A group of young students, all below 14 years, boarded their regular van home last Tuesday afternoon after classes had ended.
When they neared a traffic light at Bambalapitiya, it turned red and the driver stopped.
Supporters of opposition's 'common candidate' retiredGeneral Sarath Fonseka asked the students to lower their windows. They handed them posters and pocket calendars bearing a photograph of the one-time war hero.
Some of the students held them facing the windows as the van moved when traffic lights turned green. The joy for the school kids was short lived.
A group of well-built men in a white Defender Jeep pulled ahead of the van and ordered the driver to stop. The toughest looking man in the front seat warned the driver not to display those posters and threatened to burn the van.
The posters and the pocket calendars went out of the windows pronto. The toughies went away too. The children were naturally terrified.
TNA MP in dilemma
The political heat was too much for a TNA MP who has been backing the UPFA.
The choice before him was to continue with that or toe the party line and support Gen. (retd.) Fonseka.
He chose an entirely different approach. The man took off to Bangalore a week ago.
They say he will return only after the polls are over.
Cricket match bowled out by PSD
The cricketers of the Piliyandala Central and Rahula Kandy Colleges may have thought that their match was an important fixture little realising that there was a bigger match being played out in the country -- the Presidential Election.
Last morning as the two teams came out for the second and final day's play at the Piliyandala Central College grounds, they got quite a shock when men of the Presidential Security Division came and asked them to remove the wickets and call off the match.
The President was arriving by helicopter for his final rally nearby and the College playground was going to be the landing pad. Later, the PSD men were not happy with only removing the wickets, they even removed the rugby goal-posts.
The cricket match was called off, while the big match continues.
High tension over high security zone
At a media briefing this week at his official residence in Kandy, the President was asked about January 10 Sunday Times lead story which said that he was to abolish the HSZ in Jaffna during his visit to the north. The story referred to him only retaining a buffer zone close to military garrisons there.
The President was not in the best of moods that day, and let fly at the newspaper saying it was a 'political headline' and that he doesn't know what kunuharapa will be written next etc.,
Alas, the President doesn't seem to have been briefed that the story quoted his own political point-man in Jaffna - EPDP leader and Minister Douglas Devananda -- as saying so to the newspaper. Another instance of 'hammer the messenger', what?
Batti banquet delays meeting
The Opposition hierarchy was in the eastern province campaigning for crucial votes from the multi-ethnic constituency.
In Batticaloa, UNP Provincial Councillor Arasaratnam Sasitharan had laid out the lunch table in typical Batti style hospitality.
More than 300 were present for the lunch with all the seafood and lagoon specialities. The result was the meeting started two hours late, and Opposition leaders travelling in the dead of night along lonely roads at least to get to the Uva province to get some sleep.
Wayamba gets eight DIGs
Just days ahead of the Presidential Election, the Wayamba region has been placed in charge of seven different DIGs (Deputy Inspector General of Police.)
Senior DIG N.K. Illangakoon is in overall charge of the range. Mahesh Samaradivakara continues as DIG Wayamba.
Now, DIG (Personnel) L.A. Jayasinghe who was at Police Headquarters has been posted as DIG Chilaw.
The DIG in charge of the crimes countrywide has been posted as DIG (Crimes and Operations) in Kurunegala.
DIG Nihal Samarakoon continues as DIG Puttalam (Wayamba West).
DIG Nimal Wakista who was head of Terrorism Investigation Division has been posted as DIG Kuliyapitiya and Nikaweratiya.
Even Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa which came under DIG Gamage have been bifurcated. Polonnaruwa has now been placed under DIG Harindra Pinidiya.
Media major under 'house arrest'
An Army Major who was doing some media work for Gen. Sarath Fonseka when he was the Commander of the Army, has now been placed under 'house arrest' at Army Headquarters (AHQ).
It was only months earlier, the officer in question was moved out from AHQ to the North. |
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