Some Rs. 50,000 worth of crockery and cutlery brought to the Dambulla Cricket Stadium to serve the VIPs who were there, have all gone missing.
The items belonging to a leading hotel in the area had been packed into a box to be taken away at the end of the India-Sri Lanka match, but hotel staff found that the box had gone missing. Police have been asked to trace the missing ware.
Scrum over shirt bet
Last Wednesday, President Rajapaksa visited the Gampola residence of UNP parliamentarian Abdul Cader for Iftar.
As he alighted from his official vehicle, he asked Cader “what about my shirts. I won the bet but you have forgotten.”
The bet between President Rajapaksa and Mr. Cader had been taken weeks earlier during the Navy Sports Club and Kandy Sports Club rugger match in the hill capital.
Cader said Namal Rajapaksa, MP who played for Navy Sports Club would not be in the field for more than 25 minutes. However, the President knew his son better. He said he would go on much beyond that time. The bet was six shirts.
Cader seemed to have forgotten. He asked the President whether it was five shirts? Mr. Rajapaksa replied "no, no. I can well remember. They were six shirts."
President exposes PS member
President Mahinda Rajapaksa who was in Sigiriya recently met with local government members of the area and asked what shortcomings they faced.
A suggestion came from one of the UPFA members of the Dambulla Pradeshiya Sabha that a jungle path between Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa through a reservation be tarred so that tourism can be promoted.
The President outright rejected the suggestion stating, "I know your real motives are to transport baby elephants and timber illegally out of the area. I may be in Colombo but I am well aware of what is going on around the country."
Jaggery and political jugglery
With the final Dalada Perahera over on Esala Poya last Tuesday, President Rajapaksa, formally met with the Diyawadana Nilame, Dela Bandara and other officials. Traditionally their mission was to inform him that the Perahera has been successfully conducted.
Then followed the feeding of elephants and giving presents to the artistes who took part in the Perahera.
Rajapaksa gave "Sindhu," a young pachyderm a basket of sugar cane, jaggery and fruits. Then when he prepared to feed "Raju," another young one, "Sindhu" thrust his trunk to snatch some of them. The President therefore had to feed them twice.However, "Sindhu" was not happy. He wanted more and held Mr. Rajapaksa's hands. Traces of jaggery he had eaten soiled the President's immaculately white clothes.
That was to draw a comment from the Central Province Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa. "It terrible. This guy spoilt your clothes," he remarked in Sinhala.
Retorted the President, "That's what happens when you get elephants closer to you."
He eats alone like JR
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, were at the same table during the wedding of Yadamini, the son of Water Supply and Drainage Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena.
When it came to lunch time, the hosts asked the President and the first lady, Shiranthi to help themselves to the buffet. As they were having their meal, Wickremesinghe who had served himself and walked to the table remarked "vidayaka janadipathi thaniyama ney kanney" (the executive president is eating alone."
"JR inakotath ohoma thamai" (When the late President J.R. Jayawardene was living, it was the same).
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