![[Image]](f1main.jpg) Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike who attended the 99th birth anniversary of the late PM husband S.W.R.D Bandaranaike seen here being helped by her friends to strap up her wrist-watch that had come off. Pic by Gemunu Wellage. |
Contents |
The disarming of all Tamil political parties contesting the forthcoming local polls in the North, has set a poser to the Department of Elections.
Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake on Friday asked the security forces to disarm the Tamil parties in the Jaffna peninsula by the middle of this week to ensure free and fair polls to the local bodies there. Elections to 17 local bodies in the peninsula are to be held on January 29.
But the EPDP, which is the only Tamil party in Jaffna to be armed, said that Mr. Dissanayake had not indicated any such thing when the Tamil parties in the fray, barring PLOTE, met him on Friday.
According to the Commissioner, he had categorically told the parties that he would ask the security forces to disarm all groups by mid week, if they did not put away the weapons themselves.
"They agreed to do so, but even then, I requested the Defence Secretary and the security forces chiefs to disarm them because I was not sure that their assurances would be reflected in the ground situation," Mr. Dissanayake said.
Of the parties in the fray, only the EPDP is actually armed in the peninsula, and that, only in the islands placed under its control by the security forces. It has checkpoints in Velanai, Kayts and Karainagar. The army treats the EPDP as an "auxiliary force". The PLOTE, which also works in close co-operation with the army, does not have armed cadres anywhere in the peninsula.
EPRLF chief Suresh Premachandran charged the EPDP had been preventing other parties from entering the islands to campaign. According to him, the Commissioner had said the security forces would disarm the EPDP "in two or three days." He had taken up the matter earlier with the army in Jaffna, but they had expressed an inability to oblige him on the grounds that the EPDP was an 'auxiliary force' of the army. His earlier pleas to the Elections Commissioner had borne no fruit.
But EPDP parliamentarian S. Sivadasan contended that Mr. Dissanayake never said anything about disarming any group. "He only said additional army and navy units would be posted to give adequate protection," the MP said. Mr. Sivadasan claimed the Elections Commissioner had no power to disarm the groups.
He said the EPRLF could not call itself an unarmed party, because in the Batticaloa district, the Razik group, which is but a proxy of the EPRLF, carries arms with the blessings of the security forces.
In an unprecedented move, the Canadian government has decided to deport Suresh Manickavasagam, one time leader of the World Tamil Movement (WTM) and a senior international operative of the LTTE, to Sri Lanka .
Mr. Manickvasagam's lawyers were told by the Canadian authorities that he would be deported to Sri Lanka on January 19. The date was earlier fixed for Jan. 13 but was changed, sources in Canada said. This is the first instance where a foreign government has decided to deport a suspected LTTE activist.
Mr. Manickvasagam, the co-ordinator of the WTM was arrested on October 18, 1995 by Canadian immigration and intelligence authorities. The Canadian intelligence agency, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, maintains that the WTM is a front for the LTTE, and as its co-ordinator, Mr. Manickvasagam was a person deemed inadmissible into Canada. The representatives of the LTTE fought a long legal battle in the Canadian courts to free him. The legal battle was lost on August 29, 1997
The Federal Court found that a security certificate declaring Mr. Manickavasagam to be a person "inadmissible into Canada" under Section 19 of the Immigration Act, was not unreasonable.
Lawyers acting for Mr. Manickavasagam filed an appeal on Friday against his planned deportation to Sri Lanka from Canada on January 19, according to sources in Canada. Babara Jackman lodged request for a stay order at the Canadian provincial courts and federal courts in Toronto on Friday morning.
They expect a response on Monday when Ms Jackman will return to court.
Meanwhile, the Amnesty International sent an appeal to Canada to review the deportation order on Friday.
The Regional Director of Emirates airlines in Dubai, will arrive here on Wednesday, with a top level delegation including the chief financial controller.
The visit of Regional Director Tim Clarke and his team is connected with ongoing negotiations between Emirates and the Public Enterprises Reform Commission (PERC) over the sale of AirLanka.
Speculation has been rife that negotiations between Emirates and PERC have stalled, as PERC is reported to have expressed displeasure at the low price offer made by Emirates. This was confirmed by Emirates officials abroad who said PERC was not satisfied with their bid.
PERC has stipulated an undisclosed amount for 40% equity of AirLanka shares and is dissatisfied with the offer made by the only negotiating partner. Emirates meanwhile says it is not prepared to make a higher bid for AirLanka.
The offer was planes instead of cash. Emirates which possess an excess of airbuses is hopeful in securing the bid for AirLanka, lending planes to cover regional routes instead of much needed cash for government coffers. The offer will also entail other aspects in the airline network including service, engineering and a complete overhaul of AirLanka.
Officials said AirLanka in the technological field is far behind.
The ongoing talks between Emirates and PERC have been stranded in secrecy.
Emirates officials say the talks with PERC are lacking in transparency. The talks which have been conducted exclusively by PERC with the Emirates Head Office in Dubai, have left staff at Emirates office in Colombo seemingly clueless as to what was happening. Emirate's Colombo Manager Chandana De Silva told The Sunday Times he was unaware that Mr. Clarke together with top officials were due in Colombo on Wednesday.
PERC PR Manager Preethi Kodagoda denied any offer from Emirates but would only say PERC was in the final stage of negotiations with a partner for AirLanka.
She said she could not name the partner or disclose details about the offer.
When asked why PERC was refusing to be transparent over the sale of AirLanka Ms. Kodagoda said, transparency does not entail discussing details of ongoing negotiations. When PERC is ready she said, "we will be transparent."
Mr. Kodagoda also maintained the asking price for AirLanka cannot be divulged as it could never prevent PERC from securing a higher price. There is nothing concrete about ongoing negotiations, she said, "It can all just fall apart."
Meanwhile officials from both Emirates Colombo and PERC seem to be fumbling in the dark, while AirLanka too has been left out of talks on the proposed takeover.
A senior AirLanka Director who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sunday Times that even the Board of Directors was not being briefed on the terms and conditions of the offer made by Emirates.
The future of Sri Lanka's national carrier has been left solely in the hands of a few officials at PERC, he said.
The Sunday Times reliably learns that AirLanka Chairman Harry Jayawardena, has been pushing for a bid made by Continental Airlines of the US, for 40% of the management stake of AirLanka.
The bid however, fell short of PERC expectations and was knocked out. Continental Airlines apparently was not interested in buying 40% equity of AirLanka but was more interested in investing into 40% of the management potential of AirLanka by way of providing training and other professional airline expertise.
Meanwhile, American Airlines also made a bid for the national carrier offering to settle its 500 million rupee debt on its airbuses and lease back the planes to AirLanka. The offer has since been turned down. American Airlines was represented by the Maharaja Organization in Colombo.
Other offers came from Malaysian Airline Systems, Thai Airways and Air Asia Ltd, represented by the Mercantile Group.
AirLanka officials assert the future partner of AirLanka should be complementary and not present competing values. Joining up with other Eastern airlines could, prove detrimental as the two airlines would not be able to gain maximum benefit from flying similar air routes, they say.
Meanwhile Leslie Devendra General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya, (SLNSS) said that at a meeting with PERC trade unions were assured there was nothing definite yet over the bid with Emirates. PERC officials, he said indicated to the trade unions that the future partner of AirLanka would in all probability be Emirates Airlines.
He said PERC had promised to inform the trade unions no sooner the deal was put in shape finalized. If not Mr. Devendra warned "they will have a strike on their hands."
Meanwhile UNP Gen. Secretary Gamini Atukorale told, Parliament last week that if AirLanka was privatized contrary to national interest, the country would be left with only the tarmac.
Minister Finance G. L. Peiris says he will make an announcement regarding the future partnership with AirLanka on Thursday.
The UNP has angrily rejected a January 31 deadline set by Minister G. L. Peiris for submission of alternative proposals on devolution and accused the "Paga Peramuna" government of trying diversionary or intimidatory tactics to cover up corruption.
Opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told a news conference on Friday that the Constitutional Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris, like his colleague Anuruddha Ratwatte, appeared to be resorting to deadlines but his party was not prepared to play ball or bow to them.
He said he had told Minster Peiris on Tuesday that the UNP needed more time till next month to finalise its alternative proposals. Some of the proposals could be given this month but the party needed time to work out the others. But even after this appeal was made, Minister Peiris had suddenly announced at the cabinet news briefing that the UNP was being given a January 31 deadline.
Again accusing the government of opening the floodgates of corruption, he said that several ministries were caught up in the web of fraud and racketeering which the UNP would expose in its anti-corruption drive. He referred particularly to the allegations swirling around the Galle Port and locomotive tenders and the plans to privatise AirLanka.
The UNP has warned that when it comes to office it would abrogate any deal for the privatisation of the national carrier.
He said the Podu Peramuna which came to office on a promise of fighting corruption was seen by many as a "Paga Peramuna" (Bribery Alliance).
To cover up those misdeeds ministers were indulging in dubious acts such as imposing deadlines. "I don't take these deadlines or threats seriously, especially from a government which has lost its direction in political and economic terms," he said.
He pointed out that the government had taken some 33 months to finalise its proposals for constitutional reforms and devolution of power, but now had the audacity to demand a reply from the UNP within three months.
Srimani Athulathmudali, NDUNLF leader and widow of the slain former National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali has stated that she accepted the findings of the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry regarding the assassination of her husband and wanted those involved to be punished.
Ms. Athulathmudali told The Sunday Times President Chandrika Kumaratunga has made available the 453 page report to her three or four weeks after it was handed over to President in October 1997 and that she was satisfied with its findings.
Justice Tissa Bandaranayake and G.W. Edirisuriya, Judge of the High Court were the Commissioners. Justice D.P.S. Gunawardena and Nimal Gamini Amaratunga withdrew from the Commission at its early stages.
She said that the Commission has done its best taking into consideration the evidence which was available at the time the Commission started the investigation which was one and a half years after the assassination, especially when the investigation unit set up at that time was considered to be responsible for the crime too.
In a separate letter to The Sunday Times Ms. Athulathmudali says she had called for a commission to probe her husband's death because she believed that President Premadasa was the force behind that assassination.
Referring to former UNP General Secretary Sirisena Cooray, a close ally of President Premadasa at the time, Ms. Athulathmudali said that she had no reason to disagree with the findings of the report that the former UNP strongman Sirisena Cooray was behind the murder as well.
Responding to a question as to whether she would be agreeable to join a UNP coalition and effectively join hands with the party that is implicated of masterminding her husband's death, she stated that it was not a party but certain individuals who masterminded the horrendous act.
lf one is to hold the whole party responsible, then it could also be said that certain individuals involved in the crime have connections with PA politicians as well.
Former UNP general secretary Sirisena Cooray flew back to Sri Lanka yesterday amidst speculation he might return to mainstream politics in what is seen as an election year.
Sources close to the ex-minister and party strongman said friends and relatives who met him in India had urged Mr. Cooray to get back and get into politics. Last year, he reactivated the work of the Premadasa centre, provoking fears that he might launch a rival party to the UNP.
Please send your comments and suggestions on this web site to
info@suntimes.is.lk or to
webmaster@infolabs.is.lk