raise awareness in modern methods of news reporting on a "One man TV reporting’ format.

The workshop is coordinated by Namal Perera of the Sri Lanka Press institute.

Three robberies were allegedly committed using ‘Rent-a-car' services operating in Kandy.

The modus operandi of these robbers had been to hire a rent-a-car and on the way pick up a passenger, take him or her to a lonely spot and rob their money or jewellery. Three such cases were detected and the culprits are now under investigations.

When one case where the victim was female doctor was taken up by Kandy Chief Magistrate Harsha Setunge, the identification parade was postponed.

Attorney-at-Law Upali Bogahapitiya appeared for the suspect.Two other cases are scheduled for identification parades.

Audit Officers of the Kandy District branch staged a protest on Thursday at Geroge de Silva Park. Their main demand was for the government to take effective steps to halt politically motivated interference in their work and to give them a just hearing. They also urged that they be allowed to work freely and also to support them in their work.