![[Image]](f1a.jpg) Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar meeting BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee in New Delhi |
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Several files, among them of former and present Cabinet ministers are reported missing and their whereabouts not known to the Record Room of the Bribery and Corruption Commission, The Sunday Times learns.
The files refer to complaints received by the Permanent Commission to Investigate Bribery and Corruption since it was set up in late 1994.
Among the files that cannot be traced upto this week are those relating to a former UNP Cabinet minister from the Gampaha district, a very influential ministry secretary who is now residing abroad, a minister who was in the UNP and is now in the PA Government, another present Cabinet minister, officials of the Ports and Shipping Ministry, an ex chairman of the ports authority, a chairman of the state handicrafts organisation, a senior official each of the electricity board, the excise department and the income tax department.
No action whatsoever has been taken on these complaints, The Sunday Times learns. According to commission sources, these files are not "missing'' but will be in somebody's possession, even though they are not in the record room.
The source said that the files would be normally referred to the President, or before courts or would be in the process of being ''studied'' by a commissioner or their officers, or in the record room.
The only indictment so far for corruption by the commission has been against a lady school principal from Kotte, for accepting cups and saucers worth Rs 900, a case later withdrawn by the commission.
According to the annual report for 1996, the commission instituted 84 cases in the High Court, exactly half through the AG's department, and the other half by the commission. Sixty three cases were filed before the magistrate's court, but none of these has been against anyone of any significance or importance.
In 1996, 49 persons were acquitted by the high court, and 47 were acquitted by the magistrates court. 35 were found guilty in the high court, and 16 in the magistrate's court.
Meanwhile, the government has appointed Mr. G.A.S. Ganepola, secretary to the commission as the acting director general in place of Nelum Gamage who has now assumed work at the Justice Ministry.
Ms. Gamage was transferred by a presidential directive following a complete breakdown in relations between the commissioners and the director general.
The President also called for the resignation of the two commissioners, T.A. de S. Wijesundera and Rudra Rajasingham, a move they have ignored. Instead, The Sunday Times learns that the commissioners are preparing a report on the work done by the commission since its inception.
India's next likely prime minister BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee has pledged that his government will not support terrorism or the LTTE in Sri Lanka's internal conflict.
During a meeting with Foreign Minster Lakshman Kadirgamar in New Delhi earlier this week, Mr. Vajpayee, the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) candidate for the premier's job at next month's Indian elections, said his party had no association or support for the LTTE.
The BJP, considered a Hindu nationalist party, is expected to use Hindutva as a major campaign platform at the elections it is widely expected to win.
Colombo has been concerned that the Hindu-dominated LTTE would attempt to lobby the BJP to support its campaign for a separate state in the North-East of Sri Lanka.
Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar had in the light of the recent electoral alliances between the BJP and Jayalalitha's AIADMK and also South Indian parties such as the PMK(which has expressed support for the LTTE) and Shiv Sena (which also from time to time, makes statements that seem to be in favour of the LTTE), raised the issue of the BJP's attitude to the LTTE.
Mr. Vajpayee, a one-time external affairs minister in the Morarji Desai's Janatha Party government, replied saying his answer was as emphatic as always.
"The BJP does not support violence and terrorism," he said adding "it does not support any secessionist movement. It does not support the LTTE. It only expects and hopes that the Sri Lankan question will be resolved satisfactorily taking into account the fair aspirations of the Tamil people."
Mr. Vajpayee had told Mr. Kadirgamar that the Congress having made a hue and cry about the Jain report, and having brought down the present UF government, which none of the parties wished would happen at this point of time, is now silent about the Jain report.
He had said this was because Congress knows very well that the blame for having supported the LTTE in the mid '80s when Congress was in power, falls fairly and squarely on Congress itself.
BJP President L. K. Advani had repeated the same position during his talks with Mr. Kadirgamar.
During his Indian visit, on his return from accompanying President Chandrika Kumaratunga on a state visit to Pakistan, Mr. Kadirgamar also called on Indian caretaker prime minister I. K. Gujral with whom he visited Puttapathi for the inauguration of a new stadium and the first international cricket match to be played there.
Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga and five others from the national squad played in the match under the patronage of Swami Sai Baba for the Sathya Sai Baba Unity Cup.
Mr. Kadirgamar also had wide-ranging talks with the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandra Babu Naidu, and the chief minister of Karnataka, Mr. Patel while in Bangalore with Mr. Gujral.
In New Delhi, he met Sonia Gandhi, former minister of external affairs Pranabh Mukherjee, both of the Congress, and Mr. Murasolimaran of the DMK as well as academics, former diplomats and journalists.
Mr. Kadirgamar also delivered the Dinesh Singh memorial lecture under the auspices of the Indian Council for South Co-operation (ICSAC) which was founded by Dinesh Singh, a one-time external affairs minister and also confidante of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
The Chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka spoke strongly against LTTE activities in their states.
They said the LTTE is supporting, with arms, weapons and explosives, criminal elements in their states, and they expressed a strong wish that the LTTE should be eliminated or neutralised as they are a threat to India.
Mr. Murasolimaran, minister of industries in the central government. and leading DMK member of the central cabinet, agreed to provide Tamil books for the Jaffna library.
In the next few days, a consignment of books will arrive from Chennai and there will subsequently be a continuing commitment on the part of the Tamil Nadu govt. to supply free of charge Tamil books for the Jaffna library.
Prime Minster Gujral decided that the central government of India should also provide books in English for the new Jaffna library.
Officials from the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi and from the Indian External Affairs Ministry drew up a list of books covering a variety of disciplines that will be sent by the Indian government for the library.
The human form of the deadly 'mad cow' disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or BSE), which rocked Britain and Europe has set in Sri Lanka.
Medical sources say there are at least three suspected cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in the country which is the human variant of BSE. Recently a new variant of CJD known as Gertsman Strausler-Scheinker (GSS) or Familial Fatal Insomnia has been identified.
However, Ministry of Science, Technology Consultant Dr. Tissa Vitharana said, 'there was just one classical case' of the disease in Sri Lanka.
So, far no Sri Lankan cattle are believed to be infected by BSE.
Authorities believe all three victims have contracted the disease while on holiday in Britain.
"This is an eye-opener to Sri Lankans who enjoy a good T-bone steak or roast beef, to be careful of what they eat when they go abroad," a top virologist in the country said.
"Not only the ordinary travelling public, but the jet-setting businessman too should be aware of the danger of contracting it," the virologist added. The condition of at least one patient is reported to be grave and is being treated at a private hospital in Sri Lanka.
BSE is a degenerative disease which occurs in several animal species, mostly among cattle and sheep. The disease is believed to have spread to British cattle from cattle feed made from infected sheep brain tissue.
The British government recently proposed a ban on sale of unboned beef as a precautionary measure to stop the risk of "mad cow" disease, wiping oxtail soup, roast rib of beef and T-bone steak off the menu.
Britain also set in motion a programme to slaughter 4.6 million cattle believed susceptible to BSE.
The ban came as a result of a report from the UK government's Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is likely to form the next government in New Delhi, has made it clear that it will not put any pressure on the Sri Lankan government on the Tamil question.
Ms. Sushma Swaraj, BJP's official spokesperson, told The Sunday Times in an exclusive interview, that her party saw the Tamil issue as an internal affair of Sri Lanka. The Eelamist lobby in the island and the Tamil diaspora have been banking on the BJP to change New Delhi's hands-off policy vis-a-vis Sri Lanka in favour of an activist pro-Tamil policy. Such hopes are nurtured because of the BJP's unabashed alliance with pro-LTTE groups in Tamil Nadu like the MDMK and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) led by two firebrands, V. Gopalsamy and S. Ramadoss, respectively.
Significantly, the BJP spokesperson not only ruled out any help to the LTTE, but denied that her party was aligned with these pro-LTTE groups.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: What will be the BJP's policy towards Sri Lanka, very broadly?
A: We will maintain cordial relations with our neighbours, including Sri Lanka. India has very cordial relations with Sri Lanka and such cordiality will be fostered. We will not at all interfere in its internal affairs, whether politically or militarily.
Q: Both the Sinhalese and the Tamil here expect the BJP to give India a strong government. The Tamils hope that a strong BJP government would shed the existing reserve in regard to Sri Lanka, and exert pressure on Colombo to solve the ethnic issue in their favour. Do you think this is likely?
A: The BJP government will, of course, be a strong government. But that strength is for governing India better and not for dominating or interfering with the neighbours. If there is a problem which affects both India and Sri Lanka, we will take it up at the diplomatic level. Such talks are normal between countries. But there will be no extraneous pressure to solve this problem.
Q: If that is so, do we take it that you approve of the Gujral Doctrine?
A: We do not approve of the Gujral doctrine because it does not envisage reciprocity. No lasting relationship can be established in the absence of reciprocity. Sometimes, even an altruistic gesture, a well intentioned non-reciprocal act, can be misinterpreted and seen as a unilateral act. A good relationship can thus be spoilt. Our relations with our neighbours should be based on reciprocity and the recognition of each other's interests.
It should, however, be granted that the Gujral Doctrine has worked in Sri Lanka in as much as we have excellent relations with that country. But it has miserably failed vis-a-vis Pakistan, where India's postures are interpreted as cowardice and exploited. The Gujral Doctrine cannot be applied to hostile countries. Sri Lanka is not a hostile country.
Q: Many mainstream Sinhalese politicians, both in the government and outside, say that if India really wants to be friendly to Sri Lanka, it should actively help fight the LTTE, a force it had created in the first place. Will the BJP government help Colombo fight the LTTE?
A: This is a matter for the Foreign Minister and the Cabinet of the new government to comment on. I am not in a position to comment.
Q: The Tamils, both in Sri Lanka and abroad, would like a BJP government to help the LTTE. They see a ray of hope in the BJP's alliance with pro-LTTE groups in Tamil Nadu like the MDMK and the PMK. What are the chances of this dream being fulfilled?
A: India is trying to get Pakistan branded as a terrorist state,. This being so, how can we help terrorists in India. The BJP government would not at all help the LTTE. As for the tie ups in Tamil Nadu, our alliance is with Jayalalitha, and not Gopalswamy or any other such group.
Q: But PMK and MDMK are part of the AIADMK alliance!
A: We are not concerned with that!
Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday held a one-hour discussion with a top Buddhist prelate on proposals to devolve power.
During a New Year visit to the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy Mr. Wickremesinghe accompanied by Mayor Harindra Dunuwile held wide ranging talks with the Ven. Rambukwelle Sri Vipassi Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter.
The Mahanayake has spoken out strongly against government proposals for devolution of power while Mr.Wickremesinghe has said the UNP would soon put forward alternative needs-based devolution proposals.
While the red banner was being dipped over LSSP leader Bernard Soysa at a state funeral ceremony at the Independence Square yesterday, Sri Lanka's oldest socialist party was bitterly divided over whether any of its members should accept a cabinet portfolio in the People's Alliance government.
Mr. Soysa who died last Tuesday after a prolonged illness, was Minister of Science and Technology.
But acting party leader and veteran trade unionist Batty Weerakoon along with some others in the leadership feel the LSSP should now not accept a cabinet portfolio in view of differences of opinion with government leaders mainly on economic policy such as privatisation of public utility areas.
Several LSSP frontliners have, however, opposed the move to pull out of the cabinet.
LSSP Deputy Secretary Wimalasiri de Mel said it was highly irregular to speak about pulling out from the cabinet when no such decision had been made by the party's policy-making politburo.
He pointed that such a pull-out would also place Deputy Minister Athauda Seneviratne in an embarrassing position and create unnecessary complications.
PA General Secretary D. M. Jayaratne confirmed yesterday that the LSSP had informed the govt. that it did not want a cabinet portfolio for any of its members after Mr. Soysa.
Mr. Jayaratne said that a member from another party in the PA would be given a cabinet portfolio if the LSSP went ahead with its pull-out.
The LSSP's outspoken member Vasudeva Nanayakkara has in recent months been in the forefront of moves to get the LSSP to protest against the govt.'s economic policy.
He told The Sunday Times the party had major differences of opinion with the president and other govt. leaders on issues such as privatisation , cost of living , non-intervention by the state in marketing and distribution of essential items , politically victimized people not being taken care of, Workers' Charter and other progressive labour amendments.
Amidst the confusion and controversy acting leader Batty Weerakoon said yesterday he saw no reason why the LSSP should stay on in the cabinet.
He pointed out that in 1993, the LSSP had agreed to support the PA with the purpose of defeating the UNP but the party and made clear it was not interested in portfolios.
Yet after the 1994 elections, in view of the delicate political balance, the LSSP and its socialist ally, the Communist Party held talks and jointly decided to accept cabinet office in the highest national interest.
But during the past two years, LSSP leaders have bitterly complained about what they see as World Bank or capitalist trends in the economic thrust of the govt.
Britain's Prince Charles, during his visit to Sri Lanka next month may formally conferring the knighthood on Dr. Arthur C. Clarke, according to sources.
"There is a possibility that Prince Charles on behalf of the Queen, may do the honours of conferring this highest award on Dr. Clarke" a spokesman for Sri Lanka's most celebrated British expat told The Sunday Times.
Health problems would probably prevent Dr. Clarke from travelling to London to formally accept his knighthood for Services to Literature from Queen Elizabeth the spokesman said. According to the spokesman, his aides will decide within the coming weeks whether Dr. Clarke at 80, is fit to make the journey to Buckingham Palace.
He remains, however, open to the possibility of the heir to the British throne taking time out of his two-day scheduled visit to the country - when he is to preside as chief guest at the 50th anniversary of Independence commemoration - to do the honours on his mother's behalf, the spokesman added.
But the ultimate decision, on just who might undertake those royal honours rests with the British Government.
"It's a possibility that is being explored", was how David Tatham, the British High Commissioner, phrased it.
Dr. Clarke, the space visionary was named as one of 25 knights and four life peers by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who read out the New Year's Honours list in London on Wednesday.
Dr. Clarke who reached his new frontier of 80 in December, already holds honorary Sri Lankan citizenship and an O.B.E awarded to him in 1989.
"I am extremely happy on being knighted by the Queen, but at the moment my health condition is not sound", he told The Sunday Times after hearing the news.
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