![[Image]](fmain.jpg) Nuns from the Missionaries of Charity follow the body of Mother Teresa as they approach the Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, yesterday. Mother Teresa was buried at the house during a private ceremony. Reuter |
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NEW YORK - Pressured by its military, the Sri Lankan government is expected to withhold its signature from a global treaty to ban the production, stockpiling, distribution and use of anti-personnel landmines.
The new landmine treaty, currently being finalized at a meeting of more than 100 UN member states in Oslo, will be ready for signature in Ottawa in December.
But Sri Lanka - along with India, Pakistan, China and Russia - is expressing reservations over the implications of the treaty.
The Sri Lankan Army has successfully argued that the government should not be a party to the treaty as long as the LTTE refuses to renounce the use of landmines in the ongoing war in the north. One of the cheapest and deadliest weapons to be deployed in the current war, landmines have killed or maimed hundreds and thousands on both sides of the battlefield.
Since the United Nations does not have the means to force the LTTE to honour the treaty, the army would lose out if Sri Lanka abdicated its right to use landmines against the Tigers.
Sri Lanka is in the company of more than 10 countries having second thoughts about the treaty. These countries - including Belarus, China, Cuba, North Korea, Israel, Pakistan, South Korea, Russia, Syria and Turkey - have all defended their right to use landmines as a weapon of self-defence.
The United States, which initially kept away from the negotiations, last month reversed its decision. But it has agreed to sign the treaty only if there are exceptions to the use of landmines.
State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters that Washington will not only join the negotiations on the landmine treaty in Oslo which concludes on Friday but also seek exceptions in the treaty.
"We are the United States and we are a global power. We have global interests. And we will be seeking to reconcile our humanitarian objectives, which are real and profound, with our national security objectives," Mr. Rubin said.
"And those include a geographic exception for anti-personnel landmines in Korea," he noted. "We hope that other countries understand that when you seek a ban and you want to achieve a ban, you have to be logical and thoughtful about what the exceptions might be," Mr. Rubin added.
Currently, the US has about 37,000 troops in South Korea facing more than a million North Korean troops prolific in the use of landmines. With its 1,500-mile frontier with neighbouring India, Pakistan has said it has no alternatives to landmines and it has no "technically acceptable substitutes".
The United Nations has estimated that there are more than 110 million mines buried in the ground in more than 70 countries and there are an estimated 25,000 mine-related casualties worldwide each year. According to UN estimates, it will cost about $33 billion to clear the 110 landmines scattered across the world's battle zones.
Sports Minister S. B. Dissanayake's outbutrst against "sleepy yawning characters" in the Atttorney-General's Department has set off a legal crisis with state lawyers pulling out of Ministry cases and the Minister telling them he would find his own lawyers and they could go to hell.
A spokesman for the AG's Department told The Sunday Times they felt the minister's comments last Monday were neither ethical nor factual and state counsel would not appear for Sports Minstry legal cases unless Mr. Dissanayake withdrew or clarify his controversial comments.
Mr. Dissanayake told The Sunday Times he was not aware whether the AG's Department had returned any casefiles but if they did not want to appear for his ministry he would find private lawyers.
The long-simmering dispute erupted publicly on Monday, when the Sports Minster told a media conference that the "yawning" state counsel were delaying or derailing his moves to remove those who were ineligible or unfit to hold office in sports bodies.
Some six months ago, officials of the Colombo Cricket Club, including former Sri Lankan spinner Abu Fuard and outspoken politician Kumar Ponnambalam, had challenged the eligibility of Cricket Board President Upali Dharmadasa — the Nawaloka magnate and another official. . They said the sports law required that high officials on the executive committee of the board should have played at least two matches in a major tournament recognised by the board.
The minister then appointed a committee headed by veteran sports official Tory Jayawardene to probe the charges and claims. The two Cricket Board officials submitted letters from two clubs saying they played the required matches. But the validity of of those letters also has been challenged.
CALCUTTA, Saturday- Almost a million mourners, including scores of world leaders, bade farewell to Mother Teresa on her final journey through the rain-drenched streets of Calcutta Saturday as India held a state funeral for the "Saint of the Gutters."
Pope John Paul II, in a message read at the mass by his envoy Cardinal Angelo Sodano, said: "Mother Teresa lit a flame of love. It is up to us to keep it burning." But the poorest of the poor, left bereft by her death complained they had been sidelined in the ceremonies. (See also page 12)
President Chandrika Kumaratunga leaves on a state visit for Malaysia tomorrow. She is the first head of government to make an official visit to that country in 30 years.
Former Premier Dudley Senanayake visited Malaysia in 1967 when his friend Tunku Abdul Rahman was Prime Minister.
The President is expected to sign investment agreements during her stay. Several corporate executives are to join her. Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has arrived in Kuala Lumpur from London for the presidential visit.
Representations by a leading export house, now under investigation for under invoicing, led to a Customs official being withdrawn from the probe team, Director General S.M.J. Senaratne said yesterday.
"They pointed out that the wife of the officer in question had been a former employee of the export house and that can be prejudicial. I have acceded to that request to make the case stronger," he told The Sunday Times.
Mr. Senaratne said investigations into the case where the export firm had allegedly under invoiced would continue and added that he had "enough officers" to conduct it.
He admitted that the Ministry of Finance and Planning had received a complaint by D.H.S. Jayawardena, Managing Director of Stassen Exports, the firm in question, of alleged harassment and serious disruption of work when Customs raided their office.
Mr. Senaratne said he preferred the Ministry of Finance to appoint an official to conduct an inquiry since that would obviate any criticism of partiality on the part of the Customs.
Stassen Exports have come under investigation for under invoicing imports of food items including chocolates and cheese.
Mr. Senaratne said "we did not raid Mr. Jayawardenaís house and did not take lorry loads of files. We have seized around 40 files in connection with the inquiry which is now under way. The inquiry will not be halted."
Mr. Senaratna told The Sunday Times "We are handling this case same as other cases. We treat all the cases seriously. Nobody should have any doubt about this case and we will carry out a full scale investigation into this matter."
The Chief Preventive officer, J.H.Kodikara who is heading the investigations declined to comment on the ongoing investigations.
Custom officials yesterday strongly denied allegations levelled by Mr. Jayawardena and said they were prepared to face any inquiry.
A senior Customs official told The Sunday Times that allegations by the company had been made to cover up the ongoing investigations.
Customs sources said that among the documents seized by the investigation team were original invoices pertaining to imports said to involve over Rs 50 million.
The controversy over Minster G. L. Peiris' visit to Malaysia took another turn when Sri Lanka's High Commissioner Warnasena Rasaputra was quizzed by a parliamentary committee on what happened and the role he played in the dispute.
High Commissioner Rasaputra who appeared before the Parliamentary High Post Committee for screening before his appointment as ambassador to Washington, faced questions specially from Minister M. H. M. Ashraff on the G. L. Peiris affair.
Dr. Rasaputra said he had advised Minister Peiris that the timing of his visit was not appropriate in view of President Kumaratunga's visit, intervening holidays to mark Malaysia's national day and the lack of staff in the mission to handle a second visit
Dr. Rasaputra also denied claims by Mr. Ashraff and other committee members that Dr. Peiris was given step-motherly treatment by the mission in Malaysia last month. He had said the deputy high commissioner was with Dr. Peiris throughout his visit. Ministers Ashraff and D. M. Jayaratne along with PLOTE leader Dharmalingam Siddarthan had questioned the conduct of Dr. Rasaputra, while NDUNLF leader Srimani Athulathmudali defended him . Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike who chaired the meeting thanked Dr. Rasaputra and wished him all the best as ambassador to Washington.
Dr Peiris left for Malaysia after the Colombo Foreign Office had earlier indicated that it was unaware of his visit and that appointments were being arranged through other channels.
Having asked Dr. Peiris to postpone his visit till after her own state visit, President Kumaratunga had given him the go ahead only on the day he was scheduled to leave after Dr. Peiris had explained the purpose of his visit.
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