From Russia with Love: As 1996 draws to a close, Russian
painter Olga Afoma captures the Pamankade Suvisuddharama temple on her canvass,
suggesting that time is fleeting but art is timeless. Pic. by Lakshman
Gunathilaka
Colombo Port trade unions are threatening further strike action tomorrow after they crippled the premier harbour on Friday in protest against the handing over of the Queen Elizabeth Quay to a foreign investor.
At an early morning meeting tomorrow the unions will decide on other tough measures to demand that the deal with the P&O company be revoked, a union official told "The Sunday Times."
Thousands of port employees struck work on Friday and brought operations to a standstill at the port . Officials said nearly ninety five per cent of the 16,000 staff and labourers participated.
The strike followed an apparent breakdown in the talks that Ports and Shipping Minister M.H.M Ashraff had with port trade union leaders on Thursday. Union officials said their strike action was receiving the support of unions in various other sectors.
Some workers staged a demonstration around the Khan Clock Tower, near the harbour.
Port union leaders pointed out that the loss caused to the country as a result on Friday's strike action would amount to millions and vowed they would continue the action until the government revoked the privatisation of the QEQ. Shipping circles yesterday said the loss created due to Friday's strike exceeded a staggering Rs. 20 million. They accused Minister Ashraff and his officials of evading issues and hiding facts regarding the privatisation.
A spokesman for the sixteen port unions said "the government has betrayed us, and we had to act in a timely manner to prevent the sell-out to the P&O."
Shipping Ministry Secretary M.N. Junaid earlier in an interview with "The Sunday Times" had said the so-called letter of comfort would be issued to the P&O within days and with that they would be able to attract foreign investment.
Meanwhile the NDUN(L)F which has generally supported privatisation, is expected to come out against hand over of the QEQ, a spokesman for the party said. He said that if the government re-gazetted the tender offer the country could get 10 times as much as the P&O was giving.
More than 750 liquor dealers and about 35,000 employees would be seriously affected by the new restrictions imposed by the Excise Department, the All Island Licensed Liquor Dealers Association (AILLDA) has claimed.
A large number of applications forwarded by retail liquor bars and foreign liquor shops for renewal of their licences have been rejected by the Commissioner General of Excise after a Gazette notification imposed a ban on such outlets within 500 metres of a school or a place of worship.
AILLDA Secretary A.G. Menonrajah told "The Sunday Times" some members of their association who filed Fundamental Rights petitions had obtained interim relief until March 31, next year pending final determination.
"However, the rest of the members go to the Excise Department daily to ascertain whether their names appear in the list submitted by a Presidential Secretariat official in this regard," he added.
One dealer alleged that decisions were being taken behind closed-doors and renewals were granted purely on a political basis.
A leading Colombo businessman, said to be the Managing Director of seven companies is being hunted by police narcotics sleuths in the wake of the recent 400 million rupee hashish haul which revealed that Sri Lanka was one of the main trans-shipment points for this drug.
So far four persons including a European have been arrested after the detection of 10,000 kilos of hashish being off-loaded in Chilaw.
The police detected a 60 ft. trawler off Chilaw while it was unloading the contraband into small boats close to the shore. A lorry allegedly involved in transporting the drugs was also detected.
A police detective said they believe the drugs had been smuggled into the country from Afghanistan and loaded into the trawler at a location in the south.
The foreigner arrested had arrived in Sri Lanka as a tourist and had met the businessman, who is the prime suspect in the case.
During the discussion he is reported to have made arrangements for the trans-shipment of the drugs.
Police said according to recent reports there were only a few hashish addicts in the country.
A survey conducted by the National Dangerous Drug Control Board, nearly 98 per cent of drug addicts in the country used heroin indicating that most of the hashish was meant for other countries.
Cracker sales this year have hit an all time low due to a multitude of reasons, including security concerns, The Sunday Times survey has revealed.
The lack of enthusiasm in lighting crackers was noticed during the Christmas celebrations while the main hospitals in most parts of the country confirmed that the number of rational seeking treatment for injuries caused by fire crackers has dropped significantly.
Dr. Rani Fernando, Director of the Sri Lanka National Hospital told "The Sunday Times" that the number of patients admitted this year due to fire cracker injuries was very low compared to the past couple of years.
Another main reason for the dropping cracker sales has been attributed to the Police cracking down on illegal fire cracker manufacturers, following a directive from the Inspector General of Police. Restrictions of lighting crackers in high security zones, is also a contributory factor, "The Sunday Times" learns.
A cracker seller who has been in the business for over 10 years in Kollupitiya told "The Sunday Times" that sales had dropped mainly due to security reasons and claimed some of the sellers had been taken to the Police Station for selling crackers.
Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has requested his Indian counterpart, Inder Kumar Gujral, to arrange for the Relics of Lord Buddha at Patna Museum to be taken to Sri Lanka for veneration.
Mr. Kadirgamar made this request after a private visit to Buddha Gaya following his participation at the 17th sessions of the SAARC Council of Ministers in New Delhi from December 19 - 20.
The last exposition of these relics in Sri Lanka took place in 1978.
During his visit to Buddha Gaya on Monday, the day before the Unduwap Poya, the Ven. M. Wimalasara Thera, the monk in charge of the Maha Bodhi Society in India presented to Suganthie Kadirgamar, the Minister's wife, a sapling of the Sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree, under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.
The Ven. Wimalasara Thera said it was on a historic Unduwap Poya day some 2000 years ago that Sri Lanka received the sacred Sapling from Maha Sangamitta Theraniya, daughter of the emperor Asoka.
During his official visit, Mr. Kadirgamar had talks with several leading Indian politicians such as BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Atal Bihar Vajpayee, the newly elected Congress leader, Sitaram Kesri, former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and Home Minister Indrajit Gupta. In addition, Mr. Kadirgamar also met several MPs, scholars, journalists, civil servants and representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industry.
The bilateral discussion between the Foreign Ministers of India and Sri Lanka ranged over a variety of matters concerning Indo-Sri Lanka relations. they included a preliminary round of talks on the forthcoming Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Commission meeting which is to be held in Colombo from January 19-21. The joint commission agenda will include topics such as the removal of trade barriers, including non-tariff barriers, SAPTA, increasing the frequencies of Colombo- New Delhi air travel and the present ceiling on seats.
During his stay in India, Mr. Kadirgamar also delivered the Krishna Menon Memorial centenary lecture at Kota, Rajasthan. The lecture was presided over by Foreign Minister Gujral.
Mr. Kadirgamar said in his lecture:
Mr. Krishna Menon was a towering figure in the post-independence political firmament of India. He was known to be Mr. Nehru's spokesman to the world but he was seen by many as more than that. He was seen by millions in the Third World as their eloquent advocate, their brave defender, their doughty champion.
"Blessed by nature with saturnine good looks, a flowing mane, a proud bearing a stentorian voice, acerbic wit he was well equipped to dominate the international stage in the decade of the fifties. When he spoke he gave vent to the mute feelings of half the world. He always commanded attention. No doubt controversy swirled around him but what man of principle, of passion, of commitment is bland, dull and colourless. I salute his memory on behalf of a generation of young people of the early fifties from many Third World countries who took great pride in his performance and great pleasure in his achievements."
Meanwhile President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is spending her holiday in Rajasthan with her two children.
Sri Lanka High Commission sources in New Delhi were tightlipped about the duration of the stay.
They however, confirmed that President Kumaratunga would meet Indian Prime Minister Dev Gowda for informal talks.
Two ex-matrons of a children's home run by a Buddhist organisation have been arrested in connection with a child-sex racket alleged to have taken place in the institution, Police said yesterday.
Police are also on the trail of a hotelier in the area alleged to have had a hand in the racket in which girls below the age of 15 are said to have been sexually abused by tourists and locals with the alleged help of those running the home.
Senior Superintendent of Police, M. Sivaratnam who is handling investigations told The Sunday Times they had already identified the vehicle in which the children had been transported from the children's home to various locations where they were allegedly abused sexually and brought back to the home.
According to preliminary investigations one of the ex-matrons arrested had an affair with the driver of the vehicle which was used to transport the children. Police by Friday had recorded the statements of children of the home.
One of the suspected victims has been admitted to a hospital for medical examination to ascertain whether she had contacted any social diseases.
Head of the Child Care and Probation Dept., S. Rannuge told The Sunday Times that investigations regarding the case were continuing.
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