The hills come alive with hosannas for Murali

By Shane Seneviratne

From Kadugannawa to Katugastota, the historic hill capital was a sea of cheering people of all races and religions as they greeted their cricketing hero Muttiah Muralitharan in what was described as one of the biggest receptions ever held in Kandy.

The much loved Murali who with his sensational spell of 16 wickets in last week's Oval Test has established himself as the world's greatest spin bowler, was taken straight to his home town after he and the team arrived at the BIA early on Friday.

The wonder spinner was tired after a 13-hour flight from London but he agreed to go directly to Kandy when he was told all arrangements were in place and that thousands were waiting to welcome him.

Smiling through his tiredness, as he often does on the playing field, Murali got the first of the tumultuous reception as he began the traditional climb to Kandy at Kadugannawa.

Kandy residents said seldom or never before had they seen such huge enthusiastic crowds turning out to greet the hero, even the greatest of visiting dignitaries had not got such a welcome.

From the Peradeniya bridge upto a Murali's alma mater St. Anthony's College, Katugastota, it was just a sea of heads on either side of the road — the young and the old, the rich and the poor all rising above racial, religious or social barriers as a sporting event became a great leveller. It was people power at its glorious best and we saw in it a sample of the solution we need to overcome the ethnic conflict in the country.

Banners welcoming the Kandyan hero was seen all the way from Kadugannawa upto Katugastota. Receptions were organised by all schools in Kandy, the Kandy Police with Mayor Harindra Dunuwille presiding at an official civic reception to the extraordinary bowler who brought our one-time masters England to their knees on the cricket field. Significantly, the reception was taking place in a city where 183 years ago, the British colonial forces had brought Sri Lanka to its knees.

If all of Kandy rose high in greeting Murali, then Katugastota went to the skies. A band from St. Anthony's Convent led Murali in a flag-waving procession to St. Anthony's College where a grand reception awaited the bowler whose achievement in the Oval Test was the fifth best in the cricket history, putting him in the ranks of immortals like Jim Laker and Sid Barnes.

The Old Boys of St. Anthony's had organised a grand reception where about 200 were specially invited for tea, but hundreds of eager and admiring schoolchildren were waiting, hoping to they could see if not talk to their bowling hero.

As he had to get back to Colombo for pre-arranged engagements, Murali left the reception around 5 pm. When he got out of the college gate, he saw the school boys waiting to greet him. Obligingly, he shook hands with some, but gradually the young fans appeared to be getting out of control.

It was then Murali, thought that the only way to get away from the thronging admirers was to do a sprint as we often see him doing on the field in saving boundaries.

Like all school boys in their innocently mischievous days, he knew the geography of the college well. He did a quick dash towards his car and got away, leaving his parents at the reception.

Seeing him driving away on his own, an alert policeman followed him upto his house in Kundasale. On the way to Kundasale Murali however did not see any gathering even though he was told of a reception near the Tennekumbura bridge.

Not seeing anything unusual, he went home and did a wash and was getting ready to drive back to Colombo. By then his parents arrived home from Katugastota. The organisers at Tennekumbura went to Murali's house and told his father that there was a crowd waiting to accord a reception.

The father told him that another crowd was awaiting him, including neighbours and others with whom he had played cricket in the home backyards, perhaps little knowing that the kid from Kundasale would one day become a world celebrity. The ever-obliging Murali agreed and attended the function on his way to Colombo.

It marked the end of a wonderful day when the hills came alive with hosannas to a dedicated and dynamic young man who has done more to unite the people of the country than most of the high-riding politicians.

Jeyaraj remarks upset ministers

The parliamentary select committee probing a motion to remove the Bribery Commissioners has been thrown into further controversy over allegations made by a minister. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, a member of this committee, has reportedly accused other government members on the committee of leaking confidential documents to the media.

The other government members of the committee include Ministers G. L. Peiris, M. H. M. Ashraff, Dharmasiri Senanayke and C. V. Gooneratne. Sources close to them say they had been offended by Mr. Ferandopulle's remarks.

They said the charges were serious and he had little right to do it when he himself had been accused of making unfair remarks about the bribery commissioners.

The PSC is probing a resolution submitted by some 80 MPs to remove the two bribery commissioners who had earlier rejected a request by the President for them to resign.

The commissioners had later written to the Speaker objecting to the inclusion of ministers Peiris and Fernandopulle on the committee. They said two of Minister Peiris' officials were being probed while Minister Fernandopulle had made comments which made them feel he would not act fairly. But the speaker has turned down the request.

In addition the committee also ran into other disputes when UNP member John Amaratunga wanted to record the proceedings on a tape-recorder because written reports of the proceedings were not being provided. Minister Fernandopulle was among those who objected to the recording. Later, CID detectives had visited offices of at least two independent newspapers to find out how they got information about PSC proceedings. UNP spokesman Karunasena Kodituwakku recently suggested that the case be taken to the court of the people, indicating that the people would be made aware of what was happening in the committee.

House with a lesson on pollution

By Faraza Farook

With the demand for developed land increasing , the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) has planned to build housing schemes for both higher and lower income groups.

A project to build 200 houses with a sports complex, for higher income earners, is in progress in the Attidiya area with the southern section set apart for a low income housing scheme, SLLRDC Chairman Godwin Withana said at a press conference on Friday.

The housing scheme is part of the flood control and environment improvement project, Mr. Withana said. He said the project is funded by the Japanese government and assisted by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA).

Apart from the housing scheme project, the chairman said, "Pollution control programmes to educate the public will also be implemented."

Mr. Withana explaining the project implementation said that shanty relocation and upgrading and improvement of the drainage conditions in the greater Colombo area were also under way.

He confirmed that restructuring projects in the Torrington West, Unity Place, St. Sebastian, Dematagoda and Serpentine schemes will take place soon. The inadequacy of the storm water drainage system was revealed when the greater Colombo area experienced the highest rainfall of 495mm/24 hours on June 4 in 1992. With this record rainfall Colombo had the worst flooding in recorded history, Mr. Withana said.

No delaying tactic in UNP move – convenor

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Despite criticism and reservations from many parties, the UNP is going ahead with plans for an all-party conference to discuss ways of curbing election violence and abuse, a spokesman said.

Kalutara District MP Mahinda Samarasinghe, co-ordinator of the project said more than 300 invitations were being sent out for the September 14 meeting and the party hoped that representatives of all parties and professional groups would attend.

After the UNP announced the move last month, Minister G. L. Peiris and several minority parties have accused the UNP of adopting delaying tactics and trying to focus attention on secondary issues rather than the vital issue of the ethnic conflict.

But Mr. Samarasinghe rejected the charge, saying free and fair elections were also important to maintain the democratic process.

Mr. Samarasinghe, known to be a UNP moderate in relation to the ethnic conflict, said the devolution proposals made by the government were important but all the attention could not be focused on a single issue.

"The good minister is concerned only about his political proposals. As citizens of a war-embroiled country we agree with him that resolving the ethnic issue takes precedence. But that cannot blind us to reality that the election related violence should be arrested. Hence this non-political forum bringing in many sections of society," he told The Sunday Times.

He said the conference called by the UNP was not a delaying tactic as charged by some political leaders. The UNP wanted an early settlement to the prolonged war and the ethnic problem. He regretted that some parties had jumped to conclusions about the UNP move even before being invited or trying to understand the purpose behind it.

Bomb journey for office train

A crowded peak hour office train from Colombo to Puttalam narrowly escaped a disastrous bomb explosion on Friday evening. Police said railway security officers who carried out a routine check after the train reached Puttalam around 9.30 p.m. found a parcel bomb under the seat.

They summoned the bomb disposal squad to defuse it. Railway Chief K. B. Weragama said he believed terrorists had planted the bomb on the train which had left Colombo Fort at 5 p.m. carrying hundreds of office workers and others.

Swiss - Sri Lanka Chamber Gen. Sec. wins FR case

Supreme Court, in a fundamental rights case, awarded Rs.50,000 as compensation and Rs. 5,000 as cost, to Gamini Abeyratne, Secretary General Swiss- Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce.

The fundamental rights application was filed by Mr. Abeyratne, on the grounds of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment, political harassment and illegal arrest and detention.

The bench comprised Justices P.R.P. Perera, D.P.S.Gunasekera, chaired by R.N.M. Dheerasekera. The petitioner was represented by Upul Jayasuriya, with Radha Krishnan, instructed by C.J. Karunatillake.

Mr. Jayasuriya told court that although Mr. Abeyratne was allegedly arrested for the murder of Matale Municipal Councillor Razmar Hussain, the real reason for the arrest was that he had allegedly helped S.P. Douglas Peiris, wanted by the Batalanda Commission, to flee the country.

The arrest had been made by the first respondent, IP Ampawila, on the instructions of the second respondent, SP Bandula Wickremasinghe of the CID.

It was submitted, that having illegally arrested Mr. Abeyratne, the police officer had brutally assaulted him. This was done in order to obtain a statement from him, implicating the Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe, Rajitha Senaratne and Attorney-at-Law, Laxman Ranasinghe, with having helped Douglas Peiris to flee the country.

Mr. Jayasuriya had filed papers in the Supreme Court, for contempt against certain CTO officials, for allowing certain lawyers to visit the petitioner when he was under detention, thus violating an order of the Supreme Court.

But in view of the order in favour of the petitioner, he informed court that he would not proceed with the case.

2 Chinese fall for a tall story

Two Chinese nationals, who came on a tour to Sri Lanka, on a month's visa, were seen selling some expensive articles that they had brought in, through the airport undetected.

Galle police found them doing a brisk sale of wristlets, gold plated ones, cameras, bangles, chains and gold rings, all said to be worth nearly Rs.15 lakhs.

As the twosome were conducting the sale opposite the Galle clock tower, police swooped down and arrested the two taking into custody as many as 2300 gold plated wristlets and other items.

They were produced before the customs officers in Colombo, where they were imposed a Rs 15 lakh fine.

As they were unable to pay the fine, the Chinese embassy officials in Colombo had come to their assistance. It transpired that according to what the two Chinese had told the embassy, they were told by a Chinese returning to China, that there was a demand for gold jewellery in Colombo, and that anything could be sold in the open market. They then pleaded guilty, and as they could not pay the fine, they were fined Rs.1000 each instead.

Galle police led evidence, with IP Umagiliya, Sgt.' Kulupahana and PC Chandrasena.

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